The GSR Series includes the X-150D Savoy, M-75 Aristocrat, M-85 II Bass, and more.
Scottsdale, AZ (January 16, 2014) -- Guild is proud to announce new guitars and basses in the Newark St. Collection and Guitar Special Run (GSR) series.
The Guild Newark St. Collection marks the return of classic Guild electric favorites from the 1950s and ā60sāonce again putting the distinctive Guild styling and voice that helped shape popular music into the hands of todayās guitarists. GSR series guitars are distinctive limited-edition versions of some of Guild guitarsā most sought after and revered models. These exceptional instruments feature special and exotic wood selections and custom appointments not available on standard models, resulting in exciting new guitars that take the Guild legacy to new heights of elegant sound and performance.
The classic Guild Starfire V with Bigsby is a semi-hollow beauty with a graceful 16 3/8ā thinline body and twin Guild āAnti-Humā dual-coil pickups, arched top and back with dual f holes, elegant ivory white body binding, black/white purfling and center-block bracing, bound three-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany neck with vintage-style āsoft Uā profile, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with 9.45ā radius and pearloid block inlays, three-way pickup selector switch, individual volume and tone controls for each pickup and master volume, Adjusto-Matic bridge with rosewood base, Guild Bigsby B70 vibrato tailpiece, Grover Sta-Tite tuning machines, nickel hardware and a gorgeous Transparent Cherry Red gloss finish.
Guildās CE-100D Capri with Bigsby āold worldā-style 16 3/8ā cutaway body makes it comfortably easy to hold and play, and its twin Guild āAnti-Humā dual-coil pickups sing with a full, clear voice. The Capriās all-maple body features an arched top and back with a comfortable 3 1/8ā depth and sharp-looking Florentine cutaway, with dual f holes and elegant ivory white body binding and black/white purfling. Other premium features include parallel tone bar bracing, bound three-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany neck with vintage-style āsoft Uā profile, 20-fret rosewood fingerboard with 9.45ā radius and aged pearloid block inlays, three-way pickup selector switch and individual volume and tone controls for each pickup, Adjusto-Matic bridge with rosewood base, Guild Bigsby B60 vibrato tailpiece, Grover Sta-Tite tuning machines, nickel hardware and a stunning Antique Sunburst gloss finish with gloss Walnut Stain back and sides.
The limited edition M-75G Aristocrat LTD Gold features a luxurious gold metallic top with lightly stained mahogany back, sides and neck offset with nickel hardware. This unique compact guitar has a gracefully sculpted hollow body designed specifically to produce the resonance of a larger sized instrument. Other features include a 17ā x 3 1/8ā hollow body with venetian cutaway, select spruce top, mahogany sides & back, 3-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany neck, twin Guild āfrequency testedā single-coil pickups with individual volume and tone controls, 3-way pickup selector, rosewood bridge, Guild āharpā tailpiece and Grover Sta-Tite tuning machines.
The companion to Guildās M-75 Aristocrat guitar, the M-85 Bass boasts authentic mid-ā60s style with a compact semi-hollow body and big āBi-Sonicā bass pickup that together create the sonic boom of an instrument twice its size. The single-cutaway body measures 2.75ā deep and a mere 13.5ā across the lower bout, with an arched spruce top and maple back and sides. The body also features elegant ivory white body binding, black/white purfling, partial center-block bracing and dual finger rests. This distinctive bass also features a 30.75ā scale length, bound three-piece mahogany neck with a vintage-style āsoft Uā profile, 21-fret rosewood fingerboard with 12ā radius and pearloid dot inlays, volume and tone controls, combo bridge/tailpiece with rosewood saddles, Grover tuning machines, nickel hardware and cool Jet Black gloss finish.
The limited edition run of the GSR M-75 Aristocrat is an extra-elegant take on a true Guild classic. The compact Aristocrat-style hollow body has a single cutaway and an arched laminated spruce top with parallel tone bar bracing, mahogany back and sides and stately black-and-white binding. The bound three-piece mahogany-maple-mahogany neck has a comfortable profile and a 9.5ā-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and handsome pearl block inlays.
