What can people tell me about the specs etc of a 1978 D50 "bluegrass special"

General Dreedle

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What can people tell me about the specs etc of a 1978 D50 "bluegrass special"

It's for sale locally for $1399 and I wanted to know more before I went down to try it out. I think I read somewhere that they have an Adirondack top but not sure
 

beecee

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Probably sitka back then.

Cannon!!
 

Guildedagain

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I take it the Sitka was the really fine grained wood, and the Adi the stuff the stuff they used on the lower end guitars like D35's?
 

GardMan

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I take it the Sitka was the really fine grained wood, and the Adi the stuff the stuff they used on the lower end guitars like D35's?
I don't think Guild used Adirondack (or Red) spruce until the Tacoma factory. Pretty much all Sitka in the Westerly years, tho' years ago someone mentioned perhaps Engleman spruce on some of the entry models with stained tops, like the spruce topped D-25 in the mid-70s. But I cannot remember where I heard that...
 

GardMan

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It's for sale locally for $1399 and I wanted to know more before I went down to try it out. I think I read somewhere that they have an Adirondack top but not sure
Sitka spruce top with "straight" braces (meaning not scalloped or shaved). Adirondack spruce wasn't really used by Guild until the Tacoma factory. Indian rosewood back and sides. Unbound ebony fret board with pearl dot markers. 1-11/16" nut width. Ebony bridge. Inlaid Chesterfield headstock.
 

beecee

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I take it the Sitka was the really fine grained wood, and the Adi the stuff the stuff they used on the lower end guitars like D35's?

Not sure I'd call Adi an inferior wood....they were using it on the high end stuff from NH CT.
 

Guildedagain

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Thx guys, this is educational. I never knew what my tops were. My '73 D35 has some unusual figure, reminds me of the old E German "splinter/rain" camo.
 

adorshki

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I don't think Guild used Adirondack (or Red) spruce until the Tacoma factory.
For sure we still haven't seen anything from Guild or another credible source spec'ing [/I]Adi until Tacoma.
The day I see a credible source it'll stick out of sheer surprise value, like a couple of other details over the years (like use of poly lacquer in Westerly)
In the last mega-thread about it (adi) several years back, somebody made the valid observation that in fact the supply of Adi had been depleted by overharvesting for aircraft use in WWII and therefore wasn't even readily available in size suitable for instrument use until the late '90's when boutique makers like Santa Cruz Guitar Co. started offering it again.

Pretty much all Sitka in the Westerly years, tho' years ago someone mentioned perhaps Englemann spruce on some of the entry models with stained tops, like the spruce topped D-25 in the mid-70s. But I cannot remember where I heard that...
Thx guys, this is educational. I never knew what my tops were. My '73 D35 has some unusual figure, reminds me of the old E German "splinter/rain" camo.
Don't recall a mention of Englemann in '70's, but doubt it since I think that would actually have been considered an upgrade from sitka. (They used it on the 50th Anniversary D55 and GSR D50's):
https://reverb.com/item/6559403-2003-guild-d-55-50th-anniversary-natural-brazilian-rosewood-ohsc

And Guild's "standard sitka" was pretty d--n good thanks to Willie Fritscher.
Anyway the problem is that while D50's were called "Bluegrass Special" when they were introduced in '63, by '78 D50 they didn't use those names anymore.
When Tacoma revived the use of the name in '06, they used it on the Adi-topped D40's and D50's and that's when "Bluegrass" started meaning "Adi top" (and they continued the practice in New Hartford.)
Disingenuous and/or unknowledgable sellers have confused the issue ever since.
Not even Hans has ever stepped in and confirmed use of Adi prior to Tacoma, that I can ever recall seeing.
Saw some cedar tops out of very late Westerly though, on some DV-6's (!)
I think what you're seeing as "camo/rain" is just what made it "standard" sitka:
Grading "standards" are largely subjective, primarily cosmetic, and tops get tighter/straighter/more consistently colored as they go up in grade.
"AAA" is actually like "white bread".
And don't forget in the '60's and '70's bearclaw was considered a defect and tossed aside.
I think the grading standard must be based on the same aesthetic that made the French originally prize bread made from white flour over whole grain breads: Perfect consistency.
I've mentioned before that personally I think my D40's "AA" top is the best looking of the bunch for its coarse but very visible silking just like 2 ribbons edged by a redder streaks running down the top.
The F65ce's AAA top is a piece of Wonder Bread by comparison.
:glee:
Not sure I'd call Adi an inferior wood....they were using it on the high end stuff from NH CT.
Right: Adi's stronger by weight than sitka so they can make thinner (lighter) tops and braces resulting in more resonant tops.
Supposed to be able to be played harder before "choking" but also has a reputation for "tightness" meaning it takes a lot longer to "open up" and may not sound as warm as sitka "out of the box".
They never used it on F50's or D55's (except for bracing), for example.
 
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