D-55 with 3-piece back

GGJaguar · Mar 9, 2021

Have we seen this one before? Certainly different with a Walnut finish top and 3-piece back.

1983 Guild D-55 WAL-NT Natural > Guitars Acoustic | Rivington Guitars

This is one of the best sounding acoustics currently in our shop. Original 1983 Guild D-55 WAL NT. Made in Waverly, RI, USA. Excellent condition with no cracks, breaks or issues. Tone is remarkable...

www.gbase.com

chazmo · Mar 9, 2021

Very cool. No, I've never seen or heard of one before, GG. I never new they used walnut as a tonewood. In fact, I think we had a thread about that once.

Looks like a unicorn to me.

Stuball48 · Mar 9, 2021

Any way to find out what it sold for?

GGJaguar · Mar 9, 2021

chazmo said:
I never new they used walnut as a tonewood

In this case it's a spruce top with "walnut stain" finish.

wileypickett · Mar 9, 2021

I have a walnut stained JF30-12-string (marked WALNUT on the label). But mine is much, much darker than this -- so dark that, unless it's in direct sunlight, it looks black.

This is so light I wonder if it really is walnut stained.

Could the back be walnut?

If not, why the need for a three-piece back? That's usually done when a particular tone wood is so scarce they don't have fillets large enough for a book-ended two-piece back.

I can't recall seeing a Guild with a three-piece back before, even when Guild was using Brazilian rosewood.

Anyone aware of others? (Hans?!)

Curious!

The Guilds of Grot · Mar 9, 2021

wileypickett said:
I have a walnut stained JF30-12-string (marked WALNUT on the label). But mine is much, much darker than this -- so dark that, unless it's in direct sunlight, it looks black.

This is so light I wonder if it really is walnut stained.

Could the back be walnut?

If not, why the need for a three-piece back? That's usually done when a particular tone wood is so scarce they don't have fillets large enough for a book-ended two-piece back.

I can't recall seeing a Guild with a three-piece back before, even when Guild was using Brazilian rosewood.

Anyone aware of others? (Hans?!)

Curious!

I think Mr. Pickett has it right.

wileypickett · Mar 9, 2021

The Guilds of Grot said:
I think Mr. Pickett has it right.

Even if I'm wrong, this might be my proudest moment as an LTGer!

chazmo · Mar 9, 2021

GGJaguar said:
In this case it's a spruce top with "walnut stain" finish.

I don't think so, GG. It's a NT (natural top). I think this is a walnut body. And that would be interesting / unicorn-ish.

GGJaguar · Mar 9, 2021

chazmo said:
I think this is a walnut body.

Ah yes that makes sense now! It would also explain (in part) the 3-piece body. Maybe they didn't have wide enough maple board for a 2-piece back.

chazmo · Mar 9, 2021

Not sure at all, GG. That body could be rosewood, but as all were saying, a 3-piece back is practically unheard of in Guilds. Maybe they had a small batch of walnut wood that was too narrow to do a 2-piece in. Anyway, that body is definitely not stained maple. The model designation makes me believe it's walnut.

chazmo · Mar 9, 2021

By the way, solid walnut makes a wonderful tonewood. It's just that Guild never went that way (except maybe this one).

spoox · Mar 9, 2021

The color and grain looks more like walnut than rosewood--when walnut is exposed to air and light it becomes a bit more light and reddish in color. Some furniture pieces I've had in my shop that were from the 1860s were hard to tell from mahogany until one got close enough to see the grain pattern.

GGJaguar · Mar 9, 2021

Now we have to speculate if it's black walnut or Claro walnut.

The Guilds of Grot · Mar 9, 2021

chazmo said:
Not sure at all, GG. That body could be rosewood, but as all were saying, a 3-piece back is practically unheard of in Guilds.

Ah, not true! They built many D-46 Ash bodies with three piece backs. (Contrasting center strip)

GardMan · Mar 9, 2021

I recall seeing a discussion of this one on LTG before... but can't find the thread.

davismanLV · Mar 9, 2021

Okay, not to throw another wrench into the speculation (mixing metaphors so early!!) but also, note that the actual joints on the inside show walnut (?) going different directions!! So is that a laminate? On the outside all the grain is going the same way, and on the inside it's going opposite!! And we never get a good photo of the sides in any of the photos. What a strange thing, huh?? I hope Hans chimes in. Maybe the back has been replaced or something? But no because the label..... I'm lost!

Rayk · Mar 9, 2021

Yaaaay walnut ! She’s pretty , that’s All I got.

lol

chazmo · Mar 9, 2021

Tom, I'm not seeing what you're seeing. Are you sure you're not looking at the grain of the brace?

chazmo · Mar 9, 2021

GGJaguar said:
Now we have to speculate if it's black walnut or Claro walnut.

... or Brazil Nut ...

chazmo · Mar 9, 2021

The Guilds of Grot said:
Ah, not true! They built many D-46 Ash bodies with three piece backs. (Contrasting center strip)

Right you are, Grot! I think one thing we can ALL agree on though, that D-55 ain't ash!

D-55 with 3-piece back

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