GuildedBilly
Junior Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2024
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction score
- 47
- Guild Total
- 3
Hi all, this is my first post here.
A little while ago, I developed a yearning for A Really Good Sounding Dreadnought...I'm sure you know what I mean; one which isn't just okay but projects the air as the notes resonate. You can play a lot of acoustics and appreciate them for being very decent instruments but then there's that league above those where suddenly the sound is truly three-dimensional and it's only when you hear them that you realise what was lacking in the others.
Well, my research was limited to the web, so there was going to be a bit of a leap of faith, albeit hopefully a reasonably informed one (so far as it could be). I'd always respected Guild guitars and considered them one of the 'big names' but had never actually owned one. Perhaps with this as an influence, I found that I kept coming back to Guild models as I was sizing up potential instruments, with the D-40 rising to the top of the contenders.
With acoustics, bling is of little interest to me, primarily I just want the wood to work its magic. I found a D-40 (the basic model that would morph into the Standard in 2023, so the one before that, if that makes sense) and after a bit of procrastination finally twisted my own arm when there was a suitably enticing price drop. It was still a punt, as I'd not actually played it and had only my instinct and the various bits of info I'd got online to go by.
Fortunately, upon arrival it did not disappoint! It was apparent instantly that the sound was there, the fullness with definition and that sense of the air moving. Although already eminently playable, it benefitted from a set-up, which elevated it to its full potential.
But then Black Friday reared its head. I've always been a sucker for all-mahogany acoustics and during my research I'd not been immune to the many comments praising the D-20. I couldn't quite rid myself of the idea that if I like the D-40 that much and the D-20 could be similarly impressive but with the hog-top flavour thrown into the mix, surely that would be a pretty tasty proposition? Of course, there was no way I could justify it, because I'd just bought a D-40!
We all know that Black Friday is just a ruse, right? Prices bumped up and then brought down to what they were before, yes? Except not in the case of a D-20 I'd been keeping an eye on...which suddenly had a price that I realised was so reasonable that if I didn't seize it, I'd actually be compelled by law* to march myself to the middle of the town, remove my trousers, bend over and demand people threw rotten fruit at my backside! (* You may need to consult a very obscure legal tome to find this particular bit of legislation but I'm sure it's there.)
So, yes, the deed was done and guess what? It is exactly what you'd hope an instrument of those specs would be like, except more so...a bit of fingerstyle has the notes dancing out in front, rounded and resonant, even with my clumsy playing. The neck, like the D-40, just invites you to play more.
Two great Guilds in almost as many weeks! Pretty good tally! I was enjoying myself immensely when I got the opportunity, swapping between the two dreads, appreciating the differences between them and the similarities.
And then, just after Christmas, I did my habitual price check on one of the online dealers that email me every minute of the day to remind me to give them more money. It was early in the day, I was half awake and lazily clicked on their site, where (predictably) I'd had a Guild acoustic search open. The F-40 that I'd decided I definitely didn't need and obviously couldn't justify because I'd just bought two dreadnoughts had changed price. When I say 'changed', let me clarify...PLUNGED! I did a double-take, realised I was not hallucinating, and was genuinely looking at a figure that was lower than most import acoustics are going for...naturally wishing to avoid being taken to the middle of the town and having rotten fruit thrown at me, my bank card leapt out of my wallet and before I'd blinked, two became three (kind of).
Of course, there were many doubts in that period before it arrived, despite my love of spruce and mahogany...but delivered it was. Tentatively, I unboxed and removed the case, then opened it and inspected the guitar. Like the D-40, it was incredibly light, which boded well; I strummed an E major - it was actually in tune! After a bit of noodling, I changed the strings and played them in...the longer I played, the more it began to respond, the sound building like the guitar was becoming more and more alive. The depth of the bass was stupendous! But it was still a balanced sound. The neck just as playable as the dreads.
Three is the magic number, so said De La Soul, and I'm sure they were right. I'm not quite sure how I ended up doing this but whenever I open any of those cases and have a play, I'm glad I did. If I had to choose between them...that would be tricky because they each do something the others can't but...probably the D-40 would just about win out. However, if you asked me while I was playing either of the others, you could well get a different answer.
