Guild bluesbird 97 Rhode island built

justtt007

Any views on the above? They seem very high quality, any of you guys own one?

Epsilon

I've not played a 97 specifically, but I've played a number of the Westerly Bluesbirds and they have all been absolutely great. Different feel to Gibsons but not a million miles away. They have chambered bodies for one thing, which I'll leave to you to decide whether that's desirable or not (personally I'm a fan). Slightly brighter and low output humbuckers than on a standard LP. The neck profiles have been a little different. Some were quite thin (thinner than a Gibson 60s) and some pretty chunky, so worth playing in person if you can.

In terms of quality they are every bit the equal of a good Gibson LP, and certainly more consistent. That said they are not really a Les Paul substitute so if that's what you're after then go for a LP.

justtt007

Thanks for the input, there aren't many of the Rhode island built models for sale but when they do come up they don't seem to command much money for a hand built usa guitar

Epsilon

Yes, so keep quiet and let's keep it that way! Guilds are great value in the USA/vintage market.