1976 = "Vintage" ... yer right

Jez6345789 · June 2023

I did a bit more digging on the Tacoma stuff as back in the day I sort of fancied a Papoose and a couple of others they did over the years, even toyed with the idea of building a Papoose-style guitar as a project it always seemed a nice sound to put in a mix also think a 9 string would work well.

Anyway looking for the body dimension of the Papoose I came across a PDF catalog and I saw an interesting note that they used a proprietary finishing method using 3 coats of hand-applied base and UV-cured top coats. This flagged in my memory of the delaminating that has affected PRS and others who played around with UV-cured lacquer, back for a while there was a system being touted around the US back in that era as the future of finishing, quick easy, fast drying, immediate buff out, etc.

So perhaps they were using that system and the view was they needed a classic finish on the Guilds I know some of them have been Nitro. Anyway just like these historical mysteries.

Tannin · June 2023

^ Ahah. So they were trying harder and getting a worse result. Isn't that so often the way.

My Tacoma-built Guild, as a matter of interest, has a full gloss poly finish (at least I take it to be a poly - it's visually similar to those very shiny, thick, clear finishes you see on cheap no-name guitars. Doesn't seem to have affected the sound. But the CO-2 was an un-Guild-like Guild - bolt-on neck, carbon-fibre neck block, severely plain headstock, all done in the cause of finding a way to make guitars in the USA at prices to match Asia. (But then they used a fully bound neck and an expensive Red Spruce ("Adirondack") top. Go figure.)

There is a Tacoma Thunderhawk for sale in the classifieds at the moment. I unreservedly recommend it to anyone interested. They are awesome guitars, quite unique. The orange-peel finish flaw is practically a necessary seal of authenticity and of no consequence to either the sound of the lasting qualities of the instrument. Purely cosmetic.

Designed to be tuned in A and pretty good at that, but far better with light baritone strings https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings-c1/string-sets-c865/acoustic-guitar-c33/john-pearse-80-20-bronze-15-68-baritone-acoustic-guitar-strings-light-p10318 or a same-gauge set custom-made from Newtone in your choice of materials. Strung like that and tuned to C the instrument has a cello-like rasp and ring no other guitar can match. (Actually, that low C is the same note a cello is tuned to, and the oversize Thunderhawk jumbo body is getting on for the same size as a cello.) It's the lower-spec model in mahogany as compared to my top-of-the-range BF28c in figured maple but that should not make a lot of difference to the sound.

Don't be put off by the very long scale, it is perfectly manageable and easy-peasy if you have ever played a bass guitar.

At the asking price of a thousand quid, assuming decent condition, it's a bargain. I paid more than that for mine pre-pandemic, and have been offered double the price since then.

(Recommendation subject of course to the usual qualifications re condition of that actual example of course.)

S56035 · June 2023

I was born in 1976 and I'm definitely vintage.....assuming vintage mean old and creaky.

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1976 = "Vintage" ... yer right

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