In this case study from the Guild site circa 2007, some unkind things being said, actually mentions the 2 p'up LP special which has the same Gotoh pickups that were in Tokais. I'm guessing the pickups are actually great, that's been my experience with most Japanese humbuckers which were actually made by Maxon, the originator of the TS-808, another piece of junk for sure, til SRV got a hold of one...
The EG-250 p'ups are three way adjustable, like Guild, smart, and coil tapped, what's there not to like?
"Anyone remember the Madeira guitars imported by Guild in the late 70's and early 80's? There was a full line of acoustic based on USA-made Guild designs, and a few electrics. They all had one thing in common though: they sucked. We sold a lot of them to people unable to afford a Guild. The guitars were Korean-made, long before Korea got their act together as guitar makers.
The really low-end acoustic was the A-1, and these were the worst pieces of sheet Guild ever sold. Most of them came back with necks warped beyond belief, necks separating from the body, bridges pulled up, fret issues, pickguards fallen off, etc. We used to take those returned A-1s and throw them in the dumpster. One day, one of the warehouse guys and I smashed three of four of them a la Pete Townshend. Lots of fun!
The electrics were equally hideous from a quality standpoint. One of them looked like a two pickup Les Paul Special.
I always asked Neil to drop the Madeiras, and they finally did, but not until after I left the company. The one smart thing they did was to leave the Guild name off them."
Anyone remember the Madeira guitars imported by Guild in the late 70's and early 80's? There was a full line of acoustic based on USA-made Guild designs, and a few electrics. They all had one thing in common though: they sucked. We sold a lot of them to people unable to afford a Guild. The...
letstalkguild.com
Unfortunately, this info also passes for Gospel if you want to believe that these guitars are junk.
Here's an ad showing many pics of an EG-250. Full sized pots labeled Japan, a very good sign actually. I have these pots in a couple other guitars, they are as good as CTS, which they are probably a copy of.
Madeira by Guild double cut, 24 fret, HH configured with coil split mini toggles.These madeiras were made in Japan in the early 80's, possibly Tokai (Burny).This one has 3 screw humbuckers, marked "GOTO".This is a "player" condition guitar, and has some bumps and bruises.Frets are good, neck stra...
reverb.com
And finally a glowing review of the racing stripe lam bodied EG-330. It's funny he mentions selling off "real" guitars and keeping the cheap ones because that is exactly what I'm thinking. Buy cheap guitars, use the incoming boxes to sell the expensive guitars.
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Sound Quality
I play oldies rock, country and blues. The original pickups although safely stored away have been replaced by Dimarzio DP156CR's primarily for more punch and a sought after Fender Tele sound. I kept the wiring configuration the same and play it through a Peavey Revolution 112 amp and a Digitech RP100 modeling box. A great combination. This has been a recent alteration. I played in many bands with the original pickups and found them to be adequate. I did sell my Fender Tele with the 1968 coil windings and held on to this great Madeira guitar
Reliability/Durability
This guitar as proven itself for twenty years as my first choice for playing gigs and is a true champion in overall durability and dependability !!!
General Comments
Has always been my favorite guitar. As a former guiter shop owner and authorized Gretch Guitar repairman that has been playing music in bands since 1966 as a drummer or Rhythm/lead guiter player I have found myself selling my other expensive name brand guitars and keeping this Madeira (Japan/Guild). Enough Said !
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I bought a pretty killer MIJ dread for $400, sold one of the Guilds for $1400, kaching, kaching, katching.
If the Madeira P Bass checks out, I'll sell my '73 P Bass, it's only like a $3k price difference and I barely ever even play bass. big time kaching on that one.
When the dust clears, I may not even have a USA made Fender or Gibson left, but who the hell am I trying to impress anyway, nobody.
I have another killer MIJ Yamaki D28 copy on the way, $400 shipped from Japan. If it checks out, I might sell most of my other acoustics, I have way too many and they sure take up a lot of room, have to be kept properly hydrated, etc, a lot of responsibility.