Question:Why Guild?

I cut my acoustic teeth on a Takamine. When I got my first Guild, I still had no clue about the different brands. The salesman at GC handed me the DV52 to try (I had told him my parents were getting me a nicer acoustic for high school graduation and that was his recommendation).

In college, a fellow flatpicker had a Taylor, but I never liked the way it played. The neck was ... just not comfortable in my hand. It certainly looked VERY nice, but that was when I started to realize that looks and sound don't always go hand-in-hand. So round 1, Guild wins, Taylor loses.

Another friend in the same circle envied our guitars, so he wanted one too, and him being the kind of guy that gets the "good brands", he ended up with a Martin, albeit a lower end one. It seemed rather plain, and didn't really knock my socks off, and if I remember, it cost at least twice, if not three times more than the Guild. So round 2, Guild wins, Martin loses.

Remember, all of this was before the Internet and before I really understood too much about the different acoustic brands.

Fast forward many years, I'm now working, married, with kids, and I start to wonder about my Guild. I wanted to learn about the brand, and lo and behold, a Google search led me eventually to this forum, the beloved LTG.

And now I am a lifetime Guild convert, with way more Guilds than I really need.

Daveyo said:

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

Click to expand...

Because when my Korean-built Fender F210 was stolen in November of '96, I decided I was finally going to buy an American-made guitar that was worth re-fretting when it needed it, instead of a string of 2-and- 300 dollar specials.
Of course sticker shock set in right away on the "other 2 makers", then my buddy who had a first-year JF30-12 said "You oughta check out Guild, Fender just bought 'em".
So I found a D25 on the wall at Guitar Center, and the first thing that hit me was how easy to play it was.
Best neck I'd ever felt.
Even compared to a DCE-1, which had p/u and cutaway I really wanted, and an F50 and another D25, the '25 played better, so I opted for it.
Then the salesman offered me $700.00 on an $1150.00 guitar.
Who'm I to fight fate?

Pain Heals, Chicks Dig Scars, and Guilds last forever!


TX

A guy in my church choir really loved my Larrivee, and offered to trade me his GAD50 and some cash for it. I was finding that the more expensive just Larrivee wasn't the guitar for me, but he loved it. The much cheaper Chinese Guild turned out to be a real winner. I'm good with that.

I had just finished my xray school training and was working my first real job in a hospital. After getting a couple of paychecks I bought my first nice guitar. An Alvarez, don't remember the model, as this was almost 40 years ago. Several people working at the hospital played guitar and it didn't take long to hook up with them. I was surprised at how many of my co-workers played guitar. A couple had Guilds and I thought they sounded terrific. Within about a year or so, I sold the Alvarez and bought a Guild D40. I was thrilled to own such a nice guitar. My brother owned (still owns) a '68 Martin D18. I thought the Guild sounded every bit as good as his Martin and it was more in my price range. This was about 1979 or 80. I have bought, sold & traded several Guilds through the years. My brother and I have had a friendly rivalry through the years about who makes the better guitar...Guild or Martin. Truth be told, we both like both brands. :eagerness: The GF60 I have is a keeper. And when the stars align again I would like to have another Guild 12 string.

I was attending occasional group lessons and workshops at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music in 1980, playing my first "real" guitar, my Gibson B25. It didn't compete very well against the de rigueur Martin D28s, so when I decided I could afford something better, I went shopping at their Folklore Center store.

I liked a couple of the Martins, but really did not appreciate their prices, so tried out the Guild D40.

It was obviously a much different sound from the rosewood Martins, but it felt and sounded great to me. I had brought other guitarists along on my shopping expedition, some very talented. Hearing the guitar in their hands cemented the deal. Bought it and never looked back.

Then I found this forum. Decided I needed a rosewood dred. Acquired my DV52, never looked back.

Now I know I need a maple 12-string and keep watching the F412 listings. I resist, but I'm guessing it's only a matter of time. I sleep soundly, knowing that many of you will assist me on my quest. Sooner or later I'll find the one and again will never look back.

I wanted Gibson's ES-175 and ES-335 as a teen, but didn't have that kind of scratch. My instructor at the time (a professional jazz guitarist) brought me a CE-100, and a Starfire V. I was disappointed, but they were affordable. I eventually sold those in my quest for the ultimate tone, and because I was a broke student. Over the next 20 years I played all the other brands including Gibson, Gretsch, Fender, G&L, Yamaha, Ibanez, Eastman, Taylor (electric), Epiphone Elitist, and probably a few others. None had the magic I was looking for, that is until I went back to Guild. I discovered that what I with Guild was as good or better than any of the others, and in most cases for less money. I have a G&L Legacy, and may get an ASAT at some point in time, but the rest of my guitars are, and will remain Guild until my days are done.

It's all about the tone. Guild's rosewood guitars are smooth like nothing else, bass and balance to beat 'em all. Guild's stunning D-55 would put a substantial dent in Martin's and Taylor's bottom line :moody: if Obama suddenly passed an executive order that you had to play one before purchasing from them other guys. I'll talk to Donald about it.

I knew of them but just happened to play one when shopping for my first good guitar. I remember being at a music store in Costa Mesa, CA , playing a G37 and really liking the tone, the volume and the neck and even the heavy, solid feel. Price was $500 which was about $400 more than I had ever spent for a guitar. I told the salesman that if they had one that was maple, meaning natural, I would buy it. He called my bluff...turns out there was a NAMM show going on in LA at the time and he snagged me a G37 from their booth. 35 years later I still love that heavy beast!

The first Guild I played was a blonde F-something back in the late '70s. It was one of the first really good guitars I'd ever had my hands on. The second one, around the same time, was an Aristocrat. I'd never heard of it, and in fact years later I first leafed through a copy of Hans' book in search of a pic so I could remember what the guitar was called. For some reason I was thinking Archimedes.

-Dave-