My D 35

Antney

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That was a fairly odd ball guitar that came out of Nashville, from someone who was aging flametops, in the relic business.

It was a 1990, seemingly a prototype made for the NAMM show, as there was something relating to it stamped into the wood at the control cavity's edge.

It was basically what would become the Les Paul Classic, somewhat of an iconic guitar from 1990-1992, very early 1993 actually.

The early "Classic" had all of the hallmarks of the earlier models, correct neck angle, press in tuner bushings, thin binding revealing the Maple in the cutaway and the headstock was sikscreened Les Paul Model, not Les Paul Classic.

These two last features disappeared in 1993, as Gibson was trying to put some distance between the burgeoning Historic series and the Classic.

Gibson, as usual having their heads mostly up somewhere, wasn't actually making a correct Historic very well, some details were off (had been for 20 years, people had been trying to get Gibson to redo the Flametop, and they never got it right), so unscrupulous dealers had been taking really choice Classics, switching out the TRC and PG (that had 1960 on it), and passing them off as Historics which cost something $2400 back then.

In time the Classic became a run of the mill Les Paul with the ugliest "Mountain Dew" inlays, although through the 1990's some had just simply amazing tops.

This one here was pretty special. When I found it through a big time wheeler dealer that lives over in the next state, we did some trading, and I'd say it was like I did a deal with the devil, but I had to have it.

It's a very beautiful lp. funny how they all seem to play differently, but when you find a keeper it's something special. i was looking for a custom in the 70's, and came across this one...at the time it was $300 more than a custom, but man does it play and sound special. i hope the link works...

10284722005
 

Guildedagain

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Not seeing a link.

I had a whole bunch of wonderful Customs, Silverburts, those sounded so weird... But mostly Black, and a real special 3 p'up Blackie.

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Here's one of those early "1960 Classic" all done up with vintage parts, double white p'ups, sort of grailish, and a 1980 LPC. They were finaly getting some carve back into the top by 1980, just breathtakingly beautiful, but the "fretless wonder" thing never did much for me, I like to bend notes like Clapton on the Beano album, in fact that's where all my early riffs and my best ones to this days came from.

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And the 3'up 1978 in a 60's purple lined case, the Excalibur of Les Pauls this one was.

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donnylang

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A good D35 is quite a guitar. Over time, it changed my life, changed my playing. To me, it's a reference sound.

I had one years ago, so little I remember about it, other than for how long I made love to it, tinkered with every little aspect until it played and sounded as well as you could hope a guitar to sound. That particular tone must have imprinted in my brain, that EQ just sits really well with me, crisp, clean, lots of overtones and sweet sustain.

Eventually, as I neglect guitars after that tinkering stage, I moved on, sold it on eBay to Ray Davies in England, sent it. I wonder if I still have an email of his but I remember the guitar being very well received.

Digressing, during my eBay career I also sold a distortion pedal to Mick in Slipknot, and some vintage Harley chopper parts to Dan Auerbach.

I found a picture of that guitar a while back, I should post it here, now, as this is as close to a D35 thread as they get ;)

Wow, very curious about the Ray Davies story! I met him once in fact.
 

adorshki

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Ugh. I know. Can't figure out how to post a picture here. I'll try again. . . .

Nope. Still no dice. I've tried dragging the picture, and I've tried clickng on the picture icon on the text box palette. Neither works. Advice?
Y'gotta use a hosting service and link to pics from there.
Your file looks like a valid format ('.png") but I believe it's just stored on your PC, it's not an actual internet address which the linking function can go to.
When I copied your post link for the image and inserted it into the picture icon, it looks like this:
/Users/charliebernstein/Desktop/pix/cb/cb5.png
A valid internet address ('Url") will usually have the hosting (or source) website as part of the file name.
You CAN use images stored on your computer for your avatar but that's all.

Imgur seems to be the popular choice recently for free hosting with minimal demands being foisted on the user, Photobucket alienated a lot of members with surprise demands for new service $ if they wanted unrestricted access to their images.
More here:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?193634-What-are-our-alternatives-to-photobucket
 
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Charlie Bernstein

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Y'gotta use a hosting service and link to pics from there.
Your file looks like a valid format ('.png") but I believe it's just stored on your PC, it's not an actual internet address which the linking function can go to.
When I copied your post link for the image and inserted it into the picture icon, it looks like this:
/Users/charliebernstein/Desktop/pix/cb/cb5.png
A valid internet address ('Url") will usually have the hosting (or source) website as part of the file name.
You CAN use images stored on your computer for your avatar but that's all.

