Anyone feel like the D-35 was Guild’s under appreciated redheaded step child of the line up?

Rambozo96

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I picked up my ‘74 D-35 about 3 years ago and even though I don’t see many people sing praises for them like the D-25’s and the DV-52’s not that both aren’t deserving of said praises as I own both and they’re both stellar in their own right it’s just for some reason out of my collection of Guild’s I seem to gravitate towards the D-35 almost like Linus from the Peanuts comics with his blanket. Seems like a great all around guitar to me tonally even though the D-25 has better projection and the DV-52 I have is a “better” guitar spec wise and it’s nice to have a rosewood dread for those overtones thaf mahogany typically doesn’t have. But I gotta say I probably use the D-35 the most out of all of them.
 

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jeffcoop

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It seems to me I've seen a fair amount of praise for the D35 over the last year. I've never played one, so I can't comment from direct experience, but it seems like a fine guitar and worthy of the Guild name. I think I'm done buying mahogany dreads (I have a 1970 Martin D18 in addition to what's listed in my sig), but I'd certainly like to try a D35 at some point.
 
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My memory is that in the 60s and 70s, I saw more D-35s than -40s. Not surprising, since they were then pretty much the same, other than the cosmetic details. They certainly sounded the same to my ears.
 

Norrissey

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I'm fortunate to own a '71 D35 with beautiful warm tones and a neck like a Fender Strat. Love it! I'm definitely in the D35 fan club. I also love my '71 D25. While on this forum they are appreciated I think in the wider vintage guitar world they are a bit overlooked but maybe this is a good thing for those who like them because they tend to be pretty reasonably priced.

IMG_3143.JPG
 
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Rambozo96

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I'm fortunate to own a '71 D35 with beautiful warm tones and a neck like a Fender Strat. Love it! I'm definitely in the D35 fan club. I also love my '71 D25. While on this forum they are appreciated I think in the wider vintage guitar world they are a bit overlooked but maybe this is a good thing for those who like them because they tend to be pretty reasonably priced.

IMG_3143.JPG
That’s a lovely example.
 

Rambozo96

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My memory is that in the 60s and 70s, I saw more D-35s than -40s. Not surprising, since they were then pretty much the same, other than the cosmetic details. They certainly sounded the same to my ears.
I probably see more D-35’s than 40’s for sale in the used market even though the D-40 had a longer run with the D-35 being shelved since ‘87. For years I tried to figure out what differences there were but best I could figure is it’s all cosmetic. Different binding colors and I guess maybe the D-35 didn’t get the more aesthetically pleasing woods. That’s just a guess because I haven’t seen many D-35’s with ugly grain just a bit more plain than some D-40’s I seen
 

Br1ck

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My 70 D 35 continues to be a very satisfying guitar. They were a popular D 18 alternative with college students at the time, because the brown rice and veggies crowd could eat for a month on the $75 price difference. It seemed to me to be the popular sweet spot for the all solid wood dread. Yes, Guild had a top grading system to relegate less than perfect spruce to the lower cost models. I've seen too many D 25 and D 35 tops to think otherwise. Martin would not have been caught dead making guitars with it. Being purely cosmetic, Guild owners had no problem with dark stain or burst tops. My D 35 is pretty much 75% very fine bear claw, seen only in certain light. As for what many see as substandard tuners, I view the open back Japanese tuners to be a plus due to light weight, and they have never failed. I spent an hour last night with my D 35, and while it isn't as sophisticated as my Santa Cruz, it was also less than one third the cost. I have a well spent $1400 in mine and have found nothing better in that price range. But it is not a Martin, and was never meant to be. It's far too balanced.

It has one of my favorite necks and is the guitar I grab first for travel or camping. It is a fifty plus year old guitar and looks it though it's crack free. If I found one in need of work, I'd have no problem with an all in price of $1800 or so. Some would think that foolish, and really so did I when I found I had $1400 invested in a $1000 on a good day at the time. Old wood can't be replicated, and if old guitars float your boat, it's well worth it. Negatives? My logo is very faded.

I think someone was selling one for $1800 after a reset and a refret, and I don't think that is out of line. Around 73 all guilds were built heavier and you may or may not like that.
 

bobouz

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I bought my first Guild sometime in the mid '70s, and it was a D-40. The D-35 was available, but I liked the white binding, extra rosette ring, & chesterfield headstock (okay, I'm a sucker for certain visual cues!). Other than that, I don't believe there was any difference between the two. Many years later when I decided to revisit my Guild roots, a '92 D-6nt-hg came along to admirably represent the old D-40. Westerly surely did know how to build a fine mahogany dread!
 
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Br1ck

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I'll add that back in the day, people were extremely happy to have a fine US built guitar at an affordable price. Like any guitar, until you own one, you can't really appreciate it. We tend to value popularity. Are Guilds more prevalent on the east coast than here in the west?
 
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