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I have the opportunity to buy a '90s Artist Award. How do these compare with, for example, a Gibson Johnny Smith or Heritage Golden/Super Eagle? I prefer a wider, rounder neck and my recollections of the few Guilds I've played are that the necks are on the slender side. Seems as if the carves (front and back) on the AA may be a little more pronounced as well. Any insights you could share are greatly appreciated.
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05-26-2018 02:20 PM
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I can't compare it to a Heritage, but recently got a 1989 Artist Award and since September 2016 am proud owner of a 1976 GJS.
Feel/ease of playing:
- the AA is easyer to play than my Gibson JS
- my GJS has very low frets, i guess that's why it is not as easy to play as the AA
- the GJS sounds somewhat thicker than the AA, it has more midrange, while the AA has a strong bottom, strong heights, but is not louder acoustically than the AA
- electrically i prefer the sound of the Johnny Smith
- both guitars have their own distinct charme, but if i had to decide on one i'd go for the Johnny SmithLast edited by JazzNote; 05-26-2018 at 04:04 PM.
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Without specifics, I know that George Benson played both. That was in the early 70's, the CTI days, and then he played a JS on the Breezin' album (1975 - ish). I saw him in a club in 1975 in NYC. He played an AA through a Twin Reverb. Nothing stands out for me as far as tone, he was.....George Benson!
My guitar teacher had many Gibson arch tops. Tal Farlow, Super 400, JS, and a Guild AA. He ditched them all for an L5 CES (early 60's), and AFAIK loves and keeps and gigs the L5.. Then he got a Custom ordered L5/JS. Don't ask me - I don't know the specifics, but that sounds to me like the ultimate ultimate Jazz Box. And now he plays thru a Deluxe Reverb, ditched the Twin Reverb.
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As with all things guitar, playing it is the only way to answer your question, but they are truly great instruments, on a par with anything else made in a factory setting ass far as quality goes, and those who love them REALLY love them.
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I owned one for a short time. I really didn't think of it as being in the same camp as Gibson Johnny Smith. It reminded me of something that Peerless might have made, and that's not a bad thing just not in the same league as a Gibson. Just uninspiring. Maybe it was a bad example.
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I have owned three Guild Artist Awards, a 1971 (built by Carlo Greco) and two of the Benedetto signature Artists awards (a 2000 and a 2001). All were great guitars. If I did not have 4 D'Angelico acoustic archtops, one or two of the Artist Awards would still be in my collection.
The Artists Awards are true acoustic guitars, they are more Johnny Smith than L-5CES to be sure, but there is a pickup issue. The old ones have a DeArmond 1000 or 1100. These are great, maybe even the best pickup ever for an acoustic archtop. The Benedetto signature AA's have a Benedetto pickup, which is a fine pickup. But in between, Guild used a humbucking floater that was not the best. The 90's example would have this less than stellar pickup and IMO, would be vastly improved by the addition of a Kent Armstrong Johnny Smith Pickup.
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Not owned a JS, however I owned and gigged a 92 AA for a few years. Others here on the forum may correct me, however I believe the JS has a shorter scale (25") than the AA of the period (25.5) we are discussing. And yes, the neck carve on my 92 was slender. I had no trouble adapting to the scale or neck carve. As SS points out, the 90's pickups were just OK, many have been changed out for Benedetto pickups now built by Seymour Duncan or KA units.
That said, I was very happy with my AA and only sold it when I obtained my 1990 Benedetto Cremona. Build quality on the Westerly AA's was generally exceptionally good. As pointed out in other threads, I agree that the AA is somewhat off many players radar, which is a shame most are excellent instruments.
Play both if possible, that's the only way to decide of course. Happy Hunting!
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The sound I'm going for is "miked acoustic." My preference is for roundwound strings, squeaks and all. I like the crispness of an "orchestra guitar." Wondering if the AA will do that, or if it might be a little too resonant for my preferences.
Originally Posted by JazzNote
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I don't think the AA would give you a ' miked acoustic ' sound......I've never played one, but I have lifted several, and they're at least ' L-5 heavy '. As dumb as that sounds, my reasoning is they are beautifully appointed and for that reason, have a lot of binding and inlay weight. I have read ( and learned ) both here and elsewhere that Jimmy D'Aq. often said binding and bling add nothing to the sound of a guitar, and I now really believe it. Originally Posted by buduranus2
So, if it's clear resonance you're looking for, a Plain Jane guitar may be the approach to take.
Just MHO, of course, and good luck.
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This is not correct. My 71 was a cannon of an acoustic guitar that could be played (and heard) unamplified. My Benedetto models were also quite acoustic and would sound great miked. The best L-5's and Super 400's all have plenty of "bling". Originally Posted by Dennis D
Some examples will be loud acoustically and some will not.
