Guild American Patriarch Artist Award Demo and Tone Review

http://www.musicstorelive.com/1173012
(855) 790-8490
Music Store Live is proud to present this Guild American Patriarch Artist Award! This Guild Artist Award might be the best new archtop we've had in the shop. This guitar's peers are not other hollow body guitars but rather high-end, hand built orchestral instruments. There is a perfectly balanced acoustic quality to this instrument - both aesthetically and sonically - that can't be faked: It's the kind of feel and sound that happens only when a small team of incredibly talented luthiers hand-builds an instrument.

First things first: This guitar is the epitome of what a good archtop should sound like. It's really an acoustic instrument that can be amplified rather than an electric hollow body guitar. Unplugged, this guitar is louder, woodier and more articulate than most high-end acoustic guitars. Single note lines have a way of leaping off the fretboard, just bright enough to really speak and just dark enough to have that unmistakable hollow body warmth. Chords remain clear in every register and the separation is immaculate, perfect for solo jazz playing. If you've played any of the purely acoustic archtops that Gibson built in the '40's and '50's, it's similar to that kind of sound, but louder. Plugged in, it's the same thing, just with more volume. The neck is full and round, with '50's beefiness all over it. It's comfortable in every register and has a way of disappearing when you're trying to grab chords with big reaches. The construction is immaculate - not one cut or angle could be any better.

It's almost impossible to get an archtop perfect, but Guild has managed to do it. If you're in the market for a high-end, American made, hand built hollow body guitar, you need to check this out. Feel free to give us a call to chat about this one more.
Item Details

This Guild American Patriarch Artist Award has a carved solid spruce top with a carved solid flame maple back and laminated figured maple sides. Solid tops and backs give archtops a characteristic woodiness that tons of players hunt down. And since the pickup floats above the top rather than sitting in it, there's not an extra hole to compromise the vibrations of the spruce. This is one of the reasons this guitar sounds as good as it does. At 3.125" body depth and 17" lower bout length, this guitar is on the bigger side. The vintage soft "U" shape neck is a 5-piece maple/walnut combination, and it features an ebony fretboard with 20 frets and a 10" radius. The inlays are two-tone Mother of Pearl/abalone blocks. The 24.75" scale length and 1.627" nut width creates an easy, natural feel. The pickup is a DeArmond 1100 "Rhythm Chief" floating pickup, and there's only one knob - volume. This guitar is responsive enough that your fingers function as the only tone knob. There is a compensated ebony bridge, Grover Imperial Die-Cast tuners and a bone nut.

Instruments like this are rare. If you're looking for the last archtop you'll ever need to buy, give us a call. We'd love to chat more about this guitar.

Specs

Guild American Patriarch Artist Award
Hand-Built in New Hartford, CT
Carved Solid Spruce Top
Laminated Flame Maple Sides
Carved Solid Flame Maple Back
3.125" Body Depth
17" Lower Bout
Body Binding: Ivory White with Multiple Black/White Purfling
5 Piece Maple/Walnut Neck
Vintage Soft "U" Neck Profile
Ebony Fretboard
Vintage Two-Tone Mother-Of-Pearl/Abalone Block
10" Fretboard Radius
20 Vintage Style Frets
DeArmond 1100 "Rhythm Chief" Floating Archtop
Volume Knob
Scale Length 24 3/4"
Bone Nut
Nut Width 1.627"
Guild Compensated Ebony Bridge with Ebony Base
Grover Imperial Die-Cast Tuners
Gold Hardware
Guild Original Hard Shell Case