Guild D-40

Br1ck · May 18, 2022

When you've become confused, you can't keep stats in your head and you want to explode, revert to the method that was pretty foolproof from 1860 to around the mid 1990s. Play guitar, like guitar, buy guitar. It's as simple as that. If it feels right and sounds right, it is right. Don't buy a guitar because you think you should like it, and don't pass on one because you think you shouldn't.

As an example, take a 65 Epiphone Texan. Most will think it's an import and you won't get much envy. And you have read about the horrible tone sucking plywood bridge plate, and that everyone who is in the know yanks the adjustable bridge out. They majorly suck tone. And the 1 5/8 nut makes the neck unplayable, plus the burst, well, close your eyes. Then there is Gibson's QC. TRUE, TRUE, TRUE.

But it took me five minutes to be hopelessly smitten. So we are back to play, like, and buy. I've spent a lifetime liking guitars rejected by a majority.

KenL · May 26, 2022

This is a great thread, lots of good info.

I would love to own an older D-40. Just so happens there is one for sale right now on Denver CL for only....

Wait for it....

$2500!!!

Like I said, I would like to own one. But it ain't gonna be that one!

D30Man · May 26, 2022

Runner6 said:
The 140 is indeed a solid back. I haven’t played the new D40. The ‘75 D40 has the typical 70’s era Guild sound.

I'm with Chaz. The D-40 is going to be a world apart whether Oxnard or earlier IMHO. Hold out for a D-40 or if budget is truly limited, a D-35 is only settling slightly. Of course if it's the arching of the back that you dig, D-25's are amazing. I have yet to be dazzled by any of the latest Guild MIC's save for the memoir parlor.

D30Man · May 26, 2022

Br1ck said:
When you've become confused, you can't keep stats in your head and you want to explode, revert to the method that was pretty foolproof from 1860 to around the mid 1990s. Play guitar, like guitar, buy guitar. It's as simple as that. If it feels right and sounds right, it is right. Don't buy a guitar because you think you should like it, and don't pass on one because you think you shouldn't.

As an example, take a 65 Epiphone Texan. Most will think it's an import and you won't get much envy. And you have read about the horrible tone sucking plywood bridge plate, and that everyone who is in the know yanks the adjustable bridge out. They majorly suck tone. And the 1 5/8 nut makes the neck unplayable, plus the burst, well, close your eyes. Then there is Gibson's QC. TRUE, TRUE, TRUE.

But it took me five minutes to be hopelessly smitten. So we are back to play, like, and buy. I've spent a lifetime liking guitars rejected by a majority.

Could not agree more Br1ck. I know I cant keep up with bracing patterns, what years had this or that, etc. Most of the time anyway. Do I like the way it plays? Do I like the way it feels? Can I live with the way it looks? Is it within my budget?

It is hard to push "well it's MIC" or "well it's gotten horrible reviews on guitar forums" out of your mind when shopping. I know that one day I could walk into a guitar shop ( when I have more money - kids are out of the house ), find a Gibson J45 or Songwriter Deluxe or J200 that begs me to take it home. I have been a pretty strong critic of Gibson so there would be some eating crow, but if that day should come, so be it. I will add it to the signature and play it with pride. In meantime, Guild overall has not let me down yet.

bobouz · May 26, 2022

My advice has long been to simply take guitar generalizations as points of reference for consideration when browsing, but to avoid going anywhere near them as absolute truths. And my rule of thumb is to not form an opinion about any given model unless I’ve played at least three of them. The variations from one example to the next are just too numerous - but thankfully, that’s precisely what fuels the quest!

As for the D-40, that was my first Guild purchase back in the ‘70s. Traded away long ago when I started veering towards smaller bodies, I luckily happened upon a minty ‘92 D6-nt-hg a few years back. The D-6 is still a bit of a sleeper pricewise, and while in production, it nicely carried forward that D-40 goodness. First year had a natural headstock (TRC has been changed), giving way to a chesterfield the following year:

PreacherBob · May 26, 2022

KenL said:
This is a great thread, lots of good info.

I would love to own an older D-40. Just so happens there is one for sale right now on Denver CL for only....

Wait for it....

$2500!!!

Like I said, I would like to own one. But it ain't gonna be that one!

There is a 1970 D40, and a 1980 D40 in the FS/FT thread here on LTG by members in excellent condition, and one of them is lest than half that price If you’re interested.

Br1ck · May 26, 2022

Guilds are still the bargain of the used world, it's just the used world has changed. Used to be you could buy a serviceable D 25 for six or seven hundred. Find one for that now and it's a project. $1800-2000 for a reasonably decent D 40 from pre 73-74 would be an ok deal for me. But I buy guitars to keep, not sell, so a few hundred is not going to concern me. I remember when te difference between a Guld D 35 and a D 18 was about $75. Yes, you do have to be old to remember that. Guilds were a favorite of students back then.

plaidseason · May 27, 2022

Just for the sake of clarity or whatever, and maybe I'm just confused . . . but all long-scale Oxnard guitars appear to be 25 5/8", which is the same as Westerly long-scale measurement. At least as far the company(s) list/listed specs.

Roland · Jun 2, 2022

Okay, update, today is my birthday and we went back to the big city in search of a new Guild. I came home with a D-20 sunburst. I traded the D-240 and I feel like I got a pretty fair deal in the trade.

Norrissey · Jun 2, 2022

Congrats! That's a beauty! Enjoy!