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For the "miked acoustic" sound .. you may want to actually get a small mic that can be clipped directly on the guitar
Some of the players here use them .. especially those that specialize in trying to get authentic 1930s and 40s guitar tones
As opposed to trying to get that sound out of the pickup
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I'll stand corrected. It just seems to me that the latter day L-5's and S 400's do indeed have ' that G sound', w/ bling to match, but acoustic volume isn't in the 'bake'. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
But if your '71 was an acoustic cannon, man, good for you !!
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I think you might be better off looking into something purely acoustic such as the Collings AT 16 (not sure the price) or perhaps an old acoustic L7 or something? Originally Posted by buduranus2
My experience is that modern carved archtops are designed so that the guitar and pickup together offer a coherent and balanced sound. This is a very different set of priorities.
It’s comparing apples and oranges.
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Give a shout out to Reg.
I think I saw him playing an AA on his video demos.
(Tried one at a guitar show....acoustic-y sounding to me, more so than an L5-CES...for sure....but it still sounded better plugged in, to my ear.)
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During the time I had my AA, I experimented with different strings. The photo I attached was when she was sporting LaBella flatwounds (they were a excellent match for that guitar). However I did string her up with some DA EJ17 Phosphor Bronze 13's and can confirm she was a super fine sounding acoustic archtop. Maybe not the loudest I've played but very balanced and old school chunky. Originally Posted by buduranus2
You might want to follow some of campus5's thread (Mr. Stout) on this forum. He's got much experience with acoustic archtop amplification in the real world. My understanding is he uses a clip on type mic on a Loar for gigging.
In my world, my Benedetto is set up for amplification, it's my working instrument. Bartolini floater into a Evans JE200. So her perfect string match and what she's set up for is the TI JS 13's. Does it sound "Acoustic"? Not totally. So, if I'm needing a miked acoustic tone I use my 53 Epiphone Triumph Regent and play into a mic. IMHO that is the best approach. However, it involves owning two guitars (oh darn!).
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Yeah I know a few guitarists interested in the old school thing who play Loar LH600s. I play mine a lot.
Not sure about Jonathan - I think he uses some vintage Gibsons now?
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Collings AT16 probably not an option lol... Maybe an old L7 is the ticket.
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16" acoustic archtops
This is what my Loar LH600 sounds like
And this what a Collings AT16 sounds like
So, I think the LH600 is a decent stab, obviously the Collings AT16 is better, but the Loar has that sound...
Now I think a vintage instrument might be your best bet for splitting the difference if you like the 16" acoustic archtop sound.
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I don't think you can go wrong with the AA, assuming it's in good shape. Once you get into that level of guitar, you can't blame the tools.
There are some subtle differences among the heavy hitters in terms of feel and sound. Whether those differences are better or worse resides solely in the land of opinion, not consensus.
I do agree with SS that the stock humbuckers aren't stellar. That's a simple change out. There are those who say the same about the GJS as well.
Happy hunting!
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Hadn't thought of that and seems intriguing. That said, I wonder how I'd mount it to the guitar to get an even consistent response without having it get in the way. Maybe I can find some photos online. I really like the sound Joe Pass gets on Appasionato. Looks like it's a blend of pickup and mic. Originally Posted by Bluedawg
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Basically it depends on the actual Guild AA you're looking to buy, just like any other guitar. You'll get good ballpark answers here about the general specs, and tone. But you really need to play the guitar itself to see if it meets your personal needs.
My preference is to go with a Gibson or similar build, since I'm generally more in sync with their builds. For a lower cost alternative Eastman 810CE is a great bang for the buck, and generally have a bit larger necks than most others. Especially if play a bunch f used ones.
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Is there any consensus what the best year-range is for Guild AAs?
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As i use TI swing flatwounds on all of my archtops i can not say. However, the tone with the flatwounds is quite resonant, which i like a lot, but i couldn't say if it was too much for your preferences with roundwounds. Originally Posted by buduranus2
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I had a 1975 AA that I bought new. I played it for 30 years. It had the DeArmond 1100. Probably one the best guitars I ever had. I only off'd it because it was developing binding issues. I sold it to a guy for $4K and he flipped it at archtop.com for $6K. It had the best woods I have ever seen on any guitar ever.
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Depends on specs that you like. There are good and not so good examples from every year (like any guitar model by any maker). Originally Posted by ugarte
Some have a 24.75 scale, some have a 25.5 scale and some have the Guild 25 5/8 scale.
Some have a 1 5/8 nut, some have a 1 11/16 nut and the Benedetto series have a 1 23/32 nut.
Some have a Dearmond 1000 or 1100 pickup, some have a Guild Humbucker and the Benedetto series have a Benedetto pickup
There are few Artist Awards with an 18 inch lower bout.
Also bear in mind that the first of these guitars (in the 50's) were called the Johnny Smith Award, as were the last of these guitars ( which were made in Corona California).
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