Couple questions for you D25 owners/experts.

[Rizo]

First post here...

I've got a 1980 D25m. It's rapidly becoming the only acoustic I play these days. I have a couple questions though.

On the bridge there are three holes that have been drilled and filled with plugs. As it turns out, the bridge is secured to the top with three screws. The plugs are expertly installed (the grain even matches) and a luthier I had installing a bone nut said he wouldn't be surprised it that had been done at the factory because of the cleaness of it. Does anyone else have that? I suppose I never have to worry about the bridge pulling up... :roll:

Secondly, the tuners have been replaced, does anyone know a source for replacements? I'd like to have the originals, although I know they're not that great of tuners.

Thirdly, the guitar is very midrange-y (typical for 'hog I think) so I asked for the brightest strings the local guit store had. They gave me some Martin .13's although I don't remember what they were. I really like the sound though, it balances out the mids and the .13's give some decent bass response. Very balanced... Can anyone recomend some bright-sounding strings?

 

[GardMan]

First of all, Welcome!

I don't think the screws are factory... probably a fix for a lifting bridge. My luthier suggested it might be a future direction for my '72 D-35 (but not quite yet). You also see bridge plugs covering "hot dot" pickups...

My '74 D-25 has great bass, projection, and the sustain is forever. I have it strung with Jon Pearse 80/20 bronze lights (0.12-0.52, I think). I like the sound of those... they sound great in DADGAD tunng, which is where that guitar tends to stay... and the lights are easier on the fingers than mediums.

There are a lot of folks here that like the sound of the Pearse strings. I have heard that 80/20s are supposed to be "brighter" than phosphor bronze, but to me ear, it's the other way around. Others actually mix sets of stings of different gauges until they hear what they want to hear... I haven't tried that yet. You could try keeping the unwound strings from the medium set you have on, and dropping the wound strings to those from a set of light gauge? Just experiment until you find what pleases your ear.

As for tuners, the originals on the 70's D-25s were three-on-a-plate open tuners (can't remember from whom, but probably Japanese). Don't know if that changed in the 80's. They come up occasionally on eBay (for $25-50), so just keep an eye out.

Dave

 

[dreadnut]

I use D'Addario Phosphor Bronze mediums on mine, but how stable is that bridge?

 

[Rizo]

but how stable is that bridge?

I asked the luthier that did the bone nut and saddle. He sad it was fine and showed no signs of lifting in either the past or present. It's a mystery why the screws are there. No sign that it was ever needed. I have idea.... but it sounds very good, and it feels great so I don't worry about it. 8)

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Rizo; if the bridge is down flat and you don't mind the fill holes...

There don't seem to be many well-made 3-on-a-plate tuner sets out there although as Gardman suggested, they do show up on eBay from time to time. If they do and if they are used, you are going to have to ask yourself whether they're going to work any better than what you have...whatever they are.

For example, I have a set of original 6-on-a-plate F-212 tuners in my guitar case; they are, of course, 'correct' but because they're worn, they don't work very well. Since it's an older guitar, my choice was between playing it or leaving it hung on the wall and saying: "See my neat F-212? it even has the orginal tuners..."

If I ever sell it, they originals will go with it; in the meantime...it stays in tune w/ chrome Gotoh minis.

Welcome!

 

[J45dale]

I like the feel and sound of D'Addario EJ16 p/b lights, on my D25 arch-back. It delivers across the board.
I have used EJ17 p/b meds. also worked fine.
Both deliver a raw, powerful sound, on this Guild.
Dale.

 

[doc]

Rizo, interesting on the bridge work. I have two D-25s. On my older I have been using Martin Acoustic SP .013-.056 mediums. Then I swamped out replacing the b & e (1&2) with lighter gauges, using b-14 or 15 and e -11, Ernie Balls. I wanted the bass with finger playing with the lights, bending and other string tricks. I may even play with a lighter gauge "g" string, no punt intended just to see what that feels like. The strings cost about $1.10 and I have the originals still, so the experiment is pretty much painless. Will setup the new D-25 all hog with the same setup. Although, because it has scalloped bracing it is very loud and great bass I may try it with lights all the way just to see what it does? Enjoy, experiment until you get the sound and playability you like. 8)

 

[Rizo]

like the feel and sound of D'Addario EJ16 p/b lights, on my D25 arch-back. It delivers across the board.
I have used EJ17 p/b meds. also worked fine.
Both deliver a raw, powerful sound, on this Guild.

I tried PB's on there... too warm... sounds muddy to my. I need something with some jangle in the high strings so 80/20 works a little better for me. I've heard good things about the D'Addrrios but never tried them... I'll have to look into it.

I have two D-25s. On my older I have been using Martin Acoustic SP .013-.056 mediums.

I think that's what I'm using. I like the sound a lot but they wear out fast. Do you have that or is it just my sweat? Not sure if Pearse's would be better or the D'Addrios.

 

[Tres]

First post here...

I've got a 1980 D25m. It's rapidly becoming the only acoustic I play these days. I have a couple questions though.

