Guild Blues 90

Made in Westerly R.I. U.S.A., the rest of descriptions are the same of others rewiews. I have purchased it used on ebay. The materials are very goods, woods and electronics. The Blues '90 seems an old "Sir" of country... simple and "spartan". Great solidity

My music style is Jazz and Blues, this guitar has all the qualities of jazz guitar and more... powerfull. The tonal chambers increase the warm, loudness and richness of sound, that I define "Imposing". Selecting the various positions of the 'P90 we obtain also bright sounds. The guitar is optimal in every situation: sound and powerfull.

I have purchase it used and I cannot know the original set-up, but I have mounted several type of strings: round wound and flat wound, always gauge 0.11/0.47 or 0.49 (E bass). I prefer a low action and the guitar is always playable, the bridge and the trussrod are very sensible and allow various types of set-up, " also without to move the pillars of bridge"...

The guitar, I have already defined solid and "spartana"... no problems during live performance, to the closed one, pub or theatres, like to the open, humid, cold or warm days, the Blues '90 is a guitar "strong"...
The strap button was already changed in position "ahime"...

I cannot say nothing the glorious Guild is dead...

A lot of... many years of experience and professionality...
The quality of this model as the other Guild is enormous.
Guild gave annoyance to all and in particular to the gibson, we remember the epiphone from whose ashes born the Guild... to have a Guild mean for me, to belong to people democratic, the people of the Guild...

This another update a year later.
2 years of hard usage.
The more I play this guitar the more I like it.
Played everything from heavily distorted hard rock to country.
These days I'm playing in a country rock band and I need that twang.
I normally play using the neck pickup but for twang I use the bridge pickup throgh a Marshall stack that is biased cold for best clean headroom.
This guitar out-twangs my Telecaster.
The only other guitar I have owned that had more tone variation was a US Fat Telecaster.
This a beautiful guitar and a real workhorse.
Can't really say anything bad about it.
Pre-Fender.
Made in Rhode Island.
I think 1997.
I broke one of the knobs and couldn't find a correct replacement.
So I got a set of Gibson cream colored speed knobs.
Looks much better now.
The guitar is still flawless after years of gigging with it.
Case is SKB for an ES-335.
Nice fit.

The sound is what I want when I want it.
There is a little hum from the single coil pickups but that is to be expected.
Normally I don't use effects.
I put a Hipshot dropped D tuner on it and I use a Boss FV-60 volume pedal to create pedal steel sounds.
Sometimes I use an analog delay.
I am using 11's on it but may switch to 12's.
The 11's seem a little sloppy.
This is a chambered body guitar.
This feature shines when used at low to moderate volumes with a clean amp setting.
Very woody sounding.
Seymour Duncan P-90's.
Hotter than Gibson P-90's.
I also have a Gibson LP but I don't like Humbuckers after playing my Blues 90.
Not much not to like.

With the exception of some of the hardware coming loose this guitar holds up well.
Finish is tough as nails (red flamed).
No noticable fret wear after 2 years of hard playing.
Although I don't play this guitar when I practice at home.
At home I play acoustic only.
Fit and finish are close to perfect.
No factory flaws.

Never had a tougher guitar (in over 30 years).
I always gig without a backup but occasionally I use my acoustic and/or my Gibson that is set up for Roland guitar synth.
Never a problem.

???

If you are reading this then you are interested in this model guitar.
These things cost over $2,500 new and are (were) Guild's top of the line solid body guitar.
I see them on ebay for $800-$1,000.
I feel that the Blues 90 is far better quality than a Gibson Les Paul and the tone is to die for.
These guitars will go up in value, so if you should buy one and keep it in nice condition you will never lose money.
You can't go wrong with this guitar.
It can do everything from heavy metal to jazz.
It will twang with the best of them or push out punchy distortion.
Nothing beats it!

This is an update after a year of hard playing at gigs and jams.
It still looks beautiful and I constantly get favorable comments on it.
I have had few problems with it.
They are....
The tone switch knob fell off.
I found it and replaced it.
The output jack came loose at a gig.
Easy fix.
Use locktite.
My biggest gripes are that I can not play solos on the upper frets.
The cut away is not deep enough.
I don't like big frets but it seems that everything these days has them.
The neck is too fat for me but it does not create any problems.
It does not produce twangy or quacky Fender sounds but it is not a Fender.
If you are a lead player that plays on the high frets you will not like this guitar.
I made mistakes at gigs because my hand hit the cutaway when trying to play above A.
It is a beautiful and well made guitar.
Sounds great and is easy to handle.
Be sure to get a hard case with it.
You will not find any anywhere.

