Question:Why Guild?

Daveyo · Oct 23, 2016

and not Martin , Taylor ,ect....
Dave

GardMan · Oct 23, 2016

I bought my first in 1973 with a Guild D-35... couldn't afford Martin and there were no Taylors. Started expanding in 2006... I liked the sound of my old Guild, and wanted the same feel (neck profile), so it seemed reasonable that I would find that in another (old) Guild. And here I am, 10 years later...

rwmct · Oct 23, 2016

I said this better in an earlier post, but when I was getting into music, the big three for acoustic guitars were Martin, Gibson and Guild. (Well, there were Ovations for a while there . . . ) There were no Taylors, no Eastmans, etc. I like all three brands. But Guild has a sound that is kind of in between the other two. And everybody and their uncle has one of the other two. With a Guild, you can be a traditionalist and be a little different at the same time.

GaryG · Oct 23, 2016

Daveyo said:
and not Martin , Taylor ,ect....
Dave

I think the D35 and D40 are a couple of the best sounding acoustics, for the money, out there!

killdeer43 · Oct 23, 2016

I had a couple of Martins and a Gibson in the early 70s but it was in a small venue in Taos, NM in 1975 when I heard a Guild for the first time. I was intrigued by the sound coming from that guitar and it was a D35. I talked with the owner and had an opportunity to play his guitar. It felt great and sounded even better. A couple of months later, I bought my first Guild in Santa Fe....a D35.

Tremendous bang for the buck, but I'm preaching to the choir here. :smile-new:

Joe

guildman63 · Oct 23, 2016

Whether acoustic or electric Guild is simply more guitar for less money. I had a Gibson Montana acoustic years ago and while it was an excellent guitar my New Hartford F-50 is as good or better, and I got it in practically mint condition for $1500. On the electric side I have oned most of Guild's archtops models over the years from 1956 through 2013. While the 2013 models were not cheap they were more affordable than comparable models from the other G, and in my opinion are built better. Vintage Guild's can still frequently be had for under 2K, and in my experiences Guild is one of the only brands that really has no bad years, which gives me the confidence to buy them online based on pictures and a description. I would never do that with most other brands.

walrus · Oct 24, 2016

To answer your question effectively, you simply need to read every single post on LTG.

Except maybe the ones about strings... :smile-new:

walrus

Neal · Oct 24, 2016

For me, it is the combination of sustain, resonance, and just a little bit of brightness that Guilds all seem to have.

Westerly Wood · Oct 24, 2016

cause Rhode Island is cool.

jeffcoop · Oct 24, 2016

When I was shopping for my first good acoustic in May 1991, I went to Manny's on Music Row in Manhattan and played a bunch of guitars. I remember trying Martins and Gibsons. The one that I liked best that was in my price range was a Guild D25. That got me started. The full obsession didn't blossom until about nine years ago. It's kind of in character, in some ways--I've tended to like things that are well made and high quality but perhaps not from the most highly regarded brands (for example, I was a Mac user when Macs were decidedly uncool).

mavuser · Oct 24, 2016

Westerly Wood said:
cause Rhode Island is cool.

+1

even though it's not an island. and there's not that many roads.

rwmct · Oct 24, 2016

One reason I wanted a New Hartford made Guild is I am about ten minutes drive from the factory. Turns out, a guy I work with grew up about that close to the Westerly factory, and he has a Westerly built Guild that he bought new.

bluesguitar1972 · Oct 24, 2016

I've been on the hunt for a Nice older Guild ever since I first came across one that was being repaired at a music store. It sounded so huge and full. I've had a GAD Guild, and while they're a great guitar for their money, it wasn't the same as the older USA one I heard. But I would say it has to be Guild over Martin, Gibson etc. There's a number of viable options out there to suit one's tastes. I love my Gibson song writer too. It's a great sounding guitar and possibly the best playing acoustic I've held.

bslot0622 · Oct 24, 2016

As a bluegrass picker, of course I'd love to get a nice vintage Martin D-18 or D-28, but I don't have the money for that. Most Taylor's I've played are way brighter than the dry woody tone I'm looking for. But my '74 D-35 was a fraction of the cost and and definitely is a hoss. It has a fair amount of wear, and was definitely a player's guitar. Which I love, because I got it to be a player's instrument!

I have several friends with D-25s from a similar time (early 70s) and they all share the sentiment.

I haven't really gotten my hands on a factory new Guild though, so If I were looking between a brand spankin new Martin and a brand spankin new Guild, I'd be tempted to go purely on price.

gjmalcyon · Oct 24, 2016

When I started looking for my second guitar about 40 years after my parents bought me my first, I played everything I could find - new and vintage Martins costing thousands of $$$, equally expensive vintage Gibsons - and nothing spoke to me. I walked into 8th Street Music, took down a dusty Tacoma-built DV-6 with oxidized strings that looked like it been hanging on the wall for a couple of years, hit that first chord and thought, "there it is!". Not every Guild I've picked up (or bought, for that matter) has "it", but enough of them do that I'll keep chasing them.

JohnW63 · Oct 24, 2016

'Cause I was attracted to them, probably due to John Denver's playing them ( A D-55 ) , in the late 70s. Couldn't afford one back then. Couldn't justify another guitar for 30 years. My Ovation plays just fine. Then... guitar forums happened. Knowledge leads to desire. I had the money to spend, and... I found the F47R you see in my list at a GC. Gateway drug it was.

bobouz · Oct 25, 2016

In the '70s, I would fix up flea market finds & trade up to get a quality guitar. Guilds ended up being my favorite quality guitar, and I experimented with four of them at various times. The last one from that period was an F-40, which eventually became part of a trade for a 1970 00-18 Martin. I played the 00-18 and a '65 B-25 Gibson for over twenty years, and then began running through many instruments from 1999 forward. Guilds were off my radar, as I concentrated primarily on Gibsons.

Eventually, my interest in Guilds returned, and I have rediscovered what primarily drew me to them in the '70s: It was the neck profile and their overall playability (along with satisfying tone). I now have five Westerly Guilds that have recreated the best of what I remember from those earlier purchases from the '70s, and it's an absolute treat to essentially be able to revisit the past!

kt66 · Oct 25, 2016

Initially because Peter Buck has superb taste in guitars, that got me falling in love with Jumbos, my JF65 was cheaper and better sounding than Gibsons.

Martin....Taylor...Gibson....I hate being like everyone else

Rayk · Oct 25, 2016

My experience is still fairly new with Guild but I love the 2 I have and want more lol

I think Neal said it pretty good , my way of saying it would be makes me feel more Earth connected having warmer balanced tone one that would blend in outdoors and not tick the wild life off lol
A pleasant warm tone that just wraps around you like a blanket full of love .

griehund · Oct 25, 2016

Chicks dig them.

Question:Why Guild?

Daveyo

Member

GardMan

Enlightened Member

rwmct

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GaryG

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killdeer43

Reverential Member

guildman63

Senior Member

walrus

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Neal

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Westerly Wood

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jeffcoop

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mavuser

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rwmct

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bluesguitar1972

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bslot0622

gjmalcyon

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JohnW63

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bobouz

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kt66

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Rayk

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griehund

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