A few pictures of the new D-40

jmascis

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Hey guys, I wasn't sure if pictures go in the old thread or require a new thread. Let me know for future reference.

So here are some shots of that 2010 New Hartford D-40 I bought yesterday. I was only able to get a few shots of it, but hopefully they show the beautiful, like new condition.
I paid $850, which I felt was really good.

As I mentioned in the other thread, I couldn't find a single thing wrong with it, and when I used a straight edge over the bridge it slide exactly over it, as if brand new. I took shots of the saddle. I'm not really experienced in knowing if that's a lot of saddle or not. To me it looked as if it was brought down just a little as part of an initial setup but has a lot left, but let me know that's accurate. I'm stoked!

http://imgur.com/a/OVvyF
 
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Westerly Wood

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850 is a fine price for a mint NH D40. congrats!
 

adorshki

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Thanks, guys. How does that saddle height look?
Just fine.
Even if it wasn't actually lowered a bit, NH saddles were known to be "a little low" for a while, but the bridges were a little tall and it all still came to the 1/2" ideal combined height.
I suspect a little more bridge mass works better with the medium strings they were designed for.
 
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jmascis

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Just fine.
Even if it wasn't actually lowered a bit, NH saddles were known to be "a little low" for a while, but the bridges were a little tall.

Interesting. So they build the bridges tall on purpose? Was there a good reason for that?
At some point will the bridge itself have to be taken down?

(edit: I see your response regarding bridge mass. Interesting!). This one came setup with .12s, so not wanting to pay for a setup, I will keep it this way for now. I do prefer the tone of .13s, but .12s are a little easier on the hands and the bridge so they do have some perks.
 
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adorshki

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Interesting. So they build the bridges tall on purpose? Was there a good reason for that?
At some point will the bridge itself have to be taken down?
This was first noticed a few years backs in marketing pics of the new NH builds.
It generated a lot of discussion and some belief that a low saddle was a bad design (They were pretty low, lower than yours. They literally looked like they were less than 3/32" tall at treble end, and even under an 1/8" at the top of the crown.0
"Ideal" is 1/8-3/16 as Christopher Cozad mentioned elsewhere.
At the time it was mentioend that maybe that tall bridge was done on purpose to allow for bridge shaving as a method of postponing the eventual need for reset.
Since then I learned about the importance of bridge mass as a factor in getting energy to the top, so I now believe that's the real reason for the taller bridges.
Yours actually looks like they went back towards the more traditional ratio of bridge and saddle height.

(edit: I see your response regarding bridge mass. Interesting!). This one came setup with .12s, so not wanting to pay for a setup, I will keep it this way for now. I do prefer the tone of .13s, but .12s are a little easier on the hands and the bridge so they do have some perks.
I'm convinced it'll extend the life of your neckset, too.
 
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txbumper57

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It sure is a perrty one, Congrats on an Awesome and somewhat Rare New Hartford Guild my friend!

TX
 

jmascis

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It sure is a perrty one, Congrats on an Awesome and somewhat Rare New Hartford Guild my friend!

TX

Thanks, and thanks for your help in running it by you.

Ador, I too feel .12s help extend the reset. On an extreme example, my old Yahama was built for .12s. I put .13s on it, and it turned into a banana within a year. I now drop tune it a full step and use .12s on it. Glad I learned that lesson on a beater.
 

jmascis

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My notes on this guitar so far:

I love how I can feel the low end in my chest when playing. Especially notable on E chords. E might become my favorite key.
Also, when I play jazz chords or progressions (e.g. C-C#dim-Dm7-Ab7-G7) I can hear each note of the chord. On the other acoustics I owned (HD-28, M-20, DV-52, Baby Martin) that wasn't the case. They all have various issues with playing those types of chords that muddied them up or so many overtones that you just couldn't hear each note of the chord distinctly like on this one.

I feel it responds best to using my thumb and/or a combination of my thumb and creating a "fake pick" by pinching my thumb and index together. If I go to a traditional flat pick, it gets a bit too abrasive (though, that might be the new strings and needing to be broken in). Those are my initial impressions so far. I like it much better than the HD-28, which was $2600 (luckily I was able to return it). This one is a keeper and a great value. I also thought the DV-52 was a keeper, but unfortunately UPS cracked that one in shipping. The guy is listening it on reverb again right now and he didn't repair it. Avoid!
 

twocorgis

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Looks excellent, and $850 is a great price. Play it in good health!
 

adorshki

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My notes on this guitar so far:

I love how I can feel the low end in my chest when playing. Especially notable on E chords. E might become my favorite key.
Also, when I play jazz chords or progressions (e.g. C-C#dim-Dm7-Ab7-G7) I can hear each note of the chord.