Strike gold with Guildās very special limited edition run of the GSR X-500D Stuart LTD. The single-cutaway hollow body has an arched laminated spruce top with parallel tone bar bracing and stylish f holes, flame maple back and sides and stately black-and-white binding and purfling. The five-piece maple mahogany neck has a comfortable profile and a 9.5ā-radius ebony fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets, black-and-white binding, special fingerboard purfling and pearl āVā block inlays.
The GSR X-150D Savoy offers fine appointments including a Guild Bigsby tailpiece make for a distinctively cool look, and the dual Guild humbucking pickups with three-way upper-bout toggle switching provide a distinctively cool sound. The single-cutaway hollow body has an arched laminated spruce top with parallel tone bar bracing and stylish f holes, flame maple back and sides and stately black-and-white binding. The bound three-piece mahogany-maple-mahogany neck has a comfortable profile and a 9.5ā-radius rosewood fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets and handsome pearl block inlays.
The compact Aristocrat-style hollowbody in the limited edition run of the GSR M-85 II Bass has a single laminated spruce arched top with parallel tone bar bracing, mahogany back and sides and stately black-and-white binding. The unbound three-piece mahogany-maple-mahogany neck has a comfortable profile and a 9.5ā-radius rosewood fingerboard with 21 medium jumbo frets and mother-of-pearl dot inlays.
For more information:
Guild Guitars
The legendary Louisville rockers brought tons of vintage tone tools on the road this year.
My Morning Jacketās Is, their 10th album, released on March 21, and as we reported in our feature on the band in our May print issue, it showcased a band exercising their classic strengths as well as newfound vision and curiosity. Helmed by superstar producer Brendan OāBrien, Is finds MMJ at their anthemic, psychedelic best.
We caught up with Carl Broemel for a Rig Rundown back in 2015, but on this yearās tour, PGās John Bohlinger checked in with all three axemenāJim James, Broemel, and bassist Tom Blankenshipāto hear about their road rigs. In Broemelās estimation, theyāre lazyāthey just like to bring everything.
Brought to you by DāAddario.
Three's a Crowd
This gorgeous Gibson Jimi Hendrix 1967 SG Custom, aged by Murphy Labs, initially had three humbuckers, but James kept hitting his pick on the middle pickup, so it got the yankāas did the hefty bridge and Maestro Vibrola system, which were replaced with a simple stopbar tailpiece.
Mirror Image
James picked up this 1998 Gibson Flying V right around when My Morning Jacket got started. He traced and ordered the flashy mirror pickguard himself. Itās got Gibson pickups, though James isnāt sure of the models.
Jim James' Jimmy
James plucked this one-of-a-kind from Scott Baxendaleās collection of restored vintage guitars. He guesses itās either an old Kay or Harmony guitar, but the decorations, including the custom plastic headstock plaque, make exact identification difficult. But it was clear this one was meant for James, since it has his name on it.
Elsewhere backstage is Jamesā Epiphone Jim James ES-335, a custom shop FenderĀ Telecaster and Strat, a 1967 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, and a Gibson Barney Kessel.
Make Love, Not War
James loves repurposing old military equipment for creative, peaceful purposes, which is how this old radar system came to be a part of his live amplification kit. Along with the old tech, James runs two 3 Monkeys Orangutan heads through a 3 Monkeys cab.
Jim James' Pedalboard
Jamesā board is built around a pair of GigRig QuarterMaster switching systems, which lets him navigate the stomps you see here: a Devi Ever US Fuzz, Boss BD-2w, SoloDallas Schaffer Boost, Boss OC-2, EarthQuaker Devices Spatial Delivery, Strymon blueSky, EQD Ghost Echo, Malekko Spring Chicken, ISP Deci-Mate, Electro-Harmonix Mel9, UA Starlight Echo Station, and UA Astra Modulation Machine. A DāAddario Chromatic Pedal Tuner duo keep things on pitch, a Strymon Zuma and Ojai pair handle the power, and a Radial SGI-44 line driver maintains clarity.
