D55almost therebut what about Bluegrass?

jwsamuel

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It sure seems like a great all-rounder. And, if I get deeper into bluegrass, I can add a grass-specific guitar later on.

You can always put in a pickup and use an amp. Then let those banjo players cry that no one can hear them. :D
 

Br1ck

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You certainly can buy a bluegrass machine when you want to, but the D 55 should work for you. Didn't Doc Watson play a D 55?
 

adorshki

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Just to keep a running veer alive ( :D ), an F47e was the second Guild that opened Woodstock:

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CajunJ

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You certainly can buy a bluegrass machine when you want to, but the D 55 should work for you. Didn't Doc Watson play a D 55?

Did Doc play one? That would be cool. Whenever I see clips of Doc he’s always playing a cutaway, which I think is interesting. I always wonder how much someone like Doc cared about all the stuff we sometimes obsess over. Probably not much. More about the music I’m sure.
 

crank

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I Don't think Doc Watson ever had a Guild. He had Martin and then he had some Gallagher guits.

Personally I think a lot of guitars can work for bluegrass and it's just a matter of can you hear yourself over all the Martins. And furthermore, I think a lot of players do not obsess about these things all that much. That's just me though. Myself, I've always concentrated on the playing part and I am still not as good as I think I should be.
 

davismanLV

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When talking about guitar types and bluegrass, why be a slave to convention? Our nephew-in-law is Rob McCoury, who is Del's son. He plays banjo in both the Del McCoury Band and also the Traveling McCourys. It doesn't get much more bluegrass than that and the last time we saw the Traveling McCourys here in Las Vegas, when we went backstage to say hi to Rob and do a meet and greet, the lead guitar player was playing (drumroll here....) a BREEDLOVE!! So there you go. Of course everything is amplified so you can make anything into a banjo killer.

Just throwing that out there for those who think you HAVE TO play a Martin. You don't. (y)
 

wileypickett

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When talking about guitar types and bluegrass, why be a slave to convention? Our nephew-in-law is Rob McCoury, who is Del's son. He plays banjo in both the Del McCoury Band and also the Traveling McCourys. It doesn't get much more bluegrass than that and the last time we saw the Traveling McCourys here in Las Vegas, when we went backstage to say hi to Rob and do a meet and greet, the lead guitar player was playing (drumroll here....) a BREEDLOVE!! So there you go. Of course everything is amplified so you can make anything into a banjo killer.

Just throwing that out there for those who think you HAVE TO play a Martin. You don't. (y)

Cool! The McCoury's are all great musicians -- been a fan of Del's for many years, and his kids too, who I've caught live more than once.

Most contemporary bluegrass doesn't do a lot for me, but the McCourys are "in the tradition." (Del worked with Bill Monroe before going out on his own.)
 

davismanLV

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@wileypickett hey Glenn, we got tickets given to us by our niece when they were at The Smith Center here in Vegas. It was the Del McCoury Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans!! Each did their own mini-show, but after intermission, they came back together for the second half. I've never heard such amazing music in my life!! Jaw dropping stuff with the bluegrass and jazz thrown together. Honestly, I doubt I'll ever hear music that amazing again!! And yes, all the McCourys are great musicians. (y)
 

Tom O

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Buy a D-55E and you plug it in if it is not loud enough and you want to blow the banjos away like Tom in Vegas said.
 

FNG

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I went over to Elderlys once in Lansing, MI. They had a bluegrass band playing in the store, and the guitarist was ripping it on a Taylor. Sounded outstanding.
 

fronobulax

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That Taylor will get you get you thrown out of a bluegrass jam in a heartbeat…..😃
As will amps or anything that needs electricity and any "bass" that would not be found in a traditional orchestra :)

I like the music. I have to learn how to enjoy some of the people ;-)
 

Taylor Martin Guild

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My .02 is this.
A Guild D-40 with Adirondack top would be mu first choice for a Bluegrass Guild, followed by the D-50 with Adirondack top.
I owned a Guild D-55 and still have a Martin D-35. Both of these guitars are fantastic instruments but are not built to hold up to hard driving Bluegrass picking. They tend to get overdriven and sound muddy sounding when over played.

The Guild D-55 is a great overall guitar that will work for both flat picking and finger style playing and sound fantastic in general.
It just isn't the best choice for a dedicated Bluegrass guitar.
 

mavuser

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i would buy a maple acoustic (for me personally a flat back one), if bluegrass was my business, and business was good...

JF-30 (arched back)
GF-30 (arched back)
F-40
F-44
F-50 (arch back)
D-30/G-37 (they are the same) (arched backs)
F-55 Maple (from the current/new Guild production)
 
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Br1ck

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Bluegrass is a pretty specialized genre of music but can be played on anything really. But you will find that an instrument built with that in mind will be more rewarding, but leave something to be desired in other areas. And there are a lot of sitka topped guitars out playing bluegrass. You don't need a Tony Rice SCGC dread, but you wouldn't mind one either.
 

jciampa

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My brother-in-law has a D18V, just about Martin's best "bluegrass" guitar without going pre-war vintage or splurging for a Golden Era model. He also owns a Westerly D55. The Martin has a nice dry, woody tone, whereas the Guild is smoother sounding, but IMO the Guild beats it in most every category I can think of - feel, volume, balance, low end, high end, mid-range, overall playability, fingerstyle and strumming. I'm really surprised how much more I prefer it. The Martin's a fine guitar, but to my ears, the Guild wins and it's really not close.

The Martin does feel appreciably lighter, which I know matters to some players but I'm indifferent about that.
 

JohnW63

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Tony Rice had an album with Tony holding an Ovation guitar. Would the bluegrass crowd ushered him to the door with that crazy thing?
 
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