F50R Vs D55

[jpwillD25]

I have come down to a choice between the F50R or the D55. Can anyone comment on the sound difference between the two? Anyone played them side by side? I have yet to play either one cause it's such a b**ch finding any American made guilds to play in DFW.

~Jon

 

[Dr Izza Plumber]

I have a Tacoma built D55, and I'd love to have an F50R too! :mrgreen: I think a drednaut is a bit easier to handle.

 

[Frosty]

I have come down to a choice between the F50R or the D55.

why is your choice between those models?

much depends on the way you play the guitar. do you strum with a flatpick? play single string lead lines? fingerpick with bare fingers... or picks?

i play fingerstyle and dearly love the sound of a good d-55 or f-50r. string make a big difference, but if i were to generalize, i would say the tacoma d-55s i have played have had a rich, smooth, homogenized tone. i can't recall playing a tacoma f-50r, but i have played a few westerly f-50rs and, by comparison to the d-55, i find them a bit brighter in tone and a bit more articulate note-to-note.

this is purely subjective and since you must buy mail order i would encourage you to seek a retailer that offers an approval period.

 

[chazmo]

Jon, have you ever played a jumbo? There's more to it than just the sound, as the guitar shape can occasionally make it difficult for some folks to just play it on the couch or whatever. Dreadnoughts, in general, are a little easier to handle.

I've never had either model to try locally, but my Tacoma F512 is a chimey monster (it's the 12-string brother of the F50R). My favorite guitar, actually.

Frankly, I'm not sure you can go wrong with either choice!!! Best wishes.

 

[Cypress Knee]

I have had two D-55's, and D-60 - all Westerly built. My '73 F50R is far superior to all the dreds.

CK

 

[jpwillD25]

much depends on the way you play the guitar. do you strum with a flatpick? play single string lead lines? fingerpick with bare fingers... or picks?

Thanks Frosty, I play all of the above styles and I'm looking for something with versatility. I've been trying to learn some bluegrass leads and the note articulation would probably be very important to me as well as a nice punchy bass. My current 6er is a 71 D25 and I was wanting to add a rosewood to the family. The reason I am considering the F50R is for the projection, I'm not sure just how much louder it would be over the D55. To tell you truth I want them both!!

Jon, have you ever played a jumbo? There's more to it than just the sound, as the guitar shape can occasionally make it difficult for some folks to just play it on the couch or whatever. Dreadnoughts, in general, are a little easier to handle.

Hi Chasmo,

I learned to play on an F212, not sure just how much larger the F50R would be over the F212 as I can't find any size specs on Guilds site. Anyone care to chime in on the size specs?

~Jon

 

[jpwillD25]

I have had two D-55's, and D-60 - all Westerly built. My '73 F50R is far superior to all the dreds.

Is the 73 a Brazilian rosewood?

BTW anyone in Fort Worth or Dallas looking for a new Guild, Dave Anderson's Zoo Music is quoting me 40% off list price on cash deals that's $1620 (Drool!!) for the D55 or F50R. Of course the don't have anything in stock but GAD's so It would have to be ordered.
~Jon

 

[chazmo]

Jon,

The F212 had a 16" lower bout. The F50 series has 17".

 

[Frosty]

My '73 F50R is far superior to all the dreds.

ck, i understand. i have a '71 f-50r that is among my most favored guitars - for several reasons. but one guitar can not do it all, and the d-55 has a different and beautiful voice. in my 37 years of guitar playing i have owned many acoustic guitars. the only square shoulder dreadnought guitar i ever liked (for my style) is the d-55.

i don't own a d-55 right now, but i am sure i will again in the future! :wink:

 

[Firebird]

The other guitar player on our church worship team plays a very nice 1973 F50R along side me and my D55. We always rib each other about who has the nicer instrument. Each has its own very unique sound and one cannot say one is better than the other. I would love to own his and he would kill to have mine. I have been playing my Starfire IV recently since the D55 is in the shop. He'd like to have that one too.

 

[West R Lee]

I have come down to a choice between the F50R or the D55. Can anyone comment on the sound difference between the two? Anyone played them side by side? I have yet to play either one cause it's such a b**ch finding any American made guilds to play in DFW.

JD,

Having trouble finding Westerly Guilds in DFW? Two words.........Zoo Music......two in Garland on Garland Road and one in Fort Worth. Get ready to shell out some serious dinero though. They've got some dandies, or did a little over a year ago. How about a D130, they had one, last I heard (around last September), it was at the Fort Worth store. I played it at one of the Garland stores. Had 100 year old strings on it.

West

 

[Cypress Knee]

You have to play the F50R side by side with the D55 to truly know which sounds the best for your style of playing. In my case I have a very good F50R that a lot of other players have anointed over my keeper D55 and the D60 as the best of the lot. Although not in a bluegrass setting!

CK

 

[zplay]

No substitute for in-person side-by-side play of the 2 guitars. i don't have much experience with them, but did recently get to play an F-50R beside a D-50BG and have to agree generally with Frosty's descriptions of their tonal differences: the F-50R was more articulate and brighter and the dred more mellow and blended, though articulate enough. The F-50 was just so big sounding. I'm mostly a fingerstyle player and the F appealed more to me, but i think both were very versatile. Below i've posted a link to The Podium's sound files which i think are pretty true, atleast to my ears. Scroll down to the Guilds. The only thing i'd have trouble with concerning the F-50R is the girth: it's a big momma; the D was more comfortable.

http://www.thepodium.com/t-soundsamples.aspx