The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marty Grass
    Here's an update. The strings that came with it were round wound 10s. The owner of this 21 year old guitar had used 12s. Then he developed arthritis at the base of his left thumb. He backed the strings down to 11s. He later had to go to 10s. Now he can't play.

    I put D'Addario Half Round 12s on it. They were rough feeling for maybe 30-60 minutes. Now I don't notice the feel. That has been my experience with Brite Flats and Half Rounds.

    The action is low with no buzzing. It sounds very good acoustically, more than I expected. The amplified sound is excellent. The lows are articulate. The decay and brightness are somewhere between rounds and flats, which is good for me.
    If you pinch some 0000-grade steel wool around the half round/brite flat strings and pull them through 3-4 times before you put them on they'll feel pretty close to flat wounds.
    The Guild luthiers really did get the necks right! Beautiful guitar MG!

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  3. #52

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    My fav Archtop.

    Fat sound with a nutty tone, great neck, super low action, great string tension due to the neck angle and a stunner to boot. Can't go wrong.

    Enjoy.

  4. #53

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    .....hear more or read more about them? Doing searches in the forum I would think there might be been more. Not many YouTube clips. Don't know any pros playing them, etc, etc.

    Yet what is out there is almost universal praise for its high quality build, materials, looks and sound. I purchased one a year ago this week and think it's excellent, but I'm a beginner so I would take that for what it's worth. Regardless of my low-credibility praise, I'm wondering why it's not more popular.

    Thoughts?

  5. #54

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    Quote Originally Posted by DMgolf66
    .....hear more or read more about them? Doing searches in the forum I would think there might be been more. Not many YouTube clips. Don't know any pros playing them, etc, etc.

    Yet what is out there is almost universal praise for its high quality build, materials, looks and sound. I purchased one a year ago this week and think it's excellent, but I'm a beginner so I would take that for what it's worth. Regardless of my low-credibility praise, I'm wondering why it's not more popular.

    Thoughts?
    Honestly, the only reasons I can think of are poor distribution and "not Gibson."

    I have never seen a non-vintage Guild archtop in a shop, and I live in the 3rd largest city in the US.

  6. #55

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    For the X-700, probably the biggest reason is that no more than 300 were ever made. This was in the period 1994-2000, during which Guild was acquired by Fender (FMIC). Selling an upscale, low-production archtop was likely not the top priority during the transition.

  7. #56

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    I think they've been relying on their name reputation and have not been marketing the brand strongly for a long time. I lived near Westerly RI when the Guild factory was there and all their products were top notch. Dearmond is a Guild brand and in the 70s-80s they imported nice quality steel and nylon string guitars from Japan with the Madeira brand name.

    I've owned Guild, Dearmond and Madiera guitars and thought they were quality products for the price. I'd get a vintage Guild jazz box before a Gibson for the bang for buck.

  8. #57

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    If the X-700 has a 9.5" fretboard radius instead of the common 12", it's similar to a modern Strat in this respect. Many people find it too curved for chunk-chunk comping. By contrast, vintage Levin jazz guitars, for example, have an almost flat fretboard, like many acoustic guitars.

  9. #58

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    Where did you hear that the radius is 9.5”?

  10. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmajor9
    Where did you hear that the radius is 9.5”?
    I did some searching and found out that the newer X-175 Manhattan has a 9.5" radius. It probably did not come out of nowhere.

  11. #60

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    A friend of mine had a Guild X-700 Stuart with the Benedetto design. It had what felt like a 12 radius to me. It was a fine guitar, but it did not have that classic L-5 sound.

    I have owned some superb Guild, Heritage, Ibanez and Epiphone archtops and think very highly of them. That said, I prefer Gibsons and D'Angelicos (the ones actually made by John D'Angelico that is). And looking at the selling prices of extant examples, the marketplace agrees with me. I fully concur that you do get better bang for the buck with the other brands. But if the classic jazz guitar tone of the masters is your quest, your itch may not be scratched with a Guild archtop.

