NGD D55

[jklemm18]

Thanks Ralf. Thats a quick 2 mile drive from my mom's house. Another reason to feel connected to this guitar.

 

[steverok]

That is damn nice man !!

 

[Uke]

You will love this guitar; I have a D-55 that I refer to as the "second love of my life" after you-can-guess-who!

 

[Peter Z]

You will love this guitar; I have a D-55 that I refer to as the "second love of my life" after you-can-guess-who!

So, the ‘65 Starfire is your first love?

 

[walrus]

This turned into a great informative thread! Congratulations on a beautiful guitar, jk!

walrus

 

[adorshki]

You will love this guitar; I have a D-55 that I refer to as the "second love of my life" after you-can-guess-who!

Your cat?

 

[davismanLV]

Congrats on a super nice score!! Can't beat a D55, and it looks so pristine!! Play it in good health.

 

[Uke]

Your cat?

I know this may start something, but NEVER confuse ME with a cat lover! I'm allergic to them in every way possible.

 

[JohnW63]

Well, I guess it happened.

Very nice looking guitar, even if it was just 5 years old.

 

[Uke]

So, the ‘65 Starfire is your first love?

Ha! You are a clever one !

 

[Stuball48]

Play my guitars on a rotational basis and always smile when the D55s turn comes up. Just a super score!

 

[jklemm18]

I apologize for all the questions but I am really excited to learn. Does anyone know what pick up would have been in a 1998 D55. I didn't realize there was a pick up but looking inside with a flashlight I see wires but no battery. Ive always been strictly acoustic so I am not very versed in pickup options. Thanks in advance

 

[SFIV1967]

Does anyone know what pick up would have been in a 1998 D55.

There wasn't a catalog D-55E at that time but that is what a catalog from that time showed:

Now there were many pickups added afterwards, so it's difficult to say. How does the output jack looks like?

Ralf

 

[Br1ck]

You bought your guitar the correct way with no preconceptions. Play the guitar, like the guitar, buy the guitar. No what era is best nonsense. Some people like one thing, others another.

Regarding pickups, in over twenty years, pickups have gotten better. So if you don't like them, there are other choices.

 

[chazmo]

Great score, jklemm, and it's hard to find a better way to kick off your experience with Guilds. Hang around. We'll start giving you GAS for other models too.

 

[Cougar]

...I still can't believe I scored this guitar. It looks brand new, no fret wear or fretboard markings and barely a pick scratch. For 23 years old its amazing...

Major congrats, jklemm, and welcome to the forum! I share you appreciation for mint condition guitars. I figure your D55 is the dreadnought version of my jumbo F50R, which is also mint but roughly half as old. Man, you've got a beauty!

 

[cupric]

From the bridge separating Westerly from Pawcatuck it's about one mile to the old factory. Take a left through old downtown Westerly and you'll run right into/past it. Stop by Frets Guitar Workshop on the right. Zack always had some great Guilds. And he once worked at the factory!

 

[Rayk]

I can’t say anything that wasn’t already said .
very nice find indeed . Like Al said in my own words once you get a Guild they seem to multiply without notice . Lol

 

[adorshki]

Wow Al, that is great information. I am going too Diest that over my coffee this morning before I get to playing. I still can't believe I scored this guitar. It looks brand new, no fret wear or fretboard markings and barely a pick scratch. For 23 years old its amazing,

Forgot to mention how nice that top is, then remembered a couple more details:

That's what's known as a AAA top. I think now that besides the very even tight consistency of the grain, AAA's supposed to have a minimal amount of shading variation where the lignins tend to redden up along grain lines. I actually call my F65ce's AAA top "white bread" .

Take a look at the silking, how fine and evenly distributed it is, too. Part of that's due to using "quarter-sawn"planks for tops, but even the raw planks have a range of grain variation which also affects how the silking looks. Thus the "grading" system.

All of Guild's wood from the mid-70's til end of Westerly was sourced and graded by one guy, Willie Fritscher, whose standards were probably a little higher than average, or maybe it was just because he could be more selective by not having to acquire the kind of volume required by guys like Gibson and Martin.

Anyway, it's been proposed in discussions here that Guild's grading was very conservative and their tops would likely have been graded higher by other guys, even the entry-level stuff..

So for the sake of showing you how the raw materials were selected, another article from a Guild Gallery:

 

[jklemm18]

Thanks again for a great article Al. I am fasciated that a factory built guitar had such hands on approach. Certainly different than some of the other major players. Like I had said earlier I had always heard there was a mystique about the Westerly Guilds and to have found one with out really looking seems too good to be true. I just keep eyeballing it when I am not playing it and am just amazed.