Westerly DV6 vs Westerly D40

Been looking for Guild mahogany and would like the member's - who have experience with DV6 and or D40 - to share their opinions of the two guitars. I want the fourth tonewood.

HI Shelby, thought I'd give this a little time for somebody who's actually had both of 'em to answer, but now thinking maybe nobody has.
I'm assuming you realize the Westerly DV6 and D40 were basically the same build formula.
The D6/DV6 came into the line in '94 after they put the D40 model number on hiatus in '92 according to their usual procedures.
Note the D6 and DV6 shared the same s/n prefix so for all I know they're the same, much like some very early DV52's were labeled "D52".
If I was a betting man I'd wager that the D6 was actually just renamed D40.
Guild went to the trouble of outlining the "DV" build details in Guild Gallery #1:
"The Dv6 has a solid mahogany back and sides which have been sanded down.
The Mahogany neck and end blocks blocks have been specially selected for light weight and superior strength.
The top is double-A graded sitka spruce and has shaved braces..".
I don't know if D40's had all that before they went on hiatus (I suspect they always got AA tops and shaved braces), but I can tell you the 2001 price list shows the D40 again, with AA top and shaved braces.
It occurs to me that maybe a key difference is that much like the D25, the D40 was ALWAYS finished with gloss NCL but again similar to the D25/D4 relationship, the DV6 was originally available in HR.
Otherwise I'd bet you'd be very hard pressed to tell the difference from sound alone, and I now consider a DV6 to be a D40 under a different name, something Guild does extremely well.
:glee:
Heck there was even a DV25 there for at least one year in very late Westerly and as far as I can tell that should've been a D40 as well, except maybe for the chesterfield?
And maybe the body binding and rosette?
Oh yeah, final note: Can't recall anybody ever not liking their Westerly DV6.
Tacomas are a little bit different: They became rosewood bodied and then became MIM.

Thanks Al-certainly,more information than I had found. Will widen my search as sounds like same, basic, guitar.

Stuball48 said:

Thanks Al-certainly,more information than I had found. Will widen my search as sounds like same, basic, guitar.

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It just occurred to me that Oxnard's about due for a revamp of the model number system, too.

I have a DV6, made by a Westerly employee for his son, who never took to guitar -- sold to me a few years ago, in near mint condition. Missing (or never had) the interior label (no glue residue or other evidence of a label) and made sans the pickguard.

I've owned two or three D40s, and still have one (I kept the one I like most), also Westerly made.

Both models are solid, good sounding guitars, and both are enjoyable to play.

The DV6 does one thing especially well, it's bright and punchy.

The D40 feels to me like a more nuanced guitar, and has greater expressive possibilities. The DV6 is (maybe?) less subtle than the D40.

If I could only keep one, I'd opt for the Westerly D40, at least the D40 I have versus the DV6 I have.

The problem with these "XXX versus YYY" postings is that the results are anecdotal at best. People's preferences vary and the guitars vary -- not a very exact science!

Still, if this helps, great!

Glenn

The thing to consider is that it comes down to the individual guitar more that what Guild called it. There is a big difference to me between a 1970 Westerly and a 1978 Westerly. The later being built heavier. If you want a mahogany back and sides with a sitka top, I'd consider all those, be it a D 35, D 40,or whatever. You might get a deal on a DV 6 purely due to the ignorance of the marketplace. If you like the guitar, buy it. I talked to a guy at an open mic who thought his D 25 was a D 35. He bought it new in 1979 and never paid much attention, but he has enjoyed it all this time nonetheless.

wileypickett said:

The DV6 does one thing especially well, it's bright and punchy.
The D40 feels to me like a more nuanced guitar, and has greater expressive possibilities. The DV6 is (maybe?) less subtle than the D40.

If I could only keep one, I'd opt for the Westerly D40, at least the D40 I have versus the DV6 I have.

The problem with these "XXX versus YYY" postings is that the results are anecdotal at best. People's preferences vary and the guitars vary -- not a very exact science!

