What makes you a Guild fan?

[kats]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, though I've been active on the AGF. Being a first time Guild owner, I'm curious as to what makes you a Guild fan. What are the qualities that draw you to Guild? And anything else you would like to share. Thanks.

 

[geoguy]

Tone, playability, & value . . . I've owned one Guild acoustic since '77, & recently purchased a couple more (both new & used).

Guess I need to update my sig!

 

[danerectal]

Tone, playability, & value

+10

Also, they're among the most well-built and tastefully designed guitars I've met. I also like what they do with electrics and their electronics. They're the best value in American guitars as far as I can tell.

 

[GardMan]

I started playing when I was ~10 years old... lessons for a couple years, then just with friends. When I was 17, I went on a search for my first "good" acoustic guitar. I scoured half a dozen shops in the greater Portland (OR) area... looking at anything in my price range (eliminating Martins and Gibsons). I played Epiphones and a bunch of others I can't remember... and nothing really floated my boat. That is, until I walked into a little hole-in-the-wall shop on N Burnside, which had three Guilds hanging on the wall... nothing fancy, mind you... a D-25 (flat back, all 'hog), a D-35 (spruce/'hog), and what was probably a D-40 (all I remember is that it was out of my reach, price-wise). I had never heard of Guild before. I played the D-25... and thought... hmmmm possibilities. Played the D-35... and was hooked. It just had the sound I liked. Ended up spending a whole month's pay ($265 for the guitar, then had to wait another month to get the hard-shell case)... much to my Dad's displeasure.

I still have my D-35... too precious to travel with these days. When I wanted to find a travel guitar that felt and sounded like my D-35, I sort of naturally gravitated towards Guilds from the same era. Picked up a D-25 and G-37 at bargain prices from eBay, thinking to keep the one I liked best, and sell the other... still have 'em both, and have added three more (in different woods), since.

People talk about the Guild tone... I can't say exactly what that is. All mine sound different, and I like them all. I like the feel of the necks... tho' each is a bit different, they are similar enough that any of my Guilds feels comfortable to play... like an old friend. And, there is a certain mystique that comes with having a Guild...
Dave

 

[guildzilla]

One of the things I like best about Guild guitars is the exceptional variety of guitars they built. Like Gibson, Guild competed across the spectrum of the market for much of its existence, building acoustics, classicals, archtops, solid bodies, and also some very innovative tweeners. Plus, the line included 6-strings, 12-strings, bass guitars.

Add many other wonderful qualities: playability, tone, durability, value and consistency. There's a lot to like!

 

[Graham]

Hey Kats, great post!

For me when I was looking for a new guitar I played a bunch of them. I only really knew Gibson, Taylor, Martin and Washburn as names as they were the ones prominently displayed around town.

I started to see many more names as I visited more shops, Takamine, Larrivee, Ovation, Epiphone, etc. I visited a store I had not been in before and I saw a real nice looking guitar, kewl headstock, nice looking pick guard. Had Guild on the headstock. Never heard of them. It was a Guild GAD-50. At this point I still knew nothing about tone woods, body styles, string guages, yada, yada, yada. Anyway this guitar sounded exactly what I thought a guitar should sound like, and it felt real nice to hold.

I went home and used "The Google" to find out more info. Some how I ended up here and started talking with the good folks.

I joined here in October of '06 without a Guild and only knowing the name from that GAD-50 in the store. By January '07 I had 3 Guilds. :shock: I was in love with the sound. Some people say they are "overbuilt". I do not know what they mean by that, but even today as I play other guitars I always gravitate back to the Guild sound. There are other names I am familiar with now and there are other guitars that I think sound very, very good, including the Taylor 814 :shock: , however when it comes down to dollars and sense, the Guilds win out again.

They do seem to be under appreciated, even under valued, but that's OK by me.

What I have also found here, is a group of people that I am glad to call friends. If you hang around long enough you will also see that this community is like a communal living room. We are always here, we do not always agree but the one thing that unites us are the guitars.

Don has created a place that we have been able to form in our own way without much Administration involvement. We pretty much monitor ourselves, though spankings are doled when necessary.

Guild guitars are, to me, more than an instrument. They are a sound, a feel and a community.

Again, great post!

 

[fungusyoung]

One of the things I like best about Guild guitars is the exceptional variety of guitars they built. Like Gibson, Guild competed across the spectrum of the market for much of its existence, building acoustics, classicals, archtops, solid bodies, and also some very innovative tweeners. Plus, the line included 6-strings, 12-strings, bass guitars.

Add many other wonderful qualities: playability, tone, durability, value and consistency. There's a lot to like!

Totally agree with this... tone, playability, value, consistency and variety!




Oh... and durability

 

[kats]

Thank you for your responses. I love hearing what you like about Guild.

I've played and owned a lot of different guitars, from Taylor, Martin, Larrivee, Breedlove, Tanglewood, Yairi, and so on. I've noticed a couple of things lately. I went to a concernt where the artist was playing Taylor guitars. The worship leader at church also plays Taylor, but we just got a new worship leader who is playing a Larrivee. What I noticed is the Taylor sound through a PA sounds tinny and thin, though I like their acoustic sound. The Larrivee through the PA sounded a lot better to me. I heard another artist play a McPhearson, which also sounded very nice. I've never heard a Guild through a PA. What does that sound like?

