Madeira A-30R

Early 1970s vintage, Japan made dreadnought, with ply sides and back, nicely bookmatched; 20 fret, solid top, typical Guild wood and pickguard, thinner than average neck, nice gear ration on enclosed winders, inlay pearl logo.

The original owner had this. The strings must have been on for years; very crusty and corroded. I took a chance and bought it without haggling. Once new medium Martin Phosphor Bronze strings were installed, it proved its potential.

The early models like this one came with an adjustible screw bridge, and you know they add mass like resting the handle of a butter knife on the bridge.
So I got busy and carved a rosewood insert then sanded a bone saddle, which greatly enriched its tone, sustain and volume.
Now the sound has nearly the same booming roar of a vintage Guild with a nice percussive bright edge and acres of sustain. For the money you can't get a better sound from a dreadnought guitar!

The gloss finish had held up remarkably well except for a bit of fogging on the back and sides.The frets have a bit of wear, but the top has nearly no bellying at all. Easy fretting.

Tops. Tough like a tank. I'd take this guitar over any of the newly-revived Guilds from Fender any day.

Not applicable.

Japanese made 1970s guitars are the greatest. Kiso Suzuki, Yamaha, Alvarez/Yairi and Madeira are the best value out there if you can find them. Give them a try when you need a guitar for not that much money to take camping or gigging.

Well, as with some of the other reviews I am really not sure how old this guitar is. It was a gift to my mother when she was in college in the early 70's. It was use when she got it. She gave it to me in 1994 and it had just been sitting in a closet for 15 or so years at that point. I'm giving it an 8 for features becase although it is just an acoustic, the rosewood on the body and neck are still beautiful looking and the binding is a nice feature as well. Nicer than you'd expect to find on a budget acoustic made today.

This is hands down the best sounding acoustic guitar I have ever played. Now I'll be honest and say that I am a bit biased. This is the guitar I learned to play on and the standard that I hold all other guitars up to. I've owned a lot of guitars in my day, both acoustic and electric, and this is the only guitar I have never even considered selling or trading to get something else. It is extremely articulate with smooth mids, jangly highs and a full bottom end. I have light stings on (11's) and I love the way they bring out the percussive sound in this guitar. It's very versatile and I have gotten numerous compliments on it's tone.

Well as I said earlier, I really don't know how old this guitar is. I'd guess it was made in the early 70's making it about 35 years old. That being said, it's seen its fair share of wear and tear. When I inherited it, it had been living in a closet with strings on it for 15 years or so. Because of this the body has bubbled up a little at the bridge. As a result the intonation is a little off at the higher frets. I've adjusted the truss rod and the action is still good. Not as low as some might like, but very playable. There is a crack in the finish on the back of the guitar running the length of the body from the neck joint to the strap button. This has just developed in the last two years. It doesn't affect the playability or sound at all. The binding is still perfect and has aged to a nice yellow. The rosewood neck feels and looks great. And the bridge is still in perfect shape. The only modification i've made was to replace the tuners about six or seven years ago. The tuning machines in the originals had gotten kind of corroded and weren't smooth anymore.

For being 35 or more years old, its in really good shape and still plays like a dream. I know I wasn't as careful with it as I should've been when I was younger, so I have to give the builders credit for constructing a very solid guitar.

I have never dealt with Madeira or Guild.

I've been playing guitar for over 15 years and owned more gear than I care to remember. This continues to be my favorite piece. If it was lost or stolen I would cry for days. I don't feel I could ever replace it with a contemporary acoustic. If you come across one of these, snatch it up. They are fabulous. A long time friend of mine had coveted this guitar for years and on a trip to NY he found a used Madeira in a little guitar shop and bought it for $150. It's not an A30R, but it is also a great sounding guitar. The Japanese made guitars from the 70's (Madeira, Epiphone, Squire) are a rare breed and I highly recommend them.

Features... OK: Bridge is nice and tight, Tuners are still original and true. Nut and bridge have wear, but still nicely playable.

Sound is pure- Guild sponsored this line of guitars, and it's a copy of a standard Guild Dreadnaught of the time. The rosewood (hence the "R") has aged to perfection.

Action is excellent! This guitar wasn't babied (I got it in a Pawnshop for $60.00), and it was well llved- probably by a pro, since there is a LOT of wear around sound hole, and frets 1,2, & 3 needed to be replaced. No cracks or structural dings, bindings are nice.

Reliability/Durability- Oh, my, YES! I got this as kind of a "beater", as I have a Guild Jumbo that I hate to take out of the house. The thing is tough, and plays well.

no Warranty

It'as box with strings on so as far as features goes i'm giving a nutral 5 out of ten.

I have owned my A-30R for 15 years and it is still the best sounding acoustic i have ever played. It is so warm and responsive. It is my best friend. it can be light and jazzy or dark and Jar of flies esque...doesn't mind a bit of unplugged in new york either.

Action has always been good, it was set up in Leicester by sheehans here in the UK when I bought it and again three or four years ago. I actually had an accident and she has hole in the lower right curve (just under the scratchplate thing) that went staright between two struts. This had to be fixed as the strut eventually cam e lose but sheehans sorted her and she's back to her best now. I have no complaints whatsoever about the finish, especially for the original price.

