Why Guild? The first guitar I ever purchased was a 1976 Guild F-50R NT Rosewood/Spruce jumbo 6 string. Next was a 1976 Guild F-512 Rosewood/Spruce jumbo 12 string. When I began performing, many/most of my contemporaries played Guild acoustics. I have a special appreciation for the unique sound of these instruments. As I aged, so did the guitars. One by one, they all needed rejuvenation beyond minor repair, to varying degrees. I have completely rebuilt many Guilds over the years. Here is a sampling of some of these rebuilds, overhauls, and makeovers:
It started with a broken truss rod. Then there was the loose neck joint. Then the back plate seam separation. Then the bellying behind the bridge...
Work in progress...Having suffered a severe neck block shift and soundboard shear on both sides of the fingerboard extension, this guitar needed emergency surgery...
Work in progress...Inspired by the need for a neck reset, I took the opportunity to re-build this Guild. All that remains of the original are the Mahogany back and sides...
Work in progress...The owner of this 12 string chose to have his guitar re-imagined with a new soundboard, tasteful inlay, a special finish and more. Wow!
Read moreWhat should have been a simple bridge repair ended up being a complete remake of a Mahogany archback dreadnaught Guild 12 string...
Read moreBy the winter of 2014, my venerable 1980 Guild F-412 12 string was in need of a neck reset. The time had come to put things right...
Read moreMy favorite 12 string needed a neck reset along with a new soundboard, new binding, frets, tuners, pickup and a complete refinish. You know, the essentials...
Read moreA deep dive into the topic of Guild neck resets, using my own 1976 F-212 XL as an example. Dedicated to Guild owners everywhere...
Work in progress...Neck blocks shouldn't shift and soundboards shouldn't shear. I believe this occurs as a result of an intrinsic design flaw. Let's dig in...
Read morePretty much everything you ever wanted to know about truss rods, and how to replace them entirely using the carbon fiber D-Tube Neck Beam by Dragonplate...
Read moreTuning a guitar string requires a small machine, a mechanical device that can generate the force necessary to bring the string to pitch, as well as maintain it...
Read moreHow I refretted my 1999 Rainsong WS1000 carbon fiber guitar, including how to remove the old jumbo frets, re-radius the carbon fiber fretboard, and install new, thinner frets.
Read moreDuring Christmastime of 2012 I was able to spend some invaluable time with master luthier John Greven in his shop, in his home in Oregon.
Read moreThanks to a Let’s Talk Guild meet-up in Nashville, Tennessee in April 2013, I was privileged to spend a Saturday with George Gruhn.
Read moreSpending a week with master luthier Kent Carlos Everett was a career-altering event, as it took my guitar building to a whole new level.
Read moreThe Amulet M-VT Phantom is a phantom powered, brideplate-mounted, multi-transducer, low impedance (low noise), feedback resistant pickup.
Read moreThis pickup from James May Engineering is a passive, brideplate-mounted, soundboard transducer (SBT) pickup with on-board feedback suppression.
Read moreToday, staggering numbers of sound reinforcement offerings of pickups, preamps, effects and P.A.'s address every need or scenario, real or imagined.
Read moreI replaced an LR Baggs Onboard Element with an LR Baggs Anthem Stage Pro. The existing opening left in the guitar from the Element was too large. What could I do?
Read moreHow to make a custom acoustic guitar body mold, a wooden form that holds the precise shape of the guitar body during construction.
Read moreMy pegboard rack is housed in a sturdy shadow box frame made with hand-cut dovetails, and uses magnets and plastic accessories.
Read moreA completely non-instrument-related topic: This is how I made my kitchen table made from 100+ year-old Southern Pine floor joists.
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