NGD! Westerly D-17M

[adorshki]

this one is all stained the same - or I should say not stained

Right, so it wouldn't properly be called a "Natural", either.
Actually have wondered if those might be very very lightly stained, but can't recall ever seeing anything to that effect.

 

[Christopher Cozad]

Al, if that top were Spruce under a paint job, that might constitute the most convincing Mahogany faux finish I have ever seen! ;~}

Great find, Aarfy. Very clean.

 

[adorshki]

Al, if that top were Spruce under a paint job, that might constitute the most convincing Mahogany faux finish I have ever seen! ;~}

Great find, Aarfy. Very clean.

Ah, just in case I caused confusion: Didn't think they might be spruce, but only that they may have decided to "accentuate" the natural color a bit with a lightly tinted lacquer, or maybe make the grain pop a little more with a light stain ?

 

[dreadnut]

"M" typically stood for Mahogany stained Spruce top.

 

[Aarfy]

"M" typically stood for Mahogany stained Spruce top.

But in this case? I think it’s all hog.
Is this another Guild fun fact finding mission?

 

[cupric]

"M" typically stood for Mahogany stained Spruce top.

As typical as Guild got! Some things were always a bit cryptic.

 

[Bonneville88]

Congrats Aarfy - these are beautiful guitars. I've owned four of them - always seemed like
the fit and finish were somehow a little bit higher end than comparable D15s and D25s.

As far as coloration - have seen examples noticeably redder, but the ones I owned were pretty consistent,
similar to yours. As the lacquer ages, it tends to take on a more amber tone. How they're photographed
and what the ambient and / or directed light is doing in any given photo can make the coloration appear
drastically different.

First two photos of the last one I sold, 3rd photo was one preceding.

 

[davismanLV]

Was not the D17 a limited run specifically for Guitar Center?? Or did I get it mixed up with another model??

 

[Bonneville88]

I believe the D16 was a limited run for GC.

 

[Bonneville88]

Back to coloration - photo of various all-hog Guild dreads - the tops on the D17s that I've seen have
generally been remarkably consistent - not difficult to pick out the 17 in this photo.

 

[Guildedagain]

Bonneville, what's your lighting set-up and camera?

 

[cupric]

Bonneville, what's your lighting set-up and camera?

Really nice, huh?

 

[Guildedagain]

Yes ;]

It kind of sets the standard for guitar photography. GOG has similarly well lighted shots. Lighting is everything, too much and you lose detail, not enough and you lose detail. Translucent finishes on guitars are actually very challenging. I use window light, which on some days can drive you crazy. Too bright, too dark. Setting sun coming in the window is a killer, don't even bother.

I think photography has a lot to do with a guitar's selling price. If you make it attractive, you'll get top dollar. The perspective is a biggie also. You can make a Les Paul look just terrible with the wrong camera angle, not representational of the guitar's shape.

And that's without sticking your foot in it ;]

I've been a shutterbug since before 10 maybe, with an Instamatic. Had my 1st darkroom when I was 12, by then I had a Pentax Spotmatic and I was buying Tri-X by the 100' roll. Eventually, between jobs, I got a 2 year degree in Commercial Photography, this is in 1995. Digital was starting out but film was still king. Our instructors were old school wingnuts, wanted us to go out and shoot street scenes and do baby pictures with a 4x5... I realized 35mm cameras were a bit of a joke. The images I shot with 4x5's are were amazing.

I'm still blown away by the instant gratification of Digital. Straight from the camera to the computer and posted online in a matter of minutes.

This is something I shot between windshield wiper strokes in a old stepvan with flat windshields coming back from the dump some years back. +1 for a good point and shoot camera, and multi tasking ;]

 

[Bonneville88]

Bonneville, what's your lighting set-up and camera?

A pretty old Canon EOS Rebel T5i, just recently added an older Ultrasonic 28-135mm lens and
some external lighting. I use side curtains on this setup sometimes, and various
large pieces of brown cardboard and white board to deflect / reflect / direct / or otherwise attempt to control
light and shadow and reflections...
I'm an enthusiastic stumbling amateur, still taking way too many shots to get a few decent photos and never close
to satisfied with any of it ... but endlessly fascinated / frustrated with how light reacts / reflects on and
around the beautifully complex surfaces of a guitar, so I'll keep banging.

I'll add another thing - I see incredibly gorgeous photos of guitars all the time on instagram,
and I stop and study and marvel at how rich, interesting and soulful many of these photos are.
I don't have the knack for serendipitous still-life / kind of mind blowing shots like that, so I'm more or less
trying to stick with more of a documentation-approach to whatever guitar it is I'm photographing.
It's not the least bit sexy but I hope it captures something compelling and factual about the guitar.

 

[Aarfy]

That’s pretty cool!

one thing I’ve noticed about my D17 is the pick guard- on others I’ve see (like pictured above) the guard is plain black - mine is not , it’s the tortoise shell type - and has some weird looking glue type material around the lower left bout - leading me to believe maybe not original?

would welcome any thoughts on this or if it might be original and another quirk like the blue ink label

 

[adorshki]

Was not the D17 a limited run specifically for Guitar Center?? Or did I get it mixed up with another model??

I believe the D16 was a limited run for GC.

Never heard of the D16 being a GC special, but the D26 was for sure.

But in this case? I think it’s all hog.
Is this another Guild fun fact finding mission?

No, they're all hog by definition. Otherwise they'd be D4's or D25's. As for calling 'em "M" 's, see post #17 in this thread. Think it was just to differentiate 'em from the WGR (Woodgrain Red) versions (not Cherry as I thought earlier):

 

[adorshki]

That’s pretty cool!

one thing I’ve noticed about my D17 is the pick guard- on others I’ve see (like pictured above) the guard is plain black - mine is not , it’s the tortoise shell type - and has some weird looking glue type material around the lower left bout - leading me to believe maybe not original?

would welcome any thoughts on this or if it might be original and another quirk like the blue ink label

Possibly a transitory build detail. Or if for example they had a momentary shortage of black 'guard material, they wouldn't let that stop 'em from finishing a build run, they'd just use the tortoise.

Outline on yours looks "factory", it may be showing signs of shrinkage or built-up polish residue (waxy) at the edge where it's hard to get at?
That's kinda what it looked like to me, but could just be the pic.

 

[SFIV1967]

Was not the D17 a limited run specifically for Guitar Center??

No, see Hans message:

D15 vs D16

would you expect a D16 to sound any better than a D15? As far as I can tell, the only difference would be the binding on the D16 (whereas the D15 has none, much like a Martin D15) - and the gloss finish on the D16. The D16 is still a hog top, back and (laminated) arched back - just like the D15...

letstalkguild.com

All the 3 models were in the 1984 catalog under the "Mahogany Rush" series:

MAHOGANY RUSH

This is the third and last installment of the three "matching" Guild Catalog/Brochures. Now you have to wonder did they pay any royalties to the Canadian band of the same name? Mahogany Rush Now unfortunately I don't own any of the guitars pictured, but if you read the last paragraph...

letstalkguild.com

Ralf

 

[Aarfy]

yes, @Bonneville88 - the binding on mine is yellow (previous smoker or just age!?)

also, the body is smaller than that of my d40 - but I imagine that’s by design.

 

[Bonneville88]

Aarfy - I would guess age - my '17s were more
or less variations of honey-amber. That's not to say
there's not some kind of lightly stained wood and / or slightly tinted
lacquer going on as well - there may be. Unless you could
go back in time 25 years and see one fresh off the production line,
it's hard to tell.
Photo below is the first one I had, and one of my
earliest attempts at a decent photo, from
several years ago.