EBAY GUILD SHOULD I BID

[bastarddarsh]

Hey guys whats do you think about this guitar!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Guild-1978-Vintage- ... dZViewItem


Darsh

 

[Jahn]

for 550 that's a nice price, but there are 4 more days so it might jump.

the big thing is the fretwear. not the grooves in the fretboard, but the actual fretwire. playing that many "cowboy chords" over time may have thrown intonation off and made it harder to fret those chords too, meaning you're clamping down harder to fret them, meaning you're rubbing that board down even more. even a partial refret might price you out of this guitar, just fyi.

 

[capnjuan]

Ask seller for some more pics; low angle on deck, neck/body joint ... and ask him to turn the lights on... :wink: otherwise ....not too bad... cj

 

[Dr Izza Plumber]

Neck damage? Like the Cap'n sez.........ask for more pics.

 

[dreadnut]

Looks pretty, if everything is in order I'd wait around and at least see how high it goes or if it just sits there. I could see this guitar going for over $700 if the fret wear is the only thing really wrong with it. Someone has played the snot out of this thing, I had to laugh at the picture of the neck because the finish is worn off on my old D-25 in exactly the same place Yes, it is from being played!

Like Jahn said, re-fretting is almost a certainty, and it does appear there are major grooves worn into the fretboard wood, Still looks like a nice one to me, though.

Nothing wrong with asking the guy a few questions like:

-What did you pay for the guitar?
-Does it need a fret job?
-Is it a hard shell case?
-How high is the action at the 12th fret?

etc.

 

[Graham]

Nothing wrong with asking the guy a few questions like:

-What did you pay for the guitar?
-Does it need a fret job?
-Is it a hard shell case?
-How high is the action at the 12th fret?

etc.

-What's the fastest running land animal? (keeps them on their toes.) :shock:

 

[Metalman]

Ask for more pics.

I always say, if it is not the right one, and you don't feel just right about it, pass on it, and wait another week or two. Another one will show up.

There has been a lot of D-40s on Ebay lately.

But stay away from the "Built in Corona" models.

 

[tonewood]

Ask for more pics.

I always say, if it is not the right one, and you don't feel just right about it, pass on it, and wait another week or two. Another one will show up.

There has been a lot of D-40s on Ebay lately.

But stay away from the "Built in Corona" models.

Why stay away from the Corona models

 

[Scratch]

Ask for more pics.

I always say, if it is not the right one, and you don't feel just right about it, pass on it, and wait another week or two. Another one will show up.

There has been a lot of D-40s on Ebay lately.

But stay away from the "Built in Corona" models.

Why stay away from the Corona models

Hi Tonewood, Two cents worth: The Corona years are considered transition years between Westerly and (since 2004) Tacoma operations. Many question the attention to detail/specs used during that period when Guilds were built alongside Fenders... Speaking from experience; my Corona D25 (Guilda) is very similar to playing a Fender acoustic. The Westerly D25 (Gus) is a completely different instrument. IMO Westerly and Tacoma Guilds are built better and distinctively sound like Guilds...

 

[capnjuan]

Why stay away from the Corona models

Hi TW: if you Search here on the keyword 'Corona', you can read more on the subject. When Fender closed the Westerly RI plant, it moved the fabrication of Guild acoustic guitars to its Corona CA plant where Fender had been making solid-body guitars. Arguably, too few Westerly people relocated to CA and, as a consequence, Guild acoustic guitar QA/QC suffered. Fender's decision to buy the Tacoma Guitar Co. was widely seen as an opportunity to acquire an intact workforce and facility, increase market share, and address Corona-driven QA/QC problems in one shot. cj

 

[Metalman]

That's why.

 

[john_kidder]

That's certainly the conventional wisdom about the Corona Guilds. But there have been quite a few complimentary comments on this board from owners of Corona-built guitars. And I took a leap and bought a Corona D-50 for my brother - he's a pretty savvy guitarist, and he's just as pleased as he can be with the guitar. Anybody out there who owns a Corona guitar care to comment (again)?

 

[Graham]

Anybody out there who owns a Corona guitar care to comment (again)?

My 512 is a beaut, very pleased with it.

 

[Metalman]

I will say this: I bought a Fender/Corona/Guild F-47RCE a while back, and to make a long story short, this guitar actually sounded best when recorded in a studio setting, with a good engineer at the controls.
I am not one to copy another guitar player's style so much, but I was going for a Tommy Emmanuel sound and this F-47RCE nailed it!

(More so than an expensive Maton that I tried in the music store!)

I have since sold it to a friend, and have tried to reproduce that sound with my D-50 and my F-30R, and as good as those guitars are, they just don't have that midrange clarity that my Corona F-47RCE had.

Guild now makes the F-47RC in a nice florentine cutaway version, and that will probably be one of my next guitars.

Now some brother on this forum just bought himself a '66 F-47 that is out of this world!

That is a nice guitar, but we are - ahem - bashing Coronas now aren't we? Let's get back on track . . .

 

[capnjuan]

That is a nice guitar, but we are - ahem - bashing Coronas now aren't we? Let's get back on track . . .

Hi MM: I hope you didn't get the wrong impression. John K is right; my remarks only represent the 'common wisdom' and, despite the 'common wisdom', there are plenty of happy 'Corona' owners here and elsewhere. cj

 

[dreadnut]

I know that there were many "2nds" and "Blems" produced during that time, but give 'em credit for selling them honestly by marking them as such, and it could be argued that by doing so they preserved the integrity of those Corona made Guilds which carry no such designations. I've played some nice Coronas, and many have reported here that the blemishes on these are negligible, and in some cases you even have to really search for it. That says to me that they exercised good judgement and stringent QC standards, rather than knowingly peddling all the guitars at full retail and dealing with the warranty claims later as some manufacturers would do. Sorry, but I've lived in a manufacturing environment too long-I'm beginning to like these guys When faced with the dilemma of having made some imperfect product, seems to me they did the right thing, and the smart thing, because it allowed them to sell all the guitars too.

But, this is about Darsch's dilemma, isn't it? No Corona there, it's a '78. How about it, Darsch, have you asked questions or gotten answers? Still no bids. Looks to me like it might be a great sounding dreadnaught '78 was some good years at Westerly, and there probably aren't that many D-40's in 'burst...might get it for around 600 clams... :twisted:

 

[Metalman]

That is a nice guitar, but we are - ahem - bashing Coronas now aren't we? Let's get back on track . . .

Hi MM: I hope you didn't get the wrong impression. John K is right; my remarks only represent the 'common wisdom' and, despite the 'common wisdom', there are plenty of happy 'Corona' owners here and elsewhere. cj

Yes; you're right. I didn't mean to offend anybody.

 

[Bluesbob]

I think you did the right thing not bidding on that one. Too far gone, even though it's pretty. But what's the use of a nice looking guitar if you can't play it? Wait a while, another one will come along. Of course, JMHO and YMMV.
A friend has a Corona F50R that I've played, although only in an open tuning. I thought it sounded nice, open and full bodied at the same time.