would like to by GSR x150 w/ Bigsby. Is this a Korean guitar

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I was researching the GSR guitars and there are a few threads saying the bodies were made in korea. Is there truth to this. For GSR X150 owners, how do you like them?

Any assistance you can provide would be great. THANKS. I happen to like the specs of the neck profile and radius.

THANKS IN ADVANCE
 

dbirchett

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I don't believe that there were any X150s made that were not American build. The GSRs would have been made in New Haven and should be outstanding guitars. If you find a good deal, run with it! There were previous X150s made in Westerly and Corona.

The X150 is basically the same as what an X175 would have been in that vintage if one had been made. The X175 was supplanted by the thinner X170. Both were named the Manhattan with the 170 called the mini-Manhattan by many. Since they did not want to have two Manhattans, the deep body version became the X-150. So the Korean version of the deep body is the X175 and you will find guitars with that model number made both in the US and in Korea, obviously.
 

fronobulax

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I remember things that did not happen. But sometimes those memories are correct. Some of the GSR electric instruments were finished from bodies that were originally made in the 1990's(?). They were completed in New Hartford. The origin of the bodies is murky but there is a suggestion they were made somewhere that was not Westerly, as part of a project associated with Donnie Wade(?). Korea might be a good guess. This theory is supported, somewhat, because the GSR Starfire bodies are not identical in size and shape to Starfires made in Westerly. That said, I don't know if this applies to ALL GSR electric models or just some.

This may behind some of the confusion or it may because the Newark Street line includes "Savoy" and "-150" in current production which means it is easy for folks to get confused.
 

SFIV1967

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Part of the confusion might be also that the the GSR X-500D Stuart and the GSR X-150D Savoy were the first New Hartford made guitars using the new BH (Korea) made "Guild Anti-Hum Dual Coil" full size HB-1s back in 2013.

As far as I know only the GSR Bluesbird bodies came from Korea at a time when SPG in Korea already shipped various Newark St. models.

The GSR X-150D bodies (and others) were from an old Donnie Wade project from Tacoma times before 2006.
Frono had said in the past that during one LMG tour somebody in NH said that at some point the white wood was stored at the Guild Nashville custom shop, which would have been before Guild Tacoma. Frono got no clear statement concerning whether those whitewood bodies were made in Corona, Tacoma or even Nashville. Frono's personal opinion was that they had nothing to do with Tacoma unless it was as a storage location and that they were assembled, including the neck, in Corona, Nashville or both.
Cazmo however, who had very close relationship to the NH guys once said he believes these bodies actually originated in the Far East, which is what he thought the Fender folks didn't want made public. He thought a number of people had heard this over time, but he asked to not necessarily trust what he was saying...
My personal opinion is: Since Fender as Guild owner at that time already used several Asian factories for their various guitar brands it is likely that they commissioned one of them to build several different styles of vintage style Guild bodies and maybe due to the several fast moves of factories from Westerly to Corona to Tacoma and to New Hartford they never really started the projects until the team in New Hartford decided to use those old bodies for good on the extremely low volume GSR projects.

The following picture is from a former Canadian Guild dealer factory tour in NH from April 2012. Most probably those were some of the racks in New Hartford when those whitewood guitars came out of storage.

It showed no X-150D but the following:

Left side from back to Front:
1: GSR Starfire Bass (Mahogany body)
2: GSR X-180 Archtop with Chesterfield headstock logo
3: GSR M-85 II bass (Mahogany body)
4: GSR Starfire Bass (Mahogany body)
5: GSR X-180 Archtop (like number 2)

Right side from back to front:
6: GSR T-500 (2 inch wide body)
7: GSR T-400 with Chesterfield headstock inlay
8: GSR X-180 Archtop (like number 2 and 5)
9: GSR X-500D
10: GSR X-500D, same like 9


wFrGqIo.jpg


Ralf
 
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Wow, great information. I have the opportunity to get a new one for $1550 (one of the last from New Hartford). NOS never owned. Was excited at first as I like the 9.5 inch radius and 1 11/16"" nut. Not as excited to pay that much for a korean guitar. I see many more of these unsold for 4K and up still for sale. THANKS FOR ALL THE REPLIES as I try to sort this out. I own a Guild Mark III and an X700. Love guild, heritage and fender guitars.

s
 

SFIV1967

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I have the opportunity to get a new one for $1550 (one of the last from New Hartford). NOS never owned.
Sounds like a great deal! They were mostly built in 2013, maybe a few still in 2014. Quality should be top notch. I would not worry if the raw wood body was built maybe (without proof) overseas. Not even sure why somebody would worry. I know, on an archtop maybe the wood inside was not correctly shaved or something, but I doubt they would be bad quality. The team in New Hartford in 2013 built phantastic instruments, so all the NC lacquer finishing and final assembly and test happened in New Hartford. Those models showed as Country of Origin USA and not anything abroad.
Ralf
 

adorshki

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I know, on an archtop maybe the wood inside was not correctly shaved or something, but I doubt they would be bad quality.
On top of that, if these were solicited by Fender as potential supplier samples, one would think those suppliers would have wanted to have put their best foot forward when supplying the samples anyway..
I don't think they even would have been "saved" otherwise.
 
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Thanks for the replies. I pulled the trigger. Should get it this weekend and I'll post pics/report.
 
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