Question regarding Guild GAD and Martin Sigma

[JDevenger]

Just a quick question, So ill try and make it short and sweet. After playing for six months or so, and doing research in the online guitar community ( forums..ect ) a question has arose.

Im a member over at AcousticGuitarforum.com where there is a large amount of Martin owners. I know there is a degree of snobbery on most forums regarding guitar brands. An example could be
for a forum member telling another member they dont have the right to post because of their "equipment" ... thats never happened to me or anything... but I have seen it happen...but back to the topic.

I have never owned or really know much about... but have heard the name Sigma by Martin come up plenty of times, and almost always there is somebody saying it most definitely is no Martin, and it doesnt deserve to even have the name Martin on the headstock even though its Sigma by Martin. Ive heard this argument multiple times after lurking around a lot of forums. My limited knowledge on the subject tells me Martin basically wanted to produce a more inexpensive model to compete with all the cheaper imports overseas from Japan and such.

Now my question is.... Are the Guild GAD`s in the same boat? When I got my first acoustic ( Guild GAD-F20 ) I didnt know anything about Guilds.... but it was the right guitar for me. I think for my experience its a great starter acoustic, that is a beautiful instrument, was priced right for me, good sound, and built to last. This question isnt to reassure me on my purchase, but rather to get to the bottom of the GAD issue. And what your opinions are on the subject.

From just being on this site, and learning more about Guilds, I know that the only thing that really differentiates my Guild from others is the GAD`s are made in China. And its heavily favored to have an instrument, " Made in the U.S.A. " In my eyes, its a Guild and nothing about the instrument says otherwise.

Being relatively new to Acoustics and guitar in general, Im having a hard time grasping that I have an "inferior" instrument because it was hand crafted in China, and not the U.S. So what im wondering is Are the Guild GAD`s essentially in the same boat as Sigma by Martin? I know companies move overseas for various reasons, but my question to you in the Guild community is, is my GAD-F20, or other GAD's viewed by Guild owners the same as a Sigma Martin viewed by a Martin owner?

 

[fronobulax]

Can of worms time. The short answer is that there are some folks who feel the Guild name is cheapened by having it on the GADs. The reasoning is pretty much the same as the Sigma and Martin reasoning. There are other folks who see two (and now three) Guild lines that allow customers to choose based upon price and features. It just so happens that if the feature you want is "Made In U.S.A" then you cannot choose from the lowest priced line.

The people in the latter camp seem to agree that the GADs compete well with similar priced guitars, regardless of where they were made, but they are not the equal of vintage, American made Guilds that might be close in price or new Guilds.

 

[chazmo]

JDevenger,

I think frono put it well. This is indeed a can of worms. Whether or not Fender should have put Guild on the headstock is a pointless discussion -- that ship sailed 5 years ago. And, yes, I think you've gotten to the bottom of the issue quite well.

Quite a few of our flock here own GADs and are very happy with them. There is a paucity of detailed information about them, though, as no one (to my knowledge) from here has researched their production / construction, serial numbering schemes, or anything else along the lines that we have done for the USA-built models.

 

[JDevenger]

haha, sorry do not want to open any can of worms. But I suppose you can understand the confusion. Everyone wants to hear good things about their guitar online when they first start out, or anytime for that matter :lol:

its a mixed bag it appears.

 

[jcwu]

Same issue with Gibson and Epiphone, right? But Epiphone has been cranking out some good stuff with their Masterbilt line.

 

[fronobulax]

haha, sorry do not want to open any can of worms. But I suppose you can understand the confusion. Everyone wants to hear good things about their guitar online when they first start out, or anytime for that matter :lol:

its a mixed bag it appears.

Well, I've never actually seen anyone post that a GAD was a POS and provide any specifics. The focus of the complaints are in comparison to American Guilds and not in comparison to the rest of the market. Lots of folks have them and love them and a whole lot more loved them until they played an American Guild.

I actually think there is more love for GADs than there is for either the Madeira or D'Armond lines, both of which have some connection to Guild.

 

[AlohaJoe]

Just my opinion (I've got plenty of those :lol: ), but here goes...

I think for my experience its a great starter acoustic, that is a beautiful instrument, was priced right for me, good sound, and built to last.

Ah, I think you nailed it there... good value for a reasonable price, and if you like the guitar enough to regularly pick it up and practice, it's the right guitar for you.

From just being on this site, and learning more about Guilds, I know that the only thing that really differentiates my Guild from others is the GAD`s are made in China.

