Guild Custom Shop Models
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| 45th Anniversary Guitar |
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| The Deco and Finesse Dreadnoughts |
January 16, 1997
Guild is pleased to introduce three new limited production Guild Custom Shop guitars at the NAMM
show. Beautifully crafted and built with the extreme care and attention to detail foe which Guild is
world famous, each of these instruments will impress even the most critical player in terms of
sound and presentation.
THE GUILD 45TH ANNIVERSARY GUITAR
In commemoration of their 45th year, the Guild Custom shop presents the 45th Anniversary
Guitar--a hand-built, limited edition model showcasing some of the most distinctive features of Guild acoustics since the company was founded in 1952.
The body of the 45th Anniversary model is taken from a 1966 F-30 and measures 15" x 20" x 4".
This distinctive Guild shape features greater body depth than other instruments of a similar size,
and helps produce the clear and balanced tone associated with Guilds. For the 45th anniversary,
the luthiers in
the Custom Shop have hand-bent solid curly maple for the back and sides, and chosen AAA-grade
Sitka spruce for the top.
Each 45th Anniversary top is hand-tuned for maximum performance and features scalloped and
shaved top bracing in Guild's "floating X" pattern. This pattern, common to all Guild Custom Shop
guitars, locks the main tone bars into the rims at the waist for stability, while allowing the lower
bout to flex freely.
The neck is a 5-ply laminate of curly maple and mahogany, most commonly seen on the legendary
Artist Award. The peghead is faced with solid ebony and showcases the traditional "inverted G"
pattern in mother-of-pearl. For this 45th Anniversary model, custom shop luthiers painstakingly
inlay the top, fingerboard, peghead and back strip with rare paua abalone from New Zealand. The
guitar also includes an ivory nut and compensated saddle, made from fossilized mammoth ivory
found legally on the tundra in Alaska.
The 45th Anniversary is limited to an individually numbered series of only 45 guitars and is supplied with a special "black alligator" covered case.
THE GUILD CUSTOM SHOP "DECO" DREADNOUGHT
Guild's rosewood "Deco" dreadnought combines traditional Guild elements of pearl and abalone
inlay with the delicate patterns of the Art Deco period, to produce an instrument that is both visually
stunning and a pleasure to play.
Bound in delicate abalone, the AAA grade solid spruce top is hand-tuned to optimize the powerful,
balanced tone that's been a Guild tradition for 45 years. Custom Shop luthiers shave and scallop
the tone bars into Guild's special "Floating X" pattern.
The Deco has back and sides of solid Indian rosewood with ornate multiple binding. The 3-ply
mahogany/maple/mahogany neck is 1.70" at the nut to accommodate anything from bluegrass to
finger-style jazz, and is faced with a bound ebony fingerboard, inlaid with the distinctive Art Deco
pearl/abalone pattern.
The peghead of the Deco is bound and made of solid ebony, and the traditional "Chesterfield" inlay
combines engraved pearl and abalone. For an added touch of class, the ebony truss rod cover is
inlaid with New Zealand paua abalone.
The bridge of the Deco is ebony, carved in the crisp lines of a 1966 original, and is fitted with a
compensated bone saddle.
THE GUILD CUSTOM SHOP "FINESSE" DREADNOUGHT
The dictionary defines "finesse" as "dexterity, artfulness, skill." All these elements of style and
taste are brought together in Guild's Custom Shop "Finesse" dreadnought; a work of art that's
made to be played.
Featuring a herringbone rosette, the solid spruce top is hand-tuned to optimize the powerful,
balanced tone that's been a Guild tradition for 45 years. Custom Shop luthiers shave and scallop
the tone bars into Guild's special "Floating X" pattern.
The Finesse has a back and sides of solid Indian rosewood, bound in tortoise-shell celluloid. The
3-ply mahogany/maple/mahogany neck is 1.70" at the nut to accommodate anything from
bluegrass to finger-style jazz, and is faced with a bound ebony fingerboard inlaid with delicate paua abalone dots.
The peghead of the Finesse is faced in solid rosewood, and the traditional "Chesterfield" inlay is
interpreted in engraved abalone. An inlaid rosewood truss rod cover completes the understated
peghead ornamentation.
The bridge of the Finesse is ebony, carved in the crisp lines of a 1966
original, and is fitted with a compensated bone saddle. Standard electronics include a
high-performance Fishman copolymer pickup and Matrix Natural 11 preamp. For more information, visit their web site at www.guildguitars.com. | 
