So I think I bought this...

[Bonneville88]

Thanks Woody, been fun owning it! Although I believe it was actually built in Westerly,
it has the lightweight Hoboken build, quite a bit different than a Westerly D35 I owned for awhile.

 

[Coop47]

Spoke with Jordan at GC - very nice, said the sale went though, and will talk to his guys to make sure "a piece like that" is properly packed for safe arrival.

I really appreciate the comments - you guys are getting me stoked.

Bonneville, that D35 is gorgeous - what a stunner!

 

[beecee]

Wow I stand corrected re the pickguard!!....I better look at my 1971 D-25.

That is what I love about life..every day God gives me a fresh new chance to make a knucklehead out of myself!!!

 

[Coop47]

Not a big issue but that pickguard looks odd.

Wow I stand corrected re the pickguard!!....I better look at my 1971 D-25.

That is what I love about life..every day God gives me a fresh new chance to make a knucklehead out of myself!!!

Haha - it's okay, you prefaced it with "Not a big issue". It's not like you really dug in.

It's shipped - should arrive early next week.

 

[Br1ck]

That burst is very cool. So is everything else about the guitar. I just realized that I changed the way I string my guitars about six months ago. Today I looked at my tuner posts and they were wrapped the old way. Amazing what new strings do for an old D 35.

 

[Opsimath]

Great guitar, Coop. Been holding my breath hoping the sale went through for you - congratulations!

 

[Opsimath]

Wow I stand corrected re the pickguard!!....I better look at my 1971 D-25.

That is what I love about life..every day God gives me a fresh new chance to make a knucklehead out of myself!!!

I tell people it's in my life contract that I have to do at least one stupid thing per day. I'm not limited to one, however - I can do as many as I want, and often do!

 

[beecee]

HA...I have a saying on my office wall.

Someone asked me how I can make so many stupid mistakes in one day......I get up early!

Ok...Sorry for the veer

 

[davismanLV]

It's adding to the veer and even veering on the veer, but I was watching Star Trek Enterprise the other night and Malcolm had injured his leg rather dramatically in the previous episode and Dr. Flox was doing some physical therapy and making him moan and groan. When he stopped Malcolm said, "It should be unethical for a doctor to cause that much pain!!" Dr. Flox snapped back, "It's unethical to do any harm, I can cause as much pain as I like!"

Now, we were talking about a guitar I believe.......

 

[mavuser]

Congrats and enjoy! I have 3 of those, 2 of them have the same pick guard as yours

 

[Guildedagain]

Sonic comparisons between these pre 70 Dreads vs post would be cool, say a very 1st year build vs a '71 or '73 that I remember Hans saying was a very good year.

 

[Coop47]

So I think I'm returning this...

Despite assurances it would be safely packed, the D25 arrived without a case, thinly wrapped in bubble wrap, some paper and stuffed in a single Fender box made for shipping electrics. It's a little marked up, but hard to tell what came from shipping and what was already there. Not really in excellent condition cosmetically - there's some checking and a few minor marks, as well as some weird lines in the finish. Very little saddle and I think the bridge has been shaved down. Action is on the high side. Probably needs a neck reset.

I'm really ticked off about how it was packed, and need to cool off a bit before deciding what I want to do. I don't need this guitar, and so far I don't love it, but maybe I need to give it a bit more of a chance.

Edit - The strings on it are very new, but it still sounds brighter than I expected. Loud too. And pretty light.

 

[F312]

Bummer man, ask for a rebate?

Ralph

 

[Br1ck]

I would never, ever have a guitar shipped without a case. Probably more likely fifty years of hard use, and if it didn't have a case, you could understand the condition. The bumps and bruises would not bother me at all, and the flatback would interest me, but the bridge shaved would, as well as the neck angle, so you could spend a grand fixing this. This is a guitar someone interested in repair would buy to try their hand at a reset and fretwoork, at a price no more than $200.

 

[Bonneville88]

Man that's disappointing Coop! Sorry to read it's not quite as described, very familiar with
how you're feeling about it - am I ever.
IME neck reset $400 bare minimum, on up.
If you can take a couple of clear, close-up shots of the bridge - example below -
may be able to advise if it's been shaved or not.

 

[Coop47]

My 77 512 was packed only somewhat better, and it cleaned up nicely. Tuned out to be a steal. But I specifically called them to make sure it didn't happen again with this one, and I'm amazed it arrived in one piece given how little protection it had.

Hey, win some, lose some. I've bought two great Guilds this way, but this won't join them.

 

[Coop47]

Thanks Bonneville. I've learned a lot from this forum and expect to learn a lot more. Interested to hear your opinions on this, and how you go about assessing the bridge.

 

[F312]

If your sending it back, I would ask if he wants to pay extra for fool proof packing.

Ralph

 

[Coop47]

If your sending it back, I would ask if he wants to pay extra for fool proof packing.

Ralph

One of the reasons I'm will to give these a shot is that I'm not too far away from a GC and can just return it there.

It's not a terrible guitar by any means. It's growing on me a little, but probably not enough to keep.

 

[bobouz]

I’d be okay with the bridge & saddle if the action could be dialed in to my liking as things sit right now. Trying to go any lower with the saddle would be difficult, as there’s very little left, but ramping the bridge would help the break angle of the strings if deemed necessary.

But again, if it plays comfortably for you the way it now sits, it will probably be good for quite a few years. With fifty long years under it’s belt, the majority of it’s structural shifting has most likely already occurred!