Honest Review & First look - GUILD Bluesbird - Les Paul Competition?

[@paulj0557tonehead]

Love my black Bluesbird. Incredible build quality. Flawless, but the 3-way toggle needed to be genuine Switchcraft [spend the extra $12 Fender...or whoever owns Guild now, I did]. Not complaining, I got Bluesbird brand new (with protective clear plastic film still on the pickups etc), but found it's way to my Columbus, OH Music-Go-Round for $450 _because_ of the faulty 3-way toggle (loose and staticky...so knew pickups were good). I grabbed it up quick at 2/3rds off list! [The Vol/ Tone pots are large high quality Gibson Les Paul variety]. The Seymour Duncan JB bridge and 1959 neck pickups sound great. YES IT CAN ROCK and everything in between. The case is a really high quality stiff lined soft case. Quality rugged fabric, 2 zipper, large embroidered 'G' LOGO, and padded handle and backpack straps. I really really dig the case if you can't tell. My GIT MI days would have appreciated it! Good large pocket too. As far as the Grover open gear tuners go, they are great! Simple, smooth, and I've never noticed any strain or awkwardness. Fact is, it's intonation and tuning are so stable I hardly need to touch the tuners. Black Bluesbird prospective buyers and owners: You might be confused about the style choice of the pickguard. I certainly was. I'm a rocker, but the pickguard looks like honkytonk or...I would have said jazz even, but was avoiding that style curse. lol Actually, had I gone there before I made a customized Les Paul pickguard to see how it would look ( eh'...not great) I'd have realized Guild chose a Gibson ES-335 pickguard style! Funny how the brain works. Suddenly the pickguard shape was okay. I'm sort of a 335 fan...I mean they've been known to rock. The more important thing though, is that Guild actually used the Les Paul shape, made it slightly larger, thinner, chambered both sides of the guitars body outside the pickup line, gave it a 335 horn cutout shape, AND a 335's pickguard. So it's all good. A great guitar! And at 7.0 pounds, my shoulder really loves it. As far as SUSTAIN goes, it fades a little quicker than a Les Paul, but a seasoned Les Paul owner knows that these guitars _actually_ sustain for days due to 'Technique'. You don't just fret a Les Paul, you 'grab and grind in' your notes. This is the magic!

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@lorricook806]

Thanks for checking out the Guild Bluesbird, I though it sounded great, and better than I expected, for a non-U.S. made guitar.

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Absolutely!

[@philipbeasley72]

It's chambered. Grover tuners. 59 humbucker and jb humbucker Seymour Duncan pick-ups

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Thanks man. I guessed a couple of those.

[@JeizonSam]

Nice review. Looks like a practical (weight/price) alternative to a Les Paul without sacrifing tone/fit/finish. I'm intrigued by the Kemper profiler.

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Absolutely! Kempers are incredible! I have the powered version so I can just plig that straight into a speaker cab.

[@pipotherium]

Nice demo. They are great guitars

[@CptFnMarvelous]

That was a great review. I'd like to see you review a 10s Les Paul style guitar.

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Great request! Ill start hunting!

[@davesegal2631]

I own one. Had it to my luthier for some fret work and a custom setup. Just a great, great guitar. The JB in the bridge can really make this guitar a rock machine. It is not like a Les Paul at all. I feel like it sounds more like a typical dual Humbucker Super Strat. Definitely a great all purpose instrument. Only thing is that the inlays stop at the 17th fret so if you are playing any Metal or Hard rock lead then keep that in mind.

[@gernotboesser6901]

What do you exactly mean by "a custom setup" ?

[@davesegal2631]

@@gernotboesser6901 A new nut, bridge height adjustment, intonation, pick up height, and neck relief setting. Stuff you can do yourself but I have found it will take me a month to do what a luthier can do in 1 hour.

[@gernotboesser6901]

@@davesegal2631 Thanx a lot mate 👍🤝

[@branislavmilosevic787]

I missed that "punch" on my Les Paul Studio, and yes, damn,....Bluesbird have it. Especially on the neck pickup, its not muddy a on LP. Much more clear&airy. Dont like the middle position, its without character, but, anyway, great, great HH instrument.

[@nhm1069]

I've owned this guitar for almost three years now. I like everything about it except that the bottom (high) e string keeps buzzing. I've tried to fix it myself several times and have taken it in three times now to get it professionally set up but it keeps going back to buzzing like crazy after a couple of weeks. I don't want to trade it in but I might replace it this week. By the way, mine does have the push/pull knobs for single coil

[@JamesCarter-be9cn]

Sounds like I own your old guitar.

[@wedrivebynight]

Ive owned one of these for like 15 years. Prefer it to my les Paul sometimes

[@cablecutter12]

Thank you for verifying no coil split

[@shawnstarks1743]

I have one of these. I must say I luv it. However, it sounds nothing like a Les Paul and I own several of those. This guitar sounds a lot more “airy” and thin because it’s chambered. Easy to play and worth the price. But, a challenger for the Les Paul? No. Genre wise, I would say Jazz Fusion, Alternative, and Pop music.

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Great feedback! We had a couple hard rock guys bring them in so that must have set my mind in that space. Cool to hear such versatility out of this instrument and I love the chambered sound too. Do you have chambered les pauls?

[@shawnstarks1743]

@@RamonaMusicCenter Thanks for the positive reply. No, I never owned a chambered Les Paul. However, I did own a 1997 Guild Bluesbird USA, the guitarist in the band (Garbage) Steve Marker played those. Anyway, those were chambered also. They sounded airy also. They were a lot thicker than these new models. Weighed about 8.5 pounds.

[@lilgusion2956]

Can you do (yung danari breathe) I try looking gor it on KZbin but couldn't find any ☺ so it'll be great if u do it in ur next content 😃 thanks 🙏

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

I'll check it out!

[@guy7688]

can you play on my own by Zach Diamond

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Ill check it out!

[@jamesofalo6247]

First time I heard a guitar review and the reviewer keeps repeating he has to look up info about the guitar he should've already known before the review.

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Think of these as blind unboxing reviews. Specs are easy to look up but trying to show whether certain things make a discernable difference. Just an attempt at a different approach

[@Tahquitz]

It almost sounds as if the middle position is out of phase… Interesting

[@New_Zealand_Music]

I'm sure there's a fine. But myself. ID rather go with a 1998 Dearmond anyday. For example. These guitars are selling as a rule. For more second-hand on Ebay. Then these reissues new. I wonder what that says. By the way no offence. No doubt these will pick up in price as the years go by. ID probably guarantee that, even if I prefer the others. Completely different sound the guild. Nice

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

Dearmonds are killer guitars too. I'll try to chase one down to compare!

[@New_Zealand_Music]

@@RamonaMusicCenter Awesome, thank you. When I found out that it was made in Korea (Guild). And seems very good quality. I definitely think it will go and price. I think generally the main difference. Besides there M75T, which is carved and the chambers, the Dearmonds have hotter pickups. Both of mine were made mine were made by Fendor in 1998. Can't believe when fender made them. They're only made for one year 98. Are you interested in comparisons of a valve amplifiers. Because I've got a killer YT link to a amp comparison which you won't believe. And you're playing SS prices for a tube amp. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpmYmXiwoJWci6s (intheblues). Thank you very much. 449 USD 😮

[@jarrydee2799]

Hard to tell how it really sounds, using a room mic is not ideal

[@RamonaMusicCenter]

I guess i was tired of reviewers using an amazing royer ribbon mic and bad ass preamp. I thought it would be harder to trick an apple mic than editing in a daw.