So what exactly is the difference between the D-40 and D-35?

[Rambozo96]

I suppose maybe the D-40 got nicer woods from the pile and had the fancy peghead overlay and inlays but other than that do they really differ greatly in tone? Are they pretty much identical spec wise?

 

[Westerly Wood]

I will not know all the diffs, but below are some:

1. D40 has a Chesterfield in headstock.
2. Allegedly, D40 top and back/side woods are a higher grade spruce/hog
3. D40 sounds bigger by a tad, not sure why this is, but D40s are a bit boomier and robust vs a D35s
4. D35s are inconsistent in sound quality and output. I have owned 4 and 2 were total duds. My current 1984 D35 is special. D40s, I never played a dud.

Of course the D40 has changed over the decades and the different locations and eras of Guild. The same, the bracing changed a bit and I think there were years the top spruce was Adi. The NH builds were super light, vs say Westerly.

By far my fave D40 era was Hoboken. Those were special D40s. If you can find one.

 

[Russell Letson]

Up to 1970 (which is my cutoff year for broad experience with the range of Guild models), the only differences between a -30 and a -40 were cosmetic. If I heard a Guild voice in a song circle, it could be either--though -35s were slightly more common because of the price difference. But of course with factory guitars (Martins or Gibsons or Guilds) there's always a range of quality, so it would not surprise me to encounter a 1960s D-35 I like better than a D-40 from the same period.

 

[donnylang]

Not sure the cutoff year, but D40s have a 3-piece neck from 1964-69-ish. I don't believe there are any D35s with this feature. This stuff might be more Hoboken vs. Westerly/later, but it looks to me like the Hoboken D40s I've seen have a one-piece back- anyone know if this is the case?

 

[donnylang]

A 1969 price list shows the D35 at $250 and D40 at $300 ($1775 vs. $2125, adjusted for inflation).

 

[Westerly Wood]

I like a D40 for $300 any day
probably included the case too.

 

[Br1ck]

I wish I had experience with an early 70s D 40. The later, I believe I played a 78 and an 84, D 40s I've tried did nothing for me as I don't care for the heavier builds. The D 35 was built to a price point. The tuners, as my luthier put it, are adequate. They work and I decided to keep them original. My Guild decal has faded considerably. The top has about 30% bearclaw, not immediately apparent, but definately a flawed piece of wood by the standards of the day. I keep wanting a D 18, but there is no reason really, except I'm trying to not have more guitars. The D 35 needs fresh strings, but what guitar doesn't? If I were looking, I'd take either all things being equal regarding era. I imagine they have varied as much as any guitar built over a fifty year period. As an aside, my Westerly built D 35 has a Hoboken label.

 

[donnylang]

I would rather have a '68-'72 D35 over a post-'72 & later D40. I have not played D40s and D35s from all eras, but I have played and owned many other Guilds, and I think '68-'72 tends to be the sweet spot for value for $$$. Out of the many Guilds I've owned and played from '65-'75, every 1968 Guild was a winner. The others were hit or miss, with most post-'72 examples being a miss for me. Though some of the '60s ones were not great either IMO. I should make a list with star ratings ha.

 

[Rambozo96]

I’d like to try a Hoboken era dread. Seems like they don’t show up often as a Westerly era though that’s understandable as I believe Hoboken operated for 10-15 years vs Westerly going on for almost 30ish. Seems like when I do see a Hoboken era Guild it usually comes with a larger price tag in comparison to the Westerly era equivalent.

 

[Rambozo96]

So was there a transition year from Hoboken to Westerly? Seems like I hear reports of very early Westerly Guild’s sporting Hoboken labels.

 

[fronobulax]

So was there a transition year from Hoboken to Westerly? Seems like I hear reports of very early Westerly Guild’s sporting Hoboken labels.

Roughly 1965 to 1970. If it matters that can be narrowed but you can search LTG as well as I can. There was a period when both factories were operating and Hans can tell which models were produced where and when during that time. Westerly guitars got Hoboken labels until the supply ran out.

 

[donnylang]

If I recall, they only made dreadnoughts in Hoboken from '64-'68, so 4 years-ish. That's why they are so rare. '68 would be the transition year. '68-'70 still had the Hoboken labels.

 

[dreadnut]

My buddy owns a real nice '75 D35 that he bought brand new, tobacco sunburst, next to my '76 D25M. My D25 definitely sounds bigger, but his is real nice nonetheless, and it is well-preserved. His has a Guild decal on the headstock same as mine, but it came with enclosed tuners, where mine are open-gear three-on-a strip. Both are spruce topped.

 

[adorshki]

I suppose maybe the D-40 got nicer woods from the pile and had the fancy peghead overlay and inlays but other than that do they really differ greatly in tone?

Truthfully never heard a D35, but suspect the differences would be subtle and perhaps only audible to very experienced players.

Are they pretty much identical spec wise?

Basic build formula, (Flat hog back/spruce top), scale length, nut width, "yes". The rest of the guys have pretty well detailed the refinements that justified the higher price of a D40.

I think the D35 was brought out to meet the exploding demand for acoustic guitars in the '60's at a widely acceptable price point. And for those who could hear the difference, they could still get the venerable D40.

Not sure the cutoff year, but D40s have a 3-piece neck from 1964-69-ish. I don't believe there are any D35s with this feature.

I believe you're correct, one of the little build details that made the '40 a step up, besides a higher grade of topwood. They didn't expressly say "AA" in the lit at the time (that I've seen) but for sure D35's would have had "standard grade" tops just like D25's. They were both introduced in '68 though I don't know if it was simultaneous. Funny thing, though, going by the s/n charts, D35's massively outsold D25's for the first few years..

stuff might be more Hoboken vs. Westerly/later, but it looks to me like the Hoboken D40s I've seen have a one-piece back- anyone know if this is the case?

I'd be mightily surprised, because for one thing that would severely limit the flitches they could use: they'd have to be big enough to make a solid one-piece back. Suspect you've seen pieces where the center seam is invisible in the middle of the precise book-matching Guild did, much like the D35 in Dreadnut's post.

 

[Russell Letson]

I've never seen a '60s Guild with a one-piece flat back--my '65 D-40 is definitely a conventional two-piece, as were all the other Guilds I've owned over the years. The sole possible exception is my '59 M-30, and I wonder whether it's just because the joinery is so good. (It's the heel cap that makes me wonder--though it would be the widest piece of mahogany I've seen in sixty years of guitaring.)

 

[donnylang]

Fair, it might just be the seam is very difficult to see in some examples.

Worry noting is Harmony Sovereigns had a 1-piece back, and they’re pretty big.

 

[adorshki]

Fair, it might just be the seam is very difficult to see in some examples.

Worry noting is Harmony Sovereigns had a 1-piece back, and they’re pretty big.

Solid or laminated?

 

[donnylang]

^ the Sovereigns are all solid

 

[Br1ck]

Does a 70 D 40 have different binding from a 70 D 35? My 70 D 35 has, from the inside, w/b/w thin strips plus a thicker black binding on the outside. It is interesting that threads like this make you take a good look at your guitar. Prior to this, I couldn't have told you.

 

[Andrew79]

My buddy owns a real nice '75 D35 that he bought brand new, tobacco sunburst, next to my '76 D25M. My D25 definitely sounds bigger, but his is real nice nonetheless, and it is well-preserved. His has a Guild decal on the headstock same as mine, but it came with enclosed tuners, where mine are open-gear three-on-a strip. Both are spruce topped.

I think I've fallen in love with your buddy's D35. It's gorgeous in the tobacco sunburst. I too have a D25M ('81) and will never part with it.