Arts and Crafts Night
One night while a bit tipsy, Broemel took out his paint pens and set to work on this Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, resulting in this masterpiece. He also removed the pickup selector switch; even though the neck pickup remains, it never gets used.
Relic By Broemel
This 1988 Les Paul Standard predates the band, and Broemel has given it its aged finish over the yearsāon one occasion, it fell out of a truck. Itās been treated to a Seymour Duncan pickup upgrade and occasional refrets when required.
Carl's Creston
This Creston Lea offset has two Novak lipstick pickups in the neck, with a switch to engage just one or both, plus a low-end roll-off control. Itās finished in the same blue-black color as Broemelās house and sports a basil leaf on the headstock in tribute to Broemelās son, Basil.
Also in the wardrobe are a shiny new Duesenberg tuned to open G, and a custom shop Fender Telecaster with a fattened neck and Bigsby to swing it closer to Broemelās beloved LPs.
Milk Route
Broemel routes his GFI Ultra pedal steel, which is tuned to E9, through a board which includes a Milkman The Amp, which is projected through the speaker of a Fender Princeton Reissue combo. Operated with another GigRig QuarterMaster, the board also includes an Eventide H9, Moog MF Delay, Fender The Pelt, MXR Phase 90, EHX Nano POG, Xotic Effects EP Booster, Source Audio C4, and a Peterson StroboStomp HD.
Side-Carr
This time out, Broemel is running two Carr Slant 6V heads in stereo.
Carl Broemel's Pedalboard
Broemel commissioned XAct Tone Solutions to build this double-decker board, which depends on a GigRig G3S switching system. From top to bottom (literally), it includes a Boss TU-3, Durham Electronics Sex Drive, JAM Pedals Tubedreamer, Source Audio Spectrum, JAM Retrovibe, MXR Phase 100, Fender The Pelt, Origin Effects SlideRIG, 29 Pedals EUNA, two Eventide H9s, Kingsley Harlot V3, JAM Delay Llama, Merix LVX, Hologram Chroma Console, and EHX POGIII. A wah and Mission Engineering expression pedal sit on the left side, while a Lehle volume pedal and Gamechanger Audio Plus hold down the right edge.
Utility units include two SGI TX interfaces, two Strymon Ojais and a Strymon Zuma, and a Cioks Crux.
More From the Creston Crew
Blankenship, too, has brought along a few guitars from Lea, including these Precision-bass and Jazz-bass models. The dark-sparkle P-style rocks with GHS flatwound strings, while the natural-finish J-style has roundwounds.
Emperor's New Groove
Blankenship just got these brand-new Emperor cabinets, through which he cranks his Mesa Boogie WD-800 Subway heads.
Tom Blankenshipās Pedalboard
Like James, Blankenship uses a GigRig QuarterMaster to jump between his effects. After his Boss TU-3, that includes an Origin Effects Cali76, DigiTech Whammy Ricochet, Pepersā Pedals Humongous Fuzz, MXR Bass Octave Deluxe, Tronographic Rusty Box, and EHX Bassballs Nano. A Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 Plus lights things up, and a Radial SGI TX keeps the signal squeaky clean.
Shop My Morning Jacket's Rig
EarthQuaker Devices host Echo Reverb Pedal
ISP Technologies DECI-MATE Micro Noise Reduction Pedal
Electro-Harmonix Mel9 Tape Replay Machine Pedal
EarthQuaker Devices Spatial Delivery Envelope Filter Pedal
Universal Audio UAFX Starlight Echo Station Delay Pedal
Universal Audio UAFX Astra Modulation Machine Pedal
Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster
Experience the pinnacle of Taylor playing comfort and tone with the Builderās Edition 514ce, 514ce Kona Burst, and 524ce. These models feature solid Shamel ash back and sides, uniquely voiced V-Class bracing, Gotoh 510 tuners, ES2 electronics, and a Deluxe Hardshell Case.
