A question about the True American series.

[Rambozo96]

I briefly owned a DC5E before I ended up returning it due to my suspensions of it having a loose neck block and I remember it having laminated rosewood sides which could be seen through the Fishman preamp cutout. We’re all True American series laminated sides and back? I’m under the impression these are fairly underwhelming in sound and I don’t particularly remember much about that DC5E as I sent it back the minute I discovered some cracks that suggested the neck block was loose. Wasn’t the D-25 at one point in the True American line up?

 

[beecee]

I had a D-4 True American. It does have the laminated arched back but that is NOT an inferior quality in a Guild.

It was a great guitar, they are bargains if you can find a good one.

 

[Westerly Wood]

I almost bought a D5. I bet plugged in they are great sounding.
yes, i believe they were all arched backers and laminated backs at least, solid spruce tops, maybe laminated sides not sure...
and i do recall some D25s that had the True American truss rod cover.

 

[Bonneville88]

Had a DCE3 - beautifully made Westerly guitar. Unplugged, nothing sonically compelling about it.
Sounded good through an acoustic amp though.
Interestingly, the two DCE3s I still have and the DCE1 I had are / were excellent unplugged.
The DCE1 seems pretty much a D25 / D4 with a cutaway, the DCE3 feels and sounds more or less like a D30
with a cutaway. I suppose one could compare the cutaway DCE5 to a D50, but it had an arched rosewood back like
the other DC-series instruments, making it a significantly different guitar than the flat-back D50.

Left to right: DCE1, DCE3, DCE5

Hard to see but the DCE1 has the "True American" TRC.

 

[davidbeinct]

The specs I have seen on the D4 say solid mahogany sides laminated mahogany back. My D4 sounds incredible to me but I don’t have a basis for comparison, at least not a dread.

 

[Rambozo96]

Had a DC5E - beautifully made Westerly guitar. Unplugged, nothing sonically compelling about it.
Sounded good through an acoustic amp though.
Interestingly, the two DC3Es I still have and the DC1E I had are / were excellent unplugged.
The DC1E seems pretty much a D25 / D4 with a cutaway, the DC3E feels and sounds more or less like a D30
with a cutaway. I suppose one could compare the cutaway DC5E to a D50, but it had an arched rosewood back like
the other DC-series instruments, making it a significantly different guitar than the flat-back D50.

Left to right: DC1E, DC3E, DC5E

Hard to see but the DC1E has the "True American" TRC.

The Orange DC3E is a rarity aren’t they?

 

[Bonneville88]

Edited my previous post - guitars in the series are "DCE" - my bad.
The Tennessee Orange finish may well be less common, but without production numbers, impossible to know.
Sure seems like I've seen fewer DCE3s for sale than DCE1s and DCE5s - but that could mean owners just
like them enough not to part with them as often as the other models

 

[dreadnut]

I have two friends in town who own DCE5's. Believe it or not, I enabled both of them to buy them from LTG members!

 

[Guildedagain]

Nothing underwhelming about the sound of a well strung DC5E. Whenever I had it out, I had people spellbound within a few notes. I think it stands up to any guitar. It doesn't really bark like a D35 when overstummed because of the Rosewood, which btw is prettier than some guitars like $5500 used Collings floating around my area with "real Brazilian". The wood they used in the DC5E is much prettier.

They are a bit heavy, tank like if you're used to the feel and weight of the early 70's guitars.

It's also a very very good looking guitar. Hard to beat.

 

[Bonneville88]

My DCE5 also had the True American TRC

GP, after owning and comparing all three DCEs, my impressions stand, but in all fairness,
I'm not a big fan of Rosewood-bodied dreads, preferring maple and mahogany.
Glad you're enjoying yours.

On a side note ... the body depth on the maple DCE3s, measured at the
bottom, is 5 3/32", they may be the deepest-bodied Guild dreads I've owned,
and they feel like it too!

 

[Guildedagain]

DC5E DCE5 Way to go Guild ;]

Everytime somebody say DCE I think I've gone dyslexic and I have to go look at the tag again...

I've always been sensitive to strange bits of advertising on the TRC, to me it's it's very tasteless, so I compounded the lettering off mine, it looks better without it.

 

[Bonneville88]

Looks good!

 

[Guildedagain]

Thx B ;]

I have to say the Guild Snakeheadstock is a very classy headstock shape, Guild really nailed it
on this one. The Ebony fretboard and bridge really put it over the top. What a guitar.

 

[tarheelguild]

My '98 D25 12 string has the "true American" truss rod cover but the sides are solid mahogany and only the back is the arched with the laminate. Surprised to find out the DCE5 had RW laminated sides. I thought the only the arched back was a laminate!