Jumbos: Guild v. Gibson
 

Any jumbo players have a strong preference, one over the other? Am looking used (low $2K-ish): F-50 v. SJ-200. I invite all input, including "there are better jumbos out there..." Thanks!
Daniel

There's only one jumbo that worth having and that's a J-200 (or J-150 if youre smart)

Its the king of the flat tops for a reason.

GibbyPrague is alittle bias, as you can tell by his name and signature... :)

Both are great guitars. I've played both and really liked them.

The F50 I played had an arched back and I "think" it had Laminate back and sides.. Not "real" sure if it was true Maple.. Sounded grand though.

On the flip side and Hats off to Gibson... If you ever get your hands on a great sounding SJ(j)200/150 you'll know it. Some have that wow factor and IMO they are worth getting over any other jumbo 6 string. As Gibby said.. King of the Flat top for a reason.

12 string.. different animal and Guild owns

I suggest you hunt down an older Guild F-50, either a regular arched back maple or - even better, an F-50R from the early '70s. The F-50R was solid rosewood, and were made with what they called "premium" rosewood since they were Guild's flagship model acoustic. Back in those good old days, "premium" meant Brazilian - though you'll hear widely differing opinions on this I'm sure.

Overall Guild acoustics sound better and are much cheaper than typically overpriced Gibson guitars IMO. Better bang for your buck than any other American made vintage jumbo out there.

I love acoustic guitars :D!

Only the unbraced arch back of the Guild F-50 is laminated, the sides are solid.
The Guild F-50 and Gibson SJ-200 would probably top my 6-string guitar 'wish-list'.
I have a Guild F-412 which is really the 12-string version of the F-50. Same body size and unbraced arch back. Heavy guitar, very stable neck, stays in tune for months, great volume and very balanced tone.
I've only played 1 Gibson SJ-200 and loved the tone but was surprised at the lack of volume from a jumbo bodied guitar. Need to play more of them.

I am fairly new to the world of Jumbos but had the opportunity to play about four different SJ-200's on one day, including one modern one and two from the 1994 Centennial Collection. The differences between them, including price, were considerable so it would be very important to try them out and not just think of a "typical" guitar. Also right now there are two Guild Orpheum Jumbos on eBay, which I think represent everything that Ren Ferguson had built at Gibson and then brought forward to Guild into a new package. That could be a middle road between the two ...

Sweet.. I didn't know Ren and Guild were up in production and shipping out guitars yet.. I can't wait to try one out.. :guitar:

Agreed. In addition, even though Guild has been through good times and bad, bounced from one owner to another, their quality has stayed consistent over their entire history. I can't say the same for Gibson.

The only beef I have with Guild 1960s and 1970s steel string guitars is the narrow, low profile neck. I was the original owner of a '74 F50 and I loved the sound. Unfortunately, my old arthritic left hand could no longer tolerate that neck shape without cramping, so, after 30 years, I sold it. Been playing Martin 1 3/4" modified-V necks for about 10 years now and they are ergonomically correct for me. I also prefer smaller body guitars due to shoulder issues.

I wish somebody around here carried newer Guild F30s with the 1 3/4" nut width. I'd love to try one.

I own a Gibson SJ-200 and a Guild F-512 (12-string jumbo). I got the Gibson primarily because the Guild jumbo six-strings didn't have a 1 3/4" neck. I like the Gibson a lot. But if Guild had made a jumbo with a 1 3/4" nut width, I doubt I would have ever gotten the Gibson. Guild provides a lot of guitar for the price. Gibson provides a lot of guitar at a substantially higher price (at least when i was looking at the two).

A vote for Guild Jumbo's
 

You might also look into late 80's Guild JF50' 55's and similar.

The Let's Talk Guild forum would be a good place to ask this question too.

I'll put in a vote for the Guild Jumbo (or mini jumbo). I have a late 70's F40 that has been a regular player for 30 years now. I love my Martin and my Gibson, but the old Guild still gets plenty of action. Mine has the arched back maple and holds its own just fine, in spite of being laminate. I don't believe all laminates should equate with lower quality.

If I ever sell the Guild it will be because of the thin neck, just like bobcat. My Guild and Martin can lead to hand cramping if I play them too long. Arthritis in the fretting thumb joint is leading me to thicker necks. Funny you should mention the shoulder thing too Bob, that is just starting to be a problem for me at 64. I may have to try a ooo-28ec one of these days to demo both the smaller body and the thicker v-neck.

OP, even if I trade out some guitars to get the ooo-28ec, I'll still keep the Guild...it's that good!

If you're looking for a dark horse in this race, Larrivee jumbos are pretty danged awesome.

Also I dearly love my Taylor jumbo although it's very, very different than either Guild or Gibson.

Thanks to all 16 of you who replied. I always learn more than I planned when I put up a question here. Your answers confirm my suspicions: which is better depends on the example, Gibson is like a cult, Guilds can be plain, but a good one is a terrific instrument at a decent price, and there are other options (like Larrivee). Good stuff. I appreciate your input.

I'm not going to dog Gibsons. I have played some excellent ones, and would love to own a J-185 some day. I played a J-100 in the early 90s that was terrific.

But I like the Guilds better on the whole. If you want bang for your buck, find a Gruhn-era (late 80s-early/mid 90's) JF-30. Just huge-sounding. They are solid maple sides with an arched, laminate maple back, like most Guild jumbos.

I`ve got a Gibson J-100 Xtra (94 Hog), and a 94 Guild JV-52 (EIR). Two completely different sounding Jumbo`s. The Guild is brighter, well balanced very loud, and fingerpicks like a good OM. The Gibson is warmth personified, and mine sounds like a much bigger and richer J-45.

I have owned two J-200`s over the years, one with Rosewood back and sides, the other with Maple. But on balance I prefer the mahogany warmth of the J-100 Xtra.

Sorry, I just realised that this was an old thread. Hope you got what you wanted deebeewhy.

Steve.