1967 D40

[donnylang]

As I was waiting for the F30, I felt compelled to take a gamble on a ‘67 D40 that Jake Wildwood had listed. I’m glad I did because I like this a lot more than the F30.

First impressions is this is a bit of a cross between my old ‘67 D44 and ‘68 D40, which is kind of what I’ve been looking for. Oddly, it seems pretty different compared to the other D40s I’ve had (the ‘68, and two different ‘66 ones).

It’s been through the ringer it seems- lots of repaired backcracks, and a smaller one on the top in the center. Also has tons of play wear. Oddly, it’s significantly heavier than the others I’ve had too, feels as least a pound heavier than the ‘68 D35 too. Has replaced tuners, which I guess are maybe late ‘70s-early ‘80s(?) Guild-branded, which seems a bit odd but they work well.

One other interesting thing to note is that I was about to buy this exact guitar over a year ago, and ended up backing out (because of the west and cracks). Yet it turns out this is probably the best one overall. Obviously it’s in much better shape now that it’s been gone over by Jake.

 

[chazmo]

Awesome player for sure, Donny! Hmm, heavier huh? Are you sure you've got it dated correctly, donny? Maybe it's a (much) newer guitar?

 

[donnylang]

Awesome player for sure, Donny! Hmm, heavier huh? Are you sure you've got it dated correctly, donny? Maybe it's a (much) newer guitar?

Definitely heavier than the others I’ve had had ha- including the ‘68 D40, ‘67 D44, ‘69 D35, and ‘72 D25, which were all about the same weight. I’d say the ‘72 G37 was heavier though. Way heavier than the ‘67 F47, which was pretty light.

That said, the ‘68 D35 (Westerly made) is just way light- a bit lighter than the ‘65 F30 even (which is also light). I’m talking maybe not even 4 lbs.

It’s definitely a ‘67 and sounds and feels like a Hoboken. Serial is AJ-2099. For all I know the weight is from the many cleats inside the back, but I can’t imagine that adding too much.

 

[chazmo]

Oh, yeah, you probably have it right, Donny. I also doubt the cleats are adding much... It's odd to me that it'd be a heavy build. Might be the Schaller tuners...?

 

[jfilm]

Nice- what's the neck profile like, and nut width, out of curiosity? My '64 D-40 is 4 lbs. 5 oz., and the '65 is 4 lbs. 4 oz., both have open back Grovers. I guess your tuning machines will add a little extra weight.

 

[donnylang]

Nice- what's the neck profile like, and nut width, out of curiosity? My '64 D-40 is 4 lbs. 5 oz., and the '65 is 4 lbs. 4 oz., both have open back Grovers. I guess your tuning machines will add a little extra weight.

Not sure on exact measurements, but it feels a bit smaller and thinner top to bottom than the ‘66 D40s I had. Definitely slimmer and thinner feeling than the ‘65 F30 and ‘68 D35, which both feel about the same (a bit heftier in the hand, which I don’t prefer). It feels “fast” rather than chunky. This is about how the ‘67 F47, ‘67 D44, and ‘68 D40 felt to me, so I wonder if this is a later Hoboken thing?

 

[donnylang]

Quick sample:

 

[Westerly Wood]

very nice sounding dreadnaught guitar!

 

[Dumpster Chicken]

Weight is nothing to worry about. Two pieces of mahogany the exact same size, can weigh drastically different. Both can sound great. IMHO.

 

[HeyMikey]

Sounds nice Donny. Good sustain on the slower stuff but didn’t muddy up when you where strumming hard.

 

[donnylang]

Sounds nice Donny. Good sustain on the slower stuff but didn’t muddy up when you where strumming hard.

What I like about this one is it has the deep quality but still has a percussive brightness to it. It had phosphor bronze strings on it when it arrived- I changed to my usual DR Hi-Beam 80/20, and I think I’m gonna experiment with PBs on this one. Just ordered a set of Sunbeams, which in my experience are more of an 80/20-like PB.

 

[Norrissey]

Sooo nice! I want one!

 

[Heath]

Interesting that your ‘67 has the chesterfield and my ‘66 does not.

 

[Br1ck]

Proof here why these guitars sit so well in a mix. Strummed, the mids to highs jump out, and the bass takes a back seat. Finger picked, the bass becomes more prominent. But in a word, clarity. It's a trait I feel is underappreciated these days. Is a 67 D 40 a Hoboken??

 

[donnylang]

Proof here why these guitars sit so well in a mix. Strummed, the mids to highs jump out, and the bass takes a back seat. Finger picked, the bass becomes more prominent. But in a word, clarity. It's a trait I feel is underappreciated these days. Is a 67 D 40 a Hoboken??

Sorry I missed these posts-

Yep this one is Hoboken- potentially a later ‘67, as the serial is only about 150 shy of 1968.

 

[donnylang]

Interesting that your ‘67 has the chesterfield and my ‘66 does not.

Seemed to have occurred sometime in late ‘67. The serial on that eBay one in the other thread is AJ-1974- which does not have the Chesterfield and mine is AJ-2099. Of course, the Chesterfield was gone again sometime around 1970, only to come back around ‘72. Still no idea why ha. I kind of assumed the D40 was a mid-level guitar, so maybe it teetered between lower end and higher end.

I personally like the 3-piece neck, which was also gone around 1970.

Tuners were also all over the place. This one has kind of ugly later Guild tuners, kind of odd as they must have been taken off another guitar (unless they were changed at the factory?). I don’t mind them so much with the logo, and they work very well.

 

[spoox]

1966 Guild D40 - musical instruments - by owner - sale

1966 Guild D40. Very special guitar. You'll be impressed by how well it plays. Tuners and bridge pins aren't original. Tuners are vintage Schaller. Already had a professional neck reset in the past...

sandiego.craigslist.org

Just saw this last night--again in Escondido--Victoria case? Nice it has a neck reset, but $2600? It appears it also lacks the Chesterfield.

 

[Guildedagain]

She sounds a lot like you Petty reference ;]

Nice clean tone, crisp.

Like a Guild, beautiful.

 

[donnylang]

1966 Guild D40 - musical instruments - by owner - sale

1966 Guild D40. Very special guitar. You'll be impressed by how well it plays. Tuners and bridge pins aren't original. Tuners are vintage Schaller. Already had a professional neck reset in the past...

sandiego.craigslist.org

Just saw this last night--again in Escondido--Victoria case? Nice it has a neck reset, but $2600? It appears it also lacks the Chesterfield.

Yeh that one has been around awhile off and on. IMO is has the kind of wear I’m not really fond of, like the finish all matted out and it looks like it spent too much time in the sun or something? In any case, presumably it’s a great guitar but I don’t think they’ll even get that price (he originally has it at $3200 I think).

 

[donnylang]

She sounds a lot like you Petty reference ;]

Nice clean tone, crisp.

Like a Guild, beautiful.

Thanks-
No Petty for me ha … but I suspect I have similar influences as him (‘60s groups).