Well, I finally opened the very nice tweed Guild case, and wow. The first thing that struck me was the high-gloss amber sunburst top. It's so different than the satin finish on my DV4 that it's going to take some getting used to...like two seconds. It's gorgeous. And...no glazing. Perfect! Tugged her out, and, whoa...another big difference. This dread is one solid and heavy guitar! Much heavier than the DV4. Upon inspection, the condition is flawless. No chips, cracks, smudges or blemishes at all. Lovely inlays on the neck and back and the real wood trim is just lovely. Frets are perfect. No sharp edges.
The strings, which I think are PB Mediums and obviously brand new, had been properly loosened for shipping, so I tuned her up and hit an E and Am. Oh boy. This baby is loud! Even with my thinnest pick, I felt like shushing her for the sake of the neighbors! I ran through the Jayhawks "Blue" which has a nice combination of open and barred chords. Great action up the neck. Easy to barre. Smooth slides up and down. The sound seems endless...incredible sustain. The bass seems punchier, crisper than the DV4...I think this is what I was looking for with the rosewood back. Mids and trebles seem similar to the DV4, but louder!
Then I fingerplucked Joni Mitchells "A Case of You." This song requires some delicacy and precision and the guitar responded like a set of crystal Christmas bells.
I'm very, very happy. This is an EBay deal that I think has turned out well. So yeah, I am now a new GADaholic. This 50 is just a fine guitar, and the QPR is just crazy! If anyone else is thinking about the GAD line, all I can say is that if mine is an accurate example, buy one. The value is mindboggling!
