NGD 2014 D55-RS Adirondack 1 of 3

[txbumper57]

Hey Everyone, What a great way to start off Father's Day Weekend with a visit from the Fedex Truck! It finally got here. This is my New D55-RS as it is written on the label with the RS Designating a Red Spruce or Adironadack top. Story goes that a Guild dealer had a request from a customer to have Guild build him a D55 with an Adirondack top as opposed to the Sitka tops they normally come with. Needless to say it went up the chain at Guild and they said sure why not. There were only 3 of these ever made and they all were built during the last month of operations at the New Hartford facility. One went to the customer that ordered it originally, one went to the store that requested the build which is this one, and no one knows what happened to the third one. It could be anywhere.

This is what I call a perfect storm Guitar for me. Built in New Hartford with the finest materials and Craftsmanship, Being a Guild flagship model, Being able to purchase it New with Full Factory Warranty, and having the Rarity of the Red Spruce top on the D55. The top on this one is Beautiful with a wonderful grain pattern and a deep 3D silking throughout. The rosewood for the back and sides has a wonderful grain to it as well with a nice contrast between the dark and light grains. When I bought this I figured it would be close to a D50 Bluegrass in tone due to the materials. Believe it or not it sounds nothing like a D50 Bluegrass. The Guitar is actually as light as my Orpheums and far lighter than any Guild Dread I have ever played. The Adirondack top Resonates Beautifully with a light touch response that I identify more with the Orpheum series than the traditional series. The best way to describe the tone is that it has the Warmth and Richness D55's are known for but it has the sparkle, clarity, and touch response of the Orpheums that I have. The perfect mix of the two. This guitar fingerpicks beautifully and then when you want to hear it go from sweet to growl you can dig in with a pick and the headroom is never ending. The underside of the top was signed by none other than Mr. Jason MacIntyre which explains why it plays and sounds like it does! Personally I think Guild should make the Adirondack top a Standard option for the D55's, F50's, and Other traditional Models in the future. I really am blown away by this guitar and it has already surpassed any expectations of tone or play ability that I had before it arrived. Happy Father's Day to all and have a good weekend!

Enough Jabbering from me and ON to The Photos!

 

[txbumper57]

 

[twocorgis]

Looks like a beauty TX! Play it in good health.

 

[chazmo]

Tx, that TRC is from the factory?

Very nice! Enjoy!

 

[txbumper57]

Thanks Sandy and Chazmo! No Chazmo, That is one of my custom Truss rod covers that I have purchased through WEC Inlays out of Canada. They make some nice stuff for very reasonable prices. You will see their different Inlaid Truss rod covers listed on Ebay but they can do any design you want if you send them the image. Great craftsmanship on the inlay work and I probably have 6 or 7 of them. This D55-RS still had the factory setup on it when it arrived and the truss rod needed to be tightened just a bit, so when I took the other one off I went ahead and put this one on. I think it looks great on the D55. I have them on most of my New Hartford Acoustics.

TX

 

[chazmo]

Cool. Very nice. Very, very beautiful slice of Adi on that top.

And, surprised to hear that it doesn't sound like a D-50. The bracing on NH D-55 is probably different than the D-50.

BTW, looks like you've got miles of saddle on that. If you're getting any buzz after tightening the TR, you might consider straightening it back up again and taking down the saddle for your setup.

 

[txbumper57]

Thanks, No Buzz after snugging the truss rod up, it was actually borderline loose like some of my Orpheums shipped. This does have a full saddle on it and when I take these Guild Strings off this evening and hydrate the fretboard I may lower the saddle just a smidge but it plays great the way it is now. I really want to let it settle in to this climate before I make any Major changes. I also have plenty of New Hartford Compensated bone saddle blanks that came factory on the Guild Traditional and Orpheum series guitars if I need to cut another one. That way if I decide to install a UST pickup like the DTAR I can have a saddle for the pickup setup and save the original if I ever want to go back to straight acoustic. I love doing a setup on a new guitar, That is half the fun of getting one!

TX

 

[jeffcoop]

Fantastic port on a fantastic guitar. Congratulations!

 

[richardp69]

Sweet tx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[davismanLV]

Congrats, Tx!! That Adirondack top makes me a little weak in the knees!! Thanks for sharing the joy with your photos. Wow!! :encouragement:

 

[txbumper57]

Thanks everyone! I just finished re-hydrating the fret board and Bridge and cleaned it all up as it apparently just sat in a display case for 2 years. Tom, after cleaning it up the top looks like someone poured sweet Caramel syrup on top of Vanilla Ice cream and then Ran a comb through it. I could get lost just looking at it for hours if I let myself. Hopefully the shoulder will last long enough for a restring tonight!

TX

 

[Neal]

It looks almost edible!

 

[JohnW63]

That is very cool ! I have the NH F47R, with Adi and a NH D-55 without it. Maybe it sounds like something in the middle ?

 

[SFIV1967]

Congrats! Now that is a very rare and stunning guitar!
Ralf

 

[Smitch]

Beautiful rare flagship, congrats!

 

[mavuser]

candy shoppe creamery!

 

[txbumper57]

Day 2 update: When I received it yesterday you could tell it had not been played much if any at all. Last night I was able to complete the string change with my wounded Chicken wing. LOL. Put a set of Daddario EXP17's on it. After about 3 hours of playtime this thing is already beginning to blossom. Yesterday it sounded great but you could tell the Adirondack top had never really been played long enough to "Wake it up" as I call it. All I can say is WOW! This thing is a proverbial Cannon in the true sense of the word. It is not abrasively loud like some adirondack guitars can be. It will get loud but the louder it gets the tone remains unchanged. The Lows and low mids are coming in with a Richness and Depth that I have never heard even out of my Orpheums while the note clarity and Sparkle remains strong. I can only imagine what it will be like with more playtime on it. I have played it enough to the point where my bad shoulder resembles a water balloon and I all I want to do is play it some more! LOL! Ok that is a long enough break, back to playtime! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Father's Day!

TX

 

[richardp69]

You are a most lucky man TX. Sounds like a really wonderful Guild. GOOD ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[txbumper57]

Thanks Richard! I am anxious to hear the review on your JV-72 as well as your impressions of the New D20 after some playtime!

 

[MLBob]

A Stunner!