New Member and new D25 owner. Thoughts on D25

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Hello everybody. I have browsed this site over the years and always found the answers to my Guild questions here and always thought this was a great place. To start off with I have pretty much been a Martin snob for many years, However I have had a 12 string Guild for a long time and nobody, I mean nobody makes a sweeter 12 as far as I am concerned. In the past I have also had a D55 Corona that I bought for a nice price and subsequently traded for something or other. I can't remember.. Which brings me to my latest acquisition. I had moved recently and had no access to my guitars which are far far away. The first thing I did was buy a very inexpensive Sigma D28 copy with a pickup just to have something around. I have recently started busking and the Sigma wasn't cutting it. Don't get me wrong.... Great guitar for the money and it got me through but after a few hours of banging on an acoustic with 12s it starts to get to you. I went to a Guitar shop and looked over many nice acoustics and ended settling for a 2000 D25 Tru American. I somehow had the feeling I would get a Guild as they are so robust and overbuilt as they say.... Although I must admit this one is not as heavy as some the ones I have tried in the past. To make a long story shorter... I really like the guitar. It is a very high quality guitar with probably the best action you could hope for from an acoustic. I put an LR Baggs anthem in it (under saddle/mic combo) and it is great. As good if not better than a standard Martin D18, and I would venture to say sounds a little nicer. No where near as resonant as a D-18V but then again neither is a standard D-18. The more I look at the Guitar the more I appreciate the quality build. I would like to get a compensated saddle for it but I filed back the angle of the B string so it is not too bad. I would venture to say someone would be hard pressed to find a better guitar for the money. Thanks for humouring me.
 

dapmdave

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Welcome!

A good D-25 is a great guitar. Sounds like you got a good one.
 

Bonneville88

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Cool back story, thanks for posting! D25s are awesome, I have a small collection of 'em (don't ask me
how that happened, LOL), they're all a little different, but
all have outstanding volume and are probably my favorite guitar if I'm playing / performing
solo, they're so versatile.

Post some pics of yours if you can.

Can be great value for the money as long as the neck angle and action are good, and
there's always a bunch of them for sale on ebay, CL & Reverb. Pics of two of mine:

cuwLny0.jpg

AoN14ii.jpg

38268
 
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killdeer43

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WELCOME TO LTG!
Great first post and great score on a D25. They get lots of praise around here. Wish I still had one that lives in Ohio now, but I know it's in good hands.

Stay in touch and remember that we love pics, so indulge us at your earliest convenience. :tranquillity:

Joe
 
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Cool back story, thanks for posting! D25s are awesome, I have a small collection of 'em (don't ask me
how that happened, LOL), they're all a little different, but
all have outstanding volume and are probably my favorite guitar if I'm playing / performing
solo, they're so versatile.

Post some pics of yours if you can.

Can be great value for the money as long as the neck angle and action are good, and
there's always a bunch of them for sale on ebay, CL & Reverb. Pics of two of mine:

96%20D25%205.jpg

AoN14ii.jpg

38268

Thank you for all the replies.
Yes guitar is great. A little bit of an angle where the neck joins the body but nothing I am really worried about. There is about an eighth left on the saddle. Every time I pick it up I think to myself that "this is a great guitar", and I haven't even put new strings on it yet. I got the Baggs Anthem dialed in I think. Had to adjust the mic/piezo level and it sounds believable. I would say it is a no brainer for someone wanting an American made high quality Dred without a crazy budget. The red is taking some getting used to but it is certainly not bad. I definitely have confidence it can take the beating from going out and busking for many years. I have a feeling it will get banged around accidentally but I have no doubt it will hold up.
 

jeffcoop

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Welcome! The D25 was my Guild gateway drug. I'm sure you'll enjoy yours.
 

adorshki

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I went to a Guitar shop and looked over many nice acoustics and ended settling for a 2000 D25 Tru American. I somehow had the feeling I would get a Guild as they are so robust and overbuilt as they say.... Although I must admit this one is not as heavy as some the ones I have tried in the past. To make a long story shorter... I really like the guitar. It is a very high quality guitar with probably the best action you could hope for from an acoustic.
Welcome aboard Acousticguy!
AA '96 D25 was my first Guild, and yes those late Westerly builds a ARE A lot lighter than the earlier builds.
And the neck and playability are what clinched the deal for me, too.
The "True American" series was actually not much more than a marketing campaign started around '94 or so with the introduction of the cutaway A/E dreadnaughts based on the arched back guitars: intended to promote the fact that Guild's a/e's had the most natural sound on the market at a competitive price and built in the USA to boot. (At a time when Japanese imports were making significant inroads in the market.)
So they got the "True American" TRC's which was applied to other models besides those A/E's, as time went on.
 

dreadnut

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Welcome, I have an even smaller collection than Bonneville, I have only one! Bought it brand new 41 years ago and it's still my main acoustic.
 

Rich Cohen

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You know, I'm a little tired of the "common knowledge" thing about Guilds being "over built." Sure, there is weight differences between different models, years, etc. But, but, but, what's the problem folks have with a guitar that might be a little "heavy"? My DV-72 ain't no light weight, but I swear one of the factors, and there are others, is its heft when it comes to the DV-72's strength of tone, volume and presence. I don't need to plug in to get my sound across to the audience. Don't get me wrong, I've owned NH models that are remarkable for their light weight, tonality, balance across highs, mids and lows. I just don't know why it really matters in the end whether a Guild is "heavy" or not.
 

Bonneville88

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I've wondered about that too... and I've threatened before to go on a guitar weighing binge...
it's gonna happen, someone's gonna push me over the edge :biggrin-new:

That said, my G37 seems heavy enough that it seems damn near ballasted... but I wonder
if that's at least partially how the weight is distributed in the guitar and how it affects the
sense of balance when holding it where I need to and where the center of gravity of the instrument
actually is... I'm a sit-down player these days, that changes weight perception as well vs standing.
 

gjmalcyon

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Welcome aboard, Acousticguy.

Much love for the D25 around here. In fact, my guess is it might the 6-string most likely to be seen in signature at the bottom of a post.

It is on my short-list as one of the Guilds I gotta get before I quit.
 

txbumper57

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Welcome and Congrats on a Great Guild! D25's are amazing instruments and fly under the radar on a regular basis which is great for players because they are quite affordable. In my opinion one of the best "Bang for the Buck" acoustics ever made. I hope you enjoy yours for years to come!

TX
 

tarheelguild

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Welcome aboard. I love my D25 as well. It probably has the best action of all my guitars and looks just like the cherry colored example pictured above! My D25 is 3 days older than Al's above (10/28/96).
best,
Tony
'84 D40 NT
'96 D4 NT
'96 D25 CH
'98 D225 NT (basically a D25 12)
'98 D30 AB
'00 Taylor 414ce
 
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