I was shopping for jumbo and went through so many (tons of Gibsons, some Taylors, some vintage Guilds JF-30 and even F-50 and boutique axes like Boucher jumbo). Then I stumbled upon F-40 Traditional (not the standard F-40)....And it was as dull as the other. But I forgot very important rule for acoustic guitar hunters - always get more then 1 version of potentially wanted model (each one can be different as day and night ), this rule worked for me so many times and given the fact that I own several Guilds already I wanted to give it a chance. Boy, was it a good decision ! Another one I got knocked my pants, boots and socks off (cannot find my baseball hat till this day) ! What a majestic tone (and tons of it )! What a projection and sustain ! The wood selection (omg that royal hog back ) and overall craftsmanship Guild is known for . So far - the best jumbo I had my hands on. If I recall correctly, this model was also supervised by one and only Ren Ferguson and it's right - the vision of this master shows all the way.

The sound is amazing, but if you live anywhere but the desert I wouldn't buy it. Even with humidity control pads in the case, the top swelled up enough that my luthier says there is no adjustment that can bring the action to normal height. So my F40 is basically great sounding junk. The warranty doesn't cover action so it is a total loss. I don't play it and I don't feel right trying to sell it. A big no on this one.