Guild Bluesbird

I bought my Bluesbird new about 3 months ago. Mine is a 1997 model. I paid extra for what they call a "AAA Top." The top is gorgeous quilted maple. I opted for natural, or amber, finish. They also have solid colors, tobacco- and sun-bursts. The Bluesbird is solid mahogany down the center, with "tone chambers" routed into the sides, under the top, kind of like an ES-335. The Bluesbird, however has a solid top (no f-holes). Mahogany neck and Les Paul type bridge-tailpiece setup. I read a review that calls the body "like a Les Paul on steroids," and that is pretty accurate. It has the LP shape, but bigger in every direction. I like its size, cause I am a big fellow, and my LP always seems kinda small. It is still lighter than most LPs however, because of the tone chambers. It has 22 frets. I am very impressed with the crafting and appointments. It comes with Seymore Duncan Humbuckers and Grover Rotomatic tuning machines. I like those touches. All Guilds are still built in their factory in New Jersey. It came with a nice Guild Hardshell case. The neck is very thin and the frets are widish and flattish. The neck is almost too thin for my tastes, but I am learning to love it. The guitar may deserve a higher rating for features; it has everything I want or need, but I like 'em simple. I have one complaint, and though small, it is aggravating. I like strap locks, and the rear strap button was installed the old fashioned way: it is a metal plug that is fittied, instead of screwed. That meant filling the hole and redrilling for a screwhole. The old style button is neat, but not very pragmatic for a modern guitar; that is how I see it.

I play rock music, from countryish to full out hard rock, and the BB bridges these styles well. It has a very bright sound at first, but rolling back the tone knob a little compensates well. I can get a nice humbucker Les Paul/rock and blues vibe, or a Gretchy jangle by switching pickups and adjusting the tone knobs. I play it through a Music Man Twin or a Fender Super 60. For warmer stuff, I like a Blue Tube; it gives the BB a fuller, deeper tone. The guitar is very quiet, even though the cavity isn't shielded. Again, I like things simple; this guitar doesn't have a gazillion sounds or coil splitters, but it does what I need.

This category is where this guitar really amazes me. I am picky about these kind of ponts. If everything isn't just right, I notice, and it bugs me. I read a review that said the reviewr saw some epoxy around some of the block inlays. I examined the guitar for a onfg time, and everything is just gorgeous. It was intonated well, the action was nice and low, but even. The nut was perfect, and each string sat in its groove just right. The top is as nice a top as on any guitar I have ever seen. That is not hyperbole; the top is amazing. I took off the control cavity cover, and the routing for the chambers, the wiring, the gluing, soldering, everything is done meticulously and well.

To my way of thinking, simplicity lends itself to reliability. This is a simple enough setup to be very reliable. The hardware is first rate, the tuners are Rotomatics and the pickups are Duncans. See my bitch earlier about the strap buttons, but theyt are in well now. Modern Guild finishes have good reps, so I am not too concerned with that. I definitley feel it is a very reliable guitar. My band plays live pretty often, and I have used it at 4 shows so far. No problems, and I don't expect any. While I haven't broken a string on this or any of my guitars at a show, I ALWAYs bring a backup, but that is no reflection on this model or make. I don't have enough time with it to give a fair rating by number, so I am going to leave that blank

No experience

I have been playing guitar off an on for about 15 years. Seriously for 5. I own a 1982 Gibson Les Paul, a The Paul, a Warmoth Strat I put together myself, and a couple crappy acoustics. I orginally wanted another Les Paul so I could have one as a backup or for alternate tunings. The new ones were obscenely expensive and not as well masde as I thought they should be. I also found mine to be a little small, though quite heavy. I really like the BB's size and weight. I looked at a lot of Les Pauls, but few in this price range were very nice. Sonically, I like the variety of natural tones the guitar has, and I also find it quite appealing to my eye. This guitar does everything I want it to, and the main things I wish it did or didn't have are just the classic "perfect guitar" tyoe stuff. (Basically I wish it was more like a strat, but less like a strat and more like this and less like that). You can't have everyhing. I am very happy with it.