Santa Cruz Firefly and Guild M-75

[twangster]

- Edited to include the pictures DanHeron posted as well as some text (even if it is just this explanation).

James

[hotrodperlmutter]

you'll have to take the slashes out at the end, but they still aren't workin for meh. :\

i would've just updated the other thread you made about it. D:

[serfx]

missing the

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[/img]

tag


but the photos still aren't showing up for me.. either

[twangster]

Sorry guys. I can't seem to get my Mac to let me post a link in here. I also can't figure out how to delete my posts until I get a friend over here to teach me.

[serfx]

once someone has commented on your post, you can't delete a post
unless your king mezzo

but no worries.
i'd just attempt to upload them to imageshack or photobucket again and try the new links

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[img]url of your image[/img]

[serfx]

also welcome to shortscale
can't wait to see the gear

[robroe]

once someone has commented on your post, you can't delete a post
unless your king mezzo

but no worries.
i'd just attempt to upload them to imageshack or photobucket again and try the new links

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[img]url of your image[/img]

or robroe. i do what i want

[serfx]

once someone has commented on your post, you can't delete a post
unless your king mezzo

but no worries.
i'd just attempt to upload them to imageshack or photobucket again and try the new links

Code: Select all

[img]url of your image[/img]

or robroe. i do what i want

TRUTH!

[DanHeron]

The links you used weren't direct links to the image. If your ctrl+click > view image it takes you directly to the image and you can then use the link in your address bar.
Nice guild btw!

[hotrodperlmutter]

damn, that guild looks like funn.

[Berto]

damn, that guild looks like funn.

when/why did guild stop making electrics?! they looks soo nice

[twangster]

Thanks for all the help guys. I will get some help and get it together.

I have had overuse syndrome problems for quite awhile. I discovered short scale guitars and they really help me to play pain free. I've always been a Bigsby fan. Has anyone every seen a Bigsby on a Bullet or Duo-Sonic? Also, are can the Mustang tremelos be set up to stay in tune or are they hard to work with?

Thanks so much. I'm very excited to be apart of your community.

[SKC Willie]

Mustang set-ups can be set up and stay in tune about as well as a bigsby. Although, both can be set-up well and stay in tune a long time but if you don't set them up properly they won't stay in tune.

[Mages]

wow, those are both very cool guitars. I would love something like that guild.

what are the deets on the santa cruz firefly? I don't know much about those guitars.

[Richard]

In 2004 when Fender bought Tacoma guitars Guild acoustic production was moved to the Tacoma plant and Guild electrics were discontinued.

[twangster]

It's a 1965 Guild M-75 also called The Freshman.

Guild made these from the 50's until some time around the mid 70's.

My Freshman has a 23" scale, P-90 style pick-up, and 1 11/16" nut width.

You can play around the 12th to 15th fret. But you can't really rock out way up high like a strat or Rick 325. Which I don't really do anyway.

I really like it for slide in open tunings as well as standard. Wish it had a Bigsby and I'm toying with putting one on that doesn't mess up the body.

Some folks think the Guild M-75 is a better guitar than the Gibson es-140. I don't know about that but I do know that M-75's are half the cost of a es-140.

[ChrisFFTA]

In 2004 when Fender bought Tacoma guitars Guild acoustic production was moved to the Tacoma plant and Guild electrics were discontinued.

so sad... the guild M75s were/are hot

[twangster]

The Firefly arrived in a beautiful case, and opening it was like a scene out of Pulp Fiction, as radiant, plush green velvet cradles and hugs this classy, elegant acoustic. Santa Cruz is shying away from saying “parlor� and “travel guitar� when describing the Firefly because of the potential baggage associated with those terms. That will, however, clue you in to the dimensions of this instrument, which are on the smaller side. At 24", the scale length is almost one-and-a-half inches shorter than that of a Santa Cruz D series dreadnought. The Firefly’s body is almost three inches narrower at the lower bout than its D series sibling, but has roughly the same depth—a factor that will come into play as we discuss its tone.

Cosmetically, the Firefly sports a minimalist aesthetic on its front side with a discrete but perfect cedar top, understated ivoroid rosette, an ebony fretboard with small mother-of-pearl dots, and Ibony bridge pins. The glamour begins with the beautiful Brazilian rosewood headstock facing and cool Santa Cruz logo. The headstock foreshadows the Firefly’s Brazilian rosewood back and sides, which are utterly drop-dead gorgeous. Santa Cruz prides itself on being a very green company that uses only reclaimed wood, so this incredible specimen of Brazilian is more than 70 years old. According to SCGC’s president, Richard Hoover, this is both ecologically and sonically sound.

“None of the wood on this guitar was cut from living trees,� he says. “That’s the right thing for the environment, and a great side benefit is that this old wood sounds so much better.�

On the subject of sound, let’s just cut right to the chase. I’ve never reviewed a guitar that has caused so many people to instantly utter some variation on the phrase, “This might be the best guitar I’ve ever played in my life.� It’s tough to put into words what happens when you pick or strum the Firefly, but here goes: The sound is full, loud, and lively, with an amazing clarity and definition from string to string. The sustain is downright incredible, and the treble response is beautifully musical. Everyone who hears this guitar was floored by how much depth and power emanated from such a small body. That’s partly because of the great care Santa Cruz takes to tune the guitar’s top to match the resonance of the body cavity, and the way the company varies the top’s thickness—from thin at the edge to slightly thicker at the middle—to make it respond more like a speaker cone.

There is no frequency cancellation whatsoever with this guitar, and its overtones are rich and complex. Hit a chord, and the notes seem to dance around in mid air with ever-changing color and timbre. The medium action allows you to dig in as hard as you want, and the Firefly just keeps delivering, with no squashing or compression. My favorite approach was a hybrid pick/fingers technique—which really brought out all the guitar’s nuances.

Every once in a while you play a guitar that just puts it all together—an instrument that simply nails the elusive recipe of top-quality materials, impeccable workmanship, ravishing good looks, and stellar sound. The Firefly has all of those things in glorious abundance. This guitar is absolutely overflowing with tone, riffs, and songs that spill forth effortlessly no matter who plays it. Obviously, the Firefly isn’t cheap. You could knock three grand off the price if you went for Indian rosewood instead of Brazilian, and most of us still couldn’t afford it. But here’s something to think about: No one who has played this guitar has said it wasn’t worth its lofty price tag. It’s a handmade work of art, and we should all own a guitar like this some day. This isn’t just the best small-bodied guitar I’ve played in years (giving Hall of Fame status to my awesome little Martin). This is one of the best guitars I’ve ever played period.

[Tweedledee]

I love that Freshman! Absolutely stunning.

[holyCATS1415]

that guild is SUPER nice.