Finally, my Guild D50 in all its gorgeous Brazilian-backed beauty

wileypickett

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wileypickett

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I've been talking about this guitar for years, during which time several people have asked me to post photos. Hans recently asked me for some too and since it was a bright sunny day today, I took some shots for him.

Since the geniuses at LTG recently made it so easy to post photos, I thought I'd better post 'em here too, mainly to ease my guilty conscience. (I complained about the old photo system more than once.)

Back story: I'm in Cambridge, MA. The guy I got the guitar from was in Florida. My recollection is that he listed the guitar for sale (as a "needs work" guitar, cheap) on his local Craigslist. But he also posted the ad on the Saratoga Springs, NY, Craigslist (which is how I came across it), where he and his wife were planning an upcoming vacation.

One of my best friends lives In SS, so we arranged to all be there at the same time. He and his wife had their car loaded onto a flatbed train car, and the guitar rode up in the back seat.

As I say, the guitar needed repairs.

The neck block had shifted and to fix that the neck needed to be removed. As Brazilian rosewood tends to do, the back had cracked in a few places. There was a crack in the top. Finally, there was damage to the bridge.

I took it to good ol' Guild in New Hartford almost a soon as I got the guitar. They did all the repairs, and did a beautiful job. Since the original bridge couldn't be salvaged, it was replaced with the then-current New Hartford version.

When Kim Keller, their public relations guy and official greeter, saw the guitar, he called two guys in from the repair department to come take a look.

They both ooh-ed and ahh-ed when they saw the Brazilian back, which is almost 3-D, it's so deep and rich. But interestingly none of them could say for sure whether the sides were also Brazilian. (I'm assuming they're not.)

Anyway, for everyone who ever bugged me for pics, here ya go!

And the rest of you, enjoy!

Glenn
 
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Stuball48

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I could never play that guitar because I would have too many pauses from looking at it. Absolutely, positively, without doubt s breath taking instrument at every angle.
 

GGJaguar

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A beauty! The Gotoh 510s are an excellent choice for high quality tuners.
 

wileypickett

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The Gotohs fit without having to drill new holes or make other modifications, they have the right look (not that I'm bearish on that), but best of all -- for me -- they're 21:1 tuning ratio.
 

twocorgis

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That's a real beauty Glenn, and a great story to go along with it. I'll bet it's about half the weight of my '73, too.
 

HeyMikey

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Great guitar. Great story Bet it sounds terrific!
 

wileypickett

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It's remained one of my top five best sounding Guilds, even as the pecking order of some of the others has changed over the years. (Often depending on which one I just spent the evening playing!)

But of the six-strings, this, my DV72 and my GV70 would all be in the top five. I'll have to think about which others.

In the top 10, there are a myriad of candidates.

And then there are all the 12-strings -- an embarassment of riches, as they say.
 

sonic romp

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Thank you for posting this beauty!
So, what year does this date to, blending the BRW back with the presumably EIR sides?
Also, I believe BRW is not necessarily prone to cracking, but the more 3-D “figured” is vs. the perhaps more traditional straight-grained BRW is. Maybe experts will weigh in.
 

beecee

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As pretty as the back is I love that top...that is just a great looking slab o' spruce!
 

bobouz

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Major congrats for rescuing this guitar & giving it new life! So it was made in 1971, and I’m wondering how you’ve confirmed that the back is Brazilian RW. My ‘73 F-30R has rosewood coloration on the back & sides that’s rather similar to your guitar, and your photos make me wonder about the origins of the wood on mine.

I know that BZ has fewer pores when looking at the end grain compared to IR, but it’s not possible to make that assessment on a completed instrument - So I’m never sure when looking at an early ‘70s Guild.
 

wileypickett

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As I say in my notes, above, Guild confirmed the back was Brazilian when I took it to them for repair.

Not that there was ever any doubt in my mind.
 

davismanLV

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HOLY CRAP, Glenn!!! You just stole the show today, this week, probably this month!! And yeah, I'd not question that back being Brazilian at all. The sides maybe especially when you consider the year, but you just never know. And in the end is how it sounds and it sounds (from you) that you made an awesome rescue!! I love the story and the guitar! :love::love:
 
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