  12. #61

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    Quote Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
    I think they've been relying on their name reputation and have not been marketing the brand strongly for a long time. I lived near Westerly RI when the Guild factory was there and all their products were top notch. Dearmond is a Guild brand and in the 70s-80s they imported nice quality steel and nylon string guitars from Japan with the Madeira brand name.

    I've owned Guild, Dearmond and Madiera guitars and thought they were quality products for the price. I'd get a vintage Guild jazz box before a Gibson for the bang for buck.
    The Madeira stuff was only good for a brief period when they were imported from Japan. I had a Korean one (my first steel string guitar) that I bought in 79 or 80. It was an awful piece of crap that self destructed after a couple of years. Guild made great flattops, though, much better than Gibson in the 70s and 80s. They managed to create an identify that was distinct from Martin and Gibson and were pretty successful at that, and were among the first to offer built-in piezo transducers. I think what happened to that is pretty simple -- good quality acoustic guitars from Japan with good pickups, especially Takamine. Their electrics were kind of a different story -- always perceived as Gibson wannabes, kind of starter guitars for people who couldn't afford the real thing yet. For the archtops, I think maybe Carlo Greco leaving the company had something to do with them disappearing from that.

    John

  13. #62

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    Quote Originally Posted by John A.
    Their electrics were kind of a different story -- always perceived as Gibson wannabes, kind of starter guitars for people who couldn't afford the real thing yet. For the archtops, I think maybe Carlo Greco leaving the company had something to do with them disappearing from that.

    John
    Yes, but when Guild first started in the 50s, they were staffed by Epiphone craftsmen who didn't want to leave NY - a kind of Gibson- Heritage story in one way. They put out some very Epiphone-influenced archtops in the first few years, played at times by Johhny Smith and George Barnes. I agree that from the 60s onwards the perception you mention set in, accelerated by some bizarre model decisions and relatively mediocre advertising, and the inevitability of having to try to compete with the big G. The Artist Award guitar, as an exception, has always had considerable respect amongst some players.

    Here's an x500 from the mid 50s.
    Attached Images Attached Images Thoughts on Guild X-700 Please-my-50s-x500-jpg 

  14. #63

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    A friend of mine had a Guild X-700 Stuart with the Benedetto design. It had what felt like a 12 radius to me. It was a fine guitar, but it did not have that classic L-5 sound.

    I have owned some superb Guild, Heritage, Ibanez and Epiphone archtops and think very highly of them. That said, I prefer Gibsons and D'Angelicos (the ones actually made by John D'Angelico that is). And looking at the selling prices of extant examples, the marketplace agrees with me. I fully concur that you do get better bang for the buck with the other brands. But if the classic jazz guitar tone of the masters is your quest, your itch may not be scratched with a Guild archtop.
    I had a Guild Stuart Benedetto X700 for a year or two but must agree with the comment above from SS, that it did not have the definitive L5 sound ,
    even considering it was built under the Bob Benedetto period of supervision.We do however have now the excellent Campellone guitars and on my
    side of the pond , Daniel Slaman's hand built guitars , both of which can give Gibson a good run for the money . Just my 2p

  15. #64

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    I think they have 24-3/4" scale, which to me is a plus. To others who want that L5 "snap," it's a minus.

  16. #65

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    One guitar I regret selling is a Westerly X-150 Savoy. I now have a Gibson ES-175 that cost almost three times as much. It's a nice guitar, but not three times as nice as the Guild.

  17. #66

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    Quote Originally Posted by Franz 1997
    The Artist Award guitar, as an exception, has always had considerable respect amongst some players.
    A few players we know.




  18. #67

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    I've had a couple of X-700s, both Stuarts. I have not played the Benedetto version. I've also owned three AAs over the years.

    The Stuarts are 3.5" deep and 17.75" wide. The nut seems to vary between 1 11/16" and 1 3/4" as I recall. The scale is 24.75".

    The specs may have changed over the years to some degree. The Benedettos have smaller bodies and maybe a 25.5" scale.

