GAD-30PCE

[Wigginsplayer]

Howdy
As you may know, I do not currently own a Guild guitar. I went to my local music emporium this morning and played, for the second time, a GAD-30PCEITB. I like the sound, size, and feel of this guitar. I have done a little research, but I thought to myself, what better group of folks to ask advice from than here!
What I do like about this guitar is that it is 000 or OM size and has 1 3/4 inch width at the nut. I am quite over dreads. I prefer the smaller size.
So, opine all you want, I need the knowledge and experience with Guild guitars that you have!
Thanks
Pete

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Pete; if you dig around or use the search function, you can find lots of commentary on GADs although I don't recall the 30PCE being mentioned. I'll warn you that alot of the remarks are, IMO and with one exception, closer to dissing than they are carefully thought out criticisms. In any event, search 'GAD' and read for yourself. Lots of Geezers in this crowd, and, as the old Simon and Garfunkel songs goes;

"Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum."

This bunch grew up on nitro finish and the GADs are mostly, if not all, polyurethane finish. New guitars take a while to open up including the top gaining some movement so it can resonate. The good news is that poly is tough as nails; the 'bad' news, I think, is that its lack of elasticity means it might take a little longer to acquire enough micro-fissuring to allow the top to move in response to the strings.

If you get through all the GAD bad-mouthing and are still interested, you might want to consider Mediums or heavier gauge strings for a while to force the top to work harder than it would with lights; I think it will speed up 'waking up' the top - the title of another thread here and a good read. At the end of the day, you should decide based on what your fingers and ears tell you, not what a bunch of bozos on a BB have to say; a Guild guitar isn't the price of admission here, a sense of humor is.

Good luck! cj

 

[JerryR]

Hmmm - bout a 1,000 members now - so probably about 1,001 opinions (that'll be because West will contradict himself in 2 consecutive posts)

 

[capnjuan]

Hmmm - bout a 1,000 members now - so probably about 1,001 opinions

If you count yeahs and nays, there are two points of view taken by fewer than 50 or so people.

 

[ajgorman]

Hi Wiggins and welcome,

Cap & Jerry mailed it for you. If you can get past the "Is is a real Guild or not?", I think you'll find them very nice guitars in most cases. I haven't played a 30PCE, but I did have a 50PCE for a few days before I decided to return it to the dealer for undisclosed cosmetic issues. It was a fabulous sounding guitar and I was tempted to keep it anyway even though I need a 1 & 3/4 nut as it was advertised to possess. I was going to order a 30PCE which does have it, but then I saw an A-25 on eBay in pristine condition and I jumped on her. Don't regret it in the least as she is a little beauty.

I think you'll find most of the reviews on the GAD's are very positive and they sound great, and I think the Padauk models are maybe even a cut above the GAD norm in sound. If you need the wider nut, you are pretty much limited to a few GAD models, the new Contemporary series, or the Westerly A-25/A50 smaller-bodies.

Happy hunting!

 

[Guildmark]

Isn't that the GAD with sides and back made of padouk? I've been wanting to try one of those!! I think the size might be excellent, and a 1-3/4" nut is a bennie on the smaller bodies, IMHO. There has been some discussion of tight string spacing on them - maybe that was the 12's and not the 6's. That can all be fixed, though. (See jwsamuels' great thread here about adjusting your guitar rather than selling it!) Sounds like you're attracted to it and the price is less than the Tacoma-made Guilds. For your first Guild, I like the idea of buying one new. Then get around to filtering through all the used ones, unless california and Scratch nab them all in the meantime.
Good luck shopping, Wiggy.

 

[sitka_spruce]

The Paduak 30 has one thing in common with the CF Martin Norman Blake Sign in that it has an OM body with a 000-neck - hence the bridge is fit further down on the lower bout.

Just be sure to play the actual guitar you're to buy since GADs are known to have a terrible QC. Some GADs are gems, some are lemons - trick is to avoid the sour ones. Best of luck, Wigs!

 

[Wigginsplayer]

Thanks,all. I do like the guitar, and if she who must be obeyed will acquiece, I suspect it shall be mine. The price is reasonable, and I have done business with that particular guitar shop for many moons now, so any problems can be resolved without a lot of hassle.
I have, in fact, done the search thing, but nothing came up for the 30 with paduack (sp?). I do not necessarily want the undersaddle pickup on it, but it will not detract from the playing of the guitar.
Thanks again for the responses, I truly appreciate it!
Pete

 

[ajgorman]

Wiggins,

The Padauk (African wood similar to rosewood) model comes only in the cutaway version with built-in electronics, which also sounds great BTW.

Good luck!

 

[Metalman]

Howdy
As you may know, I do not currently own a Guild guitar. I went to my local music emporium this morning and played, for the second time, a GAD-30PCEITB. I like the sound, size, and feel of this guitar. I have done a little research, but I thought to myself, what better group of folks to ask advice from than here!
What I do like about this guitar is that it is 000 or OM size and has 1 3/4 inch width at the nut. I am quite over dreads. I prefer the smaller size.
So, opine all you want, I need the knowledge and experience with Guild guitars that you have!
Thanks
Pete

Pete,
Concerning the GAD 30PCE, I agree with all the statements and opinions expressed here on the forum. I am a stickler for Westerly-built Guilds - the older ones - and have little regard for the GADs.

