Today was the singer in our band's birthday, and we decided to get her a gift certificate. I was determined not to get one from Guitar Center, even though there's on right by my office. I have also been wanting to see what Guilds Sam Ash had in stock, now that some of the Oxnard guitars are making their way into the wild. When I got there, they had quite a few, including this D55 and D40.
I took down the D55 first and played it, but honestly, it didn't really do much for me. It wasn't bad, but it was much like the many other D55s I've played from New Hartford; good, but it didn't really blow my hair back, as Charlie likes to say. Probably doesn't help that I generally prefer mahogany and maple guitars, which leads me to the D40.
This was the more expensive "Traditional" model, and as soon as I picked it up, I knew it would be good. Man, this guitar is light, lighter than any of the D40s I've played (or owned) from New Hartford. And as a result, it was extremely resonant, which was what I expected. You could feel the bass rumbling in your belly like a good acoustic guitar should, and I was mightily impressed. I don't know what they did to pare the weight down, but whatever they did worked! Can't say it's better than my Martin D18DC, but then again, it isn't 17 years old either. This one will only get better with time I think.
They also had a P-240 Memoir on the wall, and I couldn't resist.
While I didn't feel the urge to leave the store with it as I already own a Martin 000-17SM that fills the bill, this is a great $500 guitar for sure. I wouldn't say it's as good as my Martin, but at 1/3 the price it comes pretty close. If you're in the market for a 12 fret slothead, it's worth some serious consideration.
All in all, it's nice to know that there's some great instruments coming out of Oxnard, and I wasn't sure not long ago that I'd ever be able to say that!
I took down the D55 first and played it, but honestly, it didn't really do much for me. It wasn't bad, but it was much like the many other D55s I've played from New Hartford; good, but it didn't really blow my hair back, as Charlie likes to say. Probably doesn't help that I generally prefer mahogany and maple guitars, which leads me to the D40.
This was the more expensive "Traditional" model, and as soon as I picked it up, I knew it would be good. Man, this guitar is light, lighter than any of the D40s I've played (or owned) from New Hartford. And as a result, it was extremely resonant, which was what I expected. You could feel the bass rumbling in your belly like a good acoustic guitar should, and I was mightily impressed. I don't know what they did to pare the weight down, but whatever they did worked! Can't say it's better than my Martin D18DC, but then again, it isn't 17 years old either. This one will only get better with time I think.
They also had a P-240 Memoir on the wall, and I couldn't resist.
While I didn't feel the urge to leave the store with it as I already own a Martin 000-17SM that fills the bill, this is a great $500 guitar for sure. I wouldn't say it's as good as my Martin, but at 1/3 the price it comes pretty close. If you're in the market for a 12 fret slothead, it's worth some serious consideration.
All in all, it's nice to know that there's some great instruments coming out of Oxnard, and I wasn't sure not long ago that I'd ever be able to say that!
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