valleyguy
Member
Sweet, if I hadn't just bought one, I'd be all over that.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Aside from the non-Guild talk, we’re mostly discussing the differences between the classic Guild dreadnoughts. Lemme break down the hierarchy, circa Jan 1973 (about the end of what I consider the “classic” era):someone please add up all the models that have been talked about in this thread! holy cow
my brain hurts
Maple's always been the "middle" grade in the Guild flattop line starting with the F40 (the originals had almost all the same bling as an F50 but were also just a tad smaller, for example) but that also set the tradition for maple being a step up from 'hog.One interesting thing to note is it seems like Guild was possibly responding to demand for a maple dreadnought in the early ‘70s.
I’m not too familiar with other brands lineups either, but I can’t recall seeing many (any?) archback acoustics at all in other brands.Maple's always been the "middle" grade in the Guild flattop line starting with the F40 (the originals had almost all the same bling as an F50 but were also just a tad smaller, for example) but that also set the tradition for maple being a step up from 'hog.
Both woods have fans for different reasons, and I think maple in particular is able to cut most cleanly through many mixes. There's a reason so many jazz archtops (Guild's original mission) are maple bodied, for example.
And the flatback vs archback difference is subtle but real, too.
I might be romanticizing but I like to think it was part of Guild's "mission" in '72 to try to offer as many different options as possible. They were small enough to be flexible about smaller production numbers. "Let a thousand flowers bloom".
But yeah, after all, it was a business. So they probably didn't pursue potential models with small sales predictions.
And along the lines of you mentioned there might have been a little "keep up with the competition"marketing motive, or even try to offer that small advantage of a unique build like a maple archback dread, did anybody else make one at the time? (I'm woefully ignorant of other brands' histories and models).
Yeah it seemed to be their "secret weapon" Didn't really realize my own D25 was a laminated archback for a couple of days, figured out it was laminated one night when I noticed an identical grain pattern was reversed 180 deg from the outside to the inside.I’m not too familiar with other brands lineups either, but I can’t recall seeing many (any?) archback acoustics at all in other brands.
Yeah the board itself influences timbre, that issue of most maple bodies getting ebony never hit me before. Yep, the F65ce's ebony. At the time I just figured it was another element of building a multi-generation instrument neck with most durable fretboard wood, along with the 3-pc neck. Resists twisting.I personally have not warmed up to a maple guitar yet. I found this particular very early G37 appealing. The unique thing in the Guild lineup is the maple w rosewood board- is there another? I personally find the rosewood vs ebony board difference to be very noticeable. Ebony sounds more “glassy” or percussive, and rosewood warm like the sound digs in more. If that makes sense.
I actually played around with Richie Havens style tuning on the ‘68 D40 I had- it did sound way cool, but I couldn’t work myself into it. I tend to be a “set and forget” type, so I use standard because I can just kind of not think about it at all.Yeah it seemed to be their "secret weapon" Didn't really realize my own D25 was a laminated archback for a couple of days, figured out it was laminated one night when I noticed an identical grain pattern was reversed 180 deg from the outside to the inside.
One of the Westerly guys told me it once it would actually have been considered a cosmetic blem, they tried to make sure the grain matched inside and outside. (Halloween neckblock date, winds up with a jinxed back, makes sense to me )
Anyway it kind of dawned on me that archbacks seemed to be a Guild trademark, didn't even realize they built flatbacks for a couple of years.
I just thought the whole design concept was elegant and way cool on so many levels. I considered it the guitar equivalent of my beloved RX-7's rotary engines. And had both at once for few years, there, too.
It took me a few years bonding with my own D40 to finally hear the difference between an archback and a flatback in a relatively apples-to-apples comparison.
Example, out of 2 archbacks and a flatback, the D40 actually records the best, even on cell phone.
I started looking for a way to tame the maple zing (F65ce is 16" archback maple shallow F body) myself after a few years, wound up with silk'n'steel 11's tuned down a whole step.
Still using it now, but considering bringing it back up to standard, along with the D25, as the D40 also sees to yield the best intonation when tuned down a whole step, and I like to have one tuned that way..
Just in case you like to experiment. Don't recall if we've covered that before.
Yeah the board itself influences timbre, that issue of most maple bodies getting ebony never hit me before. Yep, the F65ce's ebony. At the time I just figured it was another element of building a multi-generation instrument neck with most durable fretboard wood, along with the 3-pc neck. Resists twisting.
I used to think of the G37 as a maple D25 but I think you're right about it being more an arched maple D40, when you look at things like the neck construction. Also D25 was still flatbacked in '71-'72...
Be interesting to check the top bracing on it when it comes in, just wondering if they might be shaved, a cut above "standard"?
Funny you should ask …Donny, have you received the G37? Curious your thoughts
I don't think so, as I was interested in this one since it was such an early model. '72 G37s seem pretty rare.That’s unfortunate! Do you think you’ll look for another G37?
Hard to say because it's not an original Guild bridge!Has the bridge been shaved?
Has the bridge been shaved? Looks like it may be reset time too.
Are you guys referring to the G37? The bridge is pretty fat/tall, didn't realize it isn't original but given this guitar's overall condition, I don't think a neck reset would be a great idea, so probably could shave it. Saddle has enough room to go down a bit first though. It plays pretty good currently, but I would lower the saddle all the way if I were to keep it. I think it needs a little fret work too ... I haven't really been comfortable tuning it up for too long because of the crack. Probably get it to someone who wants a project to experiment on. It's a pretty good guitar, the neck is great.