THE D55 AND BLUEGRASS!

[COUNTRYPICKER]

if there are any bluegrass fans here, have you ever noticed any of the big bluegrass acts using a D55 in there live shows?? just curious because you just don't see Guild in that arena much.

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

The Bluegrass folks can't see past a Martin most of the time.
Guild makes the D40 and D50 BG models to compete with Martin but I don't see any of them in major bands.
I will be taking my new to me D55 to my weekly Bluegrass jams, after I get it back from my Luthier.
I'll let you know how well it holds up.

By the way, I had a JF55 that sounded absolutely wonderful, but didn't have the projection that I was looking for in a Bluegrass guitar.
I hope that the D55 with scalloped braces will do better.

 

[West R Lee]

Our very own Jerre Haskew. Not a D55.....D60..D66 maybe....somebody help me out here? Haven't seen Jerre post in a while?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJG28J4zG40

West

 

[pickoid]

I used to play in a really crappy local bluegrass band. We played a lot of community festivals, weekend bluegrass festivals, that kind of stuff. There is a pretty well-established scene for that kind of stuff here in Arkansas. Anyhow, I saw a lot of comparable crappy bands, and everybody played a Martin. Occasionally you would see some "impoverished" player with a Sigma or a Takamine or something. I stuck out like a sore thumb, because I was playing a Taylor... the interesting thing was, I got TONS of positive comments on the tone of the Taylor. I don't recall ever seeing any of the other bands with a Guild of any kind. But as I've said before, Guilds have always been rare on the ground in this part of the world.

 

[Steelpickin']

I never see any Guilds in the bigger acts either. Too bad.
I play mostly dobro and mandolin in the Bluegrass group I play with. I also play my DV-52 in a couple of instrumentls were we "rip it up" !
I get a lot of funny looks but a lot of compliments as well.
I just dont get the "have to have a Martin" thing to play Bluegrass.
At a Bluegrass jam in VT last fall a group of locals got up to play with 9, D-45's...yes, 9 D-45's!!!! they aint cheap. Please dont anyone take this the wrong way ( I dont want to sound high and mighty) but none of those boys could play and yet there they stood with $8,000 guitars. :roll: But at least they were Martins! I am not Martin bashing. I have played a lot of very nice ones but none were ever nice enough to make me look down my nose at anyone.

 

[Brad Little]

I none of those boys could play and yet there they stood with $8,000 guitars. :roll: But at least they were Martins!

Back around 1980 I spent two years in a classical guitar B. Mus. program at a state school. There were about 10-12 guitar performance majors, two of whom had Ramirez 1A guitars. One of the other students remarked to one of them that the two must be good if they had Ramirez guitars. He responded, no it means we can afford them.
BTW, my Guild Mark V lost little if anything in sound and playability to the 1As.

Brad

 

[Firebird]

I am a bluegrass picker and a longtime lover of Guild guitars. For close to 30 years now, my D55 has accompanied me to countless bluegrass jams. In neary every case, my guitar Turns heads the moment it comes out of the case. That's true with just about any Guild I'd show up with. Guild's reputation is outstanding.

However, I have never been satisfied with the volume of any of the Westerly's I have owned over the years. The Martins would always win the volume war. My guitar sounded better, the Martins sounded louder.

Then, Guild introduced some new designs from their Tacoma factory that I think are the better bluegrass instruments. The new D40 and D50 are exceptional bluegrass guitars. I recently played a new Connecticut D50 and it was both loud and sweet. This is the model I recommend for those in the market, not the D55.

As nice as these two new models are, I have no plans in retiring my D55 from the bluegrass world anytime soon.

 

[COUNTRYPICKER]

yep , thank you for the replys. i recently received a D55 and i must say that i love it so much!! it has the volume of my martins, more volume then my D28 and bout the same as my D35! it is a late 2008 tacoma. have not played any of the bluegrass model guilds yet but they sound awesome! I am more of a straight country player, but like the get into some flatpick'n now and then.

 

[dane]

Our very own Jerre Haskew. West

Thanks West. I really enjoyed that.

 

[12stringer]

Our very own Jerre Haskew. West

Thanks West. I really enjoyed that.

+1...Great dobro solo too

 

[dreadnut]

Been playing Bluegrass with my D-25M for well over 30 years now, and I don't give up any ground to D-18's

The DV-52 is even better for Bluegrass - lighter weight, scalloped braces, a little brighter sound, and there's just something about rosewood...

As far as big acts go, I know Gillian Welch often plays a D-25.

Wow, Steel - 9 D-45's in a group :shock:

I was at a bluegrass jam once and this old boy and his wife were sitting there holding their D-45's - not playing them, mind you - just holding them. :lol:

Oh yeah, one more thing, my regular banjo player told me recently "Yeah, my grampa gave me his Martin D-45" :shock: I haven't yet seen it though.

 

[6L6]

I don't play Bluegrass music. However, my '06 D-55 (Fishman Matrix pup) has been my main gigging axe for over three yrs now and I LOVE it!

6

 

[mandorlo]

I'm playing a job this Saturday up in Maine and will be bringing along a D-55, I normally play Martins but I know this D-55 can more than hold it's own in a group situation. It plays easy and sounds great, and it's easier on my fingers.