What does the "DV" mean on the '90's Guilds

[Metalman]

I see a lot of you guys out there have a DV Guild. Just wondering what was the specification of that title. When were these Guilds produced; I don't see them anywhere in the Corona line. (They went back to the original series, with just D-40, D-50 etc.)
Does the V mean anything?
Martin has a "V" tag at the end of the model name for those guitars that are made to "vintage" specs. Is that part of it?

Just gathering info . . .

Metalman

 

[Graham]

Vintage Metalman. They were only made in Westerly, thus far. I believe from '93 - '97 anyway, maybe later.

It was a vintage style of bracing, I think. And a step up in trim from the D-50. Various models were done with the "V" including some GVs and JVs.

Like always someone else will have much better info.

 

[GardMan]

I think the "V" does stand for "vintage." According to Beesely (guitar history #5), the DV-52 was first introduced in '92. The DVs included scalloped bracing, and a more ornate rosette arond the soundhole (see Graham's avatar for an example). Looking at a lot of pics of the DVs and other Guild Ds, I think the DVs also have a slightly more rounded shoulder than the other Guild dreads... my D-25, G-37, and D-35s are almost falt across the shoulders (where the neck heel meets the body). The Dvs look a bit more rounded...

There is also a GV series, introduced around the same time... but it hasn't gotten quite as much attention on the forum as the DVs...

 

[Graham]

I'd like to ask Hans about the JV. I see them in the serial number list but I've never heard of anyone owning one.
Hans, have you come across anything in the JV line?

Actually looks like only 4 were made.

 

[hansmoust]

I'd like to ask Hans about the JV. I see them in the serial number list but I've never heard of anyone owning one.
Hans, have you come across anything in the JV line?

Actually looks like only 4 were made.

Yes, I've seen them; I even had some. They were pretty much a Limited Edition item and available in several styles. A little more than 4 were made though. Same styling as their DV-counterparts but in a Jumbo body size.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[West R Lee]

Metal,

"Dreadnaught Vintage"

West

 

[Metalman]

Thanks, one and all for answering my question, and clearing up a little bit on the V designation.
Along those lines, I have another one:
Scalloped bracing. I know that just about every acoustic guitar built has some form of scalloped bracing along its top. The braces are scalloped, or has some material "scooped away" on the ends, ususally about 3 to 4 inches from the end.
So, when a guitar is advertised as having scalloped braces, to me that seems like buying a car and oh, yes, it has 4 tires.
They all have them, so what is the point of bringing it out?
Now, Martin has their herringbone series, in which the middle section of some of the braces are scalloped, as well as the outer ends. These guitars they advertise and point out that they have scalloped braces.

These guitars have a different sound because of this process. There is a big tonal difference between a D-28 (non-scalloped braces) and an HD-28 (scalloped braces) . I personally prefer the lighter, brighter sound of the D-28 over the louder, richer, bassier sound of the HD-28. A lot of Martin buyers swear by the HD-28.
The point that I am getting at is this: do any of the Guilds have this type of "middle" bracing, as well as the outside? When Guild says, "scalloped braces" what do they exactly mean?

I just looked it up on a Martin brochure. The A frame is scalloped on the larger section of the cross piece, and two of the large braces spanning across the lower bout is scalloped in the middle. They call it scalloped X bracing.
So when Guild says a certain guitar has this scalloped bracing, is this what they mean.
I should point out that this process does weaken the top of the guitar, but makes the top vibrate more, thereby more sound but a weaker top. Guilds have been known for their thick tops, and I wonder if they balanced it by this scalloping of the braces.
Someone here pointed out the early history of Taylor Guitars, and how they first came out with thin tops, light bracing. Sounded great for a while, but fell apart after about a year. They had to make their tops thicker, hence the tradeoff to come up with a durable guitar that still sounded good.

 

[fungusyoung]

I've wondered about the differents between D and DV series too, but not so much about the DV52 level and above. We've heard about the DV25, but a couple other models like the DV6 and DV4 always drew my curiosity. Here's a brief but somewhat interesting article on the DV4 vs. the D4...

http://www.harmony-central.com/Events/SNAMM99/Guild/DV4.html

 

[Mr. P ~]

Metalman,
Here is the answer to your "Scalloped Braces" question. The area where the material is removed on the ends of the braces is not what is refered to when speaking of scalloped braces. It is the part in the middle of the length that is refered to as scalloped. I have attached a article on the subject with grreat internal pictures and some loose tops are used as well. Don't forget to click the "More" button so you see both pages.

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Guitar/SclpBraces/sclpbrace1.html

 

[Metalman]

Metalman,
Here is the answer to your "Scalloped Braces" question. The area where the material is removed on the ends of the braces is not what is refered to when speaking of scalloped braces. It is the part in the middle of the length that is refered to as scalloped. I have attached a article on the subject with grreat internal pictures and some loose tops are used as well. Don't forget to click the "More" button so you see both pages.

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Guitar/SclpBraces/sclpbrace1.html

Mr. P,

Thanks! That was a revelation, reading that article. It confirmed what I suspected all along. Great information.

Metalman

 

[Metalman]

Metalman,
Here is the answer to your "Scalloped Braces" question. The area where the material is removed on the ends of the braces is not what is refered to when speaking of scalloped braces. It is the part in the middle of the length that is refered to as scalloped. I have attached a article on the subject with grreat internal pictures and some loose tops are used as well. Don't forget to click the "More" button so you see both pages.

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Guitar/SclpBraces/sclpbrace1.html

Mr. P,

Thanks! That was a revelation, reading that article. It confirmed what I suspected all along. Great information.
Now, with that in mind, I go back to my original question: with the "V" series Guids, and knowing that they meant "vintage", does that mean that the inside of the guitars had these scalloped braces?
Maybe this is a question for Hans once again. Did the early Guilds have these scalloped braces, as outlined in this article?

Metalman

 

[hansmoust]

Did the early Guilds have these scalloped braces, as outlined in this article?

Metalman

Hello Metalman,

Haven't read the article but I know what scalloped braces are and I can say that Guild never did anything with scalloped braces before the '80s.
That's why the whole 'V' thing (as in Vintage) in the model designations is a little silly. It refers to a way of building that was found on 'vintage' guitars from, what in the 'vintage world' is considered, the 'golden age' of guitar making. Guild was never part of that. Basically they are too young a company to have been part of that. By the time Guild got on the scene, most of the manufacturers that used to do 'scalloped braces' had already returned to heavier bracing. That's one of the reasons this whole 'vintage craze' started in the first place!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[doc]

Thanks for this thread as I have been thinking more about braces such as scallop, vintage, etc. This is an important subject and in the end it always come down to this, "What do you hear?" However, despite what my ears are hearing, I am curious person by nature and like to know how is that sound being produced and how can I modify it if I so desire. For instance I just placed the JLD bridge doctor in my 1978 D-25 with terrific results. It made me think of what kind of bracing does my D-25 have ? I think the more we learn about the materials and construction of our guitars the more we will get out of relationship with them. 8)