I would think there is some level of inconsistency in specs among the other major players (less so with Martin IMHO), but not to the extent that we see with Guild. I like to think it's because Guild, being a smaller player, was more creative and willing to experiment but maybe it was just due to a lack of firm policy in such matters.
Hans mentions in his book that up through the late '60's I think it was, Guild operated more like a custom shop than a production line.
It was nothing to toss together a one-off special either on a whim or to a customer order, in fact we've seen examples even from Pearl street of instruments that look like they started or are even labled as one model and were completed with off-spec details, so variation had been in their DNA since day one.
It's also been alleged that Al Dronge would let no part go unused before its time, or at all, in fact, and that in itself could explain some of the one-offs and the evolutionary rather than "stairstep" nature of Guild model line development.
Experimentation was in their DNA, but so was "Use 'em up until they're gone, boys!"
Anyway, the late '60's also correlates with the move to Westerly where I think they did become more of a factory than a custom shop, but in the last 6 months or so, a couple of members** have noted that the early Westerly/end of Hoboken manufacturing overlap period yielded some anachronistic builds, as in pieces which had construction specs from a particular era but hardware/pickups from another.
Best guess is that unfinished bodies from Hoboken were lost or in storage for a while until finally finished in Westerly.
Starfire basses seem to yield plenty of examples.**
(**Frono and Mavuser please correct me if needed)
We know that Guild's record keeping was remarkably inconsistent at times, so it wouldn't surprise me if standard operating procedures weren't rigidly enforced. Not that any of this is necessarily a bad thing. At least it makes things interesting around here.
I think the spotty records thing is more a result of loss/damage/intentional disposal during ritual relocations and changes of ownership.
If I interpret Hans' book correctly, the shop foreman or production manager was the guy charged with seeing that procedures were followed or modified, and "IIRC" the turnover in that position was pretty low, at least in the period covered by the book.(
EDIT: In fact there were about 5 changes in that position from '53 to'77 if I read correctly, and one manager in particular was apparently not very effective in terms of not being paid attention to by the workers)
Thanks. I was focused on model names and the associated specs. Is a USA F30 always orchestra size? (Yes?) Does it always have a 1 11/16" nut? (No!). If I did a similar exercise with other brands would I get similar results, i.e. the model name really doesn't tell us much. My suspicion was that Martin might be better in this regard but I wasn't sure if anyone else was. I'm thinking not. Consistency may have been the wrong choice of word here since I'm interested in the naming and marketing and not the actual instruments. The fact that there is general agreement that there is a "Guild sound" suggests a consistency of production across years and models.
Over the years I've come to see a "core" line up that is consistent with Guild over its entire history, allowing that some of the "core" bodies have come and gone over time.
It's all about lower bout width and body style (I'll use the generic term "F-body" to distinguish that shape from the dreadnoughts which were basically identical across all models) , and it started with archtops:
17" (X350/375, and F50)
16" (F40 )
15" (F30)
13" (M20)
(Note I edited inaccurate info regarding Johnny Smith/AA models having 18" and Starfire having a 16" bout
And of course the dreadnought bodies.
I'm a whole lot more familiar with the acoustic than electric side of Guild, so not sure if the 15"' and 13" lower bouts correlated with electric models, and there may be legacy outlines on the electric side that have been "standard" since the beginning that I simply am unfamiliar with.
One example would be the M75 Aristocrat, not sure how wide it is but body is smaller than Starfire but doesn't appear to be F30 shaped.
Anyway, for sure 4 primary lower bout widths on the flattop side, (and at least 3 on the electric side); subject to evolutionary variations of fractions of an inch in outline and width over the years,
2 primary scale lengths: 25.5 (or 25-5/8")and 24-3/4" (plus bass long and short);
3 primary nut widths: 1-5/8", 1-11/16, 1-34 (plus 1-13/16 for 12-ers);
3 primary tone woods: Maple, Mahogany, and Rosewood; and the same 3 primary top woods.
2 primary fretboard/bridge woods: Rosewood and Ebony
That's what's been consistent about Guild since day one.
Lessee, if I figured this right, there's room for 756 combinations right there, before we take into account cutaways.
Whoops, forgot arched-back and flatback construction: 864 possible combinations (flattops only).
(Before cutaways, 3/4 scale bodies, and 12-string variants. And classicals)
:glee:
Recently, in the haze of a particularly severe OCD episode, I attempted to calculate which outlines have yielded the most progeny for the brand.
The answer?
Looks like a very close tie of either plus one or 2 on either one, allowing for models I may have missed or been unaware of:
16" lower bout F-body (my beloved F40 outline) and:
Dreadnoughts, both coming in at about 33 models each (that's just on the Flat-top side for the F40, there are no pure electric dreadnoughts unless one includes the DS4x's.
But by far more variations in terms of body woods/scale lengths, and "CE" designs have been done on the 16" F body than any other flattop, as far as I can tell.
Is it merely coincidence that when Mark Dronge approached George Gruhn about revamped designs for the lineup, the first body up was the 16" F-body?
Or that Guild's first 12-strings were 16" F-bodies?
Does the absence of a 16" F-body from Oxnard's lineup signal a death-knell for Guild's historic core lineup of body types?