Why so heavy?

docfishr

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Does anyone here know why when Guild moved from Hoboken to Westerly they started making heavier guitars?
I have played many Guild acoustics on both sides of Westerly and without exception (in the ones I have played) The Westerly's are noticeably heftier. Why is that?
 

Nuuska

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Hobokens have had more time to get rid of wood moisture :biggrin-new:
 

Rayk

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Makes it feel like it’s worth the money you pay for it ? Honestly I think that myself sometimes when I buy stuff , don’t ask me why . LOL
 

adorshki

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Warranty reasons?
It's been said before, in fact I think it was Cap'n Juan in the "Trainwreck Neck" thread, and he sounded like he may have actually had some inside info.
But it didn't happen immediately after the move, it wasn't until about '73/'74 or so, from my memory of reports of "heavy builds".
Anyway, the idea being that acoustic sales had been booming and there was a corresponding rise in warranty claims like Geoguy mentions.
And that does coincide with the sales volume increase kicked off by the singer-songwriter acoustic era: Johnathan Edwards, Jackson Brown, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, John Denver, America, Seals & Croft, and even former "heavies" going "light" like Led Zeppelin III, Workingman's Dead, Hot Tuna .
You get the idea..anyway it's the most sensible reason I ever heard.
 
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walrus

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But it didn't happen immediately after the move, it wasn't until about '73/'74 or so, from my memory of reports of "heavy builds".

Coincidentally, around '73/'74 I dated a few girls with "heavy builds"...

walrus
 

Br1ck

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ALL manufacturers started building heavier guitars out of necessity, as more musicians subjected them to harsher conditions, car trunks and the like. Gibson used large plywood bridgeplates, Martin doubled the size of theirs, bracing was beefed up. Earlier guitars were falling apart. This all had the effect of hurting tone, and the large spike in sales effected quality. Can anyone point out a brand whose heyday was the late 70s early eighties?

Now today, earlier Guilds and others are more often in need of a neck reset, a natural occurrence because of the lightness of build. I gladly paid the price and am reminded why when I've played late 70s Guilds. Martin D 18s of this period are routinely rehabbed with new bridgeplates, removal of the popcycle brace and reshaping of the cross braces. If you can buy right, you can end up with a nice guitar.
 

dreadnut

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My '76 D-25M is fairly heavy, but it has been a real workhorse, and with a new set of strings it still sounds like angels singing...
 

Neal

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I have two '71's and a '73, and all are as light as my much older Martins and Gibsons. Except for the '31 Gibson L-0. So light, I have no idea what keeps it from folding in half.
 

twocorgis

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It's just anecdotal, but the '73 D50NT that I've owned since I was a teenager is the heaviest acoustic guitar I've ever held. I always thought it was a good thing when I was younger and didn't understand the concept of lighter builds, and that's probably a good thing because I beat the living hell out of it, and it has the scars to prove it! It manages to sound pretty good despite all the extra weight anyway.
 

Antney

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FWIW my 93 d50 is built like Meatloaf but Sings like Diana Ross. My 74 j45 is the lightest acoustic I've ever held. My 79 les paul weighs 11 lbs.
 

Tico

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FWIW, I bought my D-55 new in 1977.
While it is super heavy, it sounds fantastic and has never needed a neck reset.
 

mavuser

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some of those heavy Guild acoustics from the second half of the 70s and the 80s are pure magic. the F-112 & F-20 for sure. Some of the bigger stuff is definitely super heavy though.
 

killdeer43

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My '89 D50 was quite the tank but it sounded really great!

ArdSPK.jpg


I'd like to play it again, or one like it. :courage:

Joe
 
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