A25 help needed

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Hi, everyone. Well, here's my predicament. Look at the guitars I have listed below and then ponder this with me. I watch Ebay from time to time and often see Guilds I am interested in, but the starting price is above what I think the guitar is worth to me. Maybe it's just my Scottish blood, but that happens a lot. Occasionally, when this happens, I watch the guitar to the end and if it doesn't get bid on, I email the seller after the ending time and state I would be interested, but cannot afford their starting bid. I assure them it's a lovely instrument, but tell them my top dollar. This happened late last year with an A25. Now, I know we've talked about the A25s and A50s, but here's my dilemma.

My main guitar is the 1997 G37 - a big dreadnaught with mahogany sides and arched back and a spruce top. It has an AMAZING sound and I've used it on all of the albums projects I've worked on since I bought it new in 1978. However, on the road, I began to feel it had too much sound and began using a GF25 small jumbo. My 12-string is an F112 and I felt the two very balanced. I LOVE the arched backs and have always been more than amused that the upper level Guilds DON'T have them. In the Gruhn-designed GF series, the lower end GF25 and GF30 have arched backs, but the GF40, GF50, GF55 and GF60 do not. Since I play in open D (Vestapol) tuning exclusively, I need a great rhythm guitar with a FAT sound, but clarity - hense Guild. So, I've been looking for a road guitar to replace the G37 and thought this little A25 might work.

It wasn't an issue as she said when I offered initially, that she had someone interested, but if they didn't buy it, she'd contact me. Well, here we are a couple of months later and she's offered it at slightly less than I offered. So, what say, lads? Should I buy this grand concert size. Will it give me the oomph I need in my rhythm playing that the dreadnaught does? Will I miss the projection of an arched back? Any experience with the A25 for strumming? I hear from some that finger-style is perfect on the A25, but strumming hard tends to break apart the sound. Any thoughts on that?

Any input, opinions, and ideas would be greatly appreciated. Hans? West? Mr. P? Anyone....?

Thanks -
Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 
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Hi, everyone. Well, here's my predicament. Look at the guitars I have listed below and then ponder this with me. I watch Ebay from time to time and often see Guilds I am interested in, but the starting price is above what I think the guitar is worth to me. Maybe it's just my Scottish blood, but that happens a lot. Occasionally, when this happens, I watch the guitar to the end and if it doesn't get bid on, I email the seller after the ending time and state I would be interested, but cannot afford their starting bid. I assure them it's a lovely instrument, but tell them my top dollar. This happened late last year with an A25. Now, I know we've talked about the A25s and A50s, but here's my dilemma.

My main guitar is the 1997 G37 - a big dreadnaught with mahogany sides and arched back and a spruce top. It has an AMAZING sound and I've used it on all of the albums projects I've worked on since I bought it new in 1978. However, on the road, I began to feel it had too much sound and began using a GF25 small jumbo. My 12-string is an F112 and I felt the two very balanced. I LOVE the arched backs and have always been more than amused that the upper level Guilds DON'T have them. In the Gruhn-designed GF series, the lower end GF25 and GF30 have arched backs, but the GF40, GF50, GF55 and GF60 do not. Since I play in open D (Vestapol) tuning exclusively, I need a great rhythm guitar with a FAT sound, but clarity - hense Guild. So, I've been looking for a road guitar to replace the G37 and thought this little A25 might work.

It wasn't an issue as she said when I offered initially, that she had someone interested, but if they didn't buy it, she'd contact me. Well, here we are a couple of months later and she's offered it at slightly less than I offered. So, what say, lads? Should I buy this grand concert size. Will it give me the oomph I need in my rhythm playing that the dreadnaught does? Will I miss the projection of an arched back? Any experience with the A25 for strumming? I hear from some that finger-style is perfect on the A25, but strumming hard tends to break apart the sound. Any thoughts on that?

Any input, opinions, and ideas would be greatly appreciated. Hans? West? Mr. P? Anyone....?

Thanks -
Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 

hansmoust

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SmithfieldFair said:
Should I buy this grand concert size. Will it give me the oomph I need in my rhythm playing that the dreadnaught does?

Hi Dudley,

Would be surprised if you could use it for that. The ones I've seen over the years didn't have enough body to do that rhythm thing (which you do not need that much when you have a drummer).

Sincerely,

Hans
 

hansmoust

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SmithfieldFair said:
Should I buy this grand concert size. Will it give me the oomph I need in my rhythm playing that the dreadnaught does?