On the bridge there are three holes that have been drilled and filled with plugs. As it turns out, the bridge is secured to the top with three screws. The plugs are expertly installed (the grain even matches) and a luthier I had installing a bone nut said he wouldn't be surprised it that had been done at the factory because of the cleaness of it. Does anyone else have that? I suppose I never have to worry about the bridge pulling up... :roll:

Secondly, the tuners have been replaced, does anyone know a source for replacements? I'd like to have the originals, although I know they're not that great of tuners.

Thirdly, the guitar is very midrange-y (typical for 'hog I think) so I asked for the brightest strings the local guit store had. They gave me some Martin .13's although I don't remember what they were. I really like the sound though, it balances out the mids and the .13's give some decent bass response. Very balanced... Can anyone recomend some bright-sounding strings?

I have not heard of Guilds with screwed down bridges. Gallagher guitars has always screwed their bridges down and, if done tright, should not be too much of a concern from a tone perspective I think. But I tend to doubt it is original, although I may be wrong.

Phosphor bronze strings are the brightest. I would recommend D'Addario J-17's or Martin SP's. GHS also has some good strings.

Tres

 

[Rizo]

http://www.daddario.com/DADFAcoustic.aspx?ID=2

Here's an interesting graph of "brightness." I ordered a couple packs to test them out (the local shop doesn't carry D'addario's). I'll let you know.

 

[Mr. P ~]

First of all, Welcome!
As for tuners, the originals on the 70's D-25s were three-on-a-plate open tuners (can't remember from whom, but probably Japanese). Don't know if that changed in the 80's. They come up occasionally on eBay (for $25-50), so just keep an eye out.

Dave

Hey Rizo, I'LL echo the other guys.....Welcome aboard!

I gotta disagree with Gardman....I know that three on a plate came on some 70's D-25's, but they were not on all of them. My '74 D-25M has individual enclosed Schaller M-6 machines as shown on page 40 of Hans' book.

 

[West R Lee]

That's right P, mine has the 3 on the plate type, but I think they used whatever was readily available.

West

 

[Mr. P ~]

....And sometime what they had too many of!!

 

[jciampa]

"Secondly, the tuners have been replaced, does anyone know a source for replacements? I'd like to have the originals, although I know they're not that great of tuners."

Hello, Rizo, and welcome to the forum.

Though Hans would probably be the person that could best answer this, from what I've observed, I believe the majority of tuners that were placed on Guilds circa 80-85 were German-made Schallers, which I prefer to the latter-day Grovers Guild began using later in the decade and still use today. I also think 1980 was a transitional year for this, so you may want to look at the original drill holes on the back of your guitar's headstock to see if your D-25 was originally outfitted with the "three-on-a-plate" style turners.

As for the Schallers, many of these made during the era -- like the ones on my 1981 D-25 -- have the Guild name scripted on the back of each tuning peg, which I think is a nice touch. Though you may have trouble finding those, you can still by a new set of Schallers for around $40-$50.

Good luck with your quest!

--John

 

[GardMan]

I gotta disagree with Gardman....I know that three on a plate came on some 70's D-25's, but they were not on all of them. My '74 D-25M has individual enclosed Schaller M-6 machines as shown on page 40 of Hans' book.

Hey Mr P,
Perhaps I should have said "stock" tuners...I based my comment on the tuners on my D-25M and '72 D-35, on the '70s D-25s I have seen on eBay, and on the following response Hans gave me regarding my wife's '78 D-35, which has Grovers:

Hello GardMan,
Sometimes it's really hard to say whether something is original or modified at a later date. They did some weird stuff at Guild over the years. In 1978 the standard machineheads on a D-35 were the usual 3-on-a-plate jobs. Grover RotoMatics were not the standard machineheads for the higher grade instruments; by that time they would have been Schaller M-6 machines. So if somebody wanted an upgrade they probably would have gotten the Schallers...

Sincerely,
Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Perhaps your D-25 was ordered with upgraded tuners (apparently, Schallers)?

Rizo, I would echo jciampa, you could probably determine whether your D-25 had Schaller's or 3-on-a-plates by looking carefully at the headstock, the hole placement, or other markings in the finish. Turns out that under close inspection, my wife's D-35 did show evidence of the old 3-on-a-plates... the originals were replaced with Grovers by the first owner. My '72 D-35 and '74 D-25M have the original "stock" tuners... they seem to work fine, tho' not as easy to "fine tune" as the Grovers on my wife's D-35 or my '92 D-55.

 

[Rizo]

From the markings on the finish, it looks like it had 3 on a plate tuners. I actually like the look of those on a D25. It goes with the low-end vibe I think.

If anyone was wondering, I strung it up last night with the D'addario 80/20's .12's. I have to say, the playability is nice, but the tone was better with the .13's. I think I'll be switching to those ina while.

 

[sitka_spruce]

From the markings on the finish, it looks like it had 3 on a plate tuners. I actually like the look of those on a D25. It goes with the low-end vibe I think.

If anyone was wondering, I strung it up last night with the D'addario 80/20's .12's. I have to say, the playability is nice, but the tone was better with the .13's. I think I'll be switching to those ina while.

Could have been drilled generically and then outfitted with Schallers, too, you know. My D-212 has mini-M6s (being a 12'er) which look very original/ stock.