D-20 Oxnard...Opinions?

chazmo

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^ Why would you be in the minority, Richard? I'm sure it's wonderful. I hope to have a chance to try one soon!
 

F312

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I'm certainly no expert and likely very much in the minority but I love the tone and playability of my Oxnard D 20. I really do.

Doesn't sound like your ready to cast that D 20 out, quite yet.

Ralph
 

fronobulax

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Just to be correct, there was quite a gap in US production, around two years if I recall, before Cordoba got the Oxnard plant up and running. This was when they launched the Westerly Series that was made in China. So in that respect, they did ship all production to China.

And to be a little more nuanced, acoustic guitars with the Guild name were being made overseas while FMIC owned Guild and operated the New Hartford plant. (Guild Acoustic Design or GAD, not be be confused with @GAD). Newark Street electrics were also being made overseas during the New Hartford years. There was about a two year period between when New Hartford ceased operations and the first Guilds made in Oxnard made it to market. The two years were spend in building out the production line, getting California permits and training employees. During this time the overseas production, that had started under FMIC, continued. Previously unsold New Hartford production was sold as new but the stock was obviously limited.

So CMG did not initiate overseas production, rather they continued what FMIC started.
 

Wulfthar

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I really like the D20, more than the D40, and I am considering one.

Unfortunately I am not a fan of the satin finish, do you guys how to make them glossy? Complete refin?
 

SFIV1967

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Unfortunately I am not a fan of the satin finish,
It might be worth checking with Guild if they would take a special order with gloss finish. At the end the cost adder might be the same like the cost to refinish.
Ralf
 

Wulfthar

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It might be worth checking with Guild if they would take a special order with gloss finish. At the end the cost adder might be the same like the cost to refinish.
Ralf

Not sure they will take a custom order especially from the EU...I am reading on the net "tutorials" of Martin people who polished tgei 15 series guitars.
 

chazmo

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I'm pretty sure you can easily polish up a satin-finished guitar to a gloss if it's nitrocellulose lacquer. I'm not sure about the finish on a D-20 though... If the shop has truly switched to NCL, then I think that'll work. That was a recent change, though... Before that, they were using something called catalyzed varnish which I can't speak to...
 

Br1ck

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Sometimes you just have to buy what they make. Their research has found that a great sounding and playing guitar is more important than a more expensively finished guitar to this segment of the market. I rember reacting in horror to the first 000 16 Martin I played. Gloss top only, and no dovetail joint. Ended up buying one, and thirty years later hangs with any 000 18 I've heard. Sold it to a friend 20 years ago. It sounds really good. The D 20 is what it is, not a bad thing.
 

Pike

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best quote. and there are many quotable nuggets in Al's super-appropriate rant.

hear, hear!
IMHO the early post fender Westerly builds are some if the best that came out of that factory. I owned two, a D55 and a D40. They were both better sounding than the two similar Gruhn/Walkers I owned.
 

Westerly Wood

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IMHO the early post fender Westerly builds are some if the best that came out of that factory. I owned two, a D55 and a D40. They were both better sounding than the two similar Gruhn/Walkers I owned.

my F30r is a '98 so that would fall into your fave category/period, post Fender purchase. The build quality is top notch, if just feels so solid where the neck and body join together.
 
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