‘67 D44

[donnylang]

So I stumbled across a ‘67 D44 and ended up grabbing it (should have it within a week or so). It has a good amount of wear, but appears to have good neck angle & saddle height due to a previous neck reset.

I was originally looking for a D44 for awhile when I bought my ‘68 D40. I wasn’t planning on buying another guitar, but this one seemed just right to me. I’m curious what differences I will find between the two guitars. Primary differences in specs are the pearwood back/sides, and I believe ebony fretboard and bridge.

Ultimately, I will likely keep only one of them- I’ve become so attached to the D40 though, it would take a pretty special guitar to beat it out.

 

[dreadnut]

Nice! I think you'll need to justify a way to keep 'em both.

 

[donnylang]

Nice! I think you'll need to justify a way to keep 'em both.

I knew you guys would say that ha.

I usually only keep one guitar for 3 primary reasons:

1- I get a but uneasy switching back and forth and prefer to get used to one guitar.

2- I’m a bit of a minimalist these days, and I can never come up w a solid justification for more than one- since one can cover everything I want to do.

3- I get a bit attached emotionally to “my guitar”, and I guess I’m monogamous ... maybe it’s time for a little polyamory.

 

[HeyMikey]

Have you been talking to my wife??? She can’t understand why anyone needs more than one guitar.

 

[hansmoust]

Primary differences in specs are the pearwood back/sides, and I believe ebony fretboard and bridge.

Ebony bridge would be unusual! If it needed a neck set it probably needed a new bridge as well. If he did make a new one he did a decent job!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[fronobulax]

2- I’m a bit of a minimalist these days, and I can never come up w a solid justification for more than one- since one can cover everything I want to do.

I have heard two somewhat objective reasons for owning multiple acoustic guitars. One is that there are differences in sound due to tonewoods and if you want a specific sound you almost certainly want a specific tonewood. If you ever want two different sounds then that opens the door to to more instruments.

The other reason is tunings. If you do more than just standard tuning at concert pitch then you can spend more time playing and less time fiddling with strings by having different instruments in different tunings.

The key is "everything you want to do" and what will change your thinking, I predict, is when you expand your horizons about what you want to do

 

[Westerly Wood]

I hear good things about D44s. Congrats! 1967 was a great year that nobody ever really talks about.

 

[hansmoust]

1967 was a great year that nobody ever really talks about.

Right! That was the year that I dropped out of school! After that it all went down!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[donnylang]

Ebony bridge would be unusual! If it needed a neck set it probably needed a new bridge as well. If he did make a new one he did a decent job!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

I can’t tell for sure, but looks very dark for rosewood. The bridge has a (supposedly repaired but looks visible still) hairline crack, so I would assume it’s original but you never know:

 

[Guildedagain]

I bought 5 Guilds in one year, but the first one will always be the best. Something about the tone was magic. Some guitars are louder, some are bassier, but not a one is like that first one.

 

[dreadnut]

I have one Guild on the main floor and one Guild downstairs. Saves a bunch of carrying up & down the stairs. That's my story, and I'm sticking with it!

 

[HeyMikey]

I have heard two somewhat objective reasons for owning multiple acoustic guitars. One is that there are differences in sound due to tonewoods and if you want a specific sound you almost certainly want a specific tonewood. If you ever want two different sounds then that opens the door to to more instruments.

The other reason is tunings. If you do more than just standard tuning at concert pitch then you can spend more time playing and less time fiddling with strings by having different instruments in different tunings.

The key is "everything you want to do" and what will change your thinking, I predict, is when you expand your horizons about what you want to do

Those are exactly the two arguments I use to plead my case.

And after that fails I buy her another piece of jewelry. However last time I made the tactical error of saying (jokingly) she can keep it only if she sells one of her other pieces. Big mistake.

 

[Guildedagain]

How many guitars did it cost you? ;]

 

[HeyMikey]

None, but the couch felt rather lumpy that night. I just need to remember to stick to “You’re right, I’m wrong, I’m sorry” and everything will be fine.

 

[hansmoust]

I can’t tell for sure, but looks very dark for rosewood. The bridge has a (supposedly repaired but looks visible still) hairline crack, so I would assume it’s original but you never know:

From that photo I would say it looks like rosewood to me!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[walrus]

I’m a bit of a minimalist these days

I get a bit attached emotionally to “my guitar”, and I guess I’m monogamous

I'm the same way. One acoustic for decades. I had my previous Guild acoustic for over 30 years, sold it, and now have the F-30. I'm a serial monogamist.

Same with electrics, although I've gone through many along the way, still only only one at a time, always a one for one swap if I got a new one (or used one, usually!).

This is how I have resolved frono's point - I can definitely get different sounds on the electric than I can on the acoustic!

But I must admit, I enjoy living vicariously through all of you LTGers who buy lots of guitars!

walrus

 

[fronobulax]

Those are exactly the two arguments I use to plead my case.

And after that fails I buy her another piece of jewelry. However last time I made the tactical error of saying (jokingly) she can keep it only if she sells one of her other pieces. Big mistake.

I was lucky because Mrs. Fro. plays guitar and I already had two basses when we were married. So I can offer her a Guild when some kind of parity is needed.

Her primary use for a guitar is accompanying choirs and congregations. Once she discovered 12 strings she needed a six and a 12 in her stable because they fill different niches when accompanying. She also has studied classical so needs a classical. So that is a justification for three instruments

Using the tool analogy sometimes you can get by with an adjustable wrench but sometimes you need a complete set of box wrenches even if you only use the 3/4" wrench twice a year

 

[davismanLV]

The other reason is tunings. If you do more than just standard tuning at concert pitch then you can spend more time playing and less time fiddling with strings by having different instruments in different tunings.

The key is "everything you want to do" and what will change your thinking, I predict, is when you expand your horizons about what you want to do

What ^^^ he said!! My five are all in different tunings. And they all rotate through tunings. And they all sound different. And that's my reason and I like looking at them, too!! Had six, but five is a good number for me. Only one guitar is sad. They need "playmates".......

Also, what he said about tools. Sometimes, I don't want to adjust my wrench, I just want to pick it up and play it.

 

[HeyMikey]

One other less practical but no less important reason for multiple guitars is to experience the wide variety of differences. If for no other reason then for curiosity and enjoyment sake. As I’ve gotten older and realized what precious little time we truly have on this earth I have come to greatly appreciate any new experiences that give me joy.

 

[walrus]

One other less practical but no less important reason for multiple guitars is to experience the wide variety differences. If for no other reason then for curiosity and enjoyment sake. As I got older and realized what precious little time we truly have on this earth I have come to greatly appreciate any new experiences that give me joy.

I agree - see my signature - not a full list, just Guilds. The difference is that as I got older, I realized I wanted to spend more time playing and less time chasing gear. And as I now approach retirement, there is a financial factor involved that I wasn't really thinking about much before.

I think we are saying the same thing, just flipping the "eras"!

walrus