D-55 Dilemma

Bonneville88

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I've owned Guilds I found pleasing and some less so, from Hoboken-era to present day.

A few quick notes...

Two Hobo-era D35s were remarkably different guitars - I kept one and sold the other.
Four Hew Hartford F50s (maple) rotated through usage over about a year - I kept one - no plans to part with it.
A Westerly Maple F50 owned for little over a year also departed.
Three D55s (two New Hartford, one Westerly) and a Westerly D50 are now gone - done with Guild Rosewood dreads for now, perhaps forever.
Two New Hartford F30s are still here and being enjoyed but eventually there will be only one.
Two of my current favorites - the Hobo D35 I kept, and a DC3E - from a cosmetic
standpoint, are absolute beaters, but I sure like how they sound and feel.
In the far corner, a semi-beater Hoboken-era F20 sounds better to my ears than the Westerly F20 next to it - the Hobo is also noticeably lighter,
but the Westerly has its charms as well. Keeping both for now, and generally play them one after the other,
pondering the differences.

While I've made an intentional recent pivot towards finding vintage Guilds that have been played, the MIC "Westerly Collection" D120 on the wall
holds its own very well against various Westerly D25s in the house.

Guild on.
 
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bobouz

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Not for one minute do I buy the argument that lighter construction produces better tone.

Imho, the thickness and bracing of the top have much more to do how a guitar is going to sound, regardless of any overall weight factors related to the rest of the instrument.

'70s Westerlys in particular are often noticeably heavy, but their tops are typically quite thin. In contrast, their neck & heal blocks are often massive chunks of lumber - but all that wood & weight is simply suspended in the frame of the instrument.

I think we would all agree that every part of a guitar effects the whole in one way or another, but the top is where the action is, and it's the one area where, at least to my eyeball assessment, Guilds have consistently avoided being overbuilt.
 

PittPastor

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My point about weight is really just a matter of aesthetic preference. I really like the feel of a heavier guitar. I’m not arguing anything about tone and weight. In fact, as I said my super light Taylor sounds louder than the D55 (although I like the D55 tone more). Again, I just like the feel of the heavier guitar - not questioning anything about tone and effective guitar construction.

Where in PA? My first stop whenever I get a guitar online is to a Luthier. I know one really good one in Western PA. I know a couple of others some people around here recommend. But, I can't help you much on the Eastern side.

A Luthier can better tell you how serious the issue is, and also give you an estimate for the repair, and that is what I would take to GC. It's one thing to say: "This isn't what I expected" it's another to say: "Hey, I have an appraisal here from a professional luthier, and it's going to cost $X to fix this thing you didn't tell me about... how about we meet somewhere in the middle."

Just a thought. Sorry to hear about your experience. I only got one guitar form GC online, and it was a steal, and came in better condition than I hoped. YMMV is always the case with these things, sadly.

You have 15 days, right?
 

Cougar

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...Two Hobo-era D35s... Four New Hartford F50s (maple)... A Westerly Maple F50... Three D55s (two New Hartford, one Westerly) and a Westerly D50... Two New Hartford F30s... the Hobo D35... a DC3E... Hoboken-era F20... Westerly F20... MIC "Westerly Collection" D120...

Guild on.

Man, you've really been Guilding! But better to Guild then to geld! :nightmare:
 

bobouz

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I only got one guitar form GC online, and it was a steal, and came in better condition than I hoped. YMMV is always the case with these things, sadly. You have 15 days, right?

I believe GC's return policy on guitars listed as 'used' is currently 45 days. If it's listed as a 'vintage' instrument, you only have three days to return it.

And my experience with GC has mostly been like yours. On a number of occasions, if the guitar was listed as being in 'great' or 'excellent' condition, it's actually been closer to near-mint upon arrival.
 

Br1ck

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Then there is the what do you like in tone. Everyone raves about the post 2012 D 18, how wonderful it is. Give me a 65 straight braced D 18 with a 1 11/16 neck any day. I was playing one in Gryphon one day when a guy comes up and says, that guitar is really nasal sounding isn't it. I said to me it was perfection. His idea of tone was a D 28 Marquis.

I once picked up a D 25, at first thought it was thin, but loud as hell, then thought of playing it in a jam. Just the ticket.
 

TBK711

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Pitt Pastor - I am in WesternPa - specifically Mars/Cranberry area. I’d love a referral if you have a good luthier. I usually take guitars to a couple shops nearby and I would say they have been ok; but if you have somebody good, I would love to know.

I do have 45 days on this one to return, but I won’t wait that long. I think what I am learning from this thread is that the fact that I have fallen in love with the two D55’s I have played isn’t an accident. I should return and hunt for the one I really want. And I should lnt be too concerned about any era or plant, they all sound great.

.... and, Pitt Pastor, if you run into anyone selling a D55 in our neck of the woods, and you aren’t buying it, please do send them my way. I am in the market 😀.

And note - I’m not really feeling ripped off by GC. I knew this guitar was a little road worn when I bought it. As I said my plan was to return it - just wanted to get another d55 in my hands to make sure I loved it. And, I did/do!! I did not expect/didn’t know about the neck binding issue and there are a few more imperfections that were surprising, but i don’t “think” they deliberaretly deceived me - it just isn’t quite my “forever” D55. All in all, assuming the return is no problem, I would rate it as a good experience.
 

PittPastor

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Pitt Pastor - I am in WesternPa - specifically Mars/Cranberry area. I’d love a referral if you have a good luthier.

http://stuartdayguitars.com/
412-381-0512
Stuart@stuartdayguitars.com

He's the real deal. Studied, apprenticed, was a journeyman. Old school luthier (though he's a young guy.) He moved up to New Galilee, which is a little north west of you I think. Really far from me now, but I don't think so much from you. (Cracks me up, we have him in Galilee and Martin in Nazareth -- what is it with guitar guys going to New Testament cities...?)

