NGD-2018 D 40 Traditional Deluxe

richardp69

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I already own one of these and I will say that Cordoba got in right on this one. It is a super sounding, feather light acoustic that is simply superb. Several of you chimed in when I bought my 1st one that you didn't at all like the burst finish. Well ya know what??? I didn't care then and I still don't. I think it's great. There were just a handful (less than 10 if I remember right) made as a special order for Sweetwater. They have really nice upgraded fingerboard inlays and to my eyes, at least, it's a very classy guitar. I have many other Guilds that are more sought after and cost a whole lot more but I can't think of one other Mahogany Dread that plays and sounds better than this one.

It has an issue. The Truss Rod is shot. Not sure if it can be repaired or if it needs to be replaced. If the latter, it costs a bit but I'll still be into it for a whole lot less than what I think I could get for it when/if I decide to sell it. I'll attach the Reverb listing below. It will say the listing has ended but you should still be able to see the pics.

I'll likely be adding a DTAR Multi Source pick up to this one.

Amen

https://reverb.com/item/29275094-guild-d40-traditional-deluxe-2018-sunburst
 

beecee

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I'd love to A/B a Cordoba d-40 with my NH D-40.

Nice grab!
 

HeyMikey

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Nice! Looks gorgeous to me Richard. Hopefully the truss rod doesn’t have to be replaced. I’ve been thinking about those d-tar multi source, now called Seymour duo. How are they in noisy/loud rooms?
 

bobouz

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Congrats on a beautiful guitar!

I’d be interested in knowing how you get the truss rod issue resolved - will look forward to an update.
 

fronobulax

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I’d be interested in knowing how you get the truss rod issue resolved - will look forward to an update.

Ditto. A 2018 instrument with a truss rod problem in 2019 could say something about the factory or previous owner(s).
 

gilded

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Richard,

You say the truss rod is shot. Sometimes people will mis-handle the truss rod and the following will happen:

1) The truss rod tip snaps off at or near the nut.

2) The truss rod nut is mis-threaded and the threads become stripped.

3) The wood inside the neck where the truss rod is anchored (in the heel area?) is soft. When the truss rod gets zealously tightened, the anchor nut crushes the wood it is peened to and the whole truss rod moves forward and becomes innefective.

If you have the situation laid out in either 1) truss rod snap, or 2) mis-threaded rod, it's literally a 15 minute fix with the right $186 stewmac tool. I know it's true, because I've had a guitar repaired that way before and it worked perfectly: More importantly, when I sold the guitar later, the person who bought it recognized it as a legitimate repair and the price of the guitar did not fall through the floor.

If it's number 3) crushed wood, then it's a toss-up and you might have to go the expensive way, which means paying somebody to take the fingerboard off and see if the wood around the anchor nut can be salvaged, repaired, etc. On a vintage guitar that needs an 'invisible repair,' it can cost you $500 or so.

I actually bought the kit and gave it to my repair-man. He fixed my guitar immediately and gave me a big 'credit' on future repair jobs (a welcome but unintended consequence). He has used it on several jobs since then. The kit has saved his Arse more than once, but that's another story.

Here's the truss rod rescue kit, check it out. Depending on the year, he'll use it 1 to 4 times a year. Good luck!:

https://www.stewmac.com/SiteSearch/?search=truss rod rescue kit
 
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richardp69

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Richard,

You say the truss rod is shot. Sometimes people will mis-handle the truss rod and the following will happen:

1) The truss rod tip snaps off at or near the nut.

2) The truss rod nut is mis-threaded and the threads become stripped.

3) The wood inside the neck where the truss rod is anchored (in the heel area?) is soft. When the truss rod gets zealously tightened, the anchor nut crushes the wood it is peened to and the whole truss rod moves forward and becomes innefective.

If you have the situation laid out in either 1) truss rod snap, or 2) mis-threaded rod, it's literally a 15 minute fix with the right $186 stewmac tool. I know it's true, because I've had a guitar repaired that way before and it worked perfectly: More importantly, when I sold the guitar later, the person who bought it recognized it as a legitimate repair and the price of the guitar did not fall through the floor.

If it's number 3) crushed wood, then it's a toss-up and you might have to go the expensive way, which means paying somebody to take the fingerboard off and see if the wood around the anchor nut can be salvaged, repaired, etc. On a vintage guitar that needs an 'invisible repair,' it can cost you $500 or so.

I actually bought the kit and gave it to my repair-man. He fixed my guitar immediately and gave me a big 'credit' on future repair jobs (a welcome but unintended consequence). He has used it on several jobs since then. The kit has saved his Arse more than once, but that's another story.

