NAMM 2013: Guild Custom Shop launched

NAMM 2013 PRESS RELEASE: In celebration of Guild's 60th Anniversary, the iconic American company has recently opened the Guild Custom Shop, crafting the first truly custom guitars in the company's rich history.

The shop's first offering includes the 60th Anniversary model, the Orpheum Jumbo, Orpheum Rosewood Orchestra, Orpheum Mahogany Orchestra, Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-fret Rosewood Dreadnought, Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Mahogany Dreadnought and Orpheum Slope Shoulder 12-Fret Dreadnought, American Patriarch Artist Award, American Patriarch X-500 Stuart, American Patriarch M-75 Aristocrat guitars.

60th Anniversary Model

The Guild Custom Shop's first creation is the 60th Anniversary model—a limited-edition run of 60 finely appointed acoustic guitars designed in celebration of Guild's 2013 diamond anniversary.

Based on the venerable Guild F-30 orchestra model, it has a beautiful 5A koa top, back and sides; red spruce bracing; an elegant mother-of-pearl rosette; abalone top purfling; rosewood body and neck binding; and a genuine diamond headstock inlay. Its rich and articulate tone is as stunning as its appearance.

The guitar's three-piece mahogany/walnut/mahogany neck has a 20-fret ebony fingerboard with bone nut and 12" radius, and mother-of-pearl/abalone inlays with Guild's 60th anniversary logo inlaid at 12th fret. Other premium features include an ebony bridge with bone "Parisian eye" pins, gold Waverly tuners with rosewood buttons, gold hardware, and a natural nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Custom hard-shell case included.

Orpheum Series

The Guild Custom Shop is proud to present the beautifully crafted and rich-sounding Orpheum series acoustics.

U.S.-built by the talented luthiers of the Guild Custom Shop in scenic New Hartford, Conn., Orpheum series models are designed to stylishly evoke the bygone 1930s-era golden age of U.S. acoustic guitar design and construction. Indeed, you could say that Orpheum models are finely crafted Guild guitars that never were but could have been.

Orpheum Rosewood Orchestra

The Orpheum Rosewood Orchestra (Natural) and Orpheum Mahogany Orchestra (Natural, Sunburst) models rank among the finest Guild auditorium-style guitars ever made. Their Adirondack red spruce tops with scalloped red spruce bracing and solid rosewood or mahogany backs and sides, combined with three-piece mahogany/rosewood/mahogany necks that join the body at the 14th fret, produce warm, balanced and articulate tone with rich bass and singing treble.

Premium features also include traditional hot hide-glue construction, a 20-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl-dot inlays and 12" radius, elegant cream body binding, bone nut and a nitrocellulose lacquer neck finish. Other features include a tortoiseshell pickguard, pyramid-style ebony bridge with bone saddle and pins, Guild-logo Gotoh® SE-700 open-back tuners with cream buttons, and deluxe hard-shell case.

This Orpheum Jumbo model ranks among the finest Guild jumbo guitars ever made.

Its Adirondack red spruce top with scalloped red spruce bracing, paired with solid mahogany back and sides using traditional hot hide-glue construction, projects full-bodied tone with a clear and powerful voice.

Premium features also include a three-piece mahogany/rosewood/mahogany neck with a soft-V profile and nitrocellulose lacquer finish, 20-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl-dot inlays and 12 radius, bone nut, and elegant cream neck and body binding.

Other features include a tortoiseshell pickguard, pyramid-style ebony bridge with bone saddle and pins, Guild-logo Gotoh® SE-700 open-back tuners with cream buttons, and deluxe hard-shell case. Available in Natural and Sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer finishes.

Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Dreadnoughts

The Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Rosewood Dreadnought (Natural) and Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Mahogany Dreadnought (Natural, Sunburst) guitars are available with rosewood or mahogany back and sides and offer a distinctive difference for the discerning player--sloping shoulders that gracefully curve away from the neck in marked contrast to conventional straight-shoulder dreadnought design. Further, their three-piece mahogany/rosewood/mahogany necks joins the body at the 14th fret, contributing to a punchy yet warm and well-balanced tone that makes them great as both a lead and rhythm instrument.

Premium features also include an Adirondack red spruce top with scalloped red spruce bracing, solid rosewood or mahogany back and sides, traditional hot hide-glue construction, 20-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl-dot inlays and 12 radius, bone nut, elegant cream neck and body binding, and a nitrocellulose lacquer neck finish. Other features include a tortoiseshell pickguard, pyramid-style ebony bridge with bone saddle and pins, Guild-logo Gotoh® SE-700 open-back tuners with cream buttons, and deluxe hard-shell case.

Orpheum 12-Fret Dreadnought

The Orpheum Slope Shoulder 12-Fret Dreadnought (Natural, Sunburst) guitar offers a distinctive difference for the discerning player--sloping shoulders that gracefully curve away from the neck in marked contrast to conventional straight-shoulder dreadnought design. Further, its three-piece mahogany/rosewood/mahogany neck joins the body at the 12th fret, contributing to a complex yet warm and balanced tone that makes it ideal for flat picking and finger-style playing.

Premium features also include an Adirondack red spruce top with scalloped red spruce bracing, solid mahogany back and sides, traditional hot hide-glue construction, soft-V neck profile, 20-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl-dot inlays and 12" radius, bone nut, elegant cream body binding, and a nitrocellulose lacquer neck finish.

Other features include a tortoiseshell pickguard, pyramid-style ebony bridge with bone saddle and pins, Guild-logo Gotoh® SE-700 open-back tuners with cream buttons, and deluxe hard-shell case. Available in Natural and Sunburst.

Guild's prized Artist Award model presents acoustic versatility in a class all its own.

It features positively exquisite styling, with a beautiful resonant carved spruce top, carved solid flame maple back, rock-solid five-piece neck and the coveted DeArmond® model 1100 floating pickup, which gives the instrument enormous acoustic/electric versatility.

Other premium features of this extraordinary guitar include elegant neck and body binding, two-tone mother-of-pearl/ abalone block inlays on the smooth ebony fingerboard, a compensated ebony bridge and much more. The welcome return of a true Guild classic.

Guild's stylish M-75 Aristocrat model offers magnificent tone in a compact and lightweight guitar.

Its graceful hollow body is specifically sculpted to produce the resonance of a larger instrument, with a rock-solid three-piece neck and the distinctive tone of two "frequency tested" single-coil pickups.

The Guild X-500 Stuart is the ultimate in vintage-crafted electric guitar artistry.

The pride of Guild's engineers and craftsmen, it has a graceful hollow body with a resonant spruce top and beautifully figured maple back and sides, distinctive fast-action neck and dual "frequency tested" single-coil pickups sure to satisfy the most demanding artist.