1978 D 25 CH

[Westerly Wood]

Wasn't an MOP inlay on the D15 headstock - was a very thin "pearl-ish" looking applique,
which was sealed under the finish. Might have been polyester film or something
similar.

my '84 D35 had this same one.

 

[D30Man]

My ‘78 D-35 has the brown headstock with gold letters.

 

[Westerly Wood]

My ‘78 D-35 has the brown headstock with gold letters.

my '71 D25 br has that too...

 

[beecee]

the Br and I have had our moments for sure, really good and really bad. it's kind of taken on a life of its own however, and never seems to care about my feelings on any given day...lol I often remind the Br that I am 4 years older, so....

Hey,

Did you ever consider trying different strings?

bwahahahahahahahahaha!

 

[Westerly Wood]

Hey,

Did you ever consider trying different strings?

bwahahahahahahahahaha!

BC, you know the Br has seen every acoustic guitar string ever manufactured.

 

[wileypickett]

Just checked the D15 -- I think Bonneville88 is right, the MOP Guild logo is slightly higher than the headstock itself, so I'm assuming it was glued to the top rather than inlaid into the top and then the lacquer was applied over both. (Looks great IMO.)

Next time I have the D25 handy, I'll check if the top braces go under the kerfing.

 

[adorshki]

T

One other thing that's interesting about my D15 is that the top braces don't go extend under the kerfing. If you've ever spent any time looking inside your guitars (I've taken up residence in some of them!) you've probably noticed there are little gaps under those bits of the kerfing to accommodate where the ends of the braces extend.

On my D15, there are no gaps, the kerfing is flush all around, and the top braces -- all of them -- thin out to nothing maybe 1/16" from the kerfing, so there's a space all the way around the guitar between the ends of the braces and the kerfing.

I assume this was a cost-cutting measure in constructing what were inexpensive guitars (but then why the MOP headstock logo?!), but it seems like it couldn't help having an impact on the sound of the instrument as well.

Only the edges of the top are glued to the kerfing -- the braces are all "floating," so to speak, ie, not in any contact with the sides of the guitar.

When the D4 Mahogany was introduced there was a comment that the bracing had been tweaked due to the stiffer top wood:

Suspect that's what you're seeing.

 

[D30Man]

I

BC, you know the Br has seen every acoustic guitar string ever manufactured.

I remember your string journey WW..

 

[D30Man]

When the D4 Mahogany was introduced there was a comment that the bracing had been tweaked due to the stiffer top wood:

Suspect that's what you're seeing.

Boy the maple on that D30 is like a pretty woman showing a little leg..

 

[wileypickett]

When the D4 Mahogany was introduced there was a comment that the bracing had been tweaked due to the stiffer top wood. . . . Suspect that's what you're seeing.

Oh great! Now I have to find a D4 mahogony!

 

[Westerly Wood]

I

I remember your string journey WW..

And after all that, I am back using D’Addarios.

 

[wileypickett]

And after all that, I am back using D’Addarios.

I occasionally veer (like some of our threads) to other brands, which can make for a change, but I always come back to my D'Addario EJ17s.

 

[Westerly Wood]

EJ

I occasionally veer (like some of our threads) to other brands, which can make for a change, but I always come back to my D'Addario EJ17s.

EJ17S great on my F30R.

 

[chazmo]

Congrats, Richard!

 

[D30Man]

I am a Martin lifespan guy..

 

[Bonneville88]

Oh great! Now I have to find a D4 mahogony!

Recently sold the 2nd one I had - liked it better than the first, imo was also more sonically distinctive
than a spruce top D4 I also recently let go.

 

[Bonneville88]

Back to the subject, sort of - the several D15s I had were, to my senses,
remarkably different than the all-hog D4s, and all the D25s that
have come through were all different too.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Back to the subject, sort of - the several D15s I had were, to my senses,
remarkably different than the all-hog D4s, and all the D25s that
have come through were all different too.

I would think there would have been more consistency of sound. Especially if the tonewoods are the same. Were the body dimensions slightly different?

 

[Bonneville88]

WW, I believe they were all standard Guild dread bodies - probably some small differences
in overall depth, neck thickness, nut widths. Aesthetically the
D15s seemed more "finished" and up close - visually somewhat upscale compared to the D4s.
IME none of the D15s, D4s or hogtop 25s could roar quite like a good spruce-top D25,
but they had their own tonal characteristics which could be appreciated. The last hog top D4 ('99) I sold
felt noticeably lighter than the last D15 I sold ('84), but I don't recall weighing on a scale to accurately compare.
The grain of the woods if you look closely varies quite a bit among Guild hog dreads - didn't compare side
and back wood, but from the front, here's an example of some:

 

[adorshki]

I would think there would have been more consistency of sound. Especially if the tonewoods are the same. Were the body dimensions slightly different?

Might be wrong, but I don't think body dimension variation would affect tone that much, but they were known to change bridge plate material without telling anybody.

That could be at least a part of it.