old D-25's

Could someone please comment on the various D-25's? Mine is a '76 that I bought new, it's a D25M, and from what I can tell it has a spruce top. Is this true of all the D-25M's with the arched back? I'm sure I saw a D-25 with an arched back and a mahogany top recently, it was a '74 I believe, but from what I've read here and elsewhere, only the models with flat braced backs had mahogany tops.

hi,
I'm no authority, but having owned two D-25M's (a '75 and a '76) that had dark stained spruce tops/arched backs, and having only ever encountered one of the 'true' Mahogany D-25's ('73/'early '74?- can't recall for certain but it was in that range) - mahogany top and a flat/braced back. Based solely on those limited encounters, I'd say your assumption is 'probably' correct. Hans Moust may check in with a clarification if we're lucky.

Hi everybody,

This is something I didn't know at the time I wrote the book. At that time I assumed that the change from mahogany top to spruce and the change from flat braced back to arched, more or less, took place around the same time.
It turns out that I was a bit off. The change to an arched back took place somewhat earlier, with the earliest examples (in my database) being produced as early as late 1973.

Sincerely,

Hans

D-25

I have an arch back carcass in my shop that had a mahogany top stamped on my birthday, "NOV 27 1973" That's why I remember. It was the earliest arch back D-25 I have seen, I have seen a load of D-25s with this little Guild acoustic revive from the dead hobby that I have....

So, there were some Mahogany topped , archback D-25M's... I'd like to play one to see how it sounds. My spruce top D25M has a rich baritone voice, and I always figured this was somewhat due to the arched back with no internal bracing.

I bought my D25M-6 new in 73 from Blue Eagle Music Company in Athens, Ohio. At the time, the D25 with the official Guild hard-shell case cost $400.00

This is an arch-backed model and I'll put it up to any factory Martin or Gibson out there. I've had it over 30 years now and the tone just keeps getting better. The arch-back gives it a great bass tone, yet keeps very much alive on the high end. As well, I have a 76 model F212, that while a little more difficult to deal with, sounds like a million bucks.

The D25 is a work horse. It's tough and can withstand a lot of punishment. Yet it never gets dull. Most of the time I use Martin 80/20's so i can get those nice flat pick bass runs on bluegrass tunes and keep the nice high notes, but lately I'm migrating to lighter strings to play more in the Don MacLean fingerpick style.

Anyway, you'll get my D25 when you pry it from my cold dead hands, and then you gotta deal with my wife!

ambrose

One of the things about buying Guild guitars with a limited budget is that you have to keep on selling in order to keep on buying.

I sold a '71 D-25, flat back, mahogany top, some years ago, to fund purchase of an old X-50. Now of course I've sold the X-50 and moved on.

I've traded 15 Guilds over the last few years - of all that I've sold, I wish I'd kept that early D-25 and an '84 D-66. They both had some sort of undefinable soul that just made them excellent guitars. The D-66 was the best Guild dreadnaught I've been lucky enough to get my hands on.

The D-25 seemed to my amateur ears to have better definition than the newer arched-back versions, and of course an all-mahogany guitar sounds like an all-mahogany guitar, different in many ways from the spruce top.

Cheers,
John Kidder

Old D25s

Just wondering whether you can expand on the differences in sound between the all-mahogany D25s and the spruce topped/arch back D25s (I am thinking about trying to recapture the sound I remember from the D25 I foolishly traded in college many years ago)?

Thanks.

Chris

D-25s

In his post, John Kidder said, "...They both had some sort of undefinable soul that just made them excellent guitars."

I've owned close to 2 dozen Guild D-25s over the last 30 years. Currently, I only have my 1975 G37SB (extremely similar to the D-25) - but just like John says, it is one of those guitars with "some sort of undefinable soul". It is an exceptional guitar and is the quintessential reason I only play Guilds - they speak to me. NO, they SING to me.

I know today where several of the D25s are that I have owned and sold - their owners are exceptionally pleased with them and vow never to sell them. I've never had a D25 with a flat back, but have played several. I believe the arched back was an amazing improvement for warmth, balance and projection. For the money, it makes the D25 a terribly terrific bargain. Everytime I see one float by on Ebay, I wish I had a littel extra cash....CHeers! dbsmith

I can't comment on your comparison question, but I can say that I have had trade offers for my arched-back mahogany-top (around 1974, I guess). One was for a Guild D-44, which is a "nicer" model. No dice, the D25 is the one guitar I would keep above all others (I admit I only have one other acoustic, but the dobro and all the electrics would go first).

It is nice to see that I am not the only one that has a warm spot for the D-25. I have a '74 with the carved back and Spruce top, and it has a wonderful complex tone (actually I believe it produces more harmonics that any other guitar I have been around).

Can't beat them for their price. :wink:

The sound that comes out of my '76 D-25 is deep and rich, especially with a new set of D'Addario phosphor bronze strings. I bought this guitar new in '76 from Grinnell's Music for $300.00 with HSC. At the time, they had Gibsons, Martins, and Guilds. The equivalent model Gibsons were going for around $500-550 and the Martins $600-650. I bought the Guild because I liked it better than the others, the price was just the icing on the cake. The fit and finish was better on the Guild than on the others, and the tone was richer. This guitar has since accompanied me to a thousand jam sessions and campfires, and aside from a re-fret a couple years ago, it has never required any service. I've never regretted my choice of guitars, and have added a few other Guilds to the fold along the way...

I have a 79 d25m that is in mint condition, Believe it or not i got this guitar from a pawnshop in a very bad part of town, in bham. It looks like its new i keep it in its case with no strings, Im' scarred i might put a scratch on it.

I have a 79 d25m that is in mint condition, Believe it or not i got this guitar from a pawnshop in a very bad part of town, in bham. It looks like its new i keep it in its case with no strings, Im' scarred i might put a scratch on it.