Still, if this helps, great!

Glenn

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Glenn, (Edit: What BR1ck says is true too, and just emphasizes why I ask
What's the vintage of the D40 compared to the DV6?
Just trying to get a handle on whether build era might have something to do with it.
Your description reminds me of what I've seen people say when comparing D55's to D50's.
Subtle but different.

Al:
DV6 is 96 Westerly and D40 is 77 Westerly. I have not played or heard either and plan to do just that before I take the Nestie plunge. Thanks to all who have contributed to my education of these two guitars.

Stuball48 said:

Al:
DV6 is 96 Westerly and D40 is 77 Westerly. I have not played or heard either and plan to do just that before I take the Nestie plunge. Thanks to all who have contributed to my education of these two guitars.

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I'd expect that D40 to be a lot like my Corona D40.
It was like they went back to the "built like a tank" formula compared to the other 2, and for the first few years I literally called it the sonic runt of the litter, but it just took about ten years to open up, that's all.
:glee:
(And it also records the best of all 3, which I attribute to the flatback)

The D-6 actually came out in 1992, and was replaced by the DV-6 in 1995.

I have a near-mint '92 D-6, and I have also owned a '70s D-40 (but that was back in the '70s!). The D-6 was available with a number of finish options. Mine is done in a natural high gloss finish, and thus is a D-6nt-hg.

This particular D-6 has a neck profile that is virtually identical to the '73 F-30R and '74 F-40 which I currently own. It's a rather soft 'D' shape with a fair amount of width. This is my favorite Guild neck profile from the '70s, and I was surprised to find it again on the '92 D-6.

My first attraction to the D-6 was that it's construction so favorably reminded me of my '70s D-40. I also find the tone of this one to be very reminiscent of earlier Guilds. Most likely, your choice will come down to individual preferences when you play each guitar. Sharing much of the same DNA, both will have the potential to be very satisfying instruments.

Enjoy the hunt!

bobouz said:

The D-6 actually came out in 1992, and was replaced by the DV-6 in 1995.

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I was going by s/n charts, and I did miss the D6/D7 (?) listing for the "KL" s/n's shown in '93 but nothing under '92, must be another "glitch" in the records....
http://guildguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/history_of_your_guild.pdf
What I based my statement on was the fact that starting in '94 all the D6's and DV6 in all finishes all had the same prefix, "AD06".
They did the same thing with D25's and D4's: by '95 they both used the same s/n sequence even thought there were slight build differences, so I was guessing the same principal applied that they all started off as the same bodies and the differences were only cosmetic (and they just "renamed" the D6 as the DV6)
But it is just an "educated guess".

Al - The D6 does seem to be a bit of an odd duck!

When I first got mine & tried to do some research on it, the info was pretty skimpy. Pictures & listings seemed to always show it with a chesterfield headstock, but mine has a natural headstock with an inlaid logo. The serial numbers on the ones I found with the chesterfield always referenced to '93 or '94, so something wasn't jiving.

At some point I discovered that in '92, the D-6 had a natural headstock like mine, while in '93 & '94 it had the chesterfield. That was the end of it's three year run, and it then became the DV-6 in '95. While researching, I wrote Hans about this, since it seemed like something that might be helpful for his second book. To no surprise, he was already aware of these differences.

I have Gruhn's book on hand (2nd edition), and it notes '92 as the beginning year for the D-6. But in his serial number listings section, he only lists an ending KL serial number for '93. My KL serial number is very low (KL-00005X), and would certainly be tied to the beginning of the run - which likewise would correspond to the natural headstock. Other sources I might have uncovered at the time to nail this down have filtered out of my pea soup memory banks, but I'll do an update if I come across another piece of the puzzle that I might have tucked away.

