1994 JF30-12 joins the herd

[chazmo]

Thanks, fungusyoung, for selling this one to me. It sounds wonderful. Gave it some TLC this afternoon cleaning/polishing it, putting on new strings, and messing around with the truss rods a little.

I'm going to head over to the music store tomorrow to compare this A/B with a new GAD version of this axe. Construction-wise, I already know that the Westerly wins. I just want to listen closely to them and compare since I was so surprised by what I heard the other day.

Here are some pix, folks:

Front:

Back:

Bridge and fretboard, before and after steel wool and bore oil application (the bridge was thirsty! ):

Magnificent tiger stripe neck:

Date on the neck block, that's kinda cool:

Bridge plate and Braces (apparently not scalloped); compare it to my F512:

Major league honkin' custom shop case (this sucker is heavy!):

 

[cjd-player]

Beautiful guitar, Chazmo, and wonderful pics.

Hope you enjoy that one for a long time.

 

[Graham]

Enjoy Chaz.

Mine rings like a carillon, when someone else plays it. :wink:

 

[chazmo]

Thanks, cjd-player and Graham! It sounds and plays terrific too. Very nice, dry sound with lots of projection. Exactly what I expected, really. It really is a Guild -- no question! I put D'Addario EXP lights on it today, and it has that crisp, new string sound! I wish I could do that care/feeding stuff to my gits on a daily basis.

I do expect this one's in the herd to stay, unless the GAD version out-performs it. I'm excited to spend some quality time with the two of them tomorrow at the music store.

Best wishes.

 

[plaidseason]

That's a sweet new ride.

Also, nice Trader Joe's bag.

 

[12stringer]

Wow...when you take pictures you leave no stone unturned...That's great...a real beautiful guitar...enjoy and I am willing to bet it will sound better than the GAD version. :wink:
Have fun!

 

[Scratch]

A beauty, Chaz! What do you use to dress the fretboard & Bridge? I've been using linseed oil lately at the advice of Ross the Magic Luthier.

 

[chazmo]

plaid... My kitchen is my workspace for my care/feeding.... The Trader Joe's bag had some dead strings and steel wool in it when I was finished.

Yeah, I love to take pictures of the inside as well as the outside, 12stringer.

Scratch, thanks! I think bore oil is terrific for this kind of thing. Folks use it on clarinets and the like to treat the inside of their instruments. Boiled linseed oil is probably equally good.

I have a bunch more that I haven't uploaded to photobucket, but I forgot this one. This is another before/after shot, as the TRC was upside down (you can see the outline).

 

[12stringer]

I have used light mineral oil on fretboards and such...it seems to work fine and no oil smell either, although some oils actually smell nice.

 

[JHCrawLaw]

She's a beaut, Chaz! Love the striping on the neck. It'll be interesting to hear how it compares to your beloved F512!

BTW, how are you getting those awesome "inside" pics?

 

[chazmo]

Hey, JH...

I have a small snapshot digital camera (a Canon PowerShot). I just put it on macro setting, lower it into the soundhole and snap pictures. This is easy when the strings are off.

 

[steverok]

Looks mighty.

 

[Guildmark]

The Trader Joe's bag had some dead strings and steel wool in it when I was finished.

I've submitted this before, but, since the subject of dead strings came up in passing, just thought I'd insert this again:

A bouquet that lasts all year. It helps Huck tolerate my obsession.

OH! And the axe is awesome, Chaz!
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !

 

[Graham]

I've submitted this before, but, since the subject of dead strings came up in passing, just thought I'd insert this again:

A bouquet that lasts all year. It helps Huck tolerate my obsession.

We've done something very similar here Mark. Please pass that on to the Mrs. What a great idea!

 

[chazmo]

I remember seeing that before, Mark. Careful, you'll put an eye out!

Very cool! The D'Addario strings have those cool color coded "petals."

 

[12 string]

Nice git get, Chazzer!

' Strang

 

[chazmo]

Nice git get, Chazzer!

' Strang

Thanks, 'Strang!

 

[fungusyoung]

Nicely done, Chaz! She's never looked better, at least not in the time I owner her. Hope she's a keeper for you because I cannot imagine anyone else taking better care of their guitars. I'll always miss the grand piano tones, but it feels great to know she's in such good hands.

That GAD doesn't stand a chance, but I'm very interested in your A/B report!

 

[chazmo]

Doin' my best, fungie! And, thanks again.

So, I took the JF30-12 to Worcester to the acoustic room to A/B it against the GAD... It was a pretty close comparison. They both had PB strings (not sure what's stock on the GAD, but I had put the EXP PBs on mine yesterday).

I will tell you right now that I am really impressed with the GAD version, but it does not outshine the older ones. The Westerly JF30-12 is built better, and thus lives up better to the "made to be played" motto. I looked at the meeting of the fingerboard with the soundboard on the GAD, and I was a little concerned that I was seeing some potential separation in the near future. And, as I mentioned earlier, I don't like the little truss rod ends that poke through at the soundhole end of the neck, rather than adjust from the peghead. OK, this might just be a matter of taste. I like having two big hex nuts to adjust rather than two itty-bitty Allen holes.

The solid tiger-stripe maple back and sides are lovely. I can't fault them for this. I really don't know if a laminated, arched maple like my Westerly vs. a flat, solid maple like the GAD accounts for tonal differences. Tone was quite similar! The Westerly has more sustain, though, and is a bit more balanced. The GAD is slightly more dry (which is a good thing on a maple), but had a little tendency toward the highs (less balance, as mentioned).

Finger-picking, honestly, it's nearly a draw. They both sound wonderful. Strummed, the Westerly sounds better.

 

[steverok]

Everyone who has played my GAD G212 loves it. They didn't understand why I bought another 12-string, but I do. It was so I could hang out here.