Hi Dudley,

Would be surprised if you could use it for that. The ones I've seen over the years didn't have enough body to do that rhythm thing (which you do not need that much when you have a drummer).

Sincerely,

Hans
 

dreadnut

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for what it's worth, you should check out a '70's D-25M with arched back and spruce top. Very affordable nice ones on ebay all the time, unbelievably rich tone, especially loud bottom end. So many guitars go "thud" when you pluck the lower strings, but D-25s ring. Very nice for fingerpicking. Lots of boom due to the arched back with no bracing, in my opinion.

Having said all that, boy I sure love my '98 DV-52...it's opening up beautifully. :D
 

dreadnut

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for what it's worth, you should check out a '70's D-25M with arched back and spruce top. Very affordable nice ones on ebay all the time, unbelievably rich tone, especially loud bottom end. So many guitars go "thud" when you pluck the lower strings, but D-25s ring. Very nice for fingerpicking. Lots of boom due to the arched back with no bracing, in my opinion.

Having said all that, boy I sure love my '98 DV-52...it's opening up beautifully. :D
 
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A-25

Dred - Thanks. I LOVE D25s - the mahogany, the arched back, and Westerly folk seemed to think my G37 was REALLY a mis-marked D25, as the G37s were maple (my brother has one). But they did make mahogany back and sides for the G37 and what its numbers are really doesn't matter. It's a great guitar. BUT, the dreadnaught is just TOO musch sound for the road situation in open tuning. That's why I was looking for another GF25 or something similar. Thanks, though, and there ARE some wonderful D25s on Ebay. I've been drooling and wishing my finances were better. (I've opined before, but can't figure why the arched back was only on the lower end guitars. I LOVE the arched back - on the B50 as well. Perhaps it was some reverse-psychology that Al Dronge and Carlo Greco came up with.)

Hans -- Thank you a million times over. I was hoping you would chime in. With your input, I've decided to pass on this one. I had my suspicions. All of the harmony central reviews LOVE the A25, but several intone that it is more a fingerstyle guitar OR a light strummed. (Saying that strummed hard the sound "breaks up".) With Smithfield Fair, I'm the Richie Havens rhythm guitarist in open tuning with a lot of muscle and a great solid low end sound. I think I'll just defer and wait for another GF25 to come around. So, how's the lay-out coming for 2?

Best to you all - nice to have "guitar family" to turn to. Cheers! dbs

Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 
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A-25

Dred - Thanks. I LOVE D25s - the mahogany, the arched back, and Westerly folk seemed to think my G37 was REALLY a mis-marked D25, as the G37s were maple (my brother has one). But they did make mahogany back and sides for the G37 and what its numbers are really doesn't matter. It's a great guitar. BUT, the dreadnaught is just TOO musch sound for the road situation in open tuning. That's why I was looking for another GF25 or something similar. Thanks, though, and there ARE some wonderful D25s on Ebay. I've been drooling and wishing my finances were better. (I've opined before, but can't figure why the arched back was only on the lower end guitars. I LOVE the arched back - on the B50 as well. Perhaps it was some reverse-psychology that Al Dronge and Carlo Greco came up with.)

Hans -- Thank you a million times over. I was hoping you would chime in. With your input, I've decided to pass on this one. I had my suspicions. All of the harmony central reviews LOVE the A25, but several intone that it is more a fingerstyle guitar OR a light strummed. (Saying that strummed hard the sound "breaks up".) With Smithfield Fair, I'm the Richie Havens rhythm guitarist in open tuning with a lot of muscle and a great solid low end sound. I think I'll just defer and wait for another GF25 to come around. So, how's the lay-out coming for 2?

Best to you all - nice to have "guitar family" to turn to. Cheers! dbs

Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 

West R Lee

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OK Hans,

You know the suspense is absolutely killing us. Look, you know you have 200+ copies sold right here, so stop torchering us. At least tell us....will it be a month, a year, ten years or is it impossible to say?

Also I am really curious, did you publish a leather bound version of "The Guild Guitar Book"? If you did, where can I get one? Do you plan to publish a LB version of the sequel?

West
 

West R Lee

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OK Hans,

You know the suspense is absolutely killing us. Look, you know you have 200+ copies sold right here, so stop torchering us. At least tell us....will it be a month, a year, ten years or is it impossible to say?

Also I am really curious, did you publish a leather bound version of "The Guild Guitar Book"? If you did, where can I get one? Do you plan to publish a LB version of the sequel?

West
 
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