Read other reviews for specs, mine's the same as theirs, 'cept mine has a transparent black finish (I don't know what Guild calls it). I agree with the criticism of the strap buttons. I replaced them with strap locks using the original endpin screw (which is about 1/2" longer than normal) and a washer to get around the huge hole problem.

The sound is impeccable. The first time I played this guitar over four years ago was like meeting my soul mate. I'm a blues player who wanted a bit more of a unique sound than the typical strat or LP, and the Blues 90 delivered in spades, from country twang to B.B.-esque sweetness (without direct copy, I might add). I also have a strat with tex mexes at the neck and middle and a stacked HB at the bridge that I've all but stopped playing since I found this guitar. Play one through some tubes and you'll see what I mean.

The set up was perfect in the store. Since I bought it I've progressed to heavier strings (11-52), and each time I went heavier was like discovering a new set of pickups. Not only does it put some meat under your fingers, but it adds power to the upper strings. No neck adjustment was needed. The guitar is beautiful with a AA maple top (that has a LOT of flame), great inlay work, and flawless binding. Also, the semi-hollow honduran mahogany body is perfectly balanced and light enough to play a blazing 4 hr gig without a trip to the chiropractor. (last comment not intended for heavy-lifting freaks like Zakk Wylde...)

In four years I have had to make no adjustments to any part of the guitar, and it still plays like the day I bought it. It is an incredibly stable guitar that has been maintenance-free with the exception of keeping it clean. I rarely have to re-tune it after having been in the case (up to several weeks). I have been gigging with this guitar for about a year and have never had to go to my backup, in fact, I've stopped bringing the backup since it never makes it out of the case.

Never had to deal with the company for anything serious, with a good guitar you shouldn't have to. I did contact them to give me details on the production dates and specs of my guitar and they were very helpful and friendly.

I've been playing for >14yrs and this is the best guitar I've ever played, hands down...And I own it!! My Strat's destined for "Closet Classic" status. Through my Peavey Classic 50 4x10 I get constant compliments on my tone. It will never be lost, but if it is stolen I will personally hunt down the SOB, repossess my guitar, and proceed to...bad things. I can't believe these guitars didn't outsell LP's, they're better!! I'm glad they didn't, though; unique guitar and higher resale value for a discontinued model makes Zack a happy boy. P.S. Who gives half a rat's @$$ about the knobs, anyway? They work, don't they?

Features are as described in other reviews.
Mine is a 90's model made in RI, USA.
2 P-90 Seymour Duncan pickups.
Dot inlays.
Transparent red.
Not Black Cherry.
I bought the guitar in mint condition off of ebay.
It came without a case.
I figured it would fit in a LP case but it does not.
It is about an inch and a half wider at the bottom than an LP.
Guild wants an outrageous price for a case and none of the aftermarket cases seem to fit it.
I am now using an archtop case with a small pillow in it as a fill.
If you should buy one of these guitars be sure that it comes with the correct case.

It has a vast variety of sounds.
Nothing I have played beats it.
P-90's are not noisy unless you stand close to your amp and play at high volumes.
Still not bad.
They are wound in opposite directions and will cancel out any hum when both pickups are used at equal volumes.
Nothing to dislike.

Perfect

So far so good.
I have been gigging with it regularilt for several months.
No problems.

No longer made.
Fender/Guild now makes a Bluesbird P-90 which is not the same as the Blues 90 of the 90's that was made in RI.
Still an excellent guitar though.

I have been playing for over 30 years and have owned many guitars.
This is my favorite of solid (chambered) body guitars so far.
Nothing beats it.
Puts LP's to shame.
Guild is well known for their acoustic and archtop guitars but for some reason the solid bodies are not that popular.
This guitar retailed for over $2,300 and can be had in mint used condition for under $1,000.
With the piice of Gibson's going up and availability becomming scarce (for new ones) these guitars will probably soar in value.

Year unknown, American made, 22 fret, 3 way selector with 2 volume & 2 tone controls, 2 P90s (Seymour Duncan I believe), passive electronics, routed mahogany body with maple top, over sized Les Paul type body, stop tailpiece, standard tuners, included original case.

Great sounding guitar. I do not believe in giving 10s, but this is a 9 for my style. I have been playing Tom Petty type songs with it and it sounds great. Using a Banzai Fireball II and a Homebrew Electronics Power Screamer (not at the same time) through a Peavey classic 50 4x10 and a Marshall 2x12 extension cabinet. I have not noticed any noise. It has a nice full sound with a lot of warmth (nice mids without any harsh treble bite). I have been playing overdriven, and it sounds great. Resonates nicely. No dislikes. I wish I would have found this about 3 guitars ago.

