In 2018 I bought a used NH 2012 F-30R Standard from a small guitar store in Atlanta which mostly carries nice upper end guitars (Collings, Santa Cruz, Lowden, Martin, etc.). When I compared it to a new Martin and Collings OM size the Guild's volume placed a far distant third? The tone was nice...but it was much more quiet compared to the others, even though the guitar was 6 years old? However since it was used it was 1/2 the price of the new Martin, and 1/3 of the price of the new Collings! It also was the closest to my budget on that day and regardless of it's soft voice I was still drawn to it for some reason...but that's another story.
Anyway I took it home and played it pretty hard at least 3-4 times a week, for 1-2 hours a day, for about a year. I was trying to learn guitar, so I mostly strummed a lot of cowboy chords and was trying to keep up with a friend of mine who owned a Martin Dreadnought.
At the of end of the first year I took the guitar back to store to have it looked over. Part of the deal when I bought the guitar was 1 year of service, so I wanted to take advantage of any fine adjustments if needed. When it was time to pick it up I also decided to borrow another Martin and Collings off the wall and do the comparison test again. Since my Guild was the only OM I had heard throughout the past year it would be fun to hear the others again. I was stunned, and so were the owners of the store. The F-30R opened up so much it easily blew away both the Martin and Collings! I couldn't believe how much deeper and resonate it was. So, I compared it a new Martin Dreadnought in the store and I would say it practically tied on volume, although the tone was different.
Now flash forward a few years later.
My niece now owns that F-30R and it's her first guitar. She has a very, very light touch and purposely plays as soft as she can so she doesn't wake anybody body up when she's trying to practice at night. She's also into other things besides guitar, so my guess is the guitar may sit idle for weeks at a time. The last time I played it...that huge sound I heard from my old F-30R had quieted down a bit.
I totally agree with the comments about the impact of constant playing, and how guitars can go to sleep too.
Maybe it's time to consider a Tonerite?
It’s no secret that vintage instruments sound better. Tens of thousands of hours of play time alter the molecular structure of the wood fibers, aging the instrument and creating a richer, sweeter, and louder tone. The ToneRite accelerates this same play-in process by using a set of sub-sonic...
www.tonerite.com
Anybody have a good experience with one of these?
Anyway, all the best with your F30R. - Robert
