Thoughts on Value of a Westerly ‘99 D-40?

DanaW

DanaW

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Hi LTG, new member here! New here, was on the old forum.

I have a ‘99 D-40 Sunburst in great condition, no dings, etc with OHSC.

Looking to buy up to a DV52 or D-55, and wanted to get thoughts on it’s value?
 

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adorshki

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HI Dana, welcome aboard! Wow, I see you're actually in Westerly!

OK the usual answer is "Condition is everything". That guitar looks like it's been pretty well kept from the photos. Are you the original owner? That'd count for a lot for a guy like me. Also sunbursts are very desirable to a lot of folks and somewhat uncommon, so that's a plus. And original case is a plus, too.

Are you familiar with some of the finer points of gauging condition like checking the neck angle, and measuring the bridge and saddle height, and action? You're likely to get asked those questions by serious buyers.

OK, those caveats out of the way, I love D40's and those very late Westerly examples are very unusual or having a narrow headstock. Traditionally they had "paddleheads", wider at the top. It's another unusual detail that could actually be desirable to a guy like me.

Also, that period of Westerly production is generally recognized as being of very high build quality. Lot of hard-core Westerly fans out there, or am I preaching to the choir? :)

All that is background for my informal guess of $1200 all day long, assuming it's in very good nick. '01 price list shows 'em at $1499.00.

I'm not in the market but I bet it sounds great and I'd love to check one out someday. Hope that helps!:)
 
SFIV1967

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adorshki said:
Are you familiar with some of the finer points of gauging condition like checking the neck angle, and measuring the bridge and saddle height, and action?
Click to expand...
You might want to check Dana's signature! ;) The former user name here (from like 2010) was "sweetie82om".

Ralf
 
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wileypickett

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DV52s are great guitars -- I've owned a few (and still have one). If the DV52 you're looking at is in good shape, its value is comparable to a D40 in similar condition, plus or minus. If you're looking for a straight-up trade, you might get lucky swapping the D40 for the DV52.

The D55 however was Guild's top-of-the-line dreadnaught and you may have a hard time finding someone willing to do an even swap.

Money-wise, rather than selling the D40 through a store try Craigslist (or one of the internet sites), then apply that money to the DV52 or the D55.

D40s are nice too, of course! Why do you want to part with yours?
 
DanaW

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adorshki said:
HI Dana, welcome aboard! Wow, I see you're actually in Westerly!

OK the usual answer is "Condition is everything". That guitar looks like it's been pretty well kept from the photos. Are you the original owner? That'd count for a lot for a guy like me. Also sunbursts are very desirable to a lot of folks and somewhat uncommon, so that's a plus. And original case is a plus, too.

Are you familiar with some of the finer points of gauging condition like checking the neck angle, and measuring the bridge and saddle height, and action? You're likely to get asked those questions by serious buyers.

OK, those caveats out of the way, I love D40's and those very late Westerly examples are very unusual or having a narrow headstock. Traditionally they had "paddleheads", wider at the top. It's another unusual detail that could actually be desirable to a guy like me.

Also, that period of Westerly production is generally recognized as being of very high build quality. Lot of hard-core Westerly fans out there, or am I preaching to the choir? :)

All that is background for my informal guess of $1200 all day long, assuming it's in very good nick. '01 price list shows 'em at $1499.00.

I'm not in the market but I bet it sounds great and I'd love to check one out someday. Hope that helps!:)
Click to expand...
Hi Adorshki,

Thanks for the info and price guidance - it really helps me frame out value to ponder my next steps to keep/trade/sell.

I’m second owner, and I did all the neck measurements as per the thread from frets.com, pics also attached. Neck rod has not been tightened by me or Zach so far.

Neck angle: just under resting on top of the bridge, probably a 1/32 to a 1/16th
Low E String height:13/32 nds
12th fret string height: 3/32 nds

I take from the measurements a neck reset is not needed at this point. Not bad for a 21 yrs young Westerly!

THANKS!
 

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DanaW

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wileypickett said:
DV52s are great guitars -- I've owned a few (and still have one). If the DV52 you're looking at is in good shape, its value is comparable to a D40 in similar condition, plus or minus. If you're looking for a straight-up trade, you might get lucky swapping the D40 for the DV52.

The D55 however was Guild's top-of-the-line dreadnaught and you may have a hard time finding someone willing to do an even swap.

Money-wise, rather than selling the D40 through a store try Craigslist (or one of the internet sites), then apply that money to the DV52 or the D55.

D40s are nice too, of course! Why do you want to part with yours?
Click to expand...
Hi Wileypickett!
Yeah, It is a nice guitar however I played a D-55 and fell in love with the tone and sound. I’m a single-guitar owner right now, so not an option to keep the D-40 and also get a D-55. I had a D-4 ‘hog before the D-40, so continue to move on up when I can! 😉

Thanks for the feedback, and great to get back into the LTG conversations!
 
SFIV1967

SFIV1967

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DanaW said:
Hi Ralf, you got my old ID ! I didn’t recall it, so set up a new one. 😀
Click to expand...
...and I obviously misunderstood your signature and thought you might be Zach, the "Luthier and Owner of Frets in Westerly"! I already wondered why Zach=Dana... Now I see what you tried saying...Zachary worked on your guitar when he was an employee in the factory!
Ralf
 
cupric

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Zacks the best! He knows more about Guilds than anyone I know. And he repairs them! I always enjoyed stopping by and learning new Guild stuff. He took care of my guitars for a decade or so.
There is also a picture of him in Hans book.
 
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Br1ck

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A D 55 is one good reason to sell a D 40. It took me a couple or four decades to own a few guitars and I'm keeping them and likely not adding more. Right now my Martin Custom D 35 fills the rosewood dread slot. But the last D 55 I played dusted a room chock full of Martin, Gibson, and Taylors.
 
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