Played a new Oxnard Made D55 Today

Taylor Martin Guild said:

This a lot of talk about one persons thoughts on a single guitar.
I will wait for more reviews on more D-55 Guilds before deciding anything.

I have seen it several times where one person dislikes a certain guitar only to have someone else love the same guitar.

Click to expand...

I absolutely Agree with you 100% TMG. This was just my impressions of that particular guitar. I encourage anyone interested in a D55 or any Oxnard Guild to Go out and Play one first hand to make a determination for yourselves. There is a really good chance that this was just an isolated incident with this particular guitar and since there was not another Oxnard D55 to compare the tone with at the shop I was unable to determine that aspect. However the finish issues were not subject to opinion and seem to fall in line with other finish issues we have heard about here on the forum with other Cordoba Made Guilds including American Acoustic production.

Bottom line is don't take my word for it, Go find out for yourself!

TX

The observations are certainly valid, but only to that one instrument.

It'll be interesting to get a few more first-hand comments under our collective belts.

I'll be making it a point to find me some new Oxnard Guilds to play with what appears to be "some doubt put in the back of my mind" and to be very observant when I do try them. That can only be a good thing going in. Thanks Tx for the heads up.

Ralph

ClydeTower said:

I don't want to start a debate about the Taylor sound, but as a Taylor and Guild owner, I can attest that Taylors get a bad wrap when generalized as sounding "light and tinny". If I were to directly compare my Taylor 810 dread vs my Guild D55 dread, I would say the Taylor has a scooped midrage vs the Guild which is relatively balanced. By design in both cases. Contrary to what you might think, my Taylors all have bigger bass response than my Guilds. That's not to say that one is better than the other, just different. Generally speaking, I prefer playing my Guild acoustically & unplugged, and prefer my Taylors for recording or playing plugged-in. Each has its applications.

So lets not label Oxnard Guilds as sounding "Tayloresque" in a derogatory sense. Lets call this particular Oxnard D55 for what it is: a bad sounding guitar :courage:

Click to expand...

Wasn't trying to diss Taylor. "Tinny" was the description others have used and I had not heard anyone complain about it before.

My point though was not how do Taylors sound, as much as asking whether the Taylor sound, however, described, was a new standard for current buyers of new guitars? If so, was CMG trying to capture those buyers with a Taylor sounding Guild rather than continue with the Guild sound and find a way to market it?

Taylor Martin Guild said:

This a lot of talk about one persons thoughts on a single guitar.
I will wait for more reviews on more D-55 Guilds before deciding anything.

I have seen it several times where one person dislikes a certain guitar only to have someone else love the same guitar.

Click to expand...

Absolutely. But what else are we going to talk about? I personally find Tx to be pretty evenhanded and able to explain what his opinions are based on. So, I will give his opinion more weight than some of the others I read here.

My biggest takeaway, though, is that the best circumstances to buy an Oxnard Guild would be to play the instrument you are buying, first. That may change eventually but it does not bode well for experienced players and internet sales. IMO. YMMV.

fronobulax said:

My point though was not how do Taylors sound, as much as asking whether the Taylor sound, however, described, was a new standard for current buyers of new guitars? If so, was CMG trying to capture those buyers with a Taylor sounding Guild rather than continue with the Guild sound and find a way to market it?

Click to expand...

this is what i think is going on too. it's a new era and Taylor definitely led the charge that has for the most part revolutionized guitar build, the CDC approach, computerized, incredible consistency whether one likes the tone or not.

all that being said, there was this killer Taylor GC locally here when I was buying the Cruz. It had an adi top and maple b/s and just sounded amazing. looking back, that is the one i should have walked out of the store with but it was just a tad out of my reach

Westerly Wood said:

Taylor definitely led the charge ...the CDC approach

Click to expand...

Centers for Disease Control or did you perhaps mean Computer Numerical Control?

If the latter, I'm not sure how much credit Taylor gets exclusively for innovation. NH was using CNC from the beginning of Guild production and many of the machines and people were already in place, presumably because Hamer and Ovation used CNC.

fronobulax said:

Centers for Disease Control or did you perhaps mean Computer Numerical Control?

