F1512 GAD VS F1512 Westerly

killdeer43

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A little late to the party but WELCOME TO LTG, CT!

I'll do what I usually do when this query comes up and that's to cut to the chase: if you can put your hands on and ears to the possible candidates and if they fit into YOUR budget, proceed with the real test....feel it and play it.
No matter the input you get from others, you're the one who's going to shell out the dinero. And you'll know/feel it when it's right.

If it's not right, don't compromise. :courage:

Cheers,
Joe
 

D30Man

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Welcome to the party CT! I never have owned a 12 string so my input would not be useful in the least but I tend to agree with Joe ( Killdeer43 ). Don't compromise and make the choice that is right for you. I have owned a few MIC Guilds - all GAD series - over the years and they are dynamite guitars. All solid construction and serious attention to detail.. Not the same as a vintage US of course, but damn solid and budget-friendly. At one point I owned a Corona D-50 and GAD50 at the same time. Both rosewood back and sides spruce top guitars. The GAD50 had twice the volume of the D-50 and was overall more responsive. So nothing wrong with throwing down on an MIC Guild. The Westerly Collections I have picked up and played at stores have all been nice as well.
 

adorshki

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At one point I owned a Corona D-50 and GAD50 at the same time. Both rosewood back and sides spruce top guitars. The GAD50 had twice the volume of the D-50 and was overall more responsive. So nothing wrong with throwing down on an MIC Guild. The Westerly Collections I have picked up and played at stores have all been nice as well.

'm gonna bet that D50 just needed time to open up (About 10 years, LOL!)
I used to say the same thing about my D40, I actually used to call it "the sonic runt of the litter", even the F65ce equaled it for a few years for volume, until it finally "woke up" about 3 years ago or so.
Right around the time it hit a couple of hundred hours of playing time, like the D25.
I remember reading an interview with (Ithink) Larry Thomas, or his son, who was CEO of Fender during Guild Corona era, and his comment was that he believed well-built acoustics actually chit their peak at about 10-15 years o ag.
(Can't find the article again.
Anyway, I remember thinking to myself "Well my D40 sure fits that theory".
Meanwhile Coronas are all just hitting that "sweet spot" and we see an almst 100% new owner approval where before Corona's had about a 15% (one out of 6 by my informal tracking via memory of posts) new owner disappointment rating, highest of any factory.

All by way of advising CT not to ignore a Corona if it pops up. They DID do F512's but I can't remember if I ever saw a 'burst.
And I get the part about not compromising.
I waited for my D25 because I was gonna get a brand new American made guitar after my MIK Fender acoustic was stolen.
Never regretted it.
:friendly_wink:
 
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ClydeTower

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'm gonna bet that D50 just needed time to open up (About 10 years, LOL!)

By any chance, have you ever tried a Tonerite on your D50? My D55 sounds great, but doesn't have the volume or bass of my Taylor 810, however the D55 mids and highs are pristine. I was thinking I might give it a Tonerite treatment to see if it opens up a little more to unleash its full potentiel... Maybe I should start another thread about that!
 

adorshki

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By any chance, have you ever tried a Tonerite on your D50? My D55 sounds great, but doesn't have the volume or bass of my Taylor 810, however the D55 mids and highs are pristine. I was thinking I might give it a Tonerite treatment to see if it opens up a little more to unleash its full potentiel... Maybe I should start another thread about that!

HI Clyde, D30man had the D50, I've got a D40 but it's a Corona like his.
BY the time I became aware of their existence it was moot for me.
My first Guild, the D25, never lacked for volume and already had over 1000 hours on it by the time I joined here.
The 2nd one, the F65ce also sounded right for it's size and cut through the mix in a recording pretty well, and I bought the D40 without even playing it based on my experience with the first 2, besides which I wanted a Havens D40 and thought Fender might be on the verge of making Guild a 100% badge-engineered import brand:
I saw the Havens D40 in the same spring '04 price list that introduced the MIC GAD series, called Guitar Showcase, and rushed down to buy the one they had in stock, while I could still buy an American made Guild. (Fortunately my apprehensions have proven unfounded in the years since)
I'm a believer in the principle of opening up, and just like Tonerite says on its webpage, I think it's primarily due to how much playing time is on the instrument as opposed to simple chronological age.
So I certainly believe in the principle, but by the time I first heard of it a couple of years after joining here, I was already dedicating the majority of my playing time to the '40 to help it catch up to the '25, and it was actually improving.
I had a little test I used to measure time to silence after hitting a full string harmonic at the 12th fret.
Don't remember the figures off the top of my head but I think the D25 was in like the 14 second range, the F65ce was like 9 seconds (both archbacks, there's that sustain thing) and I think the D40 was pretty wimped out at like 7 seconds when I first conceived of the test to see if what I suspected could be measured.
D40's sustain was up to 9 seconds when I thought to check again a couple of years later, when I reckoned it had around 150 hours on it.
The D25 had only gained maybe another second in the meantime, but it had a "big moment" at around 250 hours, where the D25 and F65ce both seem to just gradually grow.
Anyway, I think the Tonerite principle is valid but I now if that "subsonic" frequency" thing might actually have unanticipated side effects on things like real NCL and hidgelue, or even Titebond for example.
Both NCL and hide glue crystalizes as they age, and a crystal can be shattered at the proper frequency, right?
So I'd satisfy myself that wouldn't be a problem before I'd try one now.
 
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Butch

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Hi, I have several vintage Guilds including 2 F50R’s, an F212, 3F512’s and an F612. I also have a GAD F1512 that I bought on eBay, brand new, with a hard shell case, for $750.00. I bought a GAD 140C back when they were first introduced. I was so impressed by the workmanship and the sound of that guitar for the price, that it made buying the F1512 a no brainer. I was very impressed with the F1512. Does it compare to the F512? No, but for the price, you really can’t beat it. If you are new to the 12 string, as I was, it’s a great, and I might add cost effective way to go.
 

ClydeTower

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Hi, I have several vintage Guilds including 2 F50R’s, an F212, 3F512’s and an F612. I also have a GAD F1512 that I bought on eBay, brand new, with a hard shell case, for $750.00. I bought a GAD 140C back when they were first introduced. I was so impressed by the workmanship and the sound of that guitar for the price, that it made buying the F1512 a no brainer. I was very impressed with the F1512. Does it compare to the F512? No, but for the price, you really can’t beat it. If you are new to the 12 string, as I was, it’s a great, and I might add cost effective way to go.

Thanks for your input Butch. Decided to go all in on a 2014 F512. Sounds amazing!
 

jcwu

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I've found myself recently gassing for a Baton Rouge, based solely on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuEEEwgdAZs

Info on the video says it's a Baton Rouge AR11C/ACE-12. Have found only one store here in the US that carries it.

Anyways, just a veer, I know I'm late to the party and we're supposed to focus only on Guilds, but that video and the sound has been haunting me for weeks...
 
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