The Builderās Edition 514ce, 514ce Kona Burst and 524ce join our acclaimed Builderās Edition Collection, giving you more ways to experience the pinnacle of Taylor playing comfort and tone.
Each model boasts a gloss-finish cutaway Grand Auditorium body with solid Shamel ash back and sides, an artfully applied Kona burst on the back, sides and neck, uniquely voiced V-Class interior bracing, Gotoh 510 antique chrome tuners, ES2 electronics, and a Deluxe Hardshell Case.
Refined, comfort-enhancing features include a beveled armrest and cutaway, chamfered body edges and a smoothly contoured Curve Wing bridge. Italian acrylic āCompassā inlays and a vibrant firestripe pickguard add tasteful aesthetic accents.
Responsibly sourced from cities in Southern California, Shamel ash is given a second life as a tonewood in our premium-class guitars. It yields a focused, fundamental-strong voice with midrange power and balance comparable to Honduran mahogany.
Models:
- Builder's Edition 514ce - $3,399 - Featuring a natural Sitka spruce top paired with solid Shamel ash back and sides, the Builderās Edition 514ce delivers warmth, depth and musical versatility for any style or genre.
- Builder's Edition 514ce Kona Burst - $3,499 - Showcasing a vintage aesthetic flair, this solid Shamel ash/Sitka spruce model features a Tobacco Kona burst top.
- Builder's Edition 524ce - $3,499 - This model pairs solid Shamel ash back and sides with a mahogany topāalso featuring a Tobacco Kona burstāthat adds a bit of natural compression to help create incredible tonal balance across the frequency spectrum.
For more information, please visit taylorguitars.com.
Expansive range of subtle thickening and focusing tones to fuzz. Great alternative to run-of-the-mill overdrive and fuzz. Enables surgical shaping of guitar sounds within a mix.
Interactive, sometimes sensitive controls make certain tones elusive and lend the pedal a twitchy feel.
$179
Catalinbread Airstrip
With the preamp from a Trident A-Range console as their target, Catalinbread conjures up a varied gain device that can massage or mangle your guitar tone.
Replicating a recording console preamp in a pedal is a pretty elementary idea, but itās inspired stompboxes as varied as theJHS Colour Box andHudson Broadcast. All recording desksāand the pedals that imitate themāhave their own color. Catalinbreadās Airstrip chases the sound of a Trident A-Range channel strip. (Search āTrident Studiosā to get a handle on the kind of clientele the place attracted back in the ā60s and ā70s).
Presently, a new Trident A-Range channel strip costs thousands of dollars. An original? Well, only 13 desks were made, so you can probably get a nice used Rolls Royce for lessāif you can find one. Rightly then, one should temper expectations about how well a $179 pedal can ape a priceless console. But like many preamps in a box, the Airstrip excels at a wide range of gain-shaping tasks, from surgical boost and EQ shadings to fuzzy, filtered, ready-to-rip-through-a-mix Jimmy Page/Beatles/Neil Young-style direct-to-desk tones. Even at extremes, the Airstrip is sensitive to touch, volume, and tone dynamics, enabling pivots from light (if very focused) overdrive to ā60s germanium-fuzz-like sounds with changes in guitar volume and tone. And though itās dynamic and responsive, at many settings it also exhibits lovely compression tendencies, softening transients before giving way to wide-vista tone bloomsāa great recipe for spare, lyrical, melodic leads with a ā60s biker-flick-soundtrack edge. Without any of its market-leading competitors around for comparison, itās hard to say exactly how the Airstrip aligns with their EQ biases and core tones. What is certain is that there are scores of mellow to unconventionally aggressive colors here to explore.
AI, which generated this image in seconds, can obviously do amazing things. But can it actually replace human creativity?
Technology has always disrupted the music biz, but weāve never seen anything like this.
