Small body Blues Guild?

jmascis · Sep 29, 2017

Can you guys send me on the right path for a smaller body (00 or 000 type) Guild for blues. Something with a Mahogany back/side at the least. Spruce or mahogany top. I have a dread covered with a wonderful D-40 (N.H. made) and need a smaller body for playing on the couch and that mid range punch of a nice blues guitar.

I'd rather go into the New Hartford or earlier due to my bad experience with an M-20 out of Oxnard.

SFIV1967 · Sep 30, 2017

It would be the F-30 model, Mississippi John Hurt played a Guild F-30.

The New Hartford build F-30s were excellent.
The F-30 Standard had a 1 3/4" nut with sitka top with Mahagony back and sides: http://www.guitarrez.com/aginventory/guif30rstd.html
The F-30 Aragon had a 1 11/16" nut and an Adirondack top with Mahogany back and sides: http://guildguitars.com/g/f-30-aragon/

The smaller model would be the F-20 as mentioned: https://reverb.com/item/3365298-guild-f-20-standard-natural-new-hartford-made-usa-last-one-010

Ralf

Rayk · Sep 30, 2017

Rosewood out of the question ?

swiveltung · Sep 30, 2017

I like my F20 a lot. They come in short or long scale depends on year. Mine is a 71 from New Hartford and has long scale, 1-11/16 nut, medium neck, not quite chunky. It was a bargain. Spruce top and Mahogany body. I prefer rosewood body, but this one is fine.
If you want Mahogany top than the M20 is about the same I think.

AcornHouse · Sep 30, 2017

Do you like long, or short, scale? Wide, or narrow, nut. Most of the smaller F styles (F-20, F-30) came in different specs, depending on era (not the M-20, as far as I know.) Their are F-30s in rosewood, but only in long scale.

Personally, I think a Hoboken M-20 is the ultimate blues guitar. (Don't judge it by your Oxnard M-20 experience.)

SFIV1967 · Sep 30, 2017

AcornHouse said:
Personally, I think a Hoboken M-20 is the ultimate blues guitar.

Oh yes, they have a nice sound!

Ralf

jmascis · Sep 30, 2017

Don't the Hoboken M-20s have really weird/narrow string spacing?

That F-20 looks like what I am looking for. Definitely want Mahogany back/side at the least. I love that sound. Tried rosewood guitars and couldn't get into the bell/chime tone. I prefer dry/woody for sure.

AcornHouse · Sep 30, 2017

jmascis said:
Don't the Hoboken M-20s have really weird/narrow string spacing?

That F-20 looks like what I am looking for. Definitely want Mahogany back/side at the least. I love that sound. Tried rosewood guitars and couldn't get into the bell/chime tone. I prefer dry/woody for sure.

I don't know why 1-5/8" nut would be "weird"; narrow, sure.

Youll probably want to steer clear of '60s F-20s then; pretty much the same as the M-20s. Look to Westerlys (and 50's Hoboken, I believe). As always, ask for specifics before you buy; specs changed.

mavuser · Sep 30, 2017

AcornHouse said:
Do you like long, or short, scale? Wide, or narrow, nut. Most of the smaller F styles (F-20, F-30) came in different specs, depending on era (not the M-20, as far as I know.) Their are F-30s in rosewood, but only in long scale.

Personally, I think a Hoboken M-20 is the ultimate blues guitar. (Don't judge it by your Oxnard M-20 experience.)

The M-20, just like the F-20, saw a jump to long scale and 1 11/16" nut, at some point in the 70s. the bodys depths of both models vary slighty also, instrument to instrument, but generally speaking increased slightly along with the long scale and nut width changes. The M-20 across the spectrum is not quite as deep in the body as the F-20.

later in Westerly there were arch back versions of both models, I dont know the specs for those. Oxnard M-20 is short scale and 1 3/4" nut.

AcornHouse · Sep 30, 2017

mavuser said:
The M-20, just like the F-20, saw a jump to long scale and 1 11/16" nut, at some point in the 70s. the bodys depths of both models vary slighty also, instrument to instrument, but generally speaking increased slightly along with the long scale and nut width changes. The M-20 across the spectrum is not quite as deep in the body as the F-20.

later in Westerly there were arch back versions of both models, I dont know the specs for those. Oxnard M-20 is short scale and 1 3/4" nut.

