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These 70's Guild Archtops are one of the best kept secrets
of the Jazz Guitar world. At a time when Gibson was losing
its way, Guild earned the reputation
of being the Stradivarius of Jazz Guitars, pre-eminent for
tone, quality and finish. All hand made to a very high
specification, the instruments built at the Westerly Plant
on Rhode Island are considered the crown jewels in Guild's
long history. In recent times, Guilds are known for their
superb flat-tops but, for those in the know, the late 60’s
and 70's Guild Archtops have special qualities that set them
above the rest.
This lovely Manhattan comes from that Golden age.
In the 70's, the Manhattan (coded X-175) was an important
instrument in the range. In most respects it was like the
X-500 Stuart but with Nickel not Gold Fittings and without
the heavy decoration of the top models. That put it
squarely up against Gibsons ES 175 ........... and in the
'70's it was no contest - the Guild won hands
down in every respect!
Beautifully mellowed now, the Vintage Sunburst has faded
just a little, and the tone has improved over the years to
give a superbly jazzy timbre.
This guitar is all about tone - the Spruce top
shows the craft of its maker. It is a deeply arched
archtop, just like those early 40's Gibsons.
It is a player's guitar through and through and clearly has
been played over the years yet still looks amazingly good.
Guild always achieved
the best Amber tones for their Sunburst and, with a little
fading, it now shows lacquer checking all over although it
still has an intensity of finish which polishes to a really
deep shine.
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