So I am now in the Guild guild. How could I have resisted?!
A little while ago, I developed a yearning for A Really Good Sounding Dreadnought...I'm sure you know what I mean; one which isn't just okay but projects the air as the notes resonate. You can play a lot of acoustics and appreciate them for being very decent instruments but then there's that league above those where suddenly the sound is truly three-dimensional and it's only when you hear them that you realise what was lacking in the others.
Well, my research was limited to the web, so there was going to be a bit of a leap of faith, albeit hopefully a reasonably informed one (so far as it could be). I'd always respected Guild guitars and considered them one of the 'big names' but had never actually owned one. Perhaps with this as an influence, I found that I kept coming back to Guild models as I was sizing up potential instruments, with the D-40 rising to the top of the contenders.
With acoustics, bling is of little interest to me, primarily I just want the wood to work its magic. I found a D-40 (the basic model that would morph into the Standard in 2023, so the one before that, if that makes sense) and after a bit of procrastination finally twisted my own arm when there was a suitably enticing price drop. It was still a punt, as I'd not actually played it and had only my instinct and the various bits of info I'd got online to go by.
Fortunately, upon arrival it did not disappoint! It was apparent instantly that the sound was there, the fullness with definition and that sense of the air moving. Although already eminently playable, it benefitted from a set-up, which elevated it to its full potential.
But then Black Friday reared its head. I've always been a sucker for all-mahogany acoustics and during my research I'd not been immune to the many comments praising the D-20. I couldn't quite rid myself of the idea that if I like the D-40 that much and the D-20 could be similarly impressive but with the hog-top flavour thrown into the mix, surely that would be a pretty tasty proposition? Of course, there was no way I could justify it, because I'd just bought a D-40!
We all know that Black Friday is just a ruse, right? Prices bumped up and then brought down to what they were before, yes? Except not in the case of a D-20 I'd been keeping an eye on...which suddenly had a price that I realised was so reasonable that if I didn't seize it, I'd actually be compelled by law* to march myself to the middle of the town, remove my trousers, bend over and demand people threw rotten fruit at my backside! (* You may need to consult a very obscure legal tome to find this particular bit of legislation but I'm sure it's there.)
So, yes, the deed was done and guess what? It is exactly what you'd hope an instrument of those specs would be like, except more so...a bit of fingerstyle has the notes dancing out in front, rounded and resonant, even with my clumsy playing. The neck, like the D-40, just invites you to play more.
Two great Guilds in almost as many weeks! Pretty good tally! I was enjoying myself immensely when I got the opportunity, swapping between the two dreads, appreciating the differences between them and the similarities.
And then, just after Christmas, I did my habitual price check on one of the online dealers that email me every minute of the day to remind me to give them more money. It was early in the day, I was half awake and lazily clicked on their site, where (predictably) I'd had a Guild acoustic search open. The F-40 that I'd decided I definitely didn't need and obviously couldn't justify because I'd just bought two dreadnoughts had changed price. When I say 'changed', let me clarify...PLUNGED! I did a double-take, realised I was not hallucinating, and was genuinely looking at a figure that was lower than most import acoustics are going for...naturally wishing to avoid being taken to the middle of the town and having rotten fruit thrown at me, my bank card leapt out of my wallet and before I'd blinked, two became three (kind of).
Of course, there were many doubts in that period before it arrived, despite my love of spruce and mahogany...but delivered it was. Tentatively, I unboxed and removed the case, then opened it and inspected the guitar. Like the D-40, it was incredibly light, which boded well; I strummed an E major - it was actually in tune! After a bit of noodling, I changed the strings and played them in...the longer I played, the more it began to respond, the sound building like the guitar was becoming more and more alive. The depth of the bass was stupendous! But it was still a balanced sound. The neck just as playable as the dreads.
Three is the magic number, so said De La Soul, and I'm sure they were right. I'm not quite sure how I ended up doing this but whenever I open any of those cases and have a play, I'm glad I did. If I had to choose between them...that would be tricky because they each do something the others can't but...probably the D-40 would just about win out. However, if you asked me while I was playing either of the others, you could well get a different answer.
So I am now in the Guild guild. How could I have resisted?!
