Consensus on Oxnard M20 Quality

jedzep · Dec 29, 2016

Nah...I'm not emotionally effected, just interested in the breakdown from everyone who is shopping for new instruments. I'm hoping mac really likes his choice and can get a good 'break-in' experience. As a vintage geek, I actually like to have them broken in ahead of my turn, hopefully with glowing descriptions of their good qualities. My buyer lost the warranty option, but the guitar is issue free and a sturdy build. When I read the Guild warranty I saw that it covers no normal wear and tear problems, just production flaws, which would be obvious right out of the box.

adorshki · Dec 29, 2016

jedzep said:
My buyer lost the warranty option, but the guitar is issue free and a sturdy build. When I read the Guild warranty I saw that it covers no normal wear and tear problems, just production flaws, which would be obvious right out of the box.

Yes, ironically I've never had to use any of mine although there's a very minor issue (bridge lift) with the F65ce that would be covered according to the local service shop.
But when I bought my D25 warranty was a huge part of the deal and I figured Fender wasn't gonna go out of business...LOL!
I knew I wasn't knowledgeable enough to evaluate somebody's used piece and I also knew I was making a keep-it-for-life purchase, my first real "good" guitar.
So it was gonna be new.
Discovering the joys of growing old with a guitar from new was an unexpected bonus.

Neal · Dec 29, 2016

I have really gone in different directions on the whole new vs. used decision.

I prefer new acoustics, and vintage archtops (the older, the better). After a LOT of experimentation.

It just seems that there is more that can go wrong on an acoustic flattop. Shallow neck angle, under-humidification, bridge lifting, etc.

The old Guild archtops I have acquired are built like tanks. Not even close to neck reset after more than 60 years.

txbumper57 · Dec 29, 2016

I agree completely with you Neal in the New Acoustic/ Old Archtop equation. I love my Vintage Guild Electrics and most of them are so well built that they are like getting a structurally new Electric with the feel and tone of Vintage.

TX

jedzep · Dec 30, 2016

A question for new M20 owners...did you get the marbled green flat pick with your guitar? Anyone know what that is? It's my favorite for all my acoustics.

chazmo · Dec 30, 2016

Neal, TX, I think my bias is that "old electronics are bad electronics." True in life, and (perhaps) true for acoustic guitars. But, maybe not so much for old archtops and solid bodies. Vintage electronics are (obviously) in high demand. It's clearly a very different story on the acoustic side.

The structural thing is fascinating. I could see what you're saying. Modern acoustic guitars are just built better in the first place than vintage, and clearly need less care and feeding with reagard to restoring playability (well, they shouldn't need any) than their aging counterparts. But old archtops and solid bodies are I guess less likely to have issues over time and maintain their playability longer than acoustics. Your point about being less affected by bad environments over time makes sense, particularly when we're talking about solid wood acoustics.

I don't know. I'm talkin' out my patootie here, but this sort of sounds reasonable to me.

kdavid · Dec 30, 2016

jedzep said:
A question for new M20 owners...did you get the marbled green flat pick with your guitar? Anyone know what that is? It's my favorite for all my acoustics.

hmmm...no. no flatpick. Not even a truss rod wrench. After a few emails back & forth to cust svc & finally buying one Guild sent me one.

jedzep · Dec 30, 2016

Ha! I guess case candy is on a seller by seller basis.

The pick turns out to be a Chinese product. Generic celluloid .71 but it works across all my small bod acoustics. I highly recommend it for M20 players. Now I have a thousand flat picks.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281082174322?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649& ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I'll be sending a few to you, Patrick.

jedzep · Dec 31, 2016

Here's another...my friend feels the case doesn't align properly at the very bottom, like there's an overlap he has to fiddle with to close tightly. Anyone relate to that complaint?

Cold Finger · Dec 31, 2016

jedzep said:
Here's another...my friend feels the case doesn't align properly at the very bottom, like there's an overlap he has to fiddle with to close tightly. Anyone relate to that complaint?