Read above!

I look after her, she looks after me.

See above, sheehand did a good job but the warrenty was long gone and most probably wouldn't ahve applied anyway...

I'm obviously not very well qualified to review a guitar but all I can say is that if I found another one of similar age I'd snap her up as mine is just wonderful. when I'm crap, she's crap. when I'm on song she sounds like an angel. She never lies to me.

Solid top (it appears, early -to-mid-1970s construction. No electronics whatsoever. Classic acoustic dreadnought with a slightly wider midsection (the "waistline" if you were describing a woman's figure) than similar Yamahas. Rosewood fingerboard. Original tuners, new bridge (1982!). Given the Japanese craftsmanship of the period, I'm guessing it's a maple body. No warpage or cracks that I can find -- but then, I'm the original owner and I have taken very good care of this instrument.

Incredibly rich sound, nearly comparable to the dreadnought Guilds of the same era. Slightly less of a "boomer," however. Slightly arched neck helped me improve my sound. My musical tastes run from Harry Chapin to Willie Nelson to Everly Brothers, and this guitar is ideal for all.

As this is an acoustic guitar, the only "flaw" I encountered was with the original strings, which were too heavy for the guitar's bridge. It cracked after a few years. I eventually switched to Martin Marquis Lights and they've served me well every since -- along with the new bridge. Over the years, it's picked up a bit of surface scratches on the front, just below the big pick-plate. Not as gouged as Willie Nelson's guitar, however.

I don't perform live anymore, except on rare occasions with my kids. The Madeira has never let me down. If I were performing regularly, I would probably keep a second guitar at hand. Again, with acoustics like this, you're just not apt to beat on it as you would with a solid-body Stratocaster playing Tull or Zeppelin.

N/A.

I couldn't buy another Madeira new, I don't think they're imported any more. A pity. This guitar was an unbelievable value for the money. I guess I'd have to buy a Guild D25 or something in that range. I looked at Tacoma acoustics. They were very bright, but didn't have that shadowy boom I've grown accustomed to over 30 years with the Madeira.

This guitar has a standard dreadnaught body. I'm guessing the body (back and sides at least) is made from rosewood, judging from how it sounds and the R in the model number. I can't really tell since the wood is stained (it's very apparant). The fingerboard is clearly rosewood, though.

I'm not going to give it a rating since the only "feature" that's actually necessary in a basic acoustic guitar is that it exists.. which really isn't a feature at all.

I don't know how old this guitar is (i got it from my dad who got it used 30-35 years ago from his brother who got it used from someone else). I would say it's probably between 36 and 38 years old. It's an acoustic so the wood aged and now it has its own sound. One thing i like about acoustic guitars is that, no matter how good they are when you get them, if you give them time each one will develop its own unique sound.

This particular guitar has a nice warm bass, with a little umph, and a clear, but still kind of thick, high. The mids aren't overpowering and fill everything out nicely.

I'd have to give this a 10 since it's not only unique, but easily usable. I don't feel that only one guitar can have a 10 for a rating. Any guitar that has a unique sound that is actually usable deserves a large amount of credit.

Well, here are all the sad and unhappy things about this guitar. I've had this guitar for only a fraction of its lifetime, so I don't know what it was originally like. What it is now, though, I am certain. It doesn't play nicely and the intonation is off. The wood on the body has bubbled out where the bridge is and the neck is beyond the help of the truss rod. The finish has a great many dings, dongs, dents, and scratches in it and the glue is cracking in many places where there are joints. The frets are getting worn down as well (just cosmetically though.. they don't effect the playability) However, the bridge is in good condition because it was recently replaced. The only original parts that are in extremely good condition and working order are the tuning pegs.

I must say something, though. I know my dad and all the things he's done in his life and I know my uncle (I am related to them, after all) and I can say that there is an extremely good chance (nearing 100%) that this guitar was not taken care of properly (from extreme temperatures to "things" happening to it and on it). As such, it still functions and can still be played. The only aspect of its condition that bothers me in any way is the intonation (since i have no idea as to how to fix it, or if it is even possible now).

The wood itself is in great condition (except for the dents, but that is not the fault of the construction or materials of the guitar). The binding (which has aged very nicely, by the way... it's got a great yellow look to it) is in good condition, as are the inlays on the fretboard (which are only dots, but they are nevertheless of solid quality).

As it stands, this would be rated at a 3, but with proper care it could have easily been at least an 8 and probably a 9 or 10.

Again, I do not know how to answer this. It still exists in playable form. It doesn't cause strings to break and it's not "rickety" but it's not exactly in the best condition either.

There is no support since there haven't been customers in a very long time.

I love this guitar. Part of it is sentamental value since I learned how to play on this guitar. But coming back to it after having spent money on newer guitars that are in better condition and play better and all of that this guitar definitely has a legitimate charm. I've played many guitars that cost a great deal more and are held by many players to be "better" but I can't really say that they are better. They're definitely not worse, they're just different.