Gibson J200 vs. Guild F50 Blonde

[bones4fido]

Just looking at 2 different jumbo guitars. Difference, similarities. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Rosewood or maple?

[Brucebubs]

I believe the maple Gibson is traditionally braced whereas the maple Guild has a braceless laminated arch back.
You can see the back braces when you look inside the Gibson sound hole.

I think this may be the contributing factor to the Guilds volume and projection.
Only the maple Guild jumbo has the arch back - the rosewood versions such as the F-50R and F-512 12-string revert to traditional bracing.

[Wade Hampton]

Bones, my own preference in that 17 inch super jumbo size is for maple back and sides. Those guitars have an immense body cavity to begin with, and Indian rosewood definitely adds some bass response of its own. So if you have a big honkin' 17 inch jumbo with rosewood back and sides, it can make for a really muddy-sounding guitar.

Not always, mind you, but often enough that I would check out any potential guitar purchase in that configuration very carefully.

In direct contrast, maple typically has lively treble and a quick response overall. Which is why so many of these big fellas are made with maple: it's a good combination.

There are plenty of muddy-sounding maple 17 inch super jumbo guitars, mind you (it's really difficult to get a good sound from a flat spruce top that's that big, so there are lots of mediocrities that get made,) but your chances of finding a good one - a really good one - are much better with maple back and sides than they are with rosewood.

Naturally, there will be indignant rosewood jumbo owners reading this who can't wait to tell me what a complete dork and ignoramus I am for not only holding but posting that opinion, but it's been borne out over years, decades of experience: all the truly musically impressive 17 inch jumbos I've ever played or heard have had maple backs and sides, not rosewood.

Black walnut can work well, though, surprisingly enough. I played a walnut 17 inch Gibson J-100 a couple of years ago that I might have bought had I had the money and been shopping for that style instrument. But I already own a nice Guild jumbo, and - guess what - it's got maple back and sides.

So maple or black walnut would be what I would recommend over rosewood for this style of instrument.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[devellis]

I think the Guilds typically have a narrower nut width. If that isn't an issue for you, I'd recommend the Guild. I played several of both some years ago and went with the Gibson because of its wider nut width. But honestly, I found the Guilds to be every bit as good and a far better bargain, to boot. I've since parted ways with the Gibson.

[hairpuller]

I owned a Guild F50 blond from the 70's and it was loud with unreal tone. I have not heard a better sounding guitar since. I don't know where she is.
scott

[1Charlie]

Strange thing about the jumbos is that they are usually not as loud as a dreadnought made from the same tonewoods.

Having said that, I have owned both a Guild F-50 (maple) and F-50R (rosewood), and the maple jumbo kicked its rosewood sibling out of the house.

[Stomp]

Originally Posted by bones4fido

Just looking at 2 different jumbo guitars. Difference, similarities. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Rosewood or maple?

I've had both, a 1990 maple J200 and a 1996 rosewood JF55 (aka F50R).
The J200 is gone, the JF55 remains...
I think it all depends on the particular guitar, I would not buy sight unseen (or unheard ).

[jbeecham]

Hey Bones,

I was in a similar situation not so long ago - considering an SJ200. I was hesitant due to the often mentioned Gibson quality issues and inconsistencies. An often heard wisdom was do not buy an SJ200 without playing it first (which is true of most instruments). I happened to come across a Tacoma made Guild F-50 blonde in pristine condition. I am very happy. It certainly scratched my jumbo itch. The nut width is a wide 1-11/16. The neck is low profile but wide which I like as I prefer the mod-v neck profile myself.

The tone is subtle and compressed but strong at the same time. The bass strings have a pronounced thump but it is not muddied. I play mostly finger style and really like this guitar.

I have yet to try an SJ-200.

Jerry

[Tube Sound]

Have an F50R that has an amazing tone. Stunning, in a good way. I must be lucky or have tinearitis, I've never played a vintage Guild acoustic that I did not like.

[merlin666]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Bones, my own preference in that 17 inch super jumbo size is for maple back and sides. Those guitars have an immense body cavity to begin with, and Indian rosewood definitely adds some bass response of its own. So if you have a big honkin' 17 inch jumbo with rosewood back and sides, it can make for a really muddy-sounding guitar.

Thanks for the comparison of maple and rosewood, but how does mahogany or similar woods fit into this scheme? I'm asking because Guild now also has a full sized Khaya F40 (based on historic F48) that seems to have a reasonable price:

http://guildguitars.com/g/f-40-in-natural/

[Athens]

Jumbo's aren't necessarily louder, just more balanced, IMHO.

My vote is for the Guild. Great tone, never been a fan of that Moustache Bridge or the Gibson neck. Also, what years are theses guitars you're comparing?

The arch back Guilds (D25, D30, G37, F50 and others) are cannons and the Hoboken/Westerly instruments are stellar.

Again, just my less then humble opinion.

If you want more detailed info, the Let's Talk Guild forum would be a good place to post this question.

[Steel and wood]

I've not played a Guild but have played a couple of Gibson J200 examples on the wall of my local music shop.

I just wish they sounded as good as they looked. (For a large body maple guitar, there was not a lot of volume or even brightness going on and I came away mostly underwhelmed).

My personal impressions only of course because the J200 is a guitar which has stood the test of time and has been played by lots of great players.