"What, you don't like the specs? Just stick around a bit."

fronobulax · Oct 1, 2017

Looks like you are being steered towards a -20 instead of a -30. But if an F-30 pops back up note that the nut width is different on the F-30 Standard and the F-30 Traditional, both from New Hartford and the specs of an F-30 have varied over the years so you need to pay attention to both the model and the year.

adorshki · Oct 2, 2017

swiveltung said:
I like my F20 a lot. They come in short or long scale depends on year. Mine is a 71 from New Hartford and has long scale, 1-11/16 nut, medium neck, not quite chunky. It was a bargain. Spruce top and Mahogany body. I prefer rosewood body, but this one is fine.

Swivel, think you meant "a '71 from Westerly".
Understandable mistake but didn't want any new members or lurkers to be get confused,
Guild spec history's confusing enough as it is.
:glee:

bobouz · Oct 3, 2017

I like F-30s from the early '70s to the early '80s.

Very different body compared to the 000 shape, with a large & deep lower bout. More often seen in mahogany, but there was a F-30R, of which I happen to have one from '73. Long scale, with a super comfortable neck shape on mine (for my hands) - kind of a shallow D, with a 1-11/16" nut.

A lot of small body Guild variations to try out - the good ones can be highly satisfying!

guild-1979-d40 · Oct 4, 2017

I'm gonna start singing that Whitesnake song "Here I Go Again". if only Tawny Kitaen was here.

This is just me, but I wouldn't buy a guitar for playing on a specific piece of furniture, in your case, the couch. I bought my second Guild last year, because I was playing out a lot more and practicing with a group of people. My 1978 D40 was getting more beat up and I wanted to give it a break. (Yeah my forum name uses the wrong year, so shoot me.) So I bought a somewhat inexpensive Westerly Collection guitar. I'm sure sitting around in a room full of guitars is very soothing, but I'm more of a practical person. It helps to know who you are.

Question for the OP - Why are you so enamored with Guild guitars? You own two electrics and now you are diving into the Guild acoustic guitar world. What brought you here?

swiveltung · Oct 4, 2017

adorshki said:
Swivel, think you meant "a '71 from Westerly".
Understandable mistake but didn't want any new members or lurkers to be get confused,
Guild spec history's confusing enough as it is.
:glee:

Yeah, brain fart. Westerly!

adorshki · Oct 4, 2017

guild-1979-d40 said:
Question for the OP - Why are you so enamored with Guild guitars? You own two electrics and now you are diving into the Guild acoustic guitar world. What brought you here?

His first post is the first post in this thread:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?193235-I-bought-a-DV-52/page5
(I'd forgotten about his Dv52 in my earlier post)
You can see all a ,member's posts by clicking on their name in one of their posts and there's an option to "view forum posts"

jmascis · Oct 4, 2017

guild-1979-d40 said:
Question for the OP - Why are you so enamored with Guild guitars?

I've taken to finger-picking over the past few years, and also practicing on acoustics more, in general, because it takes daily stress of my old amp. Guild has good value, and I don't have a lot of money, so that's why.

I'm not enamored with them, really. I'm looking at many other makers as well. Since this is a Guild forum, I don't ask about the other makers.

guild-1979-d40 · Oct 4, 2017

adorshki said:
His first post is the first post in this thread:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?193235-I-bought-a-DV-52/page5
(I'd forgotten about his Dv52 in my earlier post)
You can see all a ,member's posts by clicking on their name in one of their posts and there's an option to "view forum posts"

I don't know if you're being snarky or not. I know how to view forum posts. I've been working in the IT field for 28 years and I'll leave it at that. I'm not going to read all his 162 posts to learn about his history of what brought him here. Jeez.

adorshki · Oct 4, 2017

guild-1979-d40 said:
I've been working in the IT field for 28 years and I'll leave it at that.

"I knew that"
NOW I'm being snarky.
I was just trying to help you find the info without waiting for him to reply or have to repeat himself.
I also see in another thread you mentioned the DV52 appeared to be very similar to the D40 he finally wound up with.
DV52's have rosewood b/s, that's the minor difference between the models.
Apologies for snark, it's something I told myself I'd never do anymore.
Around about the same time I told myself I'd never tell anybody to "Go do a search".

AcornHouse · Oct 4, 2017

Boys, boys! Behave, or I'll turn this thread around!

Small body Blues Guild?

Member

Venerated Member

Enlightened Member

Member

Venerated Member

Venerated Member

Member

Venerated Member

Enlightened Member

Venerated Member

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods

Reverential Member

Senior Member

Member

Member

Reverential Member

Member

Member

Reverential Member

Venerated Member