Getting back to the NS X-350 ...

[mad dog]

I keep playing Walter's short video with this red guitar. Can't find one locally to try. Very curious about it, how it plays and sounds. Does anyone here have one? Any comments??

 

[guitarlover]

Have had the guitar once in my hands a while ago (Same guitar as Walter since it was the one from the Guitar bar ). It's a fine guitar, nice quality. Neck was certainly quite thick as I recall. Only played it acoustically.

 

[GAD]

I’ve been toying with buying one new to review. I hate buying new guitars, but they’re very cool.

 

[mad dog]

I had the same thought GAD. Which is why I'm tied to this mast ...

 

[Longnose Gar]

Santa brought me the NS X-350 for Xmas. I played it briefly out of the box and then put flat wounds on it because I already have a NS X-175B strung with round wounds.

A pleasant surprise is that the middle pickup adds tonal variation vs the 2-pickup X-175. Engaging the middle pickup mellows out the whole sound, much like I think it does on a Strat. I bought this guitar intending to use it for jazz-ish rhythms, and the flat wounds combined with the blending in the middle pickup does just what I want.

The scarlet color is very nice. The finish is kind of thick and makes the guitar look cheaper. Dark fretboard and headstock and f-hole binding make it fancier than the X-175B. It's heavier than the X-175B, which I'm guessing has to do with the bracing. I can't find a weight spec on it though.

Happy to answer any questions about it.

 

[GGJaguar]

Congrats, sounds like a winner! Got any pix?

 

[Longnose Gar]

Here are a few pics. A little shadowy on the lower bout, but that gives an idea of the hue variation with different lighting. It's rather candy apple in full sun, and (preferably) a lush wine red in low light.

 

[shihan]

I’m curious if the 3 PU’s cause the magnetic ‘string pull’ warble like one gets with Stratocasters.
That would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[Longnose Gar]

I’m curious if the 3 PU’s cause the magnetic ‘string pull’ warble like one gets with Stratocasters.
That would be a deal breaker for me.

I think the answer to this question is yes. I lowered the action and then found that the low strings bottomed out when I was playing above the 12th fret. I'm guessing this was caused by the poles pulling on the strings. So I had to raise the action back up higher than what my X-175B is. I guess I could try lowering the poles instead, but they look pretty low.

 

[shihan]

I think the answer to this question is yes. I lowered the action and then found that the low strings bottomed out when I was playing above the 12th fret. I'm guessing this was caused by the poles pulling on the strings. So I had to raise the action back up higher than what my X-175B is. I guess I could try lowering the poles instead, but they look pretty low.

I was afraid that of that. I can’t deal with Strats for that reason. The X-350 is a very appealing guitar, but sadly, not for me. Too bad. Thanks.

 

[Default]

Wonder if you could use a different alloy string to lessen that effect.

 

[Default]

I would try pure nickel. Walter recommended them to me a while back, and I forgot about them.

 

[Walter Broes]

I think the answer to this question is yes. I lowered the action and then found that the low strings bottomed out when I was playing above the 12th fret. I'm guessing this was caused by the poles pulling on the strings. So I had to raise the action back up higher than what my X-175B is. I guess I could try lowering the poles instead, but they look pretty low.

I'd check neck relief, or maybe some high frets if I were you. This type of pickup doesn't really have string pull at all - the magnets are under the coil, and physically too far from the strings to pull them out of whack
.
It's a well known phenomenon with pickups where the polepieces are the actual magnets, i.e. most Fender pickups, and DeArmond pickups or Gibson Staple pole "Alnico V" P90's, but typical humbuckers, P90's or indeed Franz pickups (physically almost identical to a P90) don't have enough string pull to influence the strings.

 

[Longnose Gar]

I'd check neck relief, or maybe some high frets if I were you. This type of pickup doesn't really have string pull at all - the magnets are under the coil, and physically too far from the strings to pull them out of whack
.
It's a well known phenomenon with pickups where the polepieces are the actual magnets, i.e. most Fender pickups, and DeArmond pickups or Gibson Staple pole "Alnico V" P90's, but typical humbuckers, P90's or indeed Franz pickups (physically almost identical to a P90) don't have enough string pull to influence the strings.

Thank you, Walter. That is helpful insight and advice. Upon further investigation it appears the 15th fret is a tad high. I was hoping to avoid professional setup on this Newark Street, but sanding frets is not something I'm ready to take on.

 

[shihan]

I'd check neck relief, or maybe some high frets if I were you. This type of pickup doesn't really have string pull at all - the magnets are under the coil, and physically too far from the strings to pull them out of whack
.
It's a well known phenomenon with pickups where the polepieces are the actual magnets, i.e. most Fender pickups, and DeArmond pickups or Gibson Staple pole "Alnico V" P90's, but typical humbuckers, P90's or indeed Franz pickups (physically almost identical to a P90) don't have enough string pull to influence the strings.

Thanks, Walter, this is what I was looking for; except, now I want one...

 

[guitarlover]

Guild guitars are always tempting !!

 

[freddyfingers]

Thanks for bringing this back up. I have kept a look out for the 350. Only a few online have it, but they have had it a long time. No buyers. I noticed a few stores are starting to get new shipments in. But the price hasn’t been low enough for me to bite the bullet. At full price, if i dont bond with it after a few months, i can sell it for maybe 900? Hard to say as no used ones are out there. Had someone had a 25 percent off sale i would have bitten. Only two videos out there, the one open the guild site and another thats even shorter. Neither show what i am looking for in the guitar. I am interested in the middle pickup going in and out, and by itself. I dont play jazz or rockbilly. So i wonder if its just a three pickup version of the gretsch’ 5420 or the X175.

 

[Longnose Gar]

There's another quality problem with this guitar. The tune-o-matic bridge sticks on the treble side. If I dial it down, the wheel goes down but the bridge doesn't move. I can only move it down by banging on it with a hard metal object (screwdriver). Dialing the action up is impossible. The bridge is also pinned to the guitar, which the promo video touts as an advantage. But it prevents me from taking the bridge off the guitar so I can work on it. I don't see the advantage of the pinned bridge. I've never had an issue with floating bridges on my other archtops. Plus, I'm guessing it makes it harder to swap the bridge to something else. I can't tell how it's pinned. My iPhone won't fit in the F-holes deep enough. I can't feel anything under there. Maybe it's glue. Anyway, I'm going to contact Cordoba and see if they will send me a new bridge top under warranty.

 

[dhdfoster]

I don't know how Guild does it, but most "pinned" bridges can simply be picked straight up off the guitar.

 

[Longnose Gar]

I don't know how Guild does it, but most "pinned" bridges can simply be picked straight up off the guitar.

That would make sense, and this one doesn't budge - up or sideways.