mountainpix
Junior Member
[NOTE: Reposting this after the mass disappearance of recent posts from the first week of Oct 2019]
After owning Gibson LPs that I loved from the 70s, 80s, and 00s, and playing a bunch more, I have recently come to the conclusion that my '89 Nightbird (HB-1s) and '97 Bluesbird ("59s") are both better guitars (for me) than any Gibson I've ever played. They can do the LP tones, but so much more (especially the Nightbird – what an incredibly versatile instrument!), and they are absolutely rock solid in terms of build, finish, stability, etc. They play like butter!
I recently took them to my local vintage guitar shop and played them against very expensive vintage LPs and historic reissues, and while the Gibsons were great guitars, the Guilds were at least as good as some, and quite a bit better (for one reason or another) than others.
And talk about good value! The very nicest Nightbirds cost about the same as or less than a run-of-the-mill LP Custom in decent condition, while the Westerly-built Bluesbirds in particular are a serious bargain, often costing at least $1k less than a LP Standard of similar quality and condition.
What a pity it is that the folks at Guild never achieved the recognition and success they should have for making such fine electric guitars.