Feels good in my hand. No complaints, and I was not the original owner so it seems to have been put together well.

Seems like a well built guitar. My only concern is what would occur if it was dropped - very light guitar.

No idea.

I have been playing off and on for over 10 years, and have five other electric guitars (American Fender Double Fat Strat; American Strat with Seymour Duncan humbuckers; G&L ASAT; G&L F100 II; Epiphone Les Paul with Seymour Duncans). I am very happy with the purchase. If it was lost or stolen I would run out and replace it! There is nothing I do not like about the guitar. Very warm sound with great resonance. If I had to pick two guitars I would take this and one of my strats and be very happy.

How do you rate features? If you want simple, easy to use, with easily accessible great sounds, then this guitar rates a 10. I give a 10 for basic simplicity on the fly.

I have 15 guitars and I like variety. I've got jazz boxes, les pauls, strats, teles, acoustics, etc. I play a variety of styles but regularly fall into the blues. The Blues 90 flat out rocks. I don't understand why these aren't more popular. It can go from twang to jazz with minor knob tweaks. Great clean or distorted. Very smooth.

Overall fit and finish was flawless. Set up is a personal thing and it wasn't very close out of the factory. However, the Blues 90 is very easy to tweak and 15-20 minutes of tweaking put it 95% of the way to perfect. It is exceptionally stable and stays in tune fabulously.

What's to go wrong? Very well made. Some folks complain about the knobs. They need to get a life.

Purchased at Stutzman's Guitar Center in Rochester, NY. If there is anyone who is more satisfying to deal with I haven't found them. (I bought my first guitar from them in 1967.) Why go to Fender/Guild?

Guild Bluesbird's and Blues 90's are, seemingly, very under appreciated. These are fabulous guitars.

Just a quick follow-up to my previous post, one thing I forgot to mention that some might consider a problem is that upper fret access is VERY challenging. If you are playing a blues in B or even B flat, forget about sliding up effortlessly into the pentatonic "blues box" between frets 19 & 22 in B or 18 & 21 in B flat-it ain't gonna happen...I can get there in A (17-20th), and I can fight to get there beyond that, but it is TOUGH...so, learn your other positions, boys! Just wanted to mention that, don't recall anyone else below pointing that out. Also, as far as tones, I forgot to mention the beautiful Gretsch-like tones you can get in the middle position-pluck those wound strings near the bridge and you are in twang-heaven!

US made at Guild factory in R.I., pre-Fender. 22 frets, unbound rosewood board, solid maple top on chambered mahogany body, 2 Duncan P-90's (RWRP Hot in neck, Custom in bridge), "Black Cherry" poly finish (trans red w/subtle black highlights). Big fat set neck, heavy duty tune-o-matic type bridge w/stopbar, Grover style tuners, single cut LP style, but slightly larger, lightweight due to semi-hollow insides....24 3/34" scale, medium jumbo frets. Everybody knocks the knobs on this forum, I like 'em! Pots feel very smooth, good taper. Typical 3 way switch, noise cancelling in middle position...nuthin' fancy, but suits me just fine. My only complaints in this category:
1) Pinhead sized side dots-next to useless onstage
2) Bottom strap button is similiar to a Martin endpin, only smaller-can't replace with Straplok without filling big honkin' hole! This is my first Guild, perhaps this is a "traditional" thing, but it bugs me! I use a plastic washer on the bottom button, and replaced the top button with a Straplok.

I LOVE this guitar...I was looking for a P-90 solidbody, and found this NOS example (it is a discontinued model) from a mom-n-pop store on Ebay, got it for a great price ($760), not as good as the GC blowout price of a few years ago (see posts below), but still very good for an $1800 list guitar in brand new shape. I was considering a McCarty Soapbar (a little rich for my blood) and an SG Classic, and based on some previous Bluesbirds (w/humbuckers) I had played and the reviews below, I decided to chance it-glad I did! The Duncans are very hot, had to lower them somewhat, probably not the P-90 for a vintage purist, but I love 'em-the combo of the semi-hollow mahogany body, maple top and these p.u.'s gives a smokin', lively, fat but cutting tone. The middle position is great for blending tones, the neck p.u. is sweet and bluesy, and the bridge pickup is fat and nasty, but with that P-90 sweetness that humbuckers just don't have. I play roots rock/blues/alt-country/fake jazz, this guitar handles them all very well. My wife (drummer) even commented on the tone the first time I used it, for once she is pleased with my purchase! There is of course a noise factor with P-90's and other single coils, but so what? The unique tone is well worth it, IMO.

