Guild dread's are that good, not just "for the money"

[Muckman]

I'm sure, most of us on this sight already know this. I am still a newbie, not only in my experience with Guild, but also I'm new to taking my acoustic playing serious and really trying to improve. When I got the itch to change gears and really spend time developing my playing, I also decided I would upgrade my instrument.

A buddy of mine had a d18 that he rarely played, so he brought it over for me to check out.....blew me away!!! But he wanted $2000 for it, I passed. Just by luck, a 80' D40 came up on Craigslist the following week. I had been keeping an eye out for an older Guild acoustic, I knew they were well priced and a buddy, years ago, had a D35 that I loved. So, I bought the D40 for half of what the Martin would have cost me and couldn't be happier (I've bought two more Guilds since the first lol).

Over the weekend, I wound up buying that same D18 for a much lower price. When he first offered me the Martin so cheap my gut reaction was to worry that when I get home with this Martin (that blew me away back in August), I will have buyers remorse on one, two or ALL of my Guilds. Well, not even close. I like ALL three of my Guild dreads as well or better. There is some truth to the statement I've seen many times - Martins are voiced for and excel at bluegrass. But, there is also a lot of truth to the statement that I've read here numerous times - Guilds are more balanced, sweeter sounding and will cover anything.

I'm preaching to the choir here, I know....just had to share.

 

[dashstarkiller]

I was (and still am to an extent) a big Gibson acoustic guy. But after buying my Guild recently, I am finding much more appreciation for them. I’m actually in the process of buying another (darn you LTG!). Something about Guild almost feels more… “authentic” to me? Makes no sense but I’m enjoying my “lowly” dv25 more than any Martin or Gibson I’ve owned. I actively think about playing it. Instead of just looking at it in a case.

 

[Br1ck]

Well, yes and no. As usual, guitars each do different things. The D 18 is iconic in so many ways, and for a reason. That said, my D 35 is the reason I don't own one. I do own two other Martins, and that low end is something worth having. Balance is the word with Guilds. A lot of people don't like balanced guitars.

 

[Heath]

There are only two brands of acoustic guitars I own. Guild and old vintage Yamahas. I'm not saying that won't change, but right now, those are the two that spark my interests the most. I'm (my wallet is) dreading the day I try a Collings......

 

[chazmo]

^ I'm not sure I agree with you, Br1ck... As far as I'm concerned, on the one hand, a Guild D-55 is one of the most balanced instruments I've ever played. By that I mean power/volume-wise across every string/note. But, personally, I prefer the (modern) versions of the D-50, which are significantly "boomier" in the low end -- a quality I like in a rosewood dread. The kind of sound that makes your rib cage rattle, if you see what I mean. Anyway, To me, these two instruments are quite different in character, and frankly that's similar to different Martins.

But, it's all personal taste, really. What defines "good" (as per Muckman's post) is highly subjective.

 

[Muckman]

Well, yes and no. As usual, guitars each do different things. The D 18 is iconic in so many ways, and for a reason. That said, my D 35 is the reason I don't own one. I do own two other Martins, and that low end is something worth having. Balance is the word with Guilds. A lot of people don't like balanced guitars.

I agree completely, the bass response of the Martin is a powerful thing, fun! It's funny about balanced tone versus bass heavy tone, the general public tends toward bass heavy tone in general. Another example, I own two 70's Yamaha receivers that I much prefer to my buddies Marantz......the Marantz are not as clear sounding, very bass heavy and well over twice the price in comparison.

 

[Muckman]

But, it's all personal taste, really. What defines "good" (as per Muckman's post) is highly subjective.

"good" is a very subjective and generalized term. A better way to put it may be responsiveness, in terms of tone/playability. Also, the feeling of quality workmanship in your hands. Those are the things that impressed me about the Martin when I played it before owning my Guilds. Having never been able to directly A/B them all, I feared the Martin would outclass them, it did not......still subjective opinions, hopefully explained more clearly though

 

[Br1ck]

I got my acoustic guitar education by playing everything on the used wall at Gryphon from 1980 to 1995. I stopped by every Monday after work when I lived in Palo Alto. I played a lot of everything. I found highly regarded boutique brands I never liked after having played four or five, a heck of a lot of very nice guitars I personally wouldn't pay a premium for. I played Martins I liked, Martins I didn't, $7000 guitars that were good but not great, and beat to snot D 18s that were. The few Guilds I played were the same. Some I liked, some I didn't, except every 12 string and every D 55. Do I ever recall a D 50? No, so my education is still incomplete. I do remember Gryphon ordering a bunch of Orphiums once, and they could not sell them. They dropped Bourgeois for the same reason. Go figure. Fickle public.