AI has me deeply thinking: Is guitar (or any instrument) still valid? Are musicians still valid? I donāt think the answer is as obvious as Iād like it to be.
As a professional musician, Iāve spent the vast majority of my days immersed in the tones of tube amps, the resistance of steel strings under my fingers, and the endless pursuit of musical expression. Each day, I strive to tap into the Source, channel something new into the world (however small), and share it. Yet, lately, a new presence has entered the roomāartificial intelligence. It is an interloper unlike any Iāve ever encountered. If youāre thinking that AI is something off in the ānot-too-distant future,ā youāre exponentially wrong. So, this month Iām going to ask that we sit and meditate on this technology, and hopefully gain some insight into how we are just beginning to use it.
AI: Friend or Foe?
In the last 12 months, Iāve heard quite a bit of AI-generated music. Algorithms can now ācompose,ā āperformā (with vocals of your choosing), and āproduceā entire songs in minutes, with prompts as flippant as, āWrite a song about__in the style of__.ā AI never misses a note and can mimic the finer details of almost any genre with unnerving precision. For those who are merely curious about music, or those easily distracted by novelty, this might seem exciting ⦠a shortcut to creating āprofessionalā sounding music without years of practice. But for those of us who are deeply passionate about music, it raises some profound existential questions.
When you play an instrument, you engage in something deeply human. Each musician carries their life experiences into their playing. The pain of heartbreak, the joy of new beginnings, or the struggle to find a voice in an increasingly noisy and artificial online world dominated by algorithms. Sweat, tears, and callouses develop from your efforts and repetition. Your mistakes can lead to new creative vistas and shape the evolution of your style.
Emotions shape the music we create. While an algorithm can only infer and assign a āvalueā to the vast variety of our experience, it is ruthlessly proficient at analyzing and recording the entire corpus of human existence, and further, cataloging every known human behavioral action and response in mere fractions of a second.
Pardon the Disruption
Technology has always disrupted the music industry. The invention of musical notation provided unprecedented access to compositions. The advent of records allowed performances of music to be captured and shared. When radio brought music into every home, there was fear that no one would buy records. Television added visual spectacle, sparking fears that it would kill live performance. MIDI revolutionized music production but raised concerns about replacing human players. The internet, paired with the MP3 format, democratized music distribution, shattered traditional revenue models, and shifted power from labels to artists. Each of these innovations was met with resistance and uncertainty, but ultimately, they expanded the ways music could be created, shared, and experienced.
Every revolution in art and technology forces us to rediscover what is uniquely human about creativity. To me, though, this is different. AI isnāt a tool that requires a significant amount of human input in order to work. Itās already analyzed the minutia of all of humanityās greatest creationsāfrom the most esoteric to the ubiquitous, and it is wholly capable of creating entire works of art that are as commercially competitive as anything youāve ever heard. This will force us to recalibrate our definition of art and push us to dig deeper into our personal truths.
āIn an age where performed perfection is casually synthesized into existence, does our human expression still hold value? Especially if the average listener canāt tell the difference?ā
Advantage: Humans
What if we donāt want to, though? In an age where performed perfection is casually synthesized into existence, does our human expression still hold value? Especially if the average listener canāt tell the difference?
Of course, the answer is still emphatically āYes!ā But caveat emptor. I believe that the value of the tool depends entirely on the way in which it is usedāand this one in particular is a very, very powerful tool. We all need to read the manual and handle with care.
AI cannot replicate the experience of creating music in the moment. It cannot capture the energy of a living room jam session with friends or the adrenaline of playing a less-than-perfect set in front of a crowd who cheers because they feel your passion. It cannot replace the personal journey you take each time you push through frustration to master a riff that once seemed impossible. So, my fellow musicians, I say this: Your music is valid. Your guitar is valid. What you create with your hands and heart will always stand apart from what an algorithm can generate.
Our audience, on the other hand, is quite a different matter. And thatās the subject for next monthās Dojo. Until then, namaste.