Here's the thing, I'm not sure where he is in his luthier business right now. I know he got a Realtor's license recently. He does custom builds. (His specialty is archtops. Gorgeous things. One model called "The Steel City Church" makes me want it on so many levels...) I think its hard to make ends meet as a luthier in Pittsburgh. But I would try him first. If he's not taking new business, I would say the next best bet are the guys at NSTuff in Blawnox. Lots of guys I know swear by them and Stuart actually gave them an endorsement when he moved from his south Pittsburgh shop.

Returning to GC, if you have to, is easy. I've done it a few times. You don't even need an excuse. "I didn't love it" is all they need, and they take it back. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that.

PM me if you have any other questions.

(And no, I am not in the market for a D55 -- or anything really. I couldn't get it past my CFO. And I want to stay married. So, the GAS is deeply repressed right now... But that doesn't mean I don't want one!)
 

geoguy

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I would vote for keeping the one that you already love, and trying to negotiate a partial refund to cover the cost of repairs.

My experience is that the Westerly D55 I played had a fuller (bigger bass) sound compared to the Tacoma & New Hartford examples that I've also played. The Tacoma & New Hartford versions both had more of an elegant piano-like chime.

I hope those descriptions make sense.
 

Westerly Wood

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I would vote for keeping the one that you already love, and trying to negotiate a partial refund to cover the cost of repairs.

My experience is that the Westerly D55 I played had a fuller (bigger bass) sound compared to the Tacoma & New Hartford examples that I've also played. The Tacoma & New Hartford versions both had more of an elegant piano-like chime.

I hope those descriptions make sense.

+1 to Geo's wisdom here
 

bobouz

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I would vote for keeping the one that you already love, and trying to negotiate a partial refund to cover the cost of repairs.

Yes indeed, that was my recommendation as well, back in post #22. You can always keep looking for another one, but there's no guarantee that you'll be able to do better than the one in hand. Why risk having that tone haunt you if you let it go?

The guitar appears to be structurally stable, with only a few minor issues. But I guess we are all driven by different factors. For some, it's all about the price, for others it's the cosmetics - or something that lies in between as to what constitutes a 'good deal' on a used guitar. One would think tone & playability should override everything else, but I'm as guilty as anyone in being attracted to a shiny object!

Edit - And it does make a difference that there are quite a few examples of this model on the market. If you were considering a limited run item, the options would be simplified.
 
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rwmct

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In my view, there is an excellent chance that if you really like the sound of this one, you will feel others don't quite measure up.
 

Stuball48

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Just close your eyes when you play it. Most of us would have several brands and makes if we did.
 

TBK711

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Ok, so this morning I set up my two daughter across the room and we had a blindfolded tone tournament. Mind you, I don’t have the collection you guys have ... the contestants were my four favorite acoustics. 1) Taiwanese early 2000s Yamaha, 2) takamine lawsuit era D-18 copy, 3) guild D55 in question, 4) Taylor 814ce - vclass bracing. I set up a bracket to determine the winner.

First round: takamine vs Taylor - Taylor won
Second round: guild vs Yamaha - guild won

Championship round: Taylor vs guild - guild won

I agreed with the unanimous voting.

But, I have decided to return it. The loose binding on the neck is just not what I want out of a $1900 guitar - if it were just the cosmetic stuff, I would be keeping it, but the binding is what puts me over the edge.

But alas, I have validated that guild d55s are amazing to my ear and that I do need to find the right one for me. I will find the right one, I think. Just need some patience - and Indonhave some guitars to play in the meantime. 😀

I really do love the neck and the warmth and the depth in tone. But I think I can find a better one if I look hard enough.

Thanks for all of the help guys. I really do appreciate it.
 

JohnW63

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If it rubs on you, like a sticker in your sweater, then you chose properly. Little things that are not what you expected, for $1900, will always be there and I think lessen your enjoyment. There are LOTS of D-55s out there. The price you paid was not an amazing deal, so you won't have to spend more to get what you want. If you let combined web surfing skill of this forum come to your aid, you may find another one faster than you think.

While you search, don't ignore the F-47R. Not a dred, but it has a very similar tone to the D-55. It may sell for less, on average as it is not *** well known. I've got one of each. I don't play that great, but I might post a D-55 vs F-47R audio comparison clip , some day.


p.s. Here is a Reverb sale for a Westerly D-55 for the same money you spent.
https://reverb.com/item/14524652-guild-d-55nt-1983-natural

Has a clear coat smudge on the neck. Not sure how hard or easy that would be to fix. Need to ask for more details, like string height and break angle of the strings over the saddle to test for neck angle, since it's not the newest guitar. But, it looks clean.
 
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TBK711

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Thanks John. I have been looking at that one. I have been thinking a little newer would be my preference, but Inwas thinking about asking him for a few more pics. I will keep watching it.

.... I would love to find and play a New Hartford D55, before I make my D55 purchase. Wish it wasn’t so hard to find them.

... the search continues!!
 

TBK711

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Oh, also, I did return it yesterday, so I imagine we will be seeing it in the GC site soon.

.... also, made an impulse buy on a used Boomerang III while Inwas there - this thing is a lot of fun!!
 

JohnW63

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I have a very early NH D-55, that I got from one of our members at a good price, because it had dried out in the past and needed a top split repaired. If I forget to keep it humidified, you can start seeing the split again. ( It's very dry here. If I lived where the ambient RH is in the 40s, I might never think about it. )
 

geoguy

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Sounds like you made a decision that you're comfortable with, so congrats on that.

Just for future reference, if a piece of binding is simply loose, that's a very easy (read inexpensive) re-glue type of repair.
 
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