Surfliner series

HeyMikey said:

As long as it is comfortable, stays in tune, has good pups and doesn’t start falling apart then it’s good to go.

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Totally agree. Nothing is more frustrating than poor quality tuners, especially to a beginner. My first electric was a frustrating Peavey Patriot which had completely incompetent tuners. I then went and got a Guild Burnside Blade and that was what made me want to keep playing.

Hey, gang,

I discovered that the TRC is covered with the same plastic film as the pickguard. Might wanna' strip that off like I did.

i think personlly i would prefer the first one. but this one does also look cool.

Solid color is nice given the wood they use. Having stared at the surfliner in my possession for so long, the HH model looks weird now.

that pickguard is crazy. it's like a new feeling. almost like i want to dislike it, but it kinda rules.

GAD said:

Solid color is nice given the wood they use.

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+1

The link doesn't show any Surfliners. I wonder if this guitar exists yet.

Cool how the rocker switches are in the pickguard for the HH model, but I’d prefer the HSS version to get more tonal variety

If you're using poplar as a wood, best to do solid colors and translucent colors because poplar besides being hard and heavy, is usually uninteresting in grain and beauty. So go on with ya..... I think it's nice. Why every one always so negative??

I can’t explain why but I really prefer this version.
Maybe that particular colour?

The first Surfliner model scratched my HSS Strat itch, and this HH model might scratch my Deluxe Tele itch, but it should have a 3-position pickup switch. The separate toggle for each pickup makes some sense on a 3-pickup guitar, as it allows all 7 pickup combinations. On a 2-pickup guitar, the separate pickup switches just seem cumbersome.

Walter Broes said:

+1

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+2

DeArmond Hammer said:

The first Surfliner model scratched my HSS Strat itch, and this HH model might scratch my Deluxe Tele itch, but it should have a 3-position pickup switch. The separate toggle for each pickup makes some sense on a 3-pickup guitar, as it allows all 7 pickup combinations. On a 2-pickup guitar, the separate pickup switches just seem cumbersome.

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That's a really good point, DeA. But, I guess the on/off pickup switch system is how they're defining the Surfliner model. As a software guy, a switch per pickup seems like the natural way to do this, but for a 'leccie player (which I'm not) I imagine it's pretty bizarre.

Edit: And yeah the color shown for the HH model is very cool. I think you/we are also reacting to the black vs. white pickguard.

The H-H config is better (for me) because I don't care for 3-pu guitars. Still, I'd go with the slightly more expensive Jetstar instead since it at least looks more like a Guild and comes with a gig bag.

DeArmond Hammer said:

The link doesn't show any Surfliners. I wonder if this guitar exists yet.

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Yeah. I did some searching because I didn't see the rocker switches and wondered what the control layout was and whether there even was any kind of PU selection. My search left me with the impression that Music Bliss was a major retailer based in Japan and thus raised the question of whether the instrument was available in the US market. I wonder if it was a special run for one retailer similar to things we have seen in the US Market.

Funny thing, as we get older/old some changes to the order of things does change the way we look at "progress".
But some of us lived through decades of ups and downs of the great Guild Musical instruments Company.
The need for Guild to include budget, import guitars was looked upon as a necessary evil. Almost every brand had a import starter level guitar. But Guild didn't seem to market these instruments as genuine Guild guitars. The guitars were not labeled as Guild, instead the were Madiera. Most of us understood these to be a Squier in the Guild world.
Guild did join others in creating their take on the Strat, Super Strat, etc. But these guitars were unapologetically still Guild. The formula was Guilds take on the big manufacturers designs. No Fenderesque headstocks, many models had set, unmistakably Guild, necks. Bolt on necks had a proprietary Guild headstock. The closest Fender look being the slipper style. This added to the authenticity of Guild as a genuine American guitar company.
To me the Surfliner guitars are a import Jag/Jazzmaster copy. They use budget wood. And the guitar costs about as much as a decent Strat-style tonewood body. Unfinished.
A fun guitar...maybe even great as far as Madiera/Squier guitars go. But unmistakably a project of the bean counters. Not to be confused with anything that the celebrated Guild of yesterday was involved in.
Just my HO.

davismanLV said:

I think this is a really good electric with a cool vibe and at a REALLY great price point. I know people wanna bash but I'm not exactly sure why? If you don't like then mod away and if not then eff off..... I think Guild can keep themselves afloat with this one. Others have done it.... why not Guild? I just don't get it why people are so upset.