HOWEVER . . .

I do like the GAD-30PCE guitar. A lot. I have sung its praises a few times on this forum. It is lightweight, small, and a loud guitar. So loud - acoustically - that I was testing it out at Mandolin Brothers' against another player who was on a new D-40 (another fine guitar), and I had to play softer in order to hear him. We were both taking turns testing out each guitar, trading back and forth, giving a listen, etc.
The 30PCE was much louder than the D-40. I was surprised at that.
I then pulled out a new Martin 000-28 to further compare the difference between the two. The Martin sounded sweeter than the 30-PCE, the Guild, louder, more midrange, and more punch. The Martin, being a sweeter sounding instrument, was of course, not as loud as the Guild.
If I can't afford a new Tacoma-built Guild, like an F-40, then I will probably end up with a GAD-30PCE sometime this year.
You are making a good choice in that guitar.

 

[Graham]

I've liked the GADs from the first time I played a GAD-50. For the price and the quality I thought they were very well built. I recently played a GAD-30 and thought that was a very good guitar as well.

 

[kostask]

Wigginsplayer:

I recently purchased a GAD 30R used on eBay. There aren't any 30Rs that I have been able to locate locally, so I went the eBay route.

The guitar is very well put together, and is a little fancier than I prefer (mostly the fingerboard inlays; I like good old dots), and there are no signs of sloppy assembly or even filler around the abalone inlays. The flamed maple binding is well applied, and while it is a little shy of perfect (my luthier friend found it, and had to point it out to me more than once before I could see it). It is finished in some sort of polyurethane, but it isn't put on very thick. I like the protection of the poly finish, even if it does potentially limit tone somewhat. For your requirements, please nota that my guitar is from 2005, and has a 1 11/16" nut (bone nut, and bone saddle, too, from the factory).

Tonally, the guitar is fairly punchy, and I find it well balanced, with pretty even string to string balance. It doesn't have the power or bass of a my DV-52, but I wanted something with a different sound from that. It has really good volume as well. My luthier friend was most impressed with the sound, saying that it is easily the equal of am OM-28, or Larrivee OM-03R.

While it won't have the cachet of a US Made instrument, it does deliver quite a bit more than you would think for its retail price, and is as well built as most in its price range. Try some of the GADs out if you can, I doubt that you will be disappointed.

Kostas

 

[Wigginsplayer]

Again, I must thank you all for the most informative responses!
I guess I wanted confirmation of my impression of this guitar. After all, it is not just a guitar, it is a Guild!
I truly appreciate the "However" opinions from those who have stated that they generally are not impressed with the GAD line of guitars. You know who you are! 8)
Again, thanks. I think I shall buy this guitar, maybe trade in the Gretsch 5125!
Happy New Year, All of Y'all (the official plural form of Y'all)!
Pete

 

[Wigginsplayer]

Well, I did it. Bought the GAD-30PCEITB. Traded in the Gretsch 5125, which I hardly played.
Got her home a few minutes ago and played it through a Princeton Chorus. Sounds great to me. Apparently the Fishman Matrix does emphasis the bass just a bit, but good balance, and, of course, it can be tweaked on the Amp.
Overall, I am a happy camper.
Thanks for all the info, folks, made my decision a little easier.
She who must be obeyed said that her grandmother told her that whatever you do on New Years Day, you would be doing all year. Apparently, I will be playing guitar all year! What a surprise.
Happy New Year, all!
Pete

 

[capnjuan]

Congratulations Pete; enjoy the guitar and the new year! cj

 

[Steelpickin']

Congrats on the new axe!!!!

 

[keembo]

I have had a GAD 30PCE for a number of months, and it is a very nice sounding guitar with great volume. It seems very well balanced. I have only tried it once or twice plugged in and it is nice. There is no question that the finish is thick, but in all fairness, the top will open up eventually anyway, and the guitar sounded very good when I first bought it. I have several other guitars such as L. Benito GA, Larrivee LV-03E, and custom made JF OM koa/adi, and although the GAD is not as nice as my JF OM, nothing else is either, but it still is a very very nice instrument, and if it breaks in over the years like all spruce tops, it should even sound better. If you get one at a good price, I would highly recommend.

 

[Bill Ashton]

As referenced earlier, I got a GAD30PCENT last August. Very nice, if not outstanding guitar. I am thinking I should bring it to the LTG convocation in CT.

One of those guitars that spoke to me the first time I picked it up. Its 12-fret sister sounded equally as good, however I found out rapidly that I was not a 12-fret guy when I ran out of neck!

Only recently have I tried to use the electric feature, and while I am sure the Fishman p/u is good enough, I just do not like the "quack" that I cannot seem to equalize out. But I would have bought the guitar without the p/u, so it is only a minor disappointment...so far I have only tried it through a (1966) Vox Buckingham, a (1992) Rivera Fifty-Five Twelve and a (1995) Laney VC30-112. While I understand that I should probably try it through the venerable Guild 66-J, previously I have found her lacking for acoustic guitars so have been trying other things instead...