Guild weight

[JTMartin]

Recently bought a D50 Bluegrass Special (my first Guild) and noticed how much heavier it was than my other guitars, although about the same size. Can't figure out where the extra weight is coming from. Anybody want to fill me in?

 

[jazzmang]

What year was it manufactured? Tacoma model?

 

[6L6]

My '74 D-40 is a fairly heavy guitar but my '06 Tacoma D-40BJ is very lightweight.

Both sound great, so the weight doesn't seem to make a difference to my ear.

6

 

[JTMartin]

Guess I could have clarified that. It's a 07 Tacoma. Yeah, I've heard the older Guilds were were pretty heavy but mine is still noticably heavier than my Martin. I have no problem with that, it's a great guitar and I'm just curious.

 

[jazzmang]

Good, dense wood? Good construction? :mrgreen:

In all seriousness, the Westerly JF55 I'm using is extraordinarily heavy... and is built like a tank!
My Tacoma F50R (essentially the same thing, minus some bling), is much, much lighter and definitely sings more because of it.

I agree that some Martins I've played are very light... almost too light for me. I want to feel like I'm holding something important when I play! :wink:

In all reality, the Guilds have a bigger (and more heavy) headstock and probably a beefier end block to compensate for that weightiness. As for the neck blocks... I'm not sure.

 

[JerryR]

Hi JT - my '79 Westerly D35 is about twice the weight of a normal drednaught - guess in some respects they are a bit over-engineered like a UK electric plug but they are tough, built to last, and sound great (Guilds that is - not UK electric plugs!)

 

[mrmanley]

A lot of the weight difference is in the neck. My D55 has a three-piece neck and a huge frickin' headstock, and the body-block is pretty big too. Plus I think that Big D has thicker back/side wood than, say, a Martin does. But this very substantiality is partly what gives Big D such a big voice: when you strum those big fat G and E chords, that guitar really thrums. It gives the Guild an interesting character and unique voice -- it doesn't sound like just another Martin D28 clone.

That said, I don't know if I'd want to have Big D hanging around my neck for a long standing gig. That weight would get quite burdensome after awhile.

 

[bluepen]

My Tacoma D-50 weighs in at 5.4 pounds, my other guitars (Larrivees) are about 4.5 pounds.
The D-50 is a tank!

Can anybody use a didital bathroom scale and report weights of older guild dreads?

 

[Pike]

At around 4 1/2 pounds, my '99 D40 is the lightest Guild I've owned.

 

[jgmaute]

A lot of the weight difference is in the neck. My D55 has a three-piece neck and a huge frickin' headstock, and the body-block is pretty big too. Plus I think that Big D has thicker back/side wood than, say, a Martin does. But this very substantiality is partly what gives Big D such a big voice: when you strum those big fat G and E chords, that guitar really thrums. It gives the Guild an interesting character and unique voice -- it doesn't sound like just another Martin D28 clone.
That said, I don't know if I'd want to have Big D hanging around my neck for a long standing gig. That weight would get quite burdensome after awhile.

I agree, and it was so heavy that I wasn't using it as much. I recently got a 3" wide, padded Planet Waves strap for my D55 and it has made all the difference in terms of comfort when I play standing (most of the time) and I even leave it on when I'm sitting playing at the jam session on Saturdays. joan

 

[GardMan]

Can anybody use a didital bathroom scale and report weights of older guild dreads?

I don't have a bathroom scale, and don't know if I can get a guitar balanced on our kitchen scale. But, I can tell you that my '72 D-35 and '71 D-44 are NOTICEABLY lighter than all my other Guild dreads. The '72 D-35 was also substantially lighter than my wife's '78 D-35.

 

[jmac]

I know you guys are talking acoustic guitars, but one of the first things I noticed about my archtop electric (X-160) is how heavy it feels. It weighs 7.5 lbs.

 

[hiscoes]

AND...if you have the Guild guitar strap, add 8 oz.!

 

[GardMan]

Re: Guild weight (some numbers)

OK... I have been taliking about the weights of my Guilds for a couple years, now. So I finally weighed all six of my Guild dreads on the kitchen scale. The numbers pretty much confirmed what I thought... the D-35 is noticably the lightest, followed by the D-44. The D-25 and G-37 are heavier, but I can't tell one from the other. Similarly, the D-55 and D-46 are heavier still, but I can't tell one from the other.

In order of weight, from lightest to heaviest:

1972 D-35: 4 lbs 4 oz
1971 D-44: 4 lbs 12 oz
1974 D-25: 5 lbs 5 oz
1974 G-37: 5 lbs 7 oz
1992 D-55: 5 lbs 14 oz
1981 D-46: 5 lbs 15 oz

I'd say these are good relative measures... only as accurate as the scale... perhaps +/- an oz. The D-46 is a whopping 40% heavier than the D-35!
Dave

 

[Jeff]

Here's some non scientific weights on 3 of my Guilds. Taken on a Chinese digital bathroom scale,

F20 including a strap & soundhole pickup: 3.4 lbs
G37: 6 lbs even
D25: 5.2 lbs

My G37 is a contender for the heaviest acoustic ever. The way it plays & sounds makes up for the extra heft.

 

[pickoid]

Hey, it's MandoJeff from Arkansas... I'm the guy who bought that Blueridge BR-40AS from you last year. Small world, I guess. Belated welcome to the forum.

 

[Scratch]

Awesome pic, Jeff. Beautiful Guilds all... I'm especially fond of that gorgeous F20. :mrgreen: What are you bringing to Arlington this year?

 

[Jeff]

Awesome pic, Jeff. Beautiful Guilds all... I'm especially fond of that gorgeous F20. :mrgreen: What are you bringing to Arlington this year?

Ken,

I'm thinking the F20 & my pedalboard, maybe one of youse local guys can bring a toob amp. 8)

 

[pickoid]

Hey, it's MandoJeff from Arkansas... I'm the guy who bought that Blueridge BR-40AS from you last year. Small world, I guess. Belated welcome to the forum.

Hmm... this post probably looks confusing right now. To clarify, MandoJeff is the OP (JTMartin) not "Jeff." We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.