Guild Blues 90

Late 90's or early 2000 model. Made in America! Chambered mahogany body with maple top. Transparent cherry finish, chrome Grover tuners, and Seymour Duncan Soapbar P-90's. A very light guitar compared to a Les Paul. When strummed unplugged it rings out amazingly well. I like the use of a metal toggle switch compared to the plastic tabs used by everyone else. Has a great feel overall. Very solid. My only gripe is that the knobs have a very cheap "radio dial" feel and appearance.

I play a variety of styles ranging from Rock to Shoegazer pop. So, I want the guitar to be able to cover everything from distortion to clean tones. First off, the P-90's are VERY powerful! If I plug one of my other guitars into the amp then switch to the Blues 90 the volume and power is a lot higher. I actually have to re-adjust the amp to the Blues 90. Not a bad thing. Just means the pickups are powerful! I run my guitars through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The clean tones with the Blues are gorgeous in the middle setting. Great for the mid-tones. The bridge is a little metallic so that's not really to my taste. With the drive on the guitar is a monster! It's so meaty that it makes me play harder than I intended too. Great for rock, punk, nu metal, etc.

I don't know if it's been setup up previously but the action is great. Very managable. The pickups don't really hum too much so that's always good. No flaws in the finish at all. Rock solid!

I would have no problems playing this guitar out. It's solid and reliable.

Haven't had to deal with them so I don't know.

Originally I never meant to own more than one guitar. But there's so many great guitars out there and different types of tones that I finally gave in. So, I set out to get guitars that had different pickups. The Blues 90 fits into the "P-90" slot very well. Great mid-range tones combined with solid construction makes for a awesome guitar. Also, it's very Les Paul like without the Les Paul price.

Year 2000 model, Guitar Center showroom blowout. $599. You know the deal. The blues 90 is the Bluesbird with Seymour Duncan P-90 pickups in it, no neck binding, and dot inlays. Just a fantastic guitar. Everything you need. If you want one now, search the GCs across the country. I called around and found one in IL and I live in TX. Worth the several long distance phone calls.

I thought I might miss the neck binding, but the rosewood fretboard is highly polished and lacquered on the sides and it looks like a tortoise shell finish. Very pretty. Prettier, IMO, than the aged creme binding that's on the body of the guitar.

The neck is significantly thick. It's the same width as my DeArmond M-72 neck, but the depth of the Blues 90 neck is almost like my Ovation acoustic. I have huge hands though and I like the comfort of this style.

The pickups are outstanding. Duncan makes 3 versions of their P90, vintage, hot, and custom bridge. Guild uses the RWRP Hot P90 in the neck and the Custom in the bridge. Nice tone when played together, somewhat of a quack sound. The bridge truly cuts through whatever is going on around you. The neck is my favorite. Just a fantastic tone. This guitar is all about tone.

Typical bit of single coil buzz when I get close to my PC monitor. Typical though.

The Guitar Center guy actually had the guitar set up and new strings put on it before he sent it to me. I didnt have to ask. This, in my experience, is very much NOT typical GC behavior. This guy new what he was doing or Guild did it prior to arriving at the GC. This guitar sat in the showroom for a while, then went into lay-away for about a year the guy told me. Then the customer backed out, so they blew it out for 599. There are more available, if you call around. California had two that I knew of.

The top is not supposed to be AAA, but it's at least AA, beautiful quilt, black cherry finish, creme binding. Fit and finish is ten times better than any Gibson I've played in the last two years.

It had a few very tiny dings on the back edge of the lower bout from a guitar stand or something.

Guitar seems to be in very good shape in spite of the fact that it sat on the showroom floor. For the price, I cannot complain about the 3 tiny dings. There are some hairline scratches where a pickguard should be.

The only negative thing is the 3-way switch needs to be replaced. But the guitar is 2 years old and has had no telling how many people play around with it. But that's what warranties are for.

Well see...

I think the words "fantastic value" really apply to this axe. Cosmetics are good, action is nice and low, intonation was dead on. Tuners are great, the guitar stays in tune no matter now much I beat on it. Dot inlays are simple, but I like them. The lack of binding on the neck made zero difference to me. Frets were absolutely perfect, ends especially. I've cut my fingers on some Gibsons recently.

Now, they're just selling the Bluesbird (made in California), no more Blues 90 model. But you can still order your Bluesbird with P90s installed. The "new" Fender-made Bluesbirds are supposed to have a beefier neck, but not as thick as the Blues 90, thicker than the the old Westerly, RI-made Bluesbirds. The new CA-made ones will have the Custom Shop logo on them for a while before standard production begins.

Grab a Blues 90 if you can still find one. You'll thank me later.

Emerald Green model. Left handed. Mahogany body and neck, flamed maple top.

Bought this guitar for the sound. I play blues and this guitar is right at home with that. The P90 pickups are terrific. Clean or distorted this guitar rocks!

Everything is first rate, except the crappy tone and volume control knobs. They will be replaced.

Seems to be rock solid. Very well made. Heavy hardware, not cheap made.

Never delt with them.

I've been playing for 10 years. Own two other electrics, a Fender Strat and a Epiphone Les Paul. The Blues 90 has better tone and more sustain than the Strat or Epi. The Other guitars both have better control knobs though!!

A 2000 edition, US made, Red, pretty quilted maple top. Two P90's, non locking tuners, Tune-O-Matic style bridge, LP body shape with sound chambers, mahogany body and neck.