These companies went overseas to hit a lower price point with reduced labor costs, faster manufacturing processes and less expensive materials. Both Martin and Guild (and several others) have been able to do that and produce a good quality instrument at a great price. That said, like anything else, there are a lot more differences between a high-end professional grade model and a decent quality, well-made starter version than just the place of manufacture.

Being relatively new to Acoustics and guitar in general, I'm having a hard time grasping that I have an "inferior" instrument because it was hand crafted in China... my question to you in the Guild community is, is my GAD-F20, or other GAD's viewed by Guild owners the same as a Sigma Martin viewed by a Martin owner?

By some of them, sure. There will always be people who are gear-proud, house-proud, car-proud or whatever and sneer at what they perceive to be 'lesser' gear (as judged by price), but I think they're missing the mark. It's really about the music. We all love looking at cool gear, but we'd probably be better off to look at gear less and practice more. I can't tell you how many times have I've seen a good player on an inexpensive guitar surrounded by guys with 4K instruments standing there with their mouths open.

You have a very nice guitar. Practice regularly and it will give you years of joy.
- Joe W.
ps. Comparing GADs and Sigmas, I'd take the GADs.

 

[avagadro]

I don't believe Sigmas used all solid wood construction which is a big consideration in choosing a quality acoustic guitar. ask some of the people on that other site for their opinions about Martin's non solid wood guitars. I feel like Epiphone has turned out some nice guitars for the price, same with DeArmonds copies of Guild solid and hollowbody guitars. While Sigmas don't have the reputation that Martins and Guilds have, I feel that they are probably much better that the Madera line that Guild produced years ago. As for GADs I bought a Gad JF 3012e and absolutely love it, wished I could have afforded the american version but like what I got for the price. While on the subject I have to point out that Squier is producing some of the best versions of old Fenders for very low prices. Their "classic vibe" series is making a lot of people happy for a small amount of cash. So, do your homework and balance the "name" VS "value".

 

[frankieb]

While on the subject I have to point out that Squier is producing some of the best versions of old Fenders for very low prices. Their "classic vibe" series is making a lot of people happy for a small amount of cash. So, do your homework and balance the "name" VS "value".

I had a Squier Classic Vibe 50's sunburst strat for about a year, it was a really good value for the $$$. The finish was flawless, the fretwork was good, nice flamey maple neck, and it had very decent alnico pups. Not to ruffle any feathers, but I liked it better than any of the MIM strats I have played. Ok, sorry for the veer....back to the Guilds :lol:

 

[kevin the bass man]

While on the subject I have to point out that Squier is producing some of the best versions of old Fenders for very low prices. Their "classic vibe" series is making a lot of people happy for a small amount of cash. So, do your homework and balance the "name" VS "value".

I had a Squier Classic Vibe 50's sunburst strat for about a year, it was a really good value for the $$$. The finish was flawless, the fretwork was good, nice flamey maple neck, and it had very decent alnico pups. Not to ruffle any feathers, but I liked it better than any of the MIM strats I have played. Ok, sorry for the veer....back to the Guilds :lol:

I had a squier starter bass that came with a 15 watt practice amp. 5 years after I bought it, the amp crapped out, then 2 weeks after that the electronics (pickups) in the guitar shot craps. for being made in china it wasnt too bad. it had mediocre action (neck finish was griippy.) It looked nice for a starter instrument. too bad it couldnt have had non chinese electronics in it. it would have lasted a lot longer. anyways, it lasted long enough for me to upgrade to a more professional and mature instrument, and thats what a starter guitar is for right? I must say fender does make a very nice doorstop though

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I had the same thought and question when I purchased a GAD JF-48 a couple of years ago.
My opinion now is this.

GAD Guilds are a very good guitars, built to compete with other Chinese Imports.
In fact, I would put them at the top of the list.
These guitars are well made and have all solid wood construction.
One difference though is the finish used on the GAD line.
They have Poly finishes and the American Guilds are still finished with Lacquer.

Are GAD Guilds built the same as and do they sound the same as American built Guilds?
No but neither are any other American built Guitars.

We all have the right to play what ever guitar that we want and we don't have to justify our purchases to anyone.

 

[killdeer43]

A few years ago, I took my step daughter's Sigma along on a road/camping trip, mainly because I didn't want to take my D50. Before we left, I cleaned the guitar really well and put on new strings.
I don't remember the model number but it was one of the smaller "folk size" Sigmas, and that little guitar proved to be perfect. I was very impressed with the sound and the playability up and down the neck, as well as up and down the road.
I spent many hours with that guitar watching the Bella Coola River slip by and thinking that it just doesn't get any better than this. Not once did I check the headstock to see what I was playing and think about where it was made....I just played.
It was a classic example of loving the one you're with!