RBpicker · Jun 2, 2022

Congratulations. My D20 is right up there with the best acoustics I’ve ever owned…(many). as it opens up, it will just get better and better.

roger

PreacherBob · Jun 2, 2022

That’s a beautiful guitar Roland, the burst really sets well with the mahogany. I’m sure you two will get along along together just fine. Wish I could experience that sound. All the guitars I’ve had, cedars and all different variations of spruce, I’ve never had a mahogany top guitar. Definitely on my bucket list, to play an all hog guitar.
Congrats my friend

Roland · Jun 2, 2022

PreacherBob said:
That’s a beautiful guitar Roland, the burst really sets well with the mahogany. I’m sure you two will get along along together just fine. Wish I could experience that sound. All the guitars I’ve had, cedars and all different variations of spruce, I’ve never had a mahogany top guitar. Definitely on my bucket list, to play an all hog guitar.
Congrats my friend

Thank you. I had the D-40 with the spruce top on my mind a few weeks ago when I started thinking about upgrading and the D-20 wasn't even on my radar, but as I played the two, the D-20 spoke to me.

Charlie Bernstein · Jun 2, 2022

Roland said:
. . . What is the difference between the two besides the wood they are built of? When I read and compare the specs sometimes it isn't as evident to me the differences as it is to others more knowledgeable of guitars.

You mentioned liking the twang of your 240. That's what I love about my old D-35, with its pruce top and solid mahogany sides and back.

A grossly generalized acoustic/electric tone comparison guide:

- Martin acoustics // Les Pauls: loud, balanced, clear mids
- Gibson acoustics // Stratocasters: sparkle, chime
- Taylor acoustics // Paul Reed Smith electrics: the other white meat
- Guild acoustics // Telecasters: twang and snarl, scooped mids

The spec sheets don't tell the story. A brand's sound isn't just about the flavors of wood they use. The whole design contributes. That's why, love it or leave it, a Taylor always sounds and feels like a Taylor, be it solid or lam, rosewood or mahogany, cedar or spruce, dread or parlor. Different bracing, wood thicknesses, finishes, glues, body depths, and more — they all go into the recipe for every builder's special sauce.

Wellington · Jun 2, 2022

Awesome, congrats again, I just commented on your thread on AGF as well and came over here to make sure you shared it here haha. Very nice guitar

Roland · Jun 4, 2022

Charlie Bernstein said:
You mentioned liking the twang of your 240. That's what I love about my old D-35, with its pruce top and solid mahogany sides and back.

A grossly generalized acoustic/electric tone comparison guide:

- Martin acoustics // Les Pauls: loud, balanced, clear mids
- Gibson acoustics // Stratocasters: sparkle, chime
- Taylor acoustics // Paul Reed Smith electrics: the other white meat
- Guild acoustics // Telecasters: twang and snarl, scooped mids

The spec sheets don't tell the story. A brand's sound isn't just about the flavors of wood they use. The whole design contributes. That's why, love it or leave it, a Taylor always sounds and feels like a Taylor, be it solid or lam, rosewood or mahogany, cedar or spruce, dread or parlor. Different bracing, wood thicknesses, finishes, glues, body depths, and more — they all go into the recipe for every builder's special sauce.

Interesting that yes, I did like the twang in the D-240 and I thought that came from the spruce top. That is why at first I had my eye on the D-40. But when I played them both side by side, I still heard it, whatever it is, in the D-20, just more subtle. Anyway, without over analyzing it I just decided I liked the sound of the D-20. Sometimes we really don't know what we're looking for until we find it and that is the case here.

Guildedagain · Jun 4, 2022

Heath said:
laminate does NOT equal bad with Guild.

Laminate doesn't equal bad in any quality guitar.

Stereotypes are just a thing that help people categorize things they don't know much about so there's less mental gymnastics involved, you already know what it is before you really know anything about it.

A great example would be an all laminate 70's vintage red label Nippon Gakki Yamaha FG-75 vs a similar vintage all solid woods Harmony Stella, the Yamaha has rather magical tone to the Harmony's somewhat dubious "cheap guitar tone".

The Yamaha makes a great and loud campfire guitar. The Stella works well for some voice accompaniment, but doesn't have much volume or projection.

fronobulax · Jun 4, 2022

Once upon a time when talking about wood products. "laminate" and "plywood" were believed to be synonyms and everyone knew plywood was cheap and second rate. People who were willing to be educated, or just curious, soon discovered that they were not synonyms and that for some applications a carefully crafted laminate was the best way to go. So claiming laminates are cheap or bad is a potential sign of ignorance and such claims should not be accepted or repeated without providing a context that illustrates whether the speaker knows what they are talking about, or not.

Brought to you from a soapbox constructed of scraps of discarded plywood.

Charlie Bernstein · Jun 4, 2022

fronobulax said:
Once upon a time when talking about wood products. "laminate" and "plywood" were believed to be synonyms and everyone knew plywood was cheap and second rate. People who were willing to be educated, or just curious, soon discovered that they were not synonyms and that for some applications a carefully crafted laminate was the best way to go. So claiming laminates are cheap or bad is a potential sign of ignorance and such claims should not be accepted or repeated without providing a context that illustrates whether the speaker knows what they are talking about, or not.

Brought to you from a soapbox constructed of scraps of discarded plywood.

Good thoughts! Nonetheless, lots of jazz players sneer at "plywood." They dig Gibson L-5s and Gibson Byrdlands, f'rinstance. Pick up a Gibson ES-series guitar, and you're branded a blues player for life (unless you're Charlie Christian, of course).

Snobs?

fronobulax · Jun 4, 2022

Charlie Bernstein said:
Good thoughts! Nonetheless, lots of jazz players sneer at "plywood." They dig Gibson L-5s and Gibson Byrdlands, f'rinstance. Pick up a Gibson ES-series guitar, and you're branded a blues player for life (unless you're Charlie Christian, of course).

Snobs?

Such players are just demonstrating their ignorance or unwillingness to change

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