Imgur seems to be the popular choice recently for free hosting with minimal demands being foisted on the user, Photobucket alienated a lot of members with surprise demands for new service $ if they wanted unrestricted access to their images.
More here:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?193634-What-are-our-alternatives-to-photobucket
Imaging service? What ever happened to dragging and dropping?

=O[

Anyhow, trust me, it's a really sweet little axe.
 
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Charlie Bernstein

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My buddy will probably never sell his '76 D35 Tobacco Sunburst, but he defected and bought a Martin D-16 a couple years ago. Another great guitar.
I had a '71 D-28 when I got the D-35. After playing the Guild for a few years, I looked at the D-28 and said, "What do I need YOU for?"

It now has a very happy home somewhere in Canada.
 

Guildedagain

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She's a real looker, I like that one.

I'd probably go back to ivoroid bridge pins.

What's the weight?

My favorite D35, the '73, is 4lb 7.4oz, which really is featherlight, although my '71 F30 weighs even less at 4.20oz ;)

I had a '71 D-28 when I got the D-35. After playing the Guild for a few years, I looked at the D-28 and said, "What do I need YOU for?"

It now has a very happy home somewhere in Canada.

I wish I'd had that experience, really do.

I had a '72 D28 for a lot of years, really barely ever played it. It sounded really fine, but I sold it a couple years ago, because I never payed it, and because I figured there was no way I was really deserving of a guitar like that, or maybe it just didn't do that much for me.

So I took the money from that and bought my '73 D35, and man I was in love with that thing from the start.

It would send me on trips. Everytime I picked it up, it took me somewhere on an adventure, it entranced me.

But I've always wondered what the D28 would sound like to me now that I have a couple Guilds in the house.
 
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Br1ck

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Well I just this week acquired a D 35 to go with my D 35. I had sworn off rosewood guitars in general as my flatpicking has progressed. I had decided on a D 18. My Guild D 35, good as it is, doesn't have the punch of a good older D 18. I e mailed Bryan Kimsey about about buying one for me that he could mod. He had a friend who was selling a Martin Custom D 35 he said I should consider, as it was very atypical of the breed. Now of all the Martin line, I have liked D 35s the least, but this one is clearest sounding rosewood dreadnaught I've ever played. A D 55 is the next closest. YouTube video below.

https://youtu.be/J8SDln7bJbo
 

adorshki

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Imaging service? What ever happened to dragging and dropping?
It don't work here, that's the whole point, this site then becomes the "host" for the image which sucks up bandwidth and inflates site storage requirements, and opens the door to liability issues from hosting copyrighted or other potentially actionable images.
Hey I don't even have a way to take digital images myself, so don't need a hosting service, was just trying to help you understand what's needed to post your own images here.
:friendly_wink:
Anyhow, trust me, it's a really sweet little axe.
Your word's good enough for me!
 

Guildedagain

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To be honest, I've been gassing for a Martin again for a long time, and watching Ken Burns Country Music only made it worse.

There's a few Guilds at the end of the 16 hour program, otherwise it's all Martins and a Gibson here and there.
 

Rich Cohen

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To be honest, I've been gassing for a Martin again for a long time, and watching Ken Burns Country Music only made it worse.

There's a few Guilds at the end of the 16 hour program, otherwise it's all Martins and a Gibson here and there.

It's all marketing. I'm not saying a Martin won't satisfy your GAS. I'm saying that for a lot less money you'll get what you need from a Guild. And that's what LTGers have been saying for ever.
 
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JF-30

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To be honest, I've been gassing for a Martin again for a long time, and watching Ken Burns Country Music only made it worse.

There's a few Guilds at the end of the 16 hour program, otherwise it's all Martins and a Gibson here and there.

Here is some motivation for you. Mine is for sale at a great price on Reverb. Love the guitar but I have 3 Rosewood guitars at the current time.


uXb09KX.jpg
 

Br1ck

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I have always strived for variety in my guitar collection. When I got my Epiphone Texan ca. 65, it filled a huge sonic hole, giving me that Gibson thumpy dryness, something no Guild I've ever played has had. When I got my 70 Guild D 35, it had a great even response across all the strings. I thought I'd never buy another rosewood guitar, but this Martin D 35 custom is special in that it has the signature Martin dreadnaught tone but with the clairity I like and the power neither of my other guitars have. Could I live with a D 55? You bet I could, but it doesn't do Martin, which really, is one of it's best attributes, being so much more balanced. There are just good reasons to have everything.

Now if I could just quit playing Eagles songs.....
 

Br1ck

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LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.........does the CSNaholics meet afterword? How will I ever sleep.
 

JF-30

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LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.........does the CSNaholics meet afterword? How will I ever sleep.

Yeah Croz comes but what he brings will keep you up longer that coffee.
 
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