If the latter, I'm not sure how much credit Taylor gets exclusively for innovation. NH was using CNC from the beginning of Guild production and many of the machines and people were already in place, presumably because Hamer and Ovation used CNC.

Click to expand...

LOL, sorry, CNC. Oh my.

fronobulax said:

Centers for Disease Control or did you perhaps mean Computer Numerical Control?

If the latter, I'm not sure how much credit Taylor gets exclusively for innovation. NH was using CNC from the beginning of Guild production and many of the machines and people were already in place, presumably because Hamer and Ovation used CNC.

Click to expand...

Taylor was there at least 20 years ago, I think, and I think it's also a reason for their incredibly consistent sound from guitar to guitar.
In fact, IIRC, that was one of Mr. Taylor's production goals and CNC production was one part of the total equation.
But please, Taylor fans feel free to correct me.
I'm only recounting vague memories of what Taylor buyers told me about the time I bought my D25, and snippets of interviews with Mr. T since then.

I don't recall seeing CNC stuff in any of the Ovation factory tour videos, but my memory isn't perfect. They did come up with their own aerospace version of guitar jigs, however. Charlie Kaman being an aerospace guy and all.

richardp69 said:

I hate Utube /videos like this one. They merely serve to remind me how truly good I am NOT. Guys like this could make a steel shovel strung with fish line sound good. I can't offer a lot of insight on the Cordoba built Guilds other than to say I bought new a D 20 and it was a fine sounding guitar in most every way, at least to my ears which admittedly seem to be made of tin at times.

Click to expand...

Richard, you and I need to get together and play. Honestly, Don says, "You sound way better than that guy!!" and I'm like..... seriously dude. Maybe you need another adult beverage!! No lie! But I buy guitars that sound good to ME because, I'm the one playin' 'em, you know? So that explains my (few) guitars!!

House got sold, got a good price. Way over asking. So now just getting even and wondering what to do with the rest. After all the dust settles, it's easier for me to make Don buy a guitar. Then nothing will be my fault. You know? LMAO!!

Thanks for your review, tx, and for starting this sobering thread. I've been thinking that a D55 would be an appropriate present to myself next year (when I turn 55). Perhaps I should begin looking for a clean NH D55.

The whole Cordoba situation is rather frustrating in my part of the country, as there simply isn't a Guild USA dealer nearby. The only Guild authorized dealer in the Indianapolis area is Sam Ash, and the local Sam Ash carries only the MIC Guilds (with no plans to expand into the Cordoba guitars). Local shop Reno's Music, which had a close relationship with Guild during the New Hartford era (to the point that it had its own small run of custom Guild acoustics), no longer carries Guild. I'd love to try a Cordoba Guild or two, but I simply don't have access to them.

JohnW63 said:

I don't recall seeing CNC stuff in any of the Ovation factory tour videos, but my memory isn't perfect. They did come up with their own aerospace version of guitar jigs, however. Charlie Kaman being an aerospace guy and all.

Click to expand...

I think that Ovation used CNC for necks since the 80s as hand carving became too tedious. As of the early 2000s they also used it for inlays such as epaulets and soundhole rosettes.

richardp69 said:

I hate Utube /videos like this one. They merely serve to remind me how truly good I am NOT. Guys like this could make a steel shovel strung with fish line sound good. I can't offer a lot of insight on the Cordoba built Guilds other than to say I bought new a D 20 and it was a fine sounding guitar in most every way, at least to my ears which admittedly seem to be made of tin at times.

Click to expand...

Ah dont be saying that he ain’t that great he just might have more dexterity in his fingers then us lol
The tuning is open C of a sort I actually started working on it so I could compare my D55 to the vid but I had to stop , I’ll pick it back up tomorrow see where I can take it .