That was one of the first things I noticed about my D25.
Suddenly chords that used to sound muddy or badly intonated made sense to my ear.


On the other acoustics I owned (HD-28, M-20, DV-52, Baby Martin) that wasn't the case. They all have various issues with playing those types of chords that muddied them up or so many overtones that you just couldn't hear each note of the chord distinctly like on this one.
Right. The D25 makes nice lush chords but the D40's even "cleaner" than the D25.
I understand now what people mean by "focused" and "punchy".
It just took a while to really blossom.
It's part of that "signature" Guild sound: evenly balanced volume across all strings, as Richie Havens once said about his D40(s),
Which were also sitka-topped, btw.
:friendly_wink:
 
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Treem

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Congratulations Jmascis! For a New Hartford that's a heck of deal, Bromigo! Enjoy it!!
 

adorshki

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I feel it responds best to using my thumb and/or a combination of my thumb and creating a "fake pick" by pinching my thumb and index together. If I go to a traditional flat pick, it gets a bit too abrasive (though, that might be the new strings and needing to be broken in).
Ah, missed that on the first pass.
Sometimes I do that myself but certain stuff needs a pick and I like Dunlop nylon .60's with some stippling for grip on the end.
You can literally bend 'em into that thumb/forefinger grip and leave just enough pick extended to get a sharper attack, and shift 'm around a little "on the fly" because of the stippling, but being nylon they're not too abrasive, they give a little, and they never shatter:

dunlop-standard-nylon-refill-bag-72-picks-10.gif
.
They also offer a .46 (that used to be my preferred gauge) or even a .73 or 1mm if you like something stiffer.
 
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txbumper57

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Thanks, and thanks for your help in running it by you.

Ador, I too feel .12s help extend the reset. On an extreme example, my old Yahama was built for .12s. I put .13s on it, and it turned into a banana within a year. I now drop tune it a full step and use .12s on it. Glad I learned that lesson on a beater.

No Problem Jmascis, I am just happy another Stellar New Hartford Guild got in to the hands of someone who will appreciate it for the Quality and also play the "you know what" out of it! The more you play them the better they sound and the more you push them the more they give back. Not to mention that you don't want to put the guitar down once you pick it up. You just want to keep playing it more and more. That is they way I am with mine and it has really made my playing grow so much over the last few years even with a bad shoulder. Glad I could help out and Enjoy it!

TX
 

jmascis

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Ah, missed that on the first pass.
Sometimes I do that myself but certain stuff needs a pick and I like Dunlop nylon .60's with some stippling for grip on the end.
You can literally bend 'em into that thumb/forefinger grip and leave just enough pick extended to get a sharper attack, and shift 'm around a little "on the fly" because of the stippling, but being nylon they're not too abrasive, they give a little, and they never shatter:


They also offer a .46 (that used to be my preferred gauge) or even a .73 or 1mm if you like something stiffer.

I notice we have a lot of the same tastes. I use those picks. But usually the 1.25mm because I like to play solos. For very fast strumming parts I'll use the .60, but the sound gets much thinner, so it's a trade off. Many times I will just use my thumb and if it's dull I throw in a little of the pointer finger.

On electric I always use those 1.25mm dunlops, though. I love that bit of grip they have.
 

jmascis

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No Problem Jmascis, I am just happy another Stellar New Hartford Guild got in to the hands of someone who will appreciate it for the Quality and also play the "you know what" out of it! The more you play them the better they sound and the more you push them the more they give back. Not to mention that you don't want to put the guitar down once you pick it up. You just want to keep playing it more and more. That is they way I am with mine and it has really made my playing grow so much over the last few years even with a bad shoulder. Glad I could help out and Enjoy it!

TX

I think I've already logged 3hrs practice on it since last night. You're right, I don't want to put it down. The longer scale forces me to after a bit just due to some cramping (on these long-reach inversions I'm practicing)...I decided to go in 25 minute bursts of practice. It's nice because I look forward to the next session and avoid the hand pain! I don't think this guitar was meant for long-reach inversions...probably need a short scale for that. But oh well; they sound really good so it's addictive.
 
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