Relative weight of my Guild dreads

dreadnut

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Just caressed the DV-52 for a while, without actually weighing them, I'm guessing it is almost about 1.5 lb. lighter than my D-25.

The D-25 has a booming bottom end and piano-like tone, works great for group singing; the DV-52 has just beautifully balanced tone across all six stings, really nice for fingerpicking and solo singing.

Playing DA EJ19's on both. I have LR Baggs under saddle passive pickups installed in both.
 

adorshki

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Just caressed the DV-52 for a while, without actually weighing them, I'm guessing it is almost about 1.5 lb. lighter than my D-25.
My recollection is that '76 is supposed to in a "built like a tank" period.
Guild Gallery #1 ('97) says the DV guitars have sanded backs and sides , mahogany necks and endblocks specially selected for lightness and strength, and shaved or scalloped bracing.
I suspect there must be some beefier stuff going on inside the D25 (top and back thickness plus a paddle headstock?) to get the weight difference up to a pound and a half, but it's an interesting comparison!
And confirms again that no matter how they're built they have great sound.
:friendly_wink:
 

tommym

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Apples and Oranges....

My 1973 F30 weighs 4.6 pounds (Sitka / Mahogany, Mahogany neck)
My 1984 F44 weighs 4.75 pounds (Sitka / Maple, Maple neck)

Just by the larger size and material, I always assume the F44 was a much heavier guitar than my F30.

Tommy
 

GardMan

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My lightest... '72 D-35 at 4.25 lbs (next lightest was my '71 D-44, about an ounce heavier). Everything of mine after my '72 topped 5 lbs. My heaviest is my D-46, an ounce shy of 6 lbs. My DVs all fall between 5.5 and 6lbs, as did my '74 D-25.
 
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GardMan

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Does the arch back D25 guitars have a laminated back? That might add to the weight.
Yes, all of the arched back flat tops had/have laminated backs... but they weren't my heaviest dreads. My flat backed ash D-46 was heaviest, followed by all my rosewood flat backs.
 

Br1ck

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My lightest... '72 D-35 at 4.25 lbs (next lightest was my '71 D-44, about an ounce heavier). Everything of mine after my '72 topped 5 lbs. My heaviest is my D-46, an ounce shy of 6 lbs. My DVs all fall between 5.5 and 6lbs, as did my '74 D-25.

This is what I've been told by a Guild factory repair guy who goes back to the 60s as a service center. All the major builder started having warranty issues starting in the 60s when a large acoustic boom caused by folk and lite rock artists. The festival circuits were being established and guitars were failing from harsh traveling conditions (trunks). Out of the need to minimize this, everyone started building stronger, heavier guitars, hence the larger bridgeplates Martin went to as well as heavier bracing and other changes.

I am amazed when I pick up a Guild from 78 or 79. It is so much heavier than my 70, but also less likely to need a neck reset. Can't have it both ways.

I noticed this difference while shopping for 60s Gibsons. J 45s build later in the decade were heavier than the 65 Epiphone Texan I ended up with.
 
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adorshki

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Yes, all of the arched back flat tops had/have laminated backs... but they weren't my heaviest dreads. My flat backed ash D-46 was heaviest, followed by all my rosewood flat backs.

Yeah and the thing about arched backs being inherently heavier has been tossed out before, too, due to weight of glue?.
I never really bought that, just didn't make sense, in fact lamination is supposed to accomplish superior strength for less weight.
So your input seems to confirm that principle.
But what did occur to me recently is that maybe they actually used thicker sheets to laminate with, back when they were being "built like tanks"?
My '96 D25 is the lightest steel string guitar I've ever owned.
 

Westerly Wood

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i know my D25 Br flatback is pretty light. I know it is lighter than the arched backs for sure. Santa Cruz is probably lighter, but not in a shocking way.

the Br definitely feels more stable than the Cruz, but i know they build those guitars light.

I do like and appreciate the big open tone of the Cruz, with the scalloped forward shifted bracing and clearly more hands on build process quality. that being said, I rarely play it at all, favoring the more accurate and tighter meaner tone of the Guild. it is possible i would in fact not like the arched back version of the D25, as most tonal descriptions on LTG re this classic Guild dread are that is is like shooting a shotgun at a target, where the flatback original is more like a rifle.
 
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dreadnut

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Well I shall certainly have to weigh them both and report back...
 

GardMan

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This is what I've been told by a Guild factory repair guy who goes back to the 60s as a service center. All the major builder started having warranty issues starting in the 60s when a large acoustic boom caused by folk and lite rock artists. The festival circuits were being established and guitars were failing from harsh traveling conditions (trunks). Out of the need to minimize this, everyone started building stronger, heavier guitars, hence the larger bridgeplates Martin went to as well as heavier bracing and other changes.

I am amazed when I pick up a Guild from 78 or 79. It is so much heavier than my 70, but also less likely to need a neck reset. Can't have it both ways.

I noticed this difference while shopping for 60s Gibsons. J 45s build later in the decade were heavier than the 65 Epiphone Texan I ended up with.

Along those lines, take a look at my blog on dread bracing patterns, where I discuss a re-design of the upper bout/neck block pattern in Guild flat tops that occurred ~1974 (shown in the figure below). I presume this change was to minimize neck resets under warranty. Although I have looked only at dreads, others have indicated the same change took place in other body styles, as well.

original.jpg
 

Daveyo

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I dont know what my D25 weighs , but I love that its
heavier than most dreads
build like a tank
David
 

Fats

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I was shocked at how heavy my 1980 D25 was when I first held it. Easily a pound heavier than my Martin. Wouldn't doubt that it's closer to two pounds.

Between the bigger headstock, relatively wider and thicker neck, and much heftier heel, a lot of the extra weight seems to come from the head/neck.
 

tarheelguild

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Yeah and the thing about arched backs being inherently heavier has been tossed out before, too, due to weight of glue?.
I never really bought that, just didn't make sense, in fact lamination is supposed to accomplish superior strength for less weight.
So your input seems to confirm that principle.
But what did occur to me recently is that maybe they actually used thicker sheets to laminate with, back when they were being "built like tanks"?
My '96 D25 is the lightest steel string guitar I've ever owned.

I can confirm that, Al. My '96 D25 (I think it's 3 days older than yours) is very light as well. My D4 is even lighter. My '98 D30 feels much heavier than both aforementioned guitars. I guess maple is heavier than mahogany.

Tony
'98 D30 AB
'98 D225 NT (12 string)
'96 D25 CH
'96 D4 NT
'84 D40 NT
'00 Taylor 414ce
 
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