Are Corona Archtops As Iffy as Corona Flattops?

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

I've always ignored Coronas online because I think to tell the good ones from the bad ones you need to have them in-hand, and you need to be an expert. But it occurs to me that what little I know of Coronas is based on their flattops. Do their archtops bring lower prices the way their flattops do?

 

[jazzmang]

From what I've seen, yes. The solid bodies and archtops usually fetch less money on ebay/C-list.

I still haven't ever played a Corona Guild, so I don't know if all the commotion is really true or not. I can, however, spot a Corona online, usually because they did something funky with the headstock shapes on some of them.

It must be a larger flare-out or something on the Coronas that gives them away.

Also, a good bit of Tacoma headstocks (especially 2005-2007 models, TI-TK) had raised Guild G-shield logos that really stood out to me... in a bad way.

Anyways, I digress. My final answer: Yes. From what I've seen, they go for less than their Westerly counterparts.

 

[adorshki]

Ok I can't address archtops specifically either but I suspect vintage of the instrument might also play a role. My 2003 Corona D40 has every bit of the fit and finish quality of my Westerly D25 but what I DID notice "out of the box" was it felt like it had a stiffer action somehow even though the setup was virtually identical and it even had a straighter neck (virtually no relief). I called it "the Fender setup" 'cause it felt just like the Fender F210 I'd owned before I discovered Guild. Curiously it seems to have eased up a little over the years, now it 's almost as easy as the D25. Sound quality was always great and it's also opening up nicely.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Is your f65 a Corona?

 

[jazzmang]

Is your f65 a Corona?

I believe the F65s were laid to rest at the closing of Westerly.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Whoops. I meant to ask if your Peregrine was made at Corona. Did they have a custom shop in Corona and in Nashville at the same time?

 

[jazzmang]

Whoops. I meant to ask if your Peregrine was made at Corona. Did they have a custom shop in Corona and in Nashville at the same time?

I believe the Nashville custom shop was open even after Westerly was shut down. Nashville was the only custom shop Guild used, IIRC.

 

[taabru45]

I think if you talk to Corona owners, they'll tell you about what a fine guitar they own, I know my D25 is a beauty, and a Guild sound top to bottom, its also all mahogany, flat back. I may be picking up a D40 before long, if all goes well... Steffan

 

[Paddlefoot]

Possibly the confusion was that the Corona Guilds reportedly all came out of the Fender custom shop to ensure a quality product during the changeover. There are decidedly differences in the guitars but I have not found anything not to like about the Corona guitars. I have an X-500, X-170, X-180 and a SFII all from Corona and the worst thing I can say about them is they don't have nitro lacquer on them. The polyurethane stuff is harder to repair when it need some respraying. I have found the Tacoma guitars to have more variation in the setup and shaping of the necks. I guess that would be true of some guitars coming out of Westerly too. I have an X-175 that has one of those very skinny 1 5/8 in necks and I have not seen anything like that out of Corona or Tacoma. Now maybe that's how it was planned but It seems to me that you used to find those skinny necks on all brands of guitar once in a while in years past. Every now and again it would the honkin' big club too. Must have been before and after they changed the belt on the belt sander. Ya know there are just going to be changes on things that are built over a long period of time. There has to be since customer preferrence and styles change over time. Anyone know someone who still wears unionsuit style underwear? My old '79 D-35 has frets so narrow and low that it feels like one of those old "fretless wonder" Les Pauls. When I wanted my D-50 refretted (back in '81) with jumbos I had to practically twist the luthiers arm to get him to do it. I ended up with what is now pretty standard on Gibson's archtops. Not what we would call jumbos now. For all the flap about the good wood being used up I think we are seeing some of the prettiest figured maple I have ever seen in the newer guitars. Lots better than what was used on mid grade guitars in the late 50s and early 60s. If it says Guild on the peghead it ain't too bad a guitar.

 

[taabru45]

You can see where mine hung on the wall for a prolonged time, these were the only marks on the guitar, and because of the reaction of the rubber, I'd suggest it is a nitro lacquer finish, paddlefoot. You agree, and does Fender sell touch up paint? :wink: Steffan

 

[adorshki]

Is your f65 a Corona?

I believe the F65s were laid to rest at the closing of Westerly.

That is correct. I have a letter from Fender ID'ing mine as one of the last two F65's shipped from Westerly (that they can trace) and they were officially discontinued in 2001. My D40 has a Corona label, according to Hans it's probably late 2003 with a possibility of early '04.(Purchased Oct '04) I THOUGHT that at that time Corona was Fender's dedicated custom shop, and was reassured by the label. Now I'm wondering if they actually built the acoustics side by side with the electrics or set up a new assembly area or building. Hopefully this will get covered in Hans' next volume. Were there actually any Tacoma archtops?
By the way Steffan LOVE that white finish but it looks opaque like regular polyurethane? I'd think it would totally mute the sound? Also I think somewhere it was pointed out that Guild still uses nitro but GAD is poly. In California nitro is now illegal due to air pollution. I think my D40 is nitro but it never occurred to me to try to test.
This was edited for accuracy thanks to Hans shortly after posting.