Gotta love these Guild moving targets!

bobouz said:

I have Gruhn's book on hand (2nd edition), and it notes '92 as the beginning year for the D-6. But in his serial number listings section, he only lists an ending KL serial number for '93. My KL serial number is very low (KL-00005X), and would certainly be tied to the beginning of the run - which likewise would correspond to the natural headstock. Other sources I might have uncovered at the time to nail this down have filtered out of my pea soup memory banks, but I'll do an update if I come across another piece of the puzzle that I might have tucked away.

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Moving target indeed!
All that detective work's good enough for me, but I'd be kind of surprised if Hans didn't mention the date stamp on the side of the neck block, should be there in '92, but maybe he was already so certain of the build date it never was mentioned?
And he's explained before that's just when the superstructure was completed and typically it could be a couple of weeks to a couple of months for the whole guitar to actually be completed.
But now I'd wager there's a '92 date stamp in there.

Ha! It did indeed seem like I was forgetting something supremely obvious !!!

The date stamp on the neckblock is > SEP 30 1992.

Edit: The difference in the headstocks, rather than the date of manufacture, is what originally confused me about this model - and clarifying that issue led to the contact with Hans.

Stu,

I'd recommend widening your search a bit. More recently, I thought the Ensenada-built DV-4 (which is mahogany) was a wonderful instrument and quite inexpensive. I didn't much like the DV-6 (which is rosewood), but the DV-4 was a bit of a standout to me. Also, have you checked out the current D-20 (I think) from Oxnard?

chazmo said:

Stu,

I'd recommend widening your search a bit. More recently, I thought the Ensenada-built DV-4 (which is mahogany) was a wonderful instrument and quite inexpensive. I didn't much like the DV-6 (which is rosewood), but the DV-4 was a bit of a standout to me. Also, have you checked out the current D-20 (I think) from Oxnard?

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Thanks for information and suggestions on other Guilds.
I am willing to wait until the right D40 or DV6 (thought dv6 was mahogany) comes along and matches how much I have in my "rathole" account.

Stuball48 said:

Thanks for information and suggestions on other Guilds.
I am willing to wait until the right D40 or DV6 (thought dv6 was mahogany) comes along and matches how much I have in my "rathole" account.

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Westerly DV6's are 'hog, Tacomas are rosewood.
There was even a flatbacked 'hog DV4 from Westerly but I only ever saw one member here have one.
Westerlyguild guitars.com shows it as a '99 so now I'm wondering if it was a one-year only last gasp to use up DV6 bodies before reintroducing D40's.
The DV series was dropped in Corona and revived in Tacoma for those 2 models only, so the take-away is to verify you're looking at a Westerly version if you want 'hog and MIUSA.
And if you get desperate you can say you forgot to take your meds AND sell the Masterbuilt so that you'll still be at 5 guitars.
Wink wink nudge nudge.
:emmersed:

Al:
You got some pursuasive blood in you. Are you in sales?
And not a bad mind reader because the Masterbilt would be the one sold. I will be patient in my search for HOG.

Stuball48 said:

Al:
You got some pursuasive blood in you. Are you in sales?

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Years and years ago there was a TV commercial featuring a balding guy in a hot tub being approached by 2 improbably endowed female model types asking him "What do you do?".
"I sell paper" he says.
"OOOH how exciting!!!" coo the models in unison while entwining what's left of his hair in their fingers.
Just then several bubbles break the surface of the hot tub's water, a telltale sign of an imminent digestive emergency for the paper salesman who hastily makes his apologies for leaving, with a promise to be right back.
As a paper salesman myself I can assure you that life as a paper salesman really is like that.

chazmo said:

Stu,

I'd recommend widening your search a bit. More recently, I thought the Ensenada-built DV-4 (which is mahogany) was a wonderful instrument and quite inexpensive. I didn't much like the DV-6 (which is rosewood), but the DV-4 was a bit of a standout to me. Also, have you checked out the current D-20 (I think) from Oxnard?

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The mahogany DV-4 was also produced in Tacoma (I have the Tacoma-built rosewood DV-6), and I've seen those DV-4's on Craigslist for $700 asking and less. They do not show up often, but if one does nearby, go have a look and listen.