I got this mainly for practising at home. Just to get a bit more sound without having to plug into an amp all the time.
Pros:
-Decent acoustic sound, more or less as expected. Obviously not loud enough to work in even an acoustic band without amplification but it's fine for my intended use.
-Nice electric sound. Better than expected. Good range on the tone control. I might actually use it for recording at some point.
-Nice gig bag. Not the flimsy, poor quality that often comes with cheap instruments.
-The neck feels great (apart from sharp fret edges, see below). Very nice setup, much lower action than expected. No fret buzz anywhere. The factory setup is much better than what I've come to expect from electric basses like MIA Fenders. I absolutely love the neck profile and the playability.
Cons:
-EXTREMELY sharp fret edges. I'm usually not very picky about this but this is the worst I've EVER seen! I actually cut my fingers on them. I'll have to bring the bass to a luthier to fix this or I won't be able to play it properly. Some of the frets are also a bit tilted and not properly seated into the fretboard. Very poor craftmanship. But strangely there is no fret buzz anywhere, even with the seemingly poor fretwork. Only time will show if any problems arise if the tilted frets start to settle into the fingerboard...
-A couple of minor flaws in the finish on the front. No big deal but still a bit disappointing. Also a small dent on the headstock. It looks to be below the finish so clearly from the factory and not shipping damage.
-The stock strings (D'Addario according to specs) sounded grotesque. Absolutely horrible for my taste. I changed them for Thomastik acoustic bass strings and they sound a LOT better (but the extremely low tension may not suit everyone). It sounds really nice now.
To sum it up:
We all know that Guild today isn't anywhere near the quality of the legendary Guild from decades past. This is an instrument that is mass manufactured in China and it in some areas it shows. It's ok for the price but unfortunately the price will turn out to be a bit higher when factoring in the work it needs to be playable. I would never have purchased this instrument if I had tested it in a store but it's too much hassle to return it for something that can be easily fixed (although at a cost). Plus I like pretty much everything about it except the sharp fret edges and have a very competent luthier nearby.
If it wasn't for the sharp fret edges I would have recommended this instruments without reservations. But it really isn't playable without fixing this.
Except for this rather serious flaw it's great for what it is. Obvioulsy not enough acoustic volume for anything but practicing alone but the same could be said for practically every acoustic bass out there.
Recommended if you are either skilled to fix the fret edges yourself or are prepared to pay a luthier to do it.
Stay away if you're looking for an instrument that is instantly playable out of the box.
