GGJaguar
Reverential Member
I saw a Craigslist ad for a Madeira A-18A today and it opened up a floodgate that released many long-forgotten memories. I was in senior college when I first decided to play guitar (yes, I’m a late bloomer). My roommate had a Yamaha dreadnaught and said he could teach me some basics and handed me a stack of catalogs and magazines so I could do some window shopping before I went out and bought myself a guitar. Looking through the literature, I was thunderstruck by the appearance of the Guild acoustic line. I just loved the headstock shape, inlays, pickguard shape, etc. I had to have one, but as a poor college kid, they were out of my reach. So, I bought a Madeira which I thought would be the next best thing until I could afford a new Westerly-made Guild. It served its purpose for 8 years and I even bought a matching 12-string along the way (an A-18A just like the one on Craigslist).
Once I got out of graduate school and into a job, I was able to save up some coin for a real Guild acoustic. Luckily, the nearby shop was a Guild dealer and I spent days playing all the dreadnaughts and jumbos they had in stock. I had it narrowed down to a very nice D-25 or D-40, as I recall. I just needed to make a final decision. And that’s when the shop owner handed me a lightly used Martin D-35. I had never played a Martin before and it was game over. The Martin had the acoustic guitar sound that had latently been in my head all along. Yes, Martin guitars have “my” sound, not Guilds. I was happy and devastated all at the same time. It was very bittersweet because, frankly, Martins are boring in a Shaker furniture kind of way while Guilds have pizazz.
That didn’t stop me from buying some Guild acoustics including a ’60 M-20, ’69 D-40 and mid-90s JF-30, but they just didn’t resonate with me (pun intended) and were sold or traded shortly after acquiring them. The DV series made me do a double take because they lean toward the Martin sound, but by the time I discovered them, I had become a Martin 12-fret aficionado and that’s pretty much where I’ve been ever since. Yes, I know, there’s the Orpheum line that has a 12-fretter, but I haven’t had the chance to play one and, frankly, it’s not very Guild-ish. And if Ren designed it, I’d be worried that it’s like the Gibson Roy Smeck reissue which is quite dark sounding compared to my Martins.
And yet, I still absolutely love the look of classic Guild acoustic guitar models. I would love to have a D-55, but I know that it would live on a guitar stand with me staring at it as a piece of art rather than playing it. And that would be wrong. I found my sound with Martin 12-fretters, but Guild acoustics still own my (unrequited) heart. And don't cry for me Argentina - Guild archtops keep me more than happy (and they have pizazz, too). Here is a pic of the Madeira 12-string that reminded me of all this and the only pic I have of me playing my Madeira 6-string in a Tyvek suit and respirator (but that’s another story…). I think I'm playing an E minor abolished 5th chord there.
Once I got out of graduate school and into a job, I was able to save up some coin for a real Guild acoustic. Luckily, the nearby shop was a Guild dealer and I spent days playing all the dreadnaughts and jumbos they had in stock. I had it narrowed down to a very nice D-25 or D-40, as I recall. I just needed to make a final decision. And that’s when the shop owner handed me a lightly used Martin D-35. I had never played a Martin before and it was game over. The Martin had the acoustic guitar sound that had latently been in my head all along. Yes, Martin guitars have “my” sound, not Guilds. I was happy and devastated all at the same time. It was very bittersweet because, frankly, Martins are boring in a Shaker furniture kind of way while Guilds have pizazz.
That didn’t stop me from buying some Guild acoustics including a ’60 M-20, ’69 D-40 and mid-90s JF-30, but they just didn’t resonate with me (pun intended) and were sold or traded shortly after acquiring them. The DV series made me do a double take because they lean toward the Martin sound, but by the time I discovered them, I had become a Martin 12-fret aficionado and that’s pretty much where I’ve been ever since. Yes, I know, there’s the Orpheum line that has a 12-fretter, but I haven’t had the chance to play one and, frankly, it’s not very Guild-ish. And if Ren designed it, I’d be worried that it’s like the Gibson Roy Smeck reissue which is quite dark sounding compared to my Martins.
And yet, I still absolutely love the look of classic Guild acoustic guitar models. I would love to have a D-55, but I know that it would live on a guitar stand with me staring at it as a piece of art rather than playing it. And that would be wrong. I found my sound with Martin 12-fretters, but Guild acoustics still own my (unrequited) heart. And don't cry for me Argentina - Guild archtops keep me more than happy (and they have pizazz, too). Here is a pic of the Madeira 12-string that reminded me of all this and the only pic I have of me playing my Madeira 6-string in a Tyvek suit and respirator (but that’s another story…). I think I'm playing an E minor abolished 5th chord there.