 

[taabru45]

My luthier said that it was lacquer because of the reaction of the hanger. It has all the sound you could ask for and then some. Probably not quite as 'bright' because of the mahogany top, more bass than you'd expect but, with D'darrio bluegrass strings, just beautiful. Those strings are light on the high 3, and medium on the bottom 3. It just an excellent guitar. I'd have a hard time letting it go. Steffan

 

[adorshki]

Yeah that would tend to be a giveway. No way to rub that out with something like lighter fluid? (Of course I'd check with the luthier first but it's supposed to be ok on nitro laquer). Sure would like to see that baby in person though.

 

[coastie99]

I have an X-500, X-170, X-180 and a SFII all from Corona and the worst thing I can say about them is they don't have nitro lacquer on them.

Paddlefoot, according to the 2003 Guild catalogue, the X-500 is finished in nitrocellulose.

 

[Paddlefoot]

Well I could be wrong but I'm sure that if it was sprayed here in the Peoples Republic of Calif. it is something other than nitro lacquer 'cause this place is highly restrictive on anything with VOCs in it. I was told by a local repairman that the stuff on Corona guitars is a polyurethane. One of my Corona made guitars has some buff throughs on the back where a prior owner tried to buff out some scratches before he shipped it to me. The repair guy says the oval burn marks are a sign of the poly finish. Now one thing that Fender Does do on some guitars is to ship them to their Ensenada Mexico plant and have them Sprayed with nitro and reassembled or set up here. That is how they get around the VOC issue. You can see that advertised on some current Fender models where they are trying to get the vintage look and want the grain to print through a little bit. Back when The Tacoma plant opened Vintage Guitar magazine did a story on the operation and mentioned a new finish they were using that I believe was some sort of uv curing lacquer similar to what Taylor uses. I have to wonder if they started using that finish in Corona since the majority of the Tacoma guitars I have seen and one of the Corona X-150s I sold had the finish melt under the peghead like taabru's guitar. Funny thing is that I have a couple guitars that hang on string swings all the time that I know are nitro and they have had no reaction problems. I have color sanded some of those smudged areas too and they don't sand like lacquer. The material is more gummy where lacquer is pretty hard after it's cured

 

[coastie99]

Mysteriouser and mysteriouser !!

I bought a new Corona F47RCE in '03, and it positively, definitely was finished in nitrocellulose.

 

[coastie99]

And, if anybody's wondering " Is my Corona NCL finished ? " here's the '03 list .................

ALL acoustics, excluding the D25.
Peregrine, Paloma, X-500, X-700 and all the Benedetto's

And, in the unlikely event that anybody has one, the Johnny Smith Award and custom shop Valencia. How I WISH I'd bought a Valencia ..... I got so close !!

 

[adorshki]

Not positive but I think the nitro was only outlawed within the last 5 years. In fact a couple of our local luthiers still know where to get it done "under the radar". Interesting observations about D25's being the exception to nitro finish and shipping stuff out to Ensenada. Paddlefoot do you know what's the vintage of your guitar(s)?

 

[Paddlefoot]

I really don't have them nailed down date wise. As you can see I am rather new to the forum so I am learning a lot from you vets and finding access to info that I did not know was available yet. I'm really looking forward to Hans' new book. It appears that he will have lots of great information regarding our later Guilds. I try to stay a little informed about most brands of guitars and sometimes that turns out to be handy somewhere else. I should get an index file together and start documenting all the specs on these guitars as I get them in. I have take to measuring the frets and nut widths as everyone seems to want detailed descriptions if I decide to sell one. Back to nitro finishes. I really don't know what year they passed the laws on the use of nitrocellulose I can tell you it has been at least 10-12 years ago that they started banning high VOC chemicals. I had a neighbor who installed wood floors for a living and helped me hunt down some of the old polyurethane finish for my floor back in the early 90s. He had already been limited to buying water based finishes in the quantities that he needed to do his jobs. I know that you can still get regular nitrocellulose lacquer but probably not in production sized quantities. I could see a small custom luthier using it but he's also taking a risk if he does find himself "on radar" because they consider a lot of this stuff as hazmat. Even just the overspray that's trapped has to be disposed of properly or you can get hammered with big fines. I have a friend who owns a small trophy and western jewelry business. He was just about put out of biz by being required to install a spray booth and vapor recovery system. I don't think Fender could stay out of the limelight if his little business couldn't.

 

[Paddlefoot]

I wonder if we could find something on Taylor's finish? Maybe they are calling that UV cured stuff nitrocellulose. Sort of like the catalysed acrylic lacquer. I don't know, just thinking it might be an explanation.