I can't believe that after 28 years of playing, this is the first Guild I have owned-I've had just about every other brand out there. I am very pleased with the workmanship on this guitar-straight neck and fretwork, beautiful job on the headstock inlays, very nice quilted top, etc. There is a slight blem on the upper corner of the cutaway, looks like the black in the finish kind of pooled a little bit there, but no big deal. I would put the quality of this guitar up against any Gibson, even those costing five times as much...sure, with the Guild you have a poly finish, but very nicely applied, not plasticky looking, and come on, even PRS uses poly! I did some set-up work myself, but I do this with every guitar I buy, used or new. I put 10-52's on it, raised the action a little and loosened the trussrod a tad, and re-did the intonation after these changes-plays great! I love the fat neck-not for shredders, but great for me. I guess if I had my drothers, I would like bigger frets, but I am getting more used to these and am not dying to replace them. I also string any guitar with a tune-o-matic and stop bar by running the strings thru the back of the stop bar and wrapping them over, like on a wrap-a-round tailpiece. This allows me to screw the stopbar all the way down without choking the strings on the back of the tune-o-matic-I believe this helps with resonance and tone, not quite like a wrap-a-round but close...as I mentioned, I lowered the pickups, but that is a matter of personal preference.

I've used this guitar on one gig and three rehearsals, along with several hours of at-home use. The tuning stability is very good, use a little Big Bends Nut Sauce on the nut and bridge saddles, this helps any guitar stay in tune better. Hardware and finish seem durable, already talked about the strap buttons (aargh!) I always bring a backup, but I played 2 sets without changing guitars at all on it's initial gig. Too early to tell I guess, but I can't imagine any major, out of the ordinary issues.

I guess I'd have to deal with Fender, but I'm not worried about warranties and the like.

As I said, I've been playing over 28 years, I love this guitar and would replace it in a heartbeat. I love the tone, the feel, the look and the versatility...I would recommend you grab one of these if you see one! My other electric these days is an Epi Riveria that has been tricked out with all US hardware, electronics etc-the P-90's compliment the Epi's humbuckers very nicely. I love P-90's, and this guitar has delivered the tone I was hoping for.

I got my Blues 90 in August of 2001. It's from Rhode Island. 22 frets, laminated top. I have no problem with the chrome knobs - it looks like a Schwinn bike. The p/u's are Duncan P-90's - glad to read the tip on which is in which position. The Mahogany body is almost COMPLETELY HOLLOW! Check it out - you'll see, it's solid under the bridge, and where the neck attaches, but it is hollowed out up into the bouts, and around the pickups. The darn neck is too fat for me - I have small hands. The guitar rings like a bell, sound good unplugged, and sounds like a Guild, which is important to me.

I sometimes need a more agressive or brighter sound, but this thing is as fat as a butcher's dog. The first time I took it to a jam, it got great comments. You can thin down the sound on any two pickup guitar with two volume pots by backing off the rhythm volume just slightly in the dual-pickup position. This makes it more edgey. It is the richest-sounding guitar I have ever played. I adore the sound of this thing.

Everything is fine as far as I can tell. The neck is just like a baseball bat to me - I can deal with it, but it is the one drawback. Everything else is good. The black cherry finish is beautiful, and I like that it looks like an LP, but is bigger. I am a big fan of Guild way back from 1973, and I badly wanted to add a Bluesbird to my collection. If you remember the Bluesbird from '73, this new one blows it away. Much nicer look and shape.

Oh yeah, it'll play out live for the rest of your career. I have no problem with the hardware. The finish is fine. Guild hardware has not ever seemed to be a problem. I could keep this as my only guitar and would not miss the other ones too much. I would use it without a bcackup, except for tone options. But realistically, I like to use two or three guitars.

I tried to write to Guild and tell them how great this guitar was, and the letter came back returned. The address was in Scottsdale, AZ. The guild website is good for looking up new products, but it will turn you over to Fender if you poke around in it.

I've been playing 38 years. Lots of gear. I asked all the questions before I bought it - at that time, I thought I was lucky to get that price. Mine was a GC blowout, too, but it was in perfect shape - nobody played it!!! I would definitely replace it if lost - it is a good-sounding and high quality guitar, and it looks good on me - and that's saying something! I don't hate anything about it - I just wish it had a neck like my Guild S-100 from 1972. I compared it to the AAA Bluesbird, which I didn't think was all that great. I wouldn't trade the Blues 90 for a Bluesbird for any reason, now! I couldn't afford it, I shouldn't have bought it, I thought Guild was going belly up, so I did it any way. I love the thing. It helped get me through September 11th - good foresight.