I agree. The latch on the neck end of my case is off a little bit. I have to pull the bottom out about 1/16" to get it to line up and latch. Works OK once it's latched,but a bit of a nuisance.

dapmdave · Jan 1, 2017

chazmo said:
Neal, TX, I think my bias is that "old electronics are bad electronics." True in life, and (perhaps) true for acoustic guitars. But, maybe not so much for old archtops and solid bodies. Vintage electronics are (obviously) in high demand. It's clearly a very different story on the acoustic side.

The structural thing is fascinating. I could see what you're saying. Modern acoustic guitars are just built better in the first place than vintage, and clearly need less care and feeding with reagard to restoring playability (well, they shouldn't need any) than their aging counterparts. But old archtops and solid bodies are I guess less likely to have issues over time and maintain their playability longer than acoustics. Your point about being less affected by bad environments over time makes sense, particularly when we're talking about solid wood acoustics.

I don't know. I'm talkin' out my patootie here, but this sort of sounds reasonable to me.

Also in agreement, here. I've found myself moving away from older acoustic guitars. I don't know if they'll hold up better in the long run, but they'll probably out last me.

macandcheese · Jan 6, 2017

She finally showed up - I needn't have worried. Workmanship is top notch, and although it's a light guitar it feels very solid. Love the sparse decorations - the lack of binding detail is just fine with me and the whole thing wouldn't look out of place in a Danish woodworking museum. The art deco Guild headstock is so classic, not overdone. The satin finish on it looks great, and the feel of the neck is really nice.

As far as sound goes, I won't be able to tell you more than any youtube videos, but it's great. For a small guitar there's really a nice broadcast and I actually found it a little less woody / earthy / mahogany-y than I had anticipated (not a bad thing or a good thing, just a comment). Resonance is terrific and she'll keep ringing for a real long time.

Great guitar - I'm extremely happy with it.

Westerly Wood · Jan 6, 2017

Nice!

Quantum Strummer · Jan 6, 2017

Excellent! I got to play another new M-20 last evening, and as usual it was a good 'un. Compared to my little all-hog recently-restored Martin the Guild does have more high-end shimmer. Both have strong midrange projection, which I love in an acoustic guitar. I can't justify having an M-20 and my F-20/0-15 combo, but if I were starting from scratch I'd probably opt for the M-20 as by itself it covers just about all the territory my combo does.

-Dave-

macandcheese · Jan 7, 2017

Welp, I did actually manage to find an issue in the finish, a small area on the bottom where it looked like the stain pooled. It's really the only issue I can find, and a small one at that, but maybe something that should have been caught by QC... maybe the area will just wear down there with use :rolleyes-new:

txbumper57 · Jan 7, 2017

Glad you are liking it Mac but that finish issue is something in my opinion that should have been caught by QC. There are more and more of these little issues popping up on the New USA Guilds that seemed to "Slip Through" QC including one M20 Burst finish that had the Burst on the Backside off centered by an inch or more. I would contact whatever dealer you purchased it through and make them aware of the situation with the finish and that it needs to be fixed. They should be a current Guild Dealer which means that you should have a factory warranty. Once the Dealer is aware of it I would also send an email to Guild with a photo of the finish. Here is hoping you get it fixed and hoping Guild gets their act together on these QC issues. If you purchased that guitar Brand new as a First run Guild then that is too much money spent to not have the guitar be right. It doesn't take too many of these issues for a bad reputation to begin attaching itself to current Guilds which is something none of us want. Best of luck and let us know how it all turns out.

TX

macandcheese · Jan 7, 2017

It's funny because I started this thread in the first place because of this very concern, ha. I still think the guitar is a great piece, and the sound is GREAT.. but yeah, at this price point it's unacceptable.

I contacted Guild and will contact CME here in a second, and hopefully get it replaced. Although the thought of having to send it back and wait another 10 days for a replacement sounds pretty agonizing, ha!

chazmo · Jan 7, 2017

Gosh, replaced? I think that'll be pretty easy to repair. They just need to sand and buf it down. As you said, it's just some pooling of the varnish, which (I presume) can just be leveled down.

But, yeah, I totally agree that it should get taken care of.

Neal · Jan 7, 2017

Finish flaw aside, that is some stunning mahogany on that M-20.

Westerly Wood · Jan 7, 2017

I would live with it.

Consensus on Oxnard M20 Quality

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