Please educate me about history of Guild acoustic necks

[guildwing]

Hi folks,

Been looking for a guitar with a full sound, great sustain, and is comfortable and a joy to play. A buddy suggested that I check out Guilds. Years ago I had a 1980 Guild D25M for a brief time, that had a nice tone, but the neck was quite bulky to my liking. And that is the extent of my experience with Guilds -- so I'm seeking to learn more. I have owned and played acoustics for years, so have many brands to compare Guilds with.

My favorite necks are Taylor, Webber and Martin MLO.

So, as I look at Guilds (used preferred) I have questions -- what are the neck profiles like (for what years)? What years would you consider Guild's "golden years"? How would you describe the tone of a Guild acoustic vs. Martin, Taylor and Gibson ? Comfort and playability for these aging hands? And anything else you can offer.

THANKS!

 

[GardMan]

I've owned 11 or 12 Westerly Guild acoustics (all dreads) dating from 1971 thru 1995, and in my experience, there is no "standard" neck profile for years, models, etc... Much of the neck shaping in the Westerly era was done by hand, and altho' templates were (may have been) used, there was quite a bit of variation. All of the ones I have played would likely be called "C-shaped" in profile, but the variations were significant: from a shallow, slim-feeling C on my '92 D-55, feeling, to me, almost as slim and fast as and electric, to the chunky, baseball-bat neck of my '95 DV-73, and everything in between.

And, altho' most Guild dreads listed 1-11/16" as the spec for nut width, there are also known variations from that... for example, one of our members reports that all, or nearly all, of the half-dozen D-17s he has played have nut widths closer to 1-5/8", and there is a list on the site somewhere of known examples of necks with nut widths closer to 1-3/4" (all of my DV-7Xs, for example).

Even the same model from different years... my '72 and '78 D-35s had a totally different (the '78 being one of only two Guilds with a neck I really could not bond with). Or different dread models built just a few months apart... like my '74 G-37 and '74 D_25M... totally different necks.

So, when it comes down to Guild necks, at least from the pre-CNC days, it all comes down to trying a few and finding one you like.

As for tone... I haven't played many Martins, Gibsons, or Taylors, so can't really comment, other that to say, I like what I hear from my Guilds.

Good luck in your quest...

 

[chazmo]

Guildwing, I see you've been a member for a very long time. Welcome back.

The general consensus is... well.... there is no general consensus. All Guilds are good Guilds, IMO.

As far as comparing tone... well... I'd say most Taylors are thinner (more mid-range compressed) than Guilds.

And, like Dave said, neck profiles varied a bit from year to year, and you can't be sure unless you try the specific guitar. To be fair, Taylor necks weren't completely consistent either until the '90s.

 

[fronobulax]

What @GardMan said.

Between spec changes, model changes and various degrees of hand work there is really no consistency to Guild necks.

Guild never had any "bad" years. The closest you get is that there are some features were prominent and those features are less valued today. An example is that Guilds were heavier and by current standards overbuilt circa the 60's and 70's. (Deliberately vague because I am not looking the dates up). So if you like light builds then those are "bad years".

If your goal is to narrow the possibilities so that you can search and shop, you might first decide on some other selection criteria. Body size is of great interest to an aging population whit many people abandoning their dreads and jumbos for orchestra sized instruments or smaller to address shoulder issues. Tone woods and nut width are also things that cause people to narrow their search. If a set of desirable characteristics can be mapped to a specific model and time then profile, tone and projection can be discussed with a little more certainty.

Alternatively, instruments from New Hartford are generally consistent in terms of meeting the specs and almost discernable differences between examples of the same model. So you could focus on 2007-2014. A case could be made any Guild from the 21th Century is similarly consistent but I know New Hartford better ;-)

 

[Wilmywood]

I have two G37s, a 1972 and 1978, and the two necks are as different as night and day, The 72 is mahogany and thinner, the 78 is maple and bulkier. I also have a 1997 DV-6 and its mahogany neck is similar to the mahogany neck on the 72 G37.

 

[geoguy]

You might consider posting a few specs for a neck that feels best in your hand.

For example, nut width; thickness of neck at first & 12th frets, general cross-sectional shape.

This link shows eight types of neck cross-sections:

Guitar Neck Shapes Explained: The 8 Most Common Types (2023) - Guitar Lobby

In this article, we discuss the 8 most common guitar neck shapes. We talk about the differences between them and how to choose the right type for you.

www.guitarlobby.com

 

[adorshki]

Hi folks,

Been looking for a guitar with a full sound, great sustain, and is comfortable and a joy to play. A buddy suggested that I check out Guilds. Years ago I had a 1980 Guild D25M for a brief time, that had a nice tone, but the neck was quite bulky to my liking. And that is the extent of my experience with Guilds -- so I'm seeking to learn more. I have owned and played acoustics for years, so have many brands to compare Guilds with.

If you want "slim", you want to check out early (or very late ca '85) G37's as mentioned, or the later iteration known as the D30 (introduced in '87) . They're archback maple dreadnoughts, and especially the D30's were from an era when necks tended towards "slimmer", what Fender called a "modern flat oval" profile with 1-11/16 nut spec.

We' even saw reports a few years back of 2 G37's from 1985 with 1-5/8" nuts. Because the s/n's were so close it made me suspect Guild made at least a few of 'em as their standard build increment was 6 units.

So it's worth checking nut widths for narrower as well as thicker-than-spec'd nuts.

One of my buddies has a '74 G37, that's the single finest sounding guitar I've ever hear in person in my life (player helped), with sustain for days, and that's a near universal assessment of the model(s).

 

[Wilmywood]

One of my buddies has a '74 G37, that's the single finest sounding guitar I've ever hear in person in my life (player helped), with sustain for days, and that's a near universal assessment of the model(s).

I have to concur (surprise!). Even though I've had my '72 G37 for over 50 years now, last year was the first time I had heard it played by another person who could really play, and I could not believe what it sounded like. It was MUCH better than what I had heard from behind it playing it myself.

Also, when I say the 78 G37 neck is thicker, I meant in depth front to back, the nut is 1 11/16" on both.

 

[adorshki]

I have to concur (surprise!). Even though I've had my '72 G37 for over 50 years now, last year was the first time I had heard it played by another person who could really play, and I could not believe what it sounded like. It was MUCH better than what I had heard from behind it playing it myself.

Also, when I say the 78 G37 neck is thicker, I meant in depth front to back, the nut is 1 11/16" on both.

Right, that's our usual assumption when it comes to profile, "thick" vs "thin", with nut width being just part of the total picture..

 

[guildwing]

You might consider posting a few specs for a neck that feels best in your hand.

For example, nut width; thickness of neck at first & 12th frets, general cross-sectional shape.

This link shows eight types of neck cross-sections:

Guitar Neck Shapes Explained: The 8 Most Common Types (2023) - Guitar Lobby

In this article, we discuss the 8 most common guitar neck shapes. We talk about the differences between them and how to choose the right type for you.

www.guitarlobby.com

Thanks for the great feedback to my post thus far!! While my guitars all have 1-3/4" nut, I am open to 1-11/16". Really like Rosewood B&S/Sitka top. Thinking a Mini/small jumbo (or perhaps dread) size. For some perspective on neck specs, my favorite necks are Taylor and Martin MLO. Thanks again!