What I really learned is how you need to live with a guitar for a while to really know it. The store demo and the buying are step one and two. What always struck me were how the few Guilds seemed like bargains. Certainly the "for the money" label was true. Certainly I bought my D 35 from them because they didn't think it was worth it to them to reset the neck. Even with their own labor there was no profit in it. But my D 35 is satisfying in ways other guitars are not, and visa versa. And if I had to live with one guitar only, it would probably be a mid sixties D 18. But not all of them would qualify. I've played two or three maybe that would cover that.

One lesson learned above all, is that you don't have to pay a fortune to have a satisfying guitar, certainly under $2000 in the used market would do it. I do realize $2000 is a lot of money, including to me. I just spent $3000 on a mandolin I thought was $1K under priced. It was on my I'd spend good money if a deal fell into my lap list. In my mind I thought I'd have to pay $5k, so I guess I lucked out.

 

[Boneman]

As one who has both a Martin dread and a Guild dread, I can unequivocally state that they both sound like acoustic guitars!

 

[JohnW63]

Guilds, for the most part, are great deals in the used market. In the new market, people don't know them and probably can't get their hands on one to try, so they are more of a risk to pay full retail for, when you can find a Martin or a Taylor everywhere to demo and even Gibsons to try before you buy pretty easy. So, for your 2k-3k price range. how would you roll the dice? Go for the one you can get in your hands first, right?

Guild needs to do what Apple did. Have company stores. Good selection of demo guitars on hand, and then have stock of the quick movers and special order the slow movers. If I had a retail space near Oxnard, I would push the idea. Make sure I get first dibs on stock coming off the line. Guilds don't sell because you can't find them and the stores don't know them as well. Just like the Mac was at Circuit City and other electronics stores. But, go to the cool store with the Big G above the door and you'll leave with Guild knowledge at the very least.

Ok... pipe dream over.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Had a '71 Martin D-28 for a while. Was very happy with it.

Also had an amp I couldn't sell for what it was worth (a '62 Ampeg M-15). So even though I didn't need another dread, I ended up trading the amp for a '76 Guild D-35 with a guy who couldn't sell that for what it was worth. (At the time, the Guild and Ampeg were both worth about $700.)

Time confirmed what I already knew: that I only need one acoustic. So I sold one. Which? The Martin. The Martin sounded good, but the Guild sounds like me.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I was (and still am to an extent) a big Gibson acoustic guy. But after buying my Guild recently, I am finding much more appreciation for them. I’m actually in the process of buying another (darn you LTG!). Something about Guild almost feels more… “authentic” to me? Makes no sense but I’m enjoying my “lowly” dv25 more than any Martin or Gibson I’ve owned. I actively think about playing it. Instead of just looking at it in a case.

My first good guitar was a D-25 I bought used around 1971. Loved that thing! One of the reeasons I got the D-35 (see post 11) was that it reminded me of my old D-25.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

PS -

Actually, the Martin (post 11) seemed more balanced to my ears. The strings blended together. With the Guild, each string stands out, in a good way — sort of like comparing a smooth Les Paul to a twangy Tele. (Yup, I'm a Tele guy.)

Anyhow, the Guild has a lot more character and expression than the Martin. And though I never tested it, it seemed just as loud as the Martin from where I stood. (Not as bassy, though. You're right.)

 

[Westerly Wood]

The last high end acoustic I had was a Santa Cruz Dread. Huge sound, pre-war D-18 Martin specs. After a couple years, I started to reach more for my ‘71 D25. Like Brick says above, I liked the balance of the Guild dread when finger picking. I sold the SC to a local bluegrass pro who wanted a “beater” to take on tour over in Europe. Lol. The D25 was my only guitar for a while. Suited me fine. Very versatile for a dreadnought.

 

[eljayski]

I am, and am likely to remain, a One Guild Man, but my Oxnard dee-five-five fits in well with my Yammie LL56 and custom shop Gibson Dove. Martins and Santa Cruzs are past tense with me . . .

 

[Guildedagain]

We need sound clips if you have both on hand, record and upload to Soundcloud ;]

I love tone tests. Do em all the time, and sometimes I'll listen to them years later when the instruments are gone. It's good reference material. Also, if I'm pitting two guitars against each other, I know what I'm hearing, but having an impartial ear, the recorder, is invaluable.

I look at other guitars but I can save myself the money if I resist impulses, because in the end, my D35 or F30 - depending on day and mood - sound better than anything else. It's good to eventually figure these things out over time, specially as I have like 30 guitars seemingly in rotation, some of it is deadwood and needs to float on by, less tripping over a mountain of guitars in a limited space, acoustic guitars in hardcases being the worst offenders as room hogs.

 

[Guildedagain]

A problem with tone tests is when you willfully make one guitar sound better than the other because you dig it more.

An example would be guitar A vs guitar B, you play guitar A halfheartedly for 5 minutes and then proceed to completely go off on guitar B for 10 minutes, or more... ;]