GAD question phrased differently

[learner]

I understand why you closed the post amd I don't want to cause any friction. I haven't been able to find an F-30 or F-40 here in Pittsburgh and I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it to drive somewhere else to try one. How about this -- if anyone has played both a domestic and imported orchestra size Guild, can you try to describe how they sound different to your ears? (By the way, I love my GAD, but like most of us, I imagine there might be another Guild of the same size that I might like better.).

Thanks,

Vin

 

[killdeer43]

Vin,
This is a tough assignment you're handing out here!
No matter how you phrase it and no matter what we all think about what our ears tell us, it's going to be up to your ears in the end. I've played both but I don't know how to tell you what you want to hear. Try 'em all....pick one you like and move forward.
You've already said that you love your GAD, and that's good enough for me. What do you want to hear?

You, sir, appear to be on the horns of a dilemma.

With due sincerity, :wink:
Joe

 

[learner]

Thanks Joe; I'll do that. When I find one, I suspect I may not hear a difference because I've only been playing for a year and a half or so and it seems to me that my ears are not as discerning as more experienced players I've been around. Also, if the two guitars do sound different I don't know that it would be attributable to where they were built; it's too small a sample. That's why I asked the guys on the forum -- I figured they would have tried a much larger sample. Oh well, I'll report back when I find a USA model.

Vin

 

[killdeer43]

Best of luck in your quest!

Joe

 

[Ridgemont]

I am mainly responding to this question because I struggled with the same exact issue, but the wise old bird hit the nail on the head by saying it is up to your ears to decide. I started out with the GAD30, which was a very decent guitar. After a while I started to realize that this specific guitar was a little dull in the bass. Coincidentally, around this time an internal brace came loose and Guild replaced the guitar with a GAD30R. This one was very loud, crisp, and full. It was pretty much the complete opposite of my original mahogany version. After a while I realized 2 things: 1) I miss the mahogany small body and 2) while I really like rosewood, I could not connect with this guitar. Treem helped me find an F30 which is fabulous and everything I could hope for. It is bright, woody, and very midrangy. Not like my original GAD30 which was somewhat dull all around. I recently sold my GAD30R and am saving up for a rosewood replacement that I like. I am telling you my personal experience with three guitars, and not trying to make a general statement that F30s are better than GADs. Every guitar is different. If you have the opportunity to compare, I would encourage you to do so and let your ears decide.

 

[chazmo]

I understand why you closed the post amd I don't want to cause any friction. I haven't been able to find an F-30 or F-40 here in Pittsburgh and I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it to drive somewhere else to try one. How about this -- if anyone has played both a domestic and imported orchestra size Guild, can you try to describe how they sound different to your ears? (By the way, I love my GAD, but like most of us, I imagine there might be another Guild of the same size that I might like better.).

Thanks,

Vin

Vin,

The only answer is to seek 'em out and use your own ears. For me, the joy is in the hunt. The rare, exciting experience of pulling a guitar off the shop wall and having your hair blown back (not that I have any) is something I both hope for and dread. Frankly, it was the F-512 years ago that gave me that experience and brought me into the Guild fold. IMO, Guilds can have that effect.

For the record, depending on the kind of person you are, you may find that there is (almost) always a guitar out there that will sound better to you or play better. The hunt for the perfect collection is a lifelong pursuit, as many will attest to here. There are only a few players I know who are convinced they have the best guitar(s) for them and there's nothing out there that will tickle their fancy.

Here among the LTGers, you're going to find lots of different opinions. E.g., for me the small body Guild acoustics don't send me, the dreads are really good, and the large bodies are heaven. The key point is that there are many dimensions to these opinions.... Some of us are wedded to Guild because of either something specific in Guild's history or something about their underdog status through the years or (as in my case) even their remarkable ability to produce consistenty great guitars for over half a century (and still going).

I'm going to have to keep an eye on this thread though, Vin, because the subject of comparing GADs to USA-built models often leads us astray. Please try to avoid the obvious pitfalls.

 

[learner]

Thanks Chaz, Tom, Joe, Ridge, everyone. As far as I'm cocerned, the question has been answered Chaz. I'm fine with you closing it.

