Does Guild’s reissue of their vintage T-50 live up to its Heritage?
Guild T-50 Slim Overview
Guild has been in a resurgence lately, after seemingly operating under the radar for a while. Enter the Guild T-50 Slim, which features an arched maple back and sides, bound mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, Guild’s “Harp” tailpiece, and a Franz P-90 “Dog Ear” pickup. Today’s Guild T-50 Slim is part of Guild’s Newark St. collection, and is based on Guild’s vintage T-50 from the 1960s. We’re always on the lookout for high quality, affordable jazz guitars, and at first glance the T-50 fits the bill nicely. Let’s see if it delivers.
First Impressions
Being relatively unfamiliar with Guild, I didn’t know what to expect with the T-50 Slim. If you’re asking what’s with putting “Slim” in the name, it refers to the body depth of 1 ¾”, which is considerably “slimmer” than many comparable hollowbody guitars (hollowbody guitars typically range from 1.5″—3.5″ body depth). Though it’s only 1 ¾” deep, it’s fully hollow laminated maple, so I expected at least a passable acoustic sound. Needless to say, I got that, and more. With a lower bout width of 16″, the T-50 Slim sits lightly, and comfortably on your lap.
Guild T-50 Appearance & Workmanship
The Guild T-50 Slim has a body constructed of maple, but the T-50’s appearance isn’t designed to “wow” you with flamed maple textures. The laminated maple body has some pretty grain lines, but they are modest and understated. One of the nice things about guitars with a single pickup is that there are typically only two knobs, a master volume and a master tone, which keeps the top of the guitar clean looking. The back of this particular guitar looked darker than in some of the photos I’ve seen online, and in person it is a deep, rich black cherry. The Harp tailpiece is compact and elegant looking.
The T-50 looked good in Guild’s Vintage Sunburst, with an even and consistent finish. The back of the mahogany neck was nicely glossy and not sticky at all, and I couldn’t spot any quality issues. I have to admit that I find the Guild name and logo on the headstock to be a classic look, and the entire guitar has a very put-together vibe.
Guild T-50 Feel and Playability
The first thing that grabbed me about the Guild was the playability. The neck was slimmer than I expected at the 1st fret, but bulks up nicely in the upper part of the neck. Guild calls the neck shape a Vintage Soft “U”, and the shape and slimness encouraged me to speed up my phrasing. The string feel was in the ideal tension zone, and there was a pleasant “springy-ness” to the strings from about the 5th-12th frets, as if the notes were popping off the ebony fretboard. This is a good thing! The tuners worked well enough, though I didn’t get the feeling they were top of the line. That of course, can be upgraded if you wish to do so.
The fingerboard radius on the T-50 is 9.5″, and the frets are “Narrow Jumbo”. I played the Guild before I knew these specs, and it’s further proof that the feel and playability of a guitar is a combination of multiple factors. In particular, the neck of the Guild felt like the fretboard was flatter than 9.5″, and the frets didn’t feel jumbo-sized to me. Of course, fret sizes are not standardized, and I suspect that Guild’s jumbo fret size is not as tall as other jumbo frets (see our article on fret sizes for more information). Nevertheless, I found the T-50 was an extremely playable guitar, and I entered the time-lapse state where you lose track of how long you’ve been playing.
T-50 Tones
Acoustic Sound
Because of its hollow body, I was expecting a decent acoustic sound, and that’s what I got. In fact, the sound was better than decent, and you could happily play the T-50 unplugged on the couch. Bear in mind that while the T-50 isn’t a deep, big box jazz guitar, it shares true hollowbody construction with those guitars, i.e., there is no center block. Therefore, its acoustic voice is superior to semi-hollow designs such as the ES-335.
Because of its relatively thin depth of 1 ¾”, the T-50 Slim didn’t project a ton of volume, but it was enough for solo or quiet ensemble playing. The Tune-O-Matic bridge has an ebony baseplate, and while not being quite as woody as a fully carved wooden bridge, offers individual intonation adjustments on each saddle. I feel that this is an acceptable compromise, especially in this price range.
T-50 Electric Tones
Not surprisingly, the T-50 shines when plugged in. The low output P90 uses Alnico 5 magnets, and delivers convincing jazz tones. The Guild’s tones, though not as rich and thumpy as say, an ES-175, are well within the realm of authentic jazz guitar neck pickup tones. Plugged into a Quilter Aviator Cub, I noticed a juicy vibe to single notes with the T-50, and that they have a sense of air around them. The sound is clear and balanced from low to high, and I didn’t hear any boominess from the low E string. I have to think that Guild’s choice of a P90 instead of a humbucker has something to do with this.
The other factor that I believe contributes to the T-50’s tone is the choice of maple for the top wood. There is certainly nothing wrong with laminated spruce for a top, and many guitars intended for jazz playing have spruce tops. However, I have found that maple tops particularly shine when plugged in, and add a little bit of compression to the high frequencies (that’s how I hear it, at least). The tradeoff is a little less acoustic volume, but it’s a tradeoff that I’ll happily make.
Here’s a very nice demonstration of the kind of jazz tone you can get from the Guild T-50 Slim, courtesy of Mikko Hilden:
Guild T-50 Slim Specifications
| Body Type | Hollowbody |
| Lower Bout Width | 16″ |
| Body Top | Arched Laminated Maple |
| Body Sides | Laminated Maple |
| Body Back | Arched Laminated Maple |
| Neck Material | Mahogany |
| Neck Shape | Vintage “Soft U” |
| Neck Thickness (1st Fret) | .78 / 20mm |
| Neck Thickness (9th Fret) | .94 / 24mm |
| Fingerboard Material | Ebony |
| Bridge | Guild Tune-O-Matic with Ebony Base |
| Nut Material | Bone |
| Pickup | Franz P90 Dog Ear |
| Controls | 1 Master Volume, 1 Master Tone |
Conclusion
I haven’t played a lot of Guild guitars, so I went into this review with an open mind. When I first started playing it, I found myself not wanting to put the guitar down, and that’s always a good sign. The tone, though not admittedly not quite as generous or rich sounding as some of the more expensive laminated archtops, sounded balanced all around, with a mellow top end that retains a pleasant chime. Though the Guild can do more than jazz, it shines for jazz tones. It’s thin and comfortable, but the hollow vibe is always there. Though this guitar will excel for jazz sounds, it could work equally well for blues and rootsy music, and substitute for a flat top when you’re looking for a different vibe.
I really enjoyed the Guild T-50, and therefore I can recommend this guitar. If you are looking for a reasonably-priced, comfortable guitar that will get you into the jazz realm, the Guild T-50 Slim takes you on a pleasant ride into that neighborhood. Happy Playing!
