MIM - Archos fixed and back and better than I remembered

PittPastor

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So, I got my MIM Archos back today. It was repaired from the top split that happened when the humidity took a nosedive here in PA this winter.

Originally, I didn't think much of the Archos, TBH. I got it because it has a 1 3/4" neck and I wanted to play around with it to see how Travis picking felt on it. I didn't care for the feel. In fact the extra 1/16" made my fretting hand ache a little. And the sound was a little thin for my liking. It sounded too trebly, and not balanced like my D40C. So, I was a little disappointed. And then the flat top split, and uck, uck, uck. Bad feelings all around.

But it has solid electronics in it.
oZuzO3u.png


And I bit the bullet and paid for the (surprisingly) expensive repair. (Braces had to be replaced as well as the cleats put in. Then it needed a new piece to be glued in because the split was so wide.)

In for a penny, in for a pound, I also paid for a full set up, and I had Stuart dress the frets (which were pretty sharp).

Got it back today and played it a bit. I was pleasantly surprised. First off, the setup does wonders for the playability. Stuart dropped the action a bit, and that makes a difference.

Secondly, apparently part of my hand pain was just I was still recovering from the hand strain of trying new techniques and messing up my thumb. I don't think my thumb will ever be completely right again, but most of the pain is gone, and I am happy to report that my hand doesn't seem to be hurting after playing it tonight.

And, the onboard Fishman seems to play pretty well with my Fishman Aura pedal, which should mean that I am able to fix the trebly problem from stage. So, I might end up playing it a bit more than I originally thought. (Especially since I have retired my D40C from stage work now, and had the UTS pickup removed.) So, instead of being a campfire guitar, it might also be a church solo guitar.

Now, will it replace the Westerly D40C? No. That guitar just sounds right to me, and it plays better.

But I no longer hate my MIM, and I may even be warming up to it. I need to play around with the Aura and it some more, but it might become quite the workhorse, I am happy to say.

As long as it stays healthy!

Anyone know how I can date this guitar?

R5OFzEW.png
 

Rayk

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The serial looks like a MIRC label . Someone might how yrs they were made that might help .
Possibly you could call them to see they get info from the serial number if in fact it’s theirs .

https://mircweb.com/
 

PittPastor

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The serial looks like a MIRC label . Someone might how yrs they were made that might help .
Possibly you could call them to see they get info from the serial number if in fact it’s theirs .

I wonder if I can get in there with tweezers and pull that label off? I mean, I'm never going to sell it, and if I did, it would obviously be a repaired Guild since the flattop repair is obvious. So, I don't think it is an ethical issue.
 

chazmo

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That's an incendiary suggestion, Pitt. I would object to that on the grounds that this guitar will now be impersonating one shipped directly from Guild, and I see no other purpose in removing the label. Just know that we take identification and authenticity very seriously around here. Removing a MIRC-applied label is not a LTG-friendly act. But, it's your guitar.

If you want to know anything about the guitar's build date or whatever, call MIRC and discuss the affixed serial number with them. None of us (that I know of) have any decoder ring or information about MIRC's numbers.
 

PittPastor

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That's an incendiary suggestion, Pitt. I would object to that on the grounds that this guitar will now be impersonating one shipped directly from Guild, and I see no other purpose in removing the label.

I seem to have a real talent for those.

I just would like to know when it was built. Seems like the fastest and truest way of discovering that.
 

chazmo

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Call MIRC.

I'm not sure what Ensenada did, but it's possible there's nothing under the MIRC label. In New Hartford, the serial number was assigned in the finishing department and put on the label there. A guitar that wasn't finished in New Hartford might not have been given a serial number -- although I don't really know that. My point is that I don't think we know when Ensenada assigned their serial numbers.

Even if there is a factory number under MIRC's, I don't know if we have a decoder ring for Ensenada's serial numbers, Pitt. Also, keep in mind that even if you had one it doesn't actually tell you very much since MIRC may have done add'l work on the guitar.
 

dougdnh

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I just picked up an AO-5CE, has the same kind of sticker. I would be curious as to how easy it is to get the sticker off without destroying the printing behind it. I think these Arcos were only made from 2012-2015? Anyhow, after doing a setup on mine, it's a great playing little guitar, with a somewhat bright clear sound.
 

adorshki

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I seem to have a real talent for those.

I just would like to know when it was built. Seems like the fastest and truest way of discovering that.

Before even trying, I suspect you will do nothing more than pull up the paper the MIRC label's attached to, thus obliterating the s/n anyway.
It would be part of the security of ensuring they can't be submitted for warranty claims after going through MIRC; it's part of their arrangement with Fender.
If it helps to narrow it down, those guitars were only made for less than 3 years anyway, introduced in 2012:
https://guildguitars.com/guild-introduces-new-arcos-series-acoustics/
and discontinued in 2014 when New Hartford closed down and the Guild brand was sold.
MIRC might be able to give you the original build year, but would be kind of surprised if they gave original s/n.
I kind of have a gut suspicion it'll turn out to be a "liquidation" model from very late '13 or early '14 simply by the odds, ie, more likely for MIRC to have acquired a bunch of 'em when they were discontinued because that's what Fender did, liquidate stuff through 'em.
If you DO manage to find the s/n, I think Ralf (SFIV1967) Ralf actually found an s/n decoder for 'em a couple of years back.
And FWIW, I see a ton of 'em being listed online as "Refurbs", and here's another showing the same problem yours had:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Guild-Arco...3689?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c4#viTabs_0
To me that cements my suspicion the tops weren't fully dried before being cut.
 