Here's the truss rod rescue kit, check it out. Depending on the year, he'll use it 1 to 4 times a year. Good luck!:

https://www.stewmac.com/SiteSearch/?search=truss rod rescue kit


Really good and thorough info and I appreciate that very much. My local Luthier does great work on nuts, saddles, bridges, frets and truss rods, and other repairs as well. I'm hoping it's not a major repair but even if it is, I'm still going to do it. I wouldn't at all mind having two of this model. I like it that much.
 

adorshki

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Ditto. A 2018 instrument with a truss rod problem in 2019 could say something about the factory or previous owner(s).

Yep, although first thing that occurred to me was "Wouldn't that be a warranty repair?"
Then realized he was talking about a used piece, which still leaves the question "Why wouldn't the original owner have taken advantage of warranty?"; leaving 2 possible answers:
The damage was deemed to be caused by improper use, or it occurred when the guitar was already in the hands of a second owner (which also seems curious for such a young guitar.)
I guess there's a 3rd possibility that this is one of those factory seconds we've already seen from Oxnard but I'd be surprised if they let something with that big of a problem out even as a second.

Something else to consider is that those are shown as using a dual action truss rod (first introduced in Tacomas but don't know if it's still the same actual rod)
https://guildguitars.com/g/d-40-traditional-in-antique-sunburst/
Those may not follow the same repair conventions as traditional single actions, as they're threaded at both ends:
G_00D6_-WS44B.jpg

Single action rods only have the adjusting end threaded, the other's designed to be simply embedded in the heel:
single-action-truss-rod.jpg

Got a strong suspicion this one's gonna need the fretboard removed to replace the whole rod.
 

gilded

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Hope the guitar turns out to be an easy fix, Richard. The stewmac kit is great, if it turns out that you need it. My repair guy says it's a snap to use. The only problem is that if you outright buy it and you live in a relatively small township. It might take you a long time before you recoup the costs.

I think if that was the tool that was called for, but your repair guy didn't wan't it, you could see it on Reverb.com as 'used one time' and get 70% of your money back.

Anyway, have fun. Nice looking guitar!
 

Rayk

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Nice score and would love to hear it . :)

Ooo truss rod ,I would love to take a fretboard off for a repair . 😁😁
 

dreadnut

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Well I'm a sucker for a nice 'burst, I like it. It reminds me of the vintage Guild "Tobacco Sunburst" on my buddy's '76 D-35.
 

marius

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The Truss Rod is shot. Not sure if it can be repaired or if it needs to be replaced.

This one sold last month on eBay from Jeff's Music Gear (Sweetwater's eBAY Outlet Store). I considered bidding but wasn't sure I was ready to invest in a potential truss rod replacement. I'm looking forward to hearing what the outcome is, although if it ends up being a Stewmac Truss Rod Rescue fix I suppose I'll be kicking myself for not going after it.
 

adorshki

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Nice score and would love to hear it . :)

Ooo truss rod, would love to take a fretboard off for a repair . ����

For those who were unaware, Ray's got a very well-equipped workshop:
ab58653e012ecb1c8495810184fca9f1.jpg


Here he is calibrating his bridge-pin extractor:
madscientist.jpg


Prepping for a neck re-set:
frankenstein-1931-01-g.jpg


The sunburst centering and rejuvenation jig:
3896251f47cdb72a643c75f348368308.jpg
 

bronzeback

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Have you tried playing around with the rod? Couldn't hurt to see if you might be able to catch a thread and tighter her back up. I had to have a truss rod replaced once. I can't remember exactly but I want to say it was $2-300 for my local luthier to do the job, with a couple months of wait time. Worst case is get that done and you're $1100 in for a 2018 D40 Traditional Deluxe. Best case it can be fixed without removing the board for much less. Then again the action looks good so the relief can't be too off you could enjoy as is. Can you hear the rod rattle around while playing? Love my Oxnard D40!
 
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richardp69

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Well, the D 40 Traditional Deluxe arrived today in bitter cold weather. I took all the steps to let it sit and acclimate for several hours before I popped the case open. No issues, no checking, no nothing bad.

Here's the deal. The neck angle is as close to perfect as it can get. The low E string height at the 12th fret is about 5/64". It sounds superb even though I'm pretty sure the seller put light gauge strings on it. Those will get swapped out soon enough.

So, it plays and sounds superb right now. I will get the Truss Rod looked at in the near future but there is no rush right now to spend immediate money on a TR repair.

I couldn't be happier.
 

chazmo

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Outstanding, Richard. Get it to your expected normal humidity levels and see if it's still perfect/playable. The truss rod is only important if you need to actually make adjustments, as you know. If' it's perfect, then it doesn't matter! Good luck! Sounds like you got really lucky here.
 
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