Bluegrass Special ?

[playsvintageguilds]

I have 3 Guild acoustic guitars;

1973 D50 Serial #84832
1976 D55 Serial #145177
1981 D50 Serial #DD101095

Can someone tell me how to determine if either of my D50's are or are not the "Bluegrass Special" ?

http://www.myspace.com/rogerplaysvintageguilds

 

[chazmo]

I thought that was just the model name of the D50. So, my guess is that both of your D50s are "Bluegrass Specials."

But, really, we need pictures to confirm!!!

BTW, welcome to LTG!

 

[BobsterMan]

thought that was the D44...

 

[chazmo]

bobster, the D44 is the "Bluegrass Jubilee."

 

[playsvintageguilds]

Thank you for welcoming me to LTG. I don't think I have the capability to post pictures here yet. I do have a few on myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/rogerplaysvintageguilds

As yet,I am still confused re. the Guild "Bluegrass Special". Can I get a definitive answer? Was it just a nickname given to the D50's or was there an actual D50 Bluegass Special ? I appreciate all your input!

1973 D50
1976 D55
1981 D50
1982 Washburn D18M
1990 Seagull S6 Electric/Acoustic
2000 DXK2 Martin

 

[chazmo]

It's a nickname. Most of the Guild models have them, though we almost always use the letter names of the flattop acoustics around here when we talk about the guitars. E.g., the F50 is known as the Navarre... Most of the 12s have no name, for example, although my G312 is really a 12-string version of your D50... We could call it a "Bluegrass Super-Special" if we wanted to. .... just kidding.

 

[Guildmark]

I don't think the D-44 is a Bluegrass model. It's usually the pearwood body and sides (blondish).
The D-40 comes in a Bluegrass Jubilee model, but I can't recall specifically what makes it one, except that it's not a D-40 Richie Havens model.
The D-50 is called the Bluegrass Special in the current catalog, but I don't think that has always been the case. Someone more expertish will need to come along here to pinpoint the timeline.
Would the label indicate it in the suffix, or is that expecting too much from guild?

Welcome, BTW.
Post well. Post often.

 

[GardMan]

Welcome to LTG...
Paraphrasing/quoting from Hans' book (p 121),

"the D-40 and D-50 and D-50 were originally just called the "dreadnaught D-40/D-50," but the names were soon changed to the "Bluegrass Jubilee" and "Bluegrass Special," respectively."

Your '80s D-50 is beyond the time frame of Hans' book... I don't know (Hans probably would) whether Guild was still using the "Bluegrass Special" moniker in it's catalog by that time.

The D-44 page (p 123) also has the heading "Bluegrass Jubilee," suggesting that it also was known by that name... presumably due to it's structural resemblance to the D-40 (tho' it seems more similar in trim to the early D-50s).

Added more: The "book" I am referring to is Hans Moust's "The Guild Guitar Book: the Company and its INsturments, 1952-1977." Hans is a member and frequent contributor to the LTG forum.

 

[chazmo]

Mark, there's some coverage on this in the Old Testament. Hans uses "Bluegrass Jubilee" for the D44 on page 123, but it's also used for the D40, as you pointed out. Could be an error?

In any case, more Guild lore to learn!

 

[killdeer43]

On page 292 of the Blue Book (11th Edition), D-40 and D44 are listed as "Bluegrass Jubilee." The D50 is listed as "Bluegrass Special."
I have six Guilds and I play bluegrass on all of them. And they're all special....to me!

Cheers.

 

[playsvintageguilds]

Great responses and information. Thank you all so much!

1973 D50
1976 D55
1981 D50
1982 Washburn D18M
1990 Seagull S6 Electric/Acoustic
2000 DXK2 Martin

 

[CurtO]

The Tacoma built D50's are differentiated as "Special" vs. "Jubilee" by the back and side wood. My D50 Bluegrass Special has the rosewood back and sides. The D50 Bluegrass Jubilee has Mahogany back and sides. Not sure if that has always been the case.

CurtO

 

[GardMan]

The Tacoma built D50's are differentiated as "Special" vs. "Jubilee" by the back and side wood. My D50 Bluegrass Special has the rosewood back and sides. The D50 Bluegrass Jubilee has Mahogany back and sides. Not sure if that has always been the case.
CurtO

Curt... I think the mahogany b/s "Bluegrass Jubilee" from Tacoma is the "D-40." The official Guild page has been removed from their site, so here is the press release on Harmony Central: http://namm.harmony-central.com/SNAMM06/Content/Guild/PR/D-40-D-50.html.

 

[sitka_spruce]

I love this topic! Would it be fair to say, you think, that any dreadnought D-4X and/ or has mahogany b&s is infact a Jubilee and any D-5X and/ or has RW b&s is a Special?

With the Navarre, Valencia and Aragon models I thought the name was more in reference to the shape of the instrument than the woods used. In reference to this would assuming that (Guild parlance=Gibson/ Martin Parlance, roughly) Bluegrass=Dreadnought, Navarre=Super Jumbo, Valencia=0000, Aragon=OM/ long scale, 14-fret 000? Did the 20 models have any nickname or name other than that?

 

[Guildmark]

Mark, there's some coverage on this in the Old Testament. Hans uses "Bluegrass Jubilee" for the D44 on page 123, but it's also used for the D40, as you pointed out. Could be an error?

In any case, more Guild lore to learn!

That's what I get for not referring directly to scripture. :? And it was sitting right next to me.
Geezerness encroaches more every day. :lol:

 

[GardMan]

Did the 20 models have any nickname or name other than that?

From Hans, F-20 was the "Troubador" and the M-20 was the "Economy." M-30 was the "Del Rio" and F-30 was the "Aragon."

 

[J45dale]

Note, that all of the large Red Spruce trees were used up during WW11, in order to produce lite-weight aircraft frames. This was when everyone converted to Sitka Spruce for guitar tops.
Remember, this was before the time of Guild. So, all Guilds produced until very recently were most likely Sitka topped.
Then in the last few years, the slow growing Red Spruce trees have grown large enough to crop once again.
Over at Martin out come the D18GE and the Marquis series, with the same pre-war top materials. Guild once arriving in Tacoma, announced the new Red Spruce tops and braces would be used on their new D-40 Mahogany Bluegrass Jubilee, and D-50 Rosewood Bluegrass Special.
When comparing prices for a Rosewood or Mahogany Dred with a Red Spruce top, this made the Tacoma Guilds one of the best values to be found anywhere, as well as very different from the early Guilds of the same model and name.
These Specials were special,...Shame they are now gone.
Dale.

 

[playsvintageguilds]

That is some really great info. I find that my love of Guild guitars grows in direct proportion to the more stuff I find out about them...then... I want to play them even more! Awesome!

So,based on this last comment,if I have a '73,'76 and '81 acoustic Guilds with rosewood sides and backs, can I safely presume they are Sitka Spruce tops ?

Thank you!

 

[GardMan]

That is some really great info. I find that my love of Guild guitars grows in direct proportion to the more stuff I find out about them...then... I want to play them even more! Awesome!

So,based on this last comment,if I have a '73,'76 and '81 acoustic Guilds with rosewood sides and backs, can I safely presume they are Sitka Spruce tops ?

Thank you!

I think they probably are all sitka. Based on descriptions of the grain patterns of sitka vs red/Adirondack, and the lack of availability of the latter for the last 50 years, I concluded all my dreads have sitka tops.