    Guild X-700s and AAs have all been very, very well made in my limited experience. This spans five decades.

    Have my X-700s sounded like a L-5CES? No. The pickups were very different though. I would give the nod to the L-5CES acoustically, but they are electric instruments. The Guild acoustically is good enough IMO. The guitars feels equally good once you settle in to them.

    The X-700 does have similarities to the L-4CES, but the body is considerably bigger and the neck is a five piece maple thing.

    Amplified, the HB-1s seem a little brighter or "sparklier". They are a bit different than PAFs. Both instruments sound great through the right amp.

    If I had to bet, I'd say the Guild is more durable- something not usually bragged about in a full sized archtop.

  19. #68

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    From the Let's Talk Guild forum





    Re: Gibson equivalent to the Guild X700?


    Hi.I am a musician,not a collector and my opinion is fom musical point of view:Guild X 700(Westerly made) is not even close to L5 soundwise,both electrically and acoustically.I own a Gibson L5 Studio(same as L5CES,the only differences are: nickel hardware instead of gold, dot inlays on the fingerboard instead of block inlays and simpler binding).Last year I bought a Guild X700 because I'd read many enthusiastic reviews about the guitar.It was a beautiful blonde guitar,outstanding craftsmanship.I put D'Addario flats(12-52)and started playing.First for a while acoustically.Disappointment!The sound was not as rich and full as L5,kind of "plastic"(sorry X700 lovers).I was surprised,because X700 is a big guitar,even deeper then L5,with handcarved spruce top,maple sides and back,same as L5.Well,I was pretty sure that nothing good will happen when I plug in the guitar.I use a Polytone Mini Brute 2.Same thing.The guitar sounded good,one could say very good,but....I played the guitar on a few gigs,still wasn't convinced,other musicians as well.I sold the guitar.
    Once again.Its a very good,versatile,beautiful guitar,but the question was:Would the Gibson Wes Montgomery L5 CES be an equivalent to the X700?My answer is NO.If you want the Gibson L5 sound,buy one.If you want a nice archtop you can buy a Guild X 700 if you are lucky to find one.
    PS.Both guitars were made in 1997.
    Best.Jerzy


    Re: Gibson equivalent to the Guild X700?

    At two or three times the price, does the Gibson sound two or three times better? Not to me. Will some folks prefer the sound of the L5? Sure... it's a great guitar! Do other folks like the X-700 better? Yes again. Each guitar is different as is each player.

    To me an X-700 or a laminate X-500 is the preferable gigging guitar since it's more readily replaceable cost wise and I like the neck much better. It doesn't matter how wonderful or expensive a guitar is to me, if the neck doesn't feel great in my hand it's going to end up living in the case until I sell it. I learned that one the hard way.

    To be honest, after 40 years of gigging, taking a 6 or 7 thousand dollar guitar out of the house seems foolish to me unless you're rich and don't care. Most of the pro players I know are not rich and don't take their best instruments out... they get functional but replaceable guitars for gigging and put in better pups and maybe tuners. The nice guitars come out for special occasions.

    I have some beautiful vintage carved guitars I love playing, but it's generally the tailored X-150 that goes to work. It's about sound, feel and function. With the laminate top for feedback resistance and a great custom pickup it's perfect for medium to bigger gigs. It sounds and plays just right for me and I could replace it in a heartbeat for $12-1400 (including the pickup) if damaged or stolen. Carved top guitars are a pain in bigger venues. For acoustic playing or smaller rooms with a floating pickup they're fine, but really, once you've cut a few holes in the top of a carved guitar and screwed some mass to it you've stiffened the top enough to lose 75% of the overtones gained by carving it.

    If you're not playing out and you want (and can afford) an L5, get the L5 (or an L4 CES)... it's a great guitar, no question. So is the X-700, but do yourself a favor and play it first.