You guys can do it to

Hey,

quick question: I've always wanted a Guild D55 but couldn't afford one. In Germany it was always sold for about 2500€ new but now it's a 3600€. How come?

misterthe said:

Hey,

quick question: I've always wanted a Guild D55 but couldn't afford one. In Germany it was always sold for about 2500€ new but now it's a 3600€. How come?

Click to expand...

Welcome. Oxnard prices are generally higher than New Hartford prices were and those rose over the years. That should explain some of the price increase.

I suspect that California is a more costly state to do business in, and... the Dollar to EURO exchange rate has gone up. Not lots but from close to 1:1 to 1 Euro = $1.25 dollars . So, that would add about 20% to the cost.

davismanLV said:

I wish there was somewhere here in Vegas to test drive one, but there's not. (for those of you DYING to tell me who the Guild dealers are here, shut up, there's maybe one foreign Guild.... THE END, okay?)

Anyway, I'm focused on the all Myrtle wood Breedlove Concerto!!

Sorry to hear your test drive was so underwhelming. Size isn't everything. Sound is...... :chargrined:

Click to expand...

If Breedlove was good enough for John Denver, its good enough for me!

A few thoughts:

1) Were there any D55's at winter NAMM where a sound demo was done and then reported on?
2) TX, did you have anyone at the shop play the D55 for you, with you out front of the sound hole to get a different take on the sound?

3) This D55 might have sounded different if it was requested to mic it and give it a go through a small PA. As if my own Guild's didn't sound nice enough to me, they sound a whole lot better amplified especially on a large PA. If I ever get back into it at least once a month there is a local Folk Music Society with a 3 hour "jam" taking turns as the lead player- with a very high quality PA brought in with a few very enthused sound tech's running it. Maybe I can find some time for that venue again soon..

4) Dread the thought BUT, I am glad to be in an area where very few Taylor guitars are played. I live in FMG Land (Fender, Martin, Gibson) My first expensive guitar was some model of Taylor, and after 2 days I brought it right back to Guitar Center for a refund, only to replace it with a Martin HD28 (I still own.) I preferred not to have the "trademark" Taylor sound all the time.

idealassets said:

A few thoughts:

1) Were there any D55's at winter NAMM where a sound demo was done and then reported on?
2) TX, did you have anyone at the shop play the D55 for you, with you out front of the sound hole to get a different take on the sound?

3) This D55 might have sounded different if it was requested to mic it and give it a go through a small PA. As if my own Guild's didn't sound nice enough to me, they sound a whole lot better amplified especially on a large PA. If I ever get back into it at least once a month there is a local Folk Music Society with a 3 hour "jam" taking turns as the lead player- with a very high quality PA brought in with a few very enthused sound tech's running it. Maybe I can find some time for that venue again soon..

4) Dread the thought BUT, I am glad to be in an area where very few Taylor guitars are played. I live in FMG Land (Fender, Martin, Gibson) My first expensive guitar was some model of Taylor, and after 2 days I brought it right back to Guitar Center for a refund, only to replace it with a Martin HD28 (I still own.) I preferred not to have the "trademark" Taylor sound all the time.

Click to expand...

Yes, I had my friend who works at the store play it to me to make sure I wasn't just hearing things and he was in total agreement with me on the tone and other aspects. Listening to the guitar being played didn't help it out at all. No we did not plug the guitar into a PA system as it was a straight acoustic model. As far as mic'ing the guitar, I don't care how good of mics you have, when you are mic'ing a guitar it is to reproduce the natural sound as much as possible so it seems like a real waste of time to drag all of that equipment out to get a louder version of what it was already sounding like. To me if it doesn't sound good acoustically there isn't a lot you are going to accomplish to improve that with a Microphone. The Martin and Santa Cruz next to it on the shelf sure didn't need any amplification or tone coloring to sound better and I am not a fan of a lot of Martin or Santa Cruz models. I was purely giving as Honest of an Acoustic Review of an Acoustic guitar as possible. Like I said earlier, Don't take my word for it, Go and try one for yourselves. Hopefully your experience is better than mine and it was isolated to that one guitar.

TX