When I got my Guild it took me a while to get use to the neck carve. It seems a bit chunkier than what I've been use to playing. I too find the playability very good, perhaps better than a recent Taylor 714ce LTD I played. Of course, the nut width is different, which I do notice. Barre chords shine through clearer on the Guild.

I've heard that Guild always "does their own thing." I don't know what that means. Has it changed since Fender bought Guild?

I also notice on my guitar (F-30 6 mos. old) that it sounds subdued. Perhaps that's because it needs time to open up.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Here's why!

 

[fredpamm]

Tone, playability, & value . . . I've owned one Guild acoustic since '77, & recently purchased a couple more (both new & used).!

What he said

8)

 

[brian f]

Some people say they are "overbuilt". I do not know what they mean by that

This always cracks me up. Pickup a guitar a decide not to play it based on how much your perfectly calibrated arm says it weighs...Brilliant.

+1 on everything that has been said so far. Lots of things to love about them, but I think the first thing that drew me in was that they were US Made, and they didn't say Martin Or Gibson on the headstock.

Best,
Brian

'77 D25CH

 

[kats]

Wow! Guilds of Grot... you must have a big house.

 

[chicagowineguy]

Hi Kats great topic! I've described the Guild sound as a "complex growl", and I think it's just unique. Martins, Gibsons, Taylors--they all have their merits, but sound is a very personal preference, and I can often identify a Guild being played without seeing the headstock. Also, I've always been drawn to products in general and instruments in particular that are a bit below the radar--supported by a smaller and I like to think more discerning group. That's Guild!

 

[GAD]

In 1977 I bought a used S60 from a friend. I then bought a new S300A-D. I've been a huge fan ever since.

Build quality, tone and playability are second to none. I love them.

Believe it or not, I've never owned a Guild acoustic!

GAD

 

[guitarslinger]

1) All of my guitar heros played Guild - Duane Eddy, Norman Kelton (my very long time teach) My first Guild was Kelton's cast off Guild X175. I think it was a '60. It had Franz pickups and was a "real" guitar upon which I gladly traded my '59 Musicmaster.
2) No Golden Age - Consistently good throughout it's history. Some eras may have been somewhat better than others but excellent throughout it's history.
3) Design - Relates to 2 above. Also always the ones than give me palpatations. Perhaps because old Alfred started out making quasi custom stuff.
4) Underdog Status - Steal a switch tip off of an early M-75 for a '59 Les Paul?! Sacriledge!!!
5) Bang for buck
6) The people who play them.

 

[Tunes]

Kats,

You launched a great new thread. This call for some deep thought - ouch - my head hurts now.

I just kinda fell into Guild. I was looking for a second guitar (the Martin was first), and basically played everything that I could get my hands in the sub thousand range in the city where I live. Tried Taylor (200 series), Seagull, Blueridge, Norman and 3 or 4 others that I can't even remember.

Then I went back to the place where I bought my Martin and spied this Guild for a good price. Only one on the floor. I had never heard of Guild - but this was just a fine looking guitar. Drove out there one Saturday and I said on my virgin post - it was love at first twang. The Guild just had a wonderful sound, it felt great in my hands and it looked like it had been a few places. I traded in my brand new Taylor, lost a few hundred on the deal, and still went home with a big smile on my face. Go figure.

The luthier that owns the store said that when he was looking for something to play at work, he invariably picked up the Guild. This guy has about 10 Martins on the wall, 60's and 70's vintage worth tens of thousands - and he grabbs the Guild instead. Perhaps it's the mahogany, the weight, the smell - it just feels good on your hands and it has got that unique Guild sound - just kinda a little mean and nasty underneath all the sweetness.

There is also something about being just a little unique that also makes me a Guild fan. Interesting history, some unique quirks (serial numbering :lol: ) and the best damn looking owners on the planet :!: Amen.

 

[Qvart]

are the qualities that draw you to Guild? And anything else you would like to share. Thanks.

What everyone else said ++++++, and...

:wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:

 

[GF60MP]

Hearing a Guild 12 string played by John Denver, in the early 1970s. I wanted one badly. I thought they sounded so full and rich. My goal was to one day own one. I have since owned 2 and still have 1 of them. A 1969 F312 bought a couple years ago.

I bought my first Guild about 1979 or '80. I just couldn't afford a Martin! I had what I thought was a decent Alvarez (Actually it was) until I started playing with some co-workers who both had Guilds. Wow! There was just no comparison. Within about 6 months I bought a D40 and was quite happy. Sadly after many years, I sold it to a friend. By that time G.A.S. had kicked in and I was trading, buying and selling all kinds of guitars. I had a pre-Fender D4 at one time. That was/is a nice guitar. I sold that to a family member so I can still play it occasionally.

Things have settled down in recent years though. In addition to the 12 string, I own a maple GF60 from 1988 and 3 Martins. I can afford them now! They all sound different.

 

[chazmo]

JD, playing the mythical F-612... There's a YouTube viddie of him playing this guitar in concert in England somewhere... He does a version of "Bells of Rhymney" that makes you realize why he was a legend (I'll have to dig up that link):

 

[krysh]

for me it definately is the combination of craftmanship, feel, sound, design, best deal and the little piece of magic each guild of mine has for me.
It is of course irrational but it somehow feels like "made to be played - with love".