If the guitar sounds good and feels good to you, what does anything else matter? As another Joe so aptly put it, "It's really about the music." :wink:

Joe

 

[JDevenger]

This question isnt to reassure me on my purchase, but rather to get to the bottom of the GAD issue. And what your opinions are on the subject.

thanks for all the replies. Id be proud to show it off my guitar to anybody because I love it, and that was never the issue. And besides. Ive been playing for like 6 months, and im only 20. I have my entire life to save up for a flashy top of the line instrument.

I was just curious to whether or not there was a stigma attached to GAD`s. For instance, Somebody asks, " What kind of acoustic do you have?" .... " Oh a Guild! way to go those are great! " followed by a
" .... oh its a GAD, not really a Guild then. "

 

[evenkeel]

I was just curious to whether or not there was a stigma attached to GAD`s. For instance, Somebody asks, " What kind of acoustic do you have?" .... " Oh a Guild! way to go those are great! " followed by a
" .... oh its a GAD, not really a Guild then. "

The short answer is yes. But, if you waltz on over to the Martin forum I'm sure you'll find some who'd argue that there is a "stigma" attached to Guild period. And pre-war Martin fans will say anything after X date is worth nothing. Then Gibby AJ fans will tell you Martins are terrible. Then wander on over to a group of Dana Bourgeois fans and they'll say Martins, Gibson, Guild take you're pick are all just production guitars anyway. Best to avoid going down that road.

 

[JDevenger]

I was just curious to whether or not there was a stigma attached to GAD`s. For instance, Somebody asks, " What kind of acoustic do you have?" .... " Oh a Guild! way to go those are great! " followed by a
" .... oh its a GAD, not really a Guild then. "

The short answer is yes. But, if you waltz on over to the Martin forum I'm sure you'll find some who'd argue that there is a "stigma" attached to Guild period. And pre-war Martin fans will say anothing after X date is worth anything. Then Gibby AJ fans will tell you Martins are terrible. Then wander on over to a group of Dana Bourgeois fans and they'll say Martins, Gibson, Guild take you're pick are all just production guitars anyway. Best to avoid going down that road.

haha, thanks. That makes perfect sense.

 

[fronobulax]

I was just curious to whether or not there was a stigma attached to GAD`s. For instance, Somebody asks, " What kind of acoustic do you have?" .... " Oh a Guild! way to go those are great! " followed by a
" .... oh its a GAD, not really a Guild then. "

When you phrase it like that, in some places there is a stigma attached to GADs. However, as noted, you can probably find a stigma attached to any Guild in a room full of Martin owners and so on. I play bass guitar and I have even run into a stigma in some circles because it is a bass guitar and not an upright bass. Don't even get those folks started about electric instruments.

But remember you cannot control how other people think, you can only control your reaction. You have a fine guitar that you are happy with. If the day comes when your skill and interest makes you less happy then you know what your upgrade path should be.

 

[Ridgemont]

Only you can answer that question for yourself. Everybody will tell you their opinion, but at the end of the day, if you are happy with your Guild/GAD/GAD by Guild/Madeira then that is all that matters. I have seen very talented artists use very high end guitars to perform and I have seen very talented artists use GADs to perform. Both sound great. If the guitar inspires you, then go with it.

oh, and Sigmas are pure junk. :wink:

 

[silverfox103]

"As the saying goes: "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Tom C.

 

[killdeer43]

"As the saying goes: "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Tom C.

Or in this case, in the ears, perhaps? :wink:

Joe

 

[Bikerdoc]

While I have never played a GAD I've heard one and I thought it sounded just fine. I've heard some pretty decent comments about the GAD models.

I have played many Sigmas. I own quite a few in fact: DM3, DM4B, D2, D28M-somethin' or other, and a DM-19. The 19 has a solid top, laminated B&S, bone nutt n' saddle, Baggs pickup. It's in a league all its own compared to the other Sigmas I own.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y275/b ... maDM19.jpg

But then again, I didn't purchase any of the Sigmas for their quality; only to collect them. Reasonably priced, a couple of them aren't too bad but the 19 I can ,without reservation, compare to the (my) Guild D25.

Still, as most have said. It's all in what you're comfortable with.

Peace