Help with 1970s cherry finish D25 purchase

bobdcat

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Looking to buy a Guild dread. Over the years I have played and heard several cherry-finish D25s from the 1970s. Opinions on flat back versus arched back, any any other considerations.

Thanks!
 

Westerly Wood

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If you prefer a louder, fatter, warmer sound, the arched back D25s are the way to go.
Flatbacks are cool too, but softer and darker in tone, due to the hog top.
If you prefer spruce tops, really need a good old 1974-79 D25 CH, but they had a lot of different stain abbreviations. Mostly brown, red, cherry, burst stains I have seen, natural too. such killer dreads, so boomy. workhorse!

the good news is they are all over reverb, and starting at 600 various condition. some will be priced crazy, and i would not go over 800 unless you really love it...

Here: https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=Guild D25&decades=197&sort=price|asc

just went on reverb, searched Guild D25, checked off box for 1970s, plenty of examples. the archies will have spruce tops, unless they were made in '73/'74 a bit, some were all hog arched backs, but definitely past 1974, they are all spruce topped arched backs. i think till like the Tacoma years. But Al be around soon enuff to elaborate.
 
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PTC Bernie

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I had a 73 Spruce Top cherry stained arch back. It was my first "good" Guitar. As a matter of fact, it was a GREAT guitar. One of Guild's best values, IMHO. Lot's of folks had them and played the heck out of them. I've seen video's of everyone from Tom Petty to Jorma playing them.

Just check the normal stuff, bridge lift, neck angle, 14th fret hump, etc.
 

richardp69

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I had a 73 Spruce Top cherry stained arch back. It was my first "good" Guitar. As a matter of fact, it was a GREAT guitar. One of Guild's best values, IMHO. Lot's of folks had them and played the heck out of them. I've seen video's of everyone from Tom Petty to Jorma playing them.

Just check the normal stuff, bridge lift, neck angle, 14th fret hump, etc.

Excuse my ignorance but what is "the 14th fret hump"???
 

Guildedagain

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It's a song ;-)

The neck dives down a little to get out of the way there, sometimes... each guitar is different.

Quite few of the red beasts on eBay too, might be the same guitars.
 

adorshki

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Excuse my ignorance but what is "the 14th fret hump"???

A little bump on the fretboard at the neck/body joint, forget the cause but it's a known "malady".


If you prefer a louder, fatter, warmer sound, the arched back D25s are the way to go.
Flatbacks are cool too, but softer and darker in tone, due to the hog top.
If you prefer spruce tops, really need a good old 1974-79 D25 CH, but they had a lot of different stain abbreviations. Mostly brown, red, cherry, burst stains I have seen, natural too. such killer dreads, so boomy. workhorse!

the good news is they are all over reverb, and starting at 600 various condition. some will be priced crazy, and i would not go over 800 unless you really love it...

Here: https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=Guild D25&decades=197&sort=price|asc

just went on reverb, searched Guild D25, checked off box for 1970s, plenty of examples. the archies will have spruce tops, unless they were made in '73/'74 a bit, some were all hog arched backs, but definitely past 1974, they are all spruce topped arched backs. i think till like the Tacoma years. But Al be around soon enuff to elaborate.
Actually a little burned out on recounting the glories of D25's, but for clarity , they reverted to the original all-hog flatback version in Corona, '02, for about a year, then they were gone, replaced with same-formula import GAD25.
Over the years I've come to really understand why the archies are said to be better strummers and the flatbacks better for fingerpicking:
The arched back absolutely emphasizes overtones and sustain making for very lush sounding chords, but in fingerpicking all that may cause individual notes to get smothered under each other.
A flat back really emphasizes individual notes, such that even though my D25's bass might be louder, the D40's is clearer and thus sounds better in some styles.
(the D40 is also a 'hog body spruce top dread but has a flatback, so I've got both back types in the same construction woods and body dimensions)
In the last 18 months I've also noticed that the D40 actually records the "cleanest" on my GF's cell phone, the other 2 are more prone to distortion and clipping and guess what: even thought they're different woods they're both archbacks.
The light went on: the D40's waveforms are cleaner so it records better.
Flip-flopping again, the D25 (archback) has the woodiest tone of the bunch, evoking the "floppy" sound of a stand-up bass (which, coincidentally, are arched on both sides) when I do it just right, the '40'll never get that "dirty".
So the '25's probably the most versatile guitar in the bunch. It can be played pretty cleanly, with restraint.
I made an analogy once that folks seemed to like:
Archbacks are like parachute flares, throwing out a wide diffused light over everything, flatbacks are like spotlights, with a clean focused beam.
When I finally got that I understood why people called their D40's "punchy", and truth to tell, it took me several years to really hear it.
But it grows on me all the time.

any any other considerations.