I've been wanting to add a P90 type guitar to my collection, and I'd played with and been impressed with the Guilds. When I saw that Guitar Center was blowing this out at $599 to burn off inventory, I jumped on it.

All the features are fine for this type of guitar, Mahogany body and neck, nice semi-fat fairly wide neck, no fancy frills.

I'll probably replace the cheap looking volume and tone knobs, but other than that I'll keep it stock.

BTW, the previous reviewer mentioned that it shipped with 9's but the Guild website says 10's... I normally use 10's as well, but it's nice to know the nut is probably cut right.

I'll give it a 9 for what it has... all the features needed for this type of guitar.

I always buy guitars for the sound, and I'm very impressed with the tone of this guitar.

The P90's sound great. I especially like the neck pickup for a very blusey tone without being too muddy. There's a big difference in the sound of the bridge and neck pickups, and the bridge is quite a bit brighter... but it really cuts through when overdriven.

The chambered body gives this guitar great sustain... you can notice it very easily when you play it without amplification. In my experience, a guitar that sounds great unamped usually has a great chance of sounding great through my rig... this is no exception.

I think this guitar is best suited to a blues/jazz/rock player... like me.

Gotta give this one a 10.

The reason this guitar was sold at this price was the store had it in stock for some time.

Usually this means that a million people have played it and it would be full of little marks and especially belt marks in the back... but as the guitar store guy commented, "the kids aren't usually interested in this guitar... you should see some of the PRS's we have... they're all scratched up... but this one is perfect."

That's cool.

It has a very pretty red quilted maple top that is a real eye catcher, but that's only a plus... it's the sound that is the real "beauty" of this guitar.

It also plays very nice with medium to large frets, and easy to play neck and fretboard. It just felt "right" as soon as I played it.

Also, even though it's a slightly larger than Les Paul sized guitar, the tone chambers really reduce the weight. It's not at all neck heavy, but it's a lot lighter than my LP standard.

I think this guitar will be fine for live playing, although I never play without a backup. I played with all the volume and tone controls and everything was working perfectly. I expect it will continue to do so with a little loving care from time to time.

I've put strap locks on it.

I've never dealt with Guild, but since they're part of the big Gibson conglamerate, I expect big company level service. For better or worse.

I've been playing over 20 years and I have a pretty good collection of guitars including a PRS McCarty and Standard 24, three strats including an American Deluxe Fat strat, a couple of tele's, a Les Paul Standard, a Hamer EchoTone, (335 clone), and several other guitars.

I've decided to fill a few "holes" in my collection by adding guitars with unique "voices" that none of my other guitars offer. A P90 guitar was certainly one of those holes, and I'm very happy that I caught this special deal. I think these guitars are worth the normal $1100 to $1200 or so they normally cost, but for about 1/2 price for a guitar in this condition... well it was impossible to resist.

I always carry "replacement value" insurance on my guitars, so if it was ever stolen or lost I would certainly get another one.

I'm sure Guitar Center is blowing these out throughout the chain, so if you see one at this price, check it out for yourself.

Just Purchased a 2000 USA made Guild Blues 90. 22 frets, Carved maple top, chambered mahogany body, 2 Seymour Duncan P90's, each with volume and tone knob. Transparent Emerald Green, Les Paul body style only larger and lighter. Stop tailpiece. The neck is mahogany with a rosewood fretboard, Guild tuners. Case included. Beautiful look and feel. No frills. Just what you need. Basically the Bluesbird with P90's and dot inlays instead of trapazoids.

I have been playing all different styles on all different guitars. Right now I am in a band playing original material. Kind of Elvis Costello meets The Smiths. That is the only way I can describe it! This guitar can handle anything I throw at it, or on. I mostly play clean, through a Fender Blues Junior all tube amp, but, this will scream with the best of them. I have a bunch of guitars that are good for certain things but this and my Fender Lonestar Strat can handle all the sounds you need. I like the feel and tone of this better than the strat. The P90's give it the nice full, warm, round sound without being muddy. The chambered body adds to this sound as well. Love it.

The guitar comes great right out of the box. I use 10's and I think this came with 9's on it but I will play'em till they wear out. Everything seems to be fine with the guitar. I have only had it for a few days, but it feels solid and I don't forsee any issues. The craftmenship is great.

Everything on this guitar is solid. I have not used it live yet but, would not hesitate. Time will tell, but this has a great reliable feel and if Guild sticks true to their word and reputation this guitar will give me years of playing satisfaction.

Haven't had to deal with Guild themselves and I don't thik I'll have to. Stores on the other hand, I found the best thing to do to protect your self from poor customer serivce it to buy it from a reputable dealer. Not a huge chain "super" store. Bye from people who know the products, value their customers and do the work themselves. The place I bought it from does all adjustments for free and will give you 1/2 price setups ($17) for life just for buying the guitar from them at a lower price the a "super" store. Now that is service.

I have been playing for about 11 or 12 years in varoius types of bands from Thrash to Punk to Rock to what every you would call what I am doing now. This guitar is perfect for it all. The feel, the sound, the look, who could ask for more. If you want an INCREDIBLE clean sound with the ability to scream with distortion, this is it. After playing every guitar I could get my hands on in this price range, this was the best. Especially for the money. If Gibson made this they would charge you $4000 for poorer craftmanship. Guild does it for less that $1200 with the superior quality ...not trying to knock Gison :-)... If this were stolen I would cry......then I would find a way to buy another one.