Vin

 

[killdeer43]

Along the lines of finding the perfect guitar, it's certainly an individual quest. I found my current favorite/perfect guitar more or less by accident.

F112-6

When I decided to modify my F-112 into a 6 string, it was more of a whim than anything else. But, lo and behold, this is now one of my all-time favorite guitars. Adding a new nut balanced the strings across the fretboard and the 1 13/16 width at the nut makes this an extremely comfortable guitar to play.
And I had no idea it was going to sound as good as it does! This is my current go-to guitar and the D50 can only wonder, what happened to us?
In the end, Vin, YOU will know it when you hold it, play it, and hear it. Who knows what's out there waiting for YOU?


Joe

 

[chazmo]

Joe, what you did with the F-112 was very prescient. The new Standard Series 6s have a wider neck which is only a sixteenth" narrower than your F-112.

It's interesting that with 12-string bracing your guitar sounds so good. Chalk that up to a fundamentally great body shape.

 

[learner]

Nice Joe! I like the darker hue of the top!

Vin

 

[Scratch]

Along the lines of finding the perfect guitar, it's certainly an individual quest. I found my current favorite/perfect guitar more or less by accident.

F112-6

When I decided to modify my F-112 into a 6 string, it was more of a whim than anything else. But, lo and behold, this is now one of my all-time favorite guitars. Adding a new nut balanced the strings across the fretboard and the 1 13/16 width at the nut makes this an extremely comfortable guitar to play.
And I had no idea it was going to sound as good as it does! This is my current go-to guitar and the D50 can only wonder, what happened to us?
In the end, Vin, YOU will know it when you hold it, play it, and hear it. Who knows what's out there waiting for YOU?


Joe

Know what you mean, Joe. I gave up my 'new' D50 for the 'old' GF-25. Nothing quite like a 'comfy hog' eh?

 

[killdeer43]

It's interesting that with 12-string bracing your guitar sounds so good. Chalk that up to a fundamentally great body shape.

You know, I have to admit to being taken aback at how good it sounds. The sustain is amazing and again, the comfort and playability factors get very high marks.

Oh yes, a great little body, too! :wink:

Thanks,
Joe

 

[Ridgemont]

You see Vin, different strokes for different folks. Playability can make or break a guitar. Joe loves the thick neck, but I can't comfortably play anything larger than 1&3/4. It will be best to play them all to know what is best for you.

 

[adorshki]

Vin, I'll point out one thing about Westerly built guitars specifically that always stuck in my mind and was stated in their factory lit in '96: there was more "hands-on" assembly put into Westerly Guilds than any other "production-line" brand of that era. Every guitar was double checked by every worker as it went through the assembly stages. So you wound up with a guitar where every possible flaw was addressed and corrected, and all the "potential" was maximized before it got to "final inspection" for sign-off.
There's so much more to building a guitar than simply gluing pieces together after the NC machines have cranked out a bunch of parts. Those guitars may all be perfectly spec'd and assembled.... BUT:
The little finishing details that each individual guitar needs because EVERY PIECE OF WOOD IS UNIQUE, are probably skipped on a "best cost" production line. Top might need a little extra sanding for thin-ness, and /or the braces, or the kerfing, or the glue mix may need adjusting, and there's a whole debate out there on whether poly finishes are as good as the nitrocellulose lacquer used in Westerly.
And I haven't even SEEN any discussions about how the woods themselves are selected for the GAD's. We know the buyers in Westerly were trained to know what to look for in the woods they bought.
So in concrete terms, those are SOME of the elements to be considered in defining the broad term "quality". I simply don't know if these kinds of standards are used in builing GAD's, but I do know it would be unlikely.
Again, this is not to belittle GAD's but to point out some of the things known to be true about Westerly. And probably the previous factories too.
GAD's themselves are getting more respect around here for what they ARE: VERY good value for the money.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Vin: As I suggested, the mystique of Guild guitars relies in part on giving Guild too much credit for being the company that probably never really was but we'd all like to think used to be. As an example .... :wink:

 

[Ian]

Hey there,

Havent got much to add to whats been said cept to say that I really like Old guitars in preference to new ones. Old ones seem to come with a bunch of mojo that you just dont get with new instruments.

Good luck in your search.

Cheers, Ian