Thanks!

Depending on what kind of condition you're looking for, I can only mention that the older the instrument the more likely it's not going to be in optimum shape even allowing for simple aging issues .
Late ('95-'01) Westerlys have stellar quality reps (mine's a 96 so I'm biased), but I notice those don't seem to be as available as the earlier vintages.
Maybe their owners don't want to let them go?
 
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bobdcat

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Boy for $40 in shipping you can A/B them for a weekend and return if you hate them both.

Less than a typical bar tab during Mad Marchness for Rayk!!

Now, that's funny!

And I'm not "laughing" at your Madeira. One of my jam folks here has one and it a right good guitar.

Thanks for the links. Both of these look possible.
 

adorshki

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And thank you, AL for your in-depth analysis.

"De nada."
:smile-new:
And I actually really liked that idea of testing 'em back-to-back myself, not often you can actually do that!
In the end it's gonna boil down to which sound you like better, assuming you don't decide you just gotta have both.
:glee:
And for more insight, 10 years ago I would have insisted the archback'd be the way to go, but my D40 hadn't truly opened up yet and I was literally calling it the sonic runt of the litter.
Obviously things've changed a bit since then.
I love 'em both equally for sound now although there's a lot more history with the '25.
I use the '40 for punchy strummers like the Yardbirds' "Puzzles"; the '25 works better on something like ELP's "Lucky Man"
Only other thing I can think of is that going by member observations on build styles over the years, it wouldn't surprise me if the '76 felt noticeably heavier than the '72, as Westerly was said to be going go towards a much heavier "build style" by the mid '70's.
But somehow they always retained a quintessential Guild sound a big part of which was equal string-to-string volume in all chords and across registers, that should be similar between 'em.
 
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Bonneville88

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Worst guitar ever :wink:

j0nbfP.jpg


3DXdXsQl.jpg
 
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beecee

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What years are those gorgeous red w/white binding D25's?

Not takin' anything away from the rest...especially those bursts
 

adorshki

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What years are those gorgeous red w/white binding D25's?
Those're Coronas, '02-early '04, all-hog flatback, Transparent (or Woodgrain?) Red with satin finish.
the 2nd one hanging from left, that is all hog archie right?
Certainly does look like it, can't see a back brace and top does look like 'hog.
 
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Bonneville88

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Beecee - as Al posted, they're Corona D25s - and imo outstanding guitars.

For a while there they just kinda arrived at my doorstep one after another.
Eventually sold 2 and kept one, but they were all good!
Then another one - white, no less! - recently fell out of the sky into my open arms...
hey, what's a guy to do but reach out and catch it!

WW - good eyes! All-hog archie indeed - and sonically distinctive
from everything else on the wall - it's it's own sweet hog thing.
Have two currently, and enjoying doing the unhurried, ongoing back & forth
between the two that's become habit in recent times, eventually one will depart.

I did sneak a non-D25 into the photo, it's the light brown D17 out in front.
I've had four of these gorgeous all-hog archbacks in recent times - interesting guitars but none has ever
come close to the sound / volume / tone of a well setup 25, and I've often wondered why.
Consistently narrow nuts on every one, regardless of year, possibly other unseen features
that make these guitars kinda quiet for an archback Guild dread.

The color on the most recent Corona 25 isn't really white, it's more of a cream / ivory, slightly transparent,
and the color definitely appears just a little bit darker, a bit more brown on the sides of the instrument.
Overall, this one may be the best sounding & playing of all four - great volume and rich overtones,
somewhat of a surprise for a flat-back all-hog guitar.

Feel like I need to grab a cowboy hat and get my yodel on whenever I pick this one up :biggrin-new:

GwG1Awc.jpg
 
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dreadnut

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That '72 looks pretty clean. The '76 appears to have some major finish issues on the top, like major arm sweat stains or something.

My take on the archbacks is because they have no back bracing, the arched back acts as kind of a parabolic sound wave mirror.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' with it.
 

Bonneville88

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If you're considering shopping at a GC beyond driving distance,
put your lucky charm hat on, call the store, talk to someone about
the guitar, ask them to email some additional pics - they'll
do it - and go from there.
 

bobdcat

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Found one on Reverb. Should be here by the end of the week.
 
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