Guild M-75 Aristocrat Hollowbody - Antique Sunburst Review

Plays Like Butter, but Crappy Electronics

Been a fan of the Aristocrat ever since I saw Brendan Benson playing one with The Raconteurs. It wasn't til years later that i found out these guitars are actually fully hollow, but in the Les Paul shape, which peaked my interest even more. Without a doubt, this instrument has the best playing fretboard I've ever felt. The fret and wood edges and are rolled so smoothly, it makes… read more fretting and bends feel so effortless and glassy. It sounds great plugged or unplugged, and I think I might throw a set of flatwounds on here eventually to get a little warmer tone. The pickups sound amazing as well, but this unfortunately leads us into the cons of this guitar. When the guitar first arrived, I had to drop the action down pretty far because it was astronomically high. This made it play really well, but something I realized soon after was that there's no way to adjust the pickup height. You can move the individual bobbins up or down to vary the individual string volume, but if you drop the action down like I did it leaves less than 1/16" between the pickup cover and the bottom of the strings. Not the end of the world for me because there's still room in between, but it's worth noting if you prefer a certain setup as this might prove more problematic. For me though, the biggest downside are the volume and tone pots. These have to be the most unresponsive electronics I've ever had on a guitar...the volume has nearly no audible change from 1 - 7, but then after 7 it suddenly gets incredibly loud. The tone pots are a similar story, basically anything past 3 is unusable and turning the knob from 0 to 1 is like flicking an on/off switch. It gets so sensitive and "ice picky" past 3 that the sound of your pick and fingers sliding along the strings almost becomes louder than the notes themselves. All this in mind, this is still an incredible feeling guitar. Just keep in mind that swapping out the pots for some professional ones would best serve this guitar so you can get the most out of it.

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Guild is back on top

One of the best guitars I have played, light weight , great feel, incredible sustain and beautiful tone .I had sweet water put 10 gauge strings and set it up for Me they did a great job as usual.

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Excellent Full Hollow Body!

This guitar is beautifully crafted, and sounds even better! I play through modified overdrive pedals and a tube amp. It has some incredible tones and controllable feedback upon demand for silky overtones. Obviously sounds fantastic played clean, but tones span wide with plenty of bass or high end to find that sweet spot thanks to tone knobs that actually make noticeable changes… read more with slight adjustments. Purchasing from Sweetwater was the perfect choice. The pictures shown were the exact guitar received with matching serial number. Lots of communication along the way, and a bunch of pictures from all angles were provided before shipment to ensure it was received in same condition. Brian Leavell was great to work with, and ensured I was satisfied with my choice. NOTE: This guitar no longer comes with the hard case like it used to. This is a change from Guild, and not Sweetwater’s choice. Other sites that show this model with case included are unloading old stock, unless maybe they’re running a package deal special. Me personally, I’d prefer one fresh from the factory over the one hanging on a wall, or sitting in a Warehouse for months.

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An updated classic that is worth every penny!

I have been a fan of the Guild M-75 Aristocrat ever since I saw the photo of John Lee Hooker playing one on the cover of his Legendary Modern Recordings album decades ago. I wasn’t able to afford a vintage one so when I discovered the Newark St. series version of this guitar at the NAMM show a few years back, I was blown away and had my heart set on purchasing one when the funds… read more were available. Well, it’s been a long wait but the time came and a great holiday deal from Sweetwater made it possible! This guitar was built flawlessly. It looks fantastic and is faithful to the aesthetic and sonic vibe and feel of the originals but with a definite improvement in the fretwork, playability and intonation. After finally having a chance to play it live in a few different musical situations and put it through its paces in the studio through an array of different amps and effects, I am completely sold on its quality and truly blown away by its versatility! From authentic Jazz, to Roots, to Blues, Funk, Classic Rock and evening Metal territory, this guitar can do it all! And it’s so lightweight, comfortable to play and stunning to look at, it is really a joy to experience this fine instrument!

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Very Nice, Very Playable

This guitar is a great value and it sounds great for playing old jazz standards and old country music from the 40's and 50's. It's an easy playing guitar, light weight and comfortable. The P90's (I am a big P90 fan) don't sound like other P90's I have, they have a lighter, almost chimney sound, but with a small tone knob adjustment, can give that thicker, hollow body jazz guitar… read more sound. This guitar is actually more versatile in its sound then I thought it would be, and would be great for classic rock / folk rock type of music. Sweetwater is the best place by far for buying a guitar online. They actually make sure the guitar is in good condition and they have always done excellent setups all the guitars I have purchased from them. Thanks to Chris Nunley for the great service he provides. Does a good job at follow through / follow up on all of my orders. Sweetwater is the one to buy you online guitars from.

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