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Lol!
I tried to convey my "old timey" thoughts on this guitar. I bet some people will love this guitar. It is most likely a lot of fun. But......not a Guild in any way. It's a low budget Fender inspired design. Not that there is anything wrong with budget, mass produced guitars. Just call it a Gild? Or Guildy?
Ok.....I will eff off......

We will always have different opinions about what makes an instrument a "Guild". Some folks focus on the sound, some on the construction techniques, some on the design aesthetics, some on the factory location, some on the price, some on uniqueness, and so on. If I can still start an argument by insisting that an instrument that was built at home by someone who had a day job at a Guild factory, and used parts that were stolen from the factory (or liberated from dumpsters), is not a Guild, then we are never going to agree.

I will say that I see a lot of energy on LTG about the Surfliners and much of it is positive. That excitement is contagious to the point that if a Surfliner bass was announced (hopefully in blue) I would wait 24 hours. If the excitement remained for me then I would consult with Mrs. Fro. and place an order with my favorite dealer. I have not felt similar excitement about the Newark Street models since they were introduced and the non-USA acoustics seem to be "they're very good, great bang for the buck, but..." and the "buts" depend on the poster.

Thinking about it, I am looking for a Guild that I can get excited about and not looking for an instrument that stands out from the crowd by several measures.

fronobulax said:

We will always have different opinions about what makes an instrument a "Guild". Some folks focus on the sound, some on the construction techniques, some on the design aesthetics, some on the factory location, some on the price, some on uniqueness, and so on. If I can still start an argument by insisting that an instrument that was built at home by someone who had a day job at a Guild factory, and used parts that were stolen from the factory (or liberated from dumpsters), is not a Guild, then we are never going to agree.

I will say that I see a lot of energy on LTG about the Surfliners and much of it is positive. That excitement is contagious to the point that if a Surfliner bass was announced (hopefully in blue) I would wait 24 hours. If the excitement remained for me then I would consult with Mrs. Fro. and place an order with my favorite dealer. I have not felt similar excitement about the Newark Street models since they were introduced and the non-USA acoustics seem to be "they're very good, great bang for the buck, but..." and the "buts" depend on the poster.

Thinking about it, I am looking for a Guild that I can get excited about and not looking for an instrument that stands out from the crowd by several measures.

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I like many of the new import guitars. PRS, Fender..... and Guild.
This is not about the guitar. just branding. Looking forward to reading GADs review.

cupric said:

I like many of the new import guitars. PRS, Fender..... and Guild.
This is not about the guitar. just branding. Looking forward to reading GADs review.

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Put a trademarked logo on it and sell it at retail so the money goes to CMG, the current owner of Guild, and it's a Guild. That's closer to a definition than an opinion and thus not really a point of discussion as far as I am concerned.

So the branding issue comes down to whether that trademarked logo belongs on this instrument. We've been down this road with just about every Guild that was not made in the USA and even some specific models that were. When is a Guild not a Guild? When someone on LTG says so. So I really think the discussion is about the guitar.

As a thought exercise, pretend that you own 100% of the rights and intellectual property associated with this instrument and you have been granted the power to pick which company gets to put its brand on it. Perhaps you say Fender because appearance-wise it seems to have a lot of Fender DNA. Perhaps Squier since it seems to be a less expensive instrument with Fender ancestry? Perhaps Martin because a Martin electric is certainly going to roll some eyes. Perhaps Guild because it is quirky and could have come from Guild in the 1980's.

I can compartmentalize, some times too well, but I am willing to separate the questions - Is this a good or interesting or innovative instrument? and Should this guitar be a Guild? I'm sure that distinction is getting me into trouble with someone