  20. #69

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    To me, the Guild X-700 does not sound like an L5, and the HB-1 pickups are not like a Gibson style PAF. Jim Hall & Emily Remler liked the HB-1 and had them installed on their guitars (D'Aquisto, Borys B-120).
    My only criticism of the X-700 was that the frets were very narrow. Otherwise, the workmanship was first rate!
    The nut was 1.75" but I liked that.
    I sold it mainly because I don't want to hoard guitars. Here's a video of me playing it a few years ago:


  21. #70

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    The L5CES and the Guild X-700 do not sound the same. They are both excellent jazz guitars. Period. BUT, they sound different.

    I have played both extensively. I could be happy with either as a primary jazz guitar.

    FWIW, Joe Negri, the great Pittsburgh, PA, jazz guitarist and fixture for years as "Handyman Negri" on Mr Rogers Neighborhood used the Guild. When I saw Negri at the William Penn Hotel--his regular gig--he sounded fantastic on the Guild. It's all you could ask for as a jazz guitar.

    Still, if your pole star is the L5CES sound you will be somewhat disappointed. Save your money and get the Gibson.

  22. #71

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greentone
    The L5CES and the Guild X-700 do not sound the same. They are both excellent jazz guitars. Period. BUT, they sound different.

    I have played both extensively. I could be happy with either as a primary jazz guitar.

    FWIW, Joe Negri, the great Pittsburgh, PA, jazz guitarist and fixture for years as "Handyman Negri" on Mr Rogers Neighborhood used the Guild. When I saw Negri at the William Penn Hotel--his regular gig--he sounded fantastic on the Guild. It's all you could ask for as a jazz guitar.

    Still, if your pole star is the L5CES sound you will be somewhat disappointed. Save your money and get the Gibson.
    I own an X-700 and love it. Even with my limited ability, it's not hard to tell its special and "top of the line".

    With regards to the comparison to an L-5, and I know this is a guess, but given the same pickups hiw close would you THINK they might be to each other?

    I know it's very speculative but it's fun and you know things

  23. #72

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    The pickup differences count for something. However, I think that the difference between the two scales, as well as the different bracing/construction formulas also add up. The two guitars are just going to sound a bit different, even though they are built essentially to the same idea of what an archtop guitar should be.

    Again, I think both are outstanding guitars. I'd be happy to own and play either one and wouldn't feel the need to gravitate to the other.

    Both the Guild and the Gibson are top-line jazz archtops.

  24. #73

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greentone
    The pickup differences count for something. However, I think that the difference between the two scales, as well as the different bracing/construction formulas also add up. The two guitars are just going to sound a bit different, even though they are built essentially to the same idea of what an archtop guitar should be.

    Again, I think both are outstanding guitars. I'd be happy to own and play either one and wouldn't feel the need to gravitate to the other.

    Both the Guild and the Gibson are top-line jazz archtops.
    Thank you. As always, informative and helpful.

  25. #74

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    I have a friend who has an immaculate Guild X-700. He collects guitars and has quite a few and after doing him a favor for him last year, he's trying to get me to take the guitar for free.

    I've tried to come to a price, trade him something but it's nothing or no guitar. I don't feel comfortable just taking it.

    Anyone have an idea that might make the deal go done in a more equitable fashion?

    Mike

  26. #75

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    Quote Originally Posted by mikeford
    I have a friend who has an immaculate Guild X-700. He collects guitars and has quite a few and after doing him a favor for him last year, he's trying to get me to take the guitar for free.

    I've tried to come to a price, trade him something but it's nothing or no guitar. I don't feel comfortable just taking it.

    Anyone have an idea that might make the deal go done in a more equitable fashion?

    Mike
    I appreciate your concern for your friend and your humility. There is another side though. He wants to give it to you, not sell it. If you decline and he insists, politely accept it. It is rude not to. Tell him he can have it back if he changes his mind. He won't. There will be a time when you can reciprocate, if not with him then with someone else.

    I also have had trouble accepting gifts. I've learned that there are reasons some feel the same way, and none of them are healthy. They may feel they are not worthy of love or don't want to be tied down to "owing" to anyone else or be judged as needing a hand out. I doubt any of these apply to you but maybe.