New Gear Purchased - I might be arrested

[goodry]

I had been going back and forth with a very nice guy down in austin about his guild guitar - I'd send him a message, it would take him 2, 3, 5 days to respond... ill save yall the drawn out emotional rollercoaster...

I bought his guitar tonight - 2012 Guild D-50CE STD - $790 shipped.

I look across the internet and it seems like I stole this guitar. The only major problem is it has a Dtar pickup system and he says something is wrong with that. I plug in once every about 9 months so this isnt a problem.

I typed the serial # into the guild serial # database machine and it came out that it was made october 2012 in New Hartford, CT.

Am I missing something ? Did I get a normal deal and I just feel like I got something extraordinary?

Also, There is conflicting reports that for that year, they did away with the adirondack bracing.. I cant find anything concise. Guild site says it is 'red spruce' but others say it is not.. and it does not have an ebony fretboard but a rosewood one - so much conflicting info.

Can anybody on the board chime in with any additional knowledge or if you have one, let me know what you think?

Thanks!

Pictures below:

[NotALuth]

Hi goody,

Whether it’s a steal I couldn’t say.

I found a good resource for Guild catalogs here: https://www.gad.net/Blog/guild-guitar-catalogs/

The 2012 catalog is no use for specifications but does show the bracing patterns well.

However the 2011 & 2013 catalogs are more useful. Both clearly state that red spruce is used for the bracing. Neither states the wood used for the fingerboard and bridge but from the photos it is clearly rosewood not ebony.

Hope that helps,
Clive.

[goodry]

Originally Posted by NotALuth

Hi goody,

Whether it’s a steal I couldn’t say.

I found a good resource for Guild catalogs here: https://www.gad.net/Blog/guild-guitar-catalogs/

The 2012 catalog is no use for specifications but does show the bracing patterns well.

However the 2011 & 2013 catalogs are more useful. Both clearly state that red spruce is used for the bracing. Neither states the wood used for the fingerboard and bridge but from the photos it is clearly rosewood not ebony.

Hope that helps,
Clive.

Clive,

Thank you for the catalog - Im kind of at that stage right now where because I dont know any better, I just go with what's said to be better haha.

Is ebony really a superior fingerboard material? I've got rosewood guitars and ebony guitars and maybe my ears just aren't trained well enough to notice a difference or more precisely, I have different guitars, with different fingerboards.

[The Bard Rocks]

You are not likely to hear a difference in fingerboards. If you are VERY discerning, you might feel a difference, but I'll bet not. However, with enough years of hard playing, the ebony one will show less divoting.

[mercy]

Rosewood feels different to me but I played rosewood boards for many years and loved the way it looks. Youve bought it so dont worry about the board.

[Goat Mick]

You’re obviously happy with the guitar and you feel like you got it for a great price. There’s really no sense in obsessing over internet specs at this point. Just play it and enjoy. It really is a beautiful guitar.

[Lillis]

Regardless it seems like a whole lot of guitar for the money. Enjoy.

[drive-south]

That's a great price. Should be double that amount.

[Eryc74]

Originally Posted by goodry

I had been going back and forth with a very nice guy down in austin about his guild guitar - I'd send him a message, it would take him 2, 3, 5 days to respond... ill save yall the drawn out emotional rollercoaster...

I bought his guitar tonight - 2012 Guild D-50CE STD - $790 shipped.

I look across the internet and it seems like I stole this guitar. The only major problem is it has a Dtar pickup system and he says something is wrong with that. I plug in once every about 9 months so this isnt a problem.

I typed the serial # into the guild serial # database machine and it came out that it was made october 2012 in New Hartford, CT.

Am I missing something ? Did I get a normal deal and I just feel like I got something extraordinary?

Also, There is conflicting reports that for that year, they did away with the adirondack bracing.. I cant find anything concise. Guild site says it is 'red spruce' but others say it is not.. and it does not have an ebony fretboard but a rosewood one - so much conflicting info.

Can anybody on the board chime in with any additional knowledge or if you have one, let me know what you think?

Thanks!

Pictures below:

I love Guilds - I do see them resell for short money more often than other guitars. I'm not sure why - but it sounds like you got a nice deal!

Congrats!

[Scotso]

If I recall, the stds have a mortise and tenon neck(no dovetail), with a solid mahogany neck( no 3 piece mahog/walnut), with simple headstock design (no chesterfield), rosewood bridge and fingerboard vs ebony, and poly finish (not nitrocellulose). As a result the Standards usually sell for a price far less than their fancier counterparts. The fancier d50s will not have STD on the label but will be labelled with a plain D-50 or D-50 BG for the bluegrass version.

But does this mean you will not enjoy the guitar? Tells us when you get it.

[goodry]

Originally Posted by Scotso

If I recall, the stds have a mortise and tenon neck(no dovetail), with a solid mahogany neck( no 3 piece mahog/walnut), with simple headstock design (no chesterfield), rosewood bridge and fingerboard vs ebony, and poly finish (not nitrocellulose). As a result the Standards usually sell for a price far less than their fancier counterparts. The fancier d50s will not have STD on the label but will be labelled with a plain D-50 or D-50 BG for the bluegrass version.

But does this mean you will not enjoy the guitar? Tells us when you get it.

I was able to find the promotional page for the D-50CE from 2012, on guild's website. It does have the red spruce bracing, I believe you're correct that its a 1 piece mahogany neck, and it has a high gloss lacquer finish - no mention of the mortise and tenon vs dovetail.

[MakingMusic]

I also agree with other some of the other posts. You seem to have gotten a good price and and since there's no turning back.... enjoy it!

[goodry]

Originally Posted by MakingMusic

I also agree with other some of the other posts. You seem to have gotten a good price and and since there's no turning back.... enjoy it!

I absolutely will - It arrives tomorrow - I'll probably take it over to a shop to have it looked at and see if it needs a setup, if not then it's just on to playing! He said something is weird with the D-tar pickup so ill see what the techs say about that.

[boneuphtoner]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

You are not likely to hear a difference in fingerboards. If you are VERY discerning, you might feel a difference, but I'll bet not. However, with enough years of hard playing, the ebony one will show less divoting.

Agree with this - my D18E-LTD came with a rosewood fretboard - on the Martin forum someone mentioned that they have ordered custom guitars with this wood as they thought it improved tone, although they indicated it was a subtle difference. I don’t have a regular D-18 to compare, but I can’t feel the difference. The shading and visual texture certainly looks different

[KenL]

Can't beat a good Guild- congrats!