My review of the NEW OXNARD F55e

Cougar

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Well, my scale is only correct to the nearest 1/2 pound, but it looks like my NH F50R comes in at 6.5 pounds. A little extra due to the emeralds, no doubt. :wink-new:

f50r562.jpg
 

adorshki

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Well, with Rosewood you’ve also got the bracing. However, the maple is laminated and pressed into the arch shape... so...I don’t know which is heavier from NH.
Yeah it's been debated a bit before.
Somebody once contended that the glue made the laminations heavier but I don't buy it.
Lamination is supposed to offer superior strength for less weight, it's why it came into such widespread use in construction.
And I simply cannot believe that the layers of hide glue between the laminations weigh more than an equal volume of wood.
To top it all off, the central layer of the lamination is typically a lighter wood like poplar or larch, at least it was in Westerly.
Hans mentioned it a long time ago.
But you got my curiosity up about the relative weights of maple and rosewood, it's come up before, and I finally found awebsite that shows it:
http://www.wood-database.com/brazilian-rosewood/
That one has maple at 44lb/cu.ft and both Brazilian and EIR at 52lbs/cu.ft. (!)
I was surprised, I expected 'em to be much closer.
Heck, while I'm at it, might as well toss in Honduran Mahogany (mid-to-late Westerly's go-to) at 37lbs/cu.ft.
Wow, who'da thunk rosewood out weighs 'hog by about 42% by volume?
All our luthier members.... :glee:
 
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ClydeTower

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UPDATE: It's been a little over 3 months since I acquired the F55. I can say without a doubt it's become my favorite guitar. Everything from the tone to the playability is better than any other guitar I've ever owned, including my other NH Guilds. And it keeps getting better as it opens up. I've got DR Rares 12-53s on it right now and the older the strings get, the better the guitar sounds, which has never happened to me before.

If this F55 is any indication, I think Oxnard could be on it's way to building some of the best Guilds we've seen or heard.

I'm hoping they decide to bring back the F30RCE. I'd definitely be interested in picking up one of those.

As always, YMMV :)

Claude
 

richardp69

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Claude, I've been impressed with Oxnard builds as well. I'll tell you, this F 40 I recently got is one of the loudest guitars I've ever owned. Huge low end, but not at all muddy IMHO. The M 20 Oxnard I have is really good as well and I'm not typically so much a fan of small bodied guitars, Guild or otherwise. This is a fine guitar however.
 

ClydeTower

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I'll tell you, this F 40 I recently got is one of the loudest guitars I've ever owned. Huge low end, but not at all muddy IMHO.

I'm having exactly the same experience with my F55: Loud with an extremely satisfying low end thump, not muddy, coupled with a sweet round treble side. There is also a "woodiness" to the tone I don't get from my other Guilds.

Very impressed indeed.
 
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