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adorshki

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I just picked up an AO-5CE, has the same kind of sticker. I would be curious as to how easy it is to get the sticker off without destroying the printing behind it. I think these Arcos were only made from 2012-2015? Anyhow, after doing a setup on mine, it's a great playing little guitar, with a somewhat bright clear sound.

Don't miss my reply to PittPastor immediately preceding.
I'd be very surprised if they made anything after the sale was finalized in May 2014 except for possible work in progress.
 
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PittPastor

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And FWIW, I see a ton of 'em being listed online as "Refurbs", and here's another showing the same problem yours had:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Guild-Arco...3689?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c4#viTabs_0
To me that cements my suspicion the tops weren't fully dried before being cut.

Wow! Nice find, Al! That is almost exactly the same place mine split. Maybe within 1/2" or less. Isn't that fishy?

I'd be curious to know if it was just glued, or cleated and glued. I will get a picture of the repair Stuart did and put it side by side. He pieced in a sliver of wood as part of the repair, and seeing this one, I see why. Not that the sound probably changes much, but it seems that Stuart's approach is more solid. IDK. Maybe its wishful thinking, but I have a good feeling that the issue is no longer a concern. Not so sure of the one on e-Bay
 

adorshki

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Wow! Nice find, Al! That is almost exactly the same place mine split. Maybe within 1/2" or less. Isn't that fishy?
I'd be curious to know if it was just glued, or cleated and glued. I will get a picture of the repair Stuart did and put it side by side. He pieced in a sliver of wood as part of the repair, and seeing this one, I see why. Not that the sound probably changes much, but it seems that Stuart's approach is more solid. IDK. Maybe its wishful thinking, but I have a good feeling that the issue is no longer a concern. Not so sure of the one on e-Bay
I'd be surprised if it's not cleated, my understanding is that that's the only "correct" (durable) fix.
And a long time ago shortly after I first joined, I saw several comments that it normally has no (perceivable) effect on "tone", much to my surprise at the time.
 

PittPastor

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I'd be surprised if it's not cleated, my understanding is that that's the only "correct" (durable) fix.
And a long time ago shortly after I first joined, I saw several comments that it normally has no (perceivable) effect on "tone", much to my surprise at the time.

That may be so... but whoever "fixed" my D40C's split side in Texas simply superglued it. So, I guess it depends who does it.
 

adorshki

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That may be so... but whoever "fixed" my D40C's split side in Texas simply superglued it. So, I guess it depends who does it.
Sides aren't subject to the same kind of stress as a top, so they can be stabilized with a simple "popsicle stick" type of cleat across the grain, but superglue's a "cheap shortcut" that could be a problem to fix properly later, and even not well suited to the application, since it actually depends on an airless gap between the surfaces to set up, or "cure" properly, and wood isn't that "solid".
 

PittPastor

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Sides aren't subject to the same kind of stress as a top, so they can be stabilized with a simple "popsicle stick" type of cleat across the grain, but superglue's a "cheap shortcut" that could be a problem to fix properly later, and even not well suited to the application, since it actually depends on an airless gap between the surfaces to set up, or "cure" properly, and wood isn't that "solid".

Oh, I'm not saying it was done right. Just that it was done.
 

PittPastor

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Here's the repair Stuart did. He probably would be horrified that I was showing it. For the record, he offered to sand it down, and refinish it so it wouldn't be at all noticeable. But I didn't want to invest yet another $300 in it.

1dS5a5j.jpg
 

adorshki

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Here's the repair Stuart did. He probably would be horrified that I was showing it.
Actually looks pretty darn good from here
For the record, he offered to sand it down, and refinish it so it wouldn't be at all noticeable. But I didn't want to invest yet another $300 in it.
Yeah I get that, as well as the note about the D40, I was just explaining why the superglue probably "worked" for so long: less stress on sides.
Oh yeah, that finish repair expense might be another good point about why a US-built Guild could have some "hidden" intrinsic value: I bet if it was NCL finish the repair'd be a lot cheaper.
:friendly_wink:
 

PittPastor

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Oh yeah, that finish repair expense might be another good point about why a US-built Guild could have some "hidden" intrinsic value: I bet if it was NCL finish the repair'd be a lot cheaper.

Also if it starts higher, it makes it easier to put more money into it. If I had the same choice to make on the D40C, I would have gone the extra $300, because its starting value is higher. (Even though I guess its moot since I'll never sell it.)
 

marius

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I wonder if I can get in there with tweezers and pull that label off?

I would be curious as to how easy it is to get the sticker off without destroying the printing behind it.

I recently saw a Guild for sale locally with what appeared to be the results of a MIRC label that had been removed. There was no trace of the original serial number and it was quite clear from the resulting damage that part of the label had been removed. If I can manage to find the ad I’ll post a photo as an example of what you can probably expect.
 

PittPastor

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And does it really matter? We're all curious, but if it's playing well 20 years from now I doubt we'll care.......

I am (mostly) over the crack on the side of the guitar. As the old saying goes: "Scars are just tattoos with better stories." Every now and then I wish I could see my D40C restored to what it looked like originally. But mostly I only look at the neck when I play, so you are absolutely right. It's held for 20 years. Not likely its going to fail now. Stuart looked at it. Pushed on it. Then looked at me and said: "That Super Glue is good stuff. I would't touch it if I were you."
 
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