new (old) guild D25, 1974

[huitzlopochtli]

Hi all!

I recently purchased this guitar off of ebay for $425 - a 1974 D25, arched back, mahogany back/sides and spruce top. I'm not sure if this is Westerly-built, but it's USA for sure.

It looks a little beaten up (sorry for crappy phone pics), but it still looks beautiful in person (photos accentuate the scratches). It looks like the bridge lifted at one point and was reglued, but action/neck is straight and there are no cracks or anything that I can see.


The sound is amazing!! So warm! So rich! So full! It projects the bass whilst fingerpicking, something I was not at all used to, but gladly welcome. Also, I can play as loud as I want on this, and it will keep its tone and sound without sounding harsh (esp. when recording). I'm quite satisfied.

Take a listen....

 

[taabru45]

Pretty darn nice cover, and that guitar does sing nicely and it is a Westerly, for sure......you were lucky to get it for under $2000, I understand those 74s are really increasing in price.... :lol: Steffan

 

[JerryR]

Nice one Huitz And nice picking and nice singing - are you duetting with someone or is it some kinda clever double tracking on your recording :?:

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

Enjoy that new guitar.
Looks like you found a good one!
Enjoyed the sound clip too,
TMG.

 

[Pike]

Very nice!

The sound is amazing!! So warm! So rich! So full! It projects the bass whilst fingerpicking, something I was not at all used to, but gladly welcome. Also, I can play as loud as I want on this, and it will keep its tone and sound without sounding harsh (esp. when recording).

Yep, that would describe a Guild!

 

[huitzlopochtli]

Yep, that would describe a Guild!

I was used to my cheap plywood yamaha for so long....

are you duetting with someone or is it some kinda clever double tracking on your recording

It's double tracking with GarageBand.

 

[jgmaute]

Great score on your guitar, I remember in your original thread you said

yeah I'd really like to end up w/ solid woods, and as far as I'm concerned, the older (and more beat up), the better].

...you got solid wood, Guild sound and character!

The Boxer sounds great. Did I notice a soundhole pick up on your Guild or did you mike it? I'm just starting using Garage Band but haven't gotten beyond recording one track with one mike singing and playing at the same time. I know there is a lot more I can do with it. suggestions? joan

 

[12stringer]

Nicely done...your guitar sounds great finger picked and strummed (a keeper in my books). Love the harmony vocals...they really make this song sound great

 

[GardMan]

Hey Huitzl,
Looks like you scored a nice D-25SB. $425 is a great price for a D-25 in good shape. Hard to believe you can get that much guitar for that price, isn't it? If its SN is DA108004, as listed in the eBay ad, it's really an '81. Makes no never mind, tho'. I am sure it still sounds just as sweet. Those arched mahogany backs are really something, aren't they!

BTW, how was your first year at med school? That D-25 will keep you busy this summer!
Dave

 

[Default]

(big thumbs up)

 

[taabru45]

Great score on your guitar, I remember in your original thread you said

yeah I'd really like to end up w/ solid woods, and as far as I'm concerned, the older (and more beat up), the better].

...you got solid wood, Guild sound and character!

The Boxer sounds great. Did I notice a soundhole pick up on your Guild or did you mike it? I'm just starting using Garage Band but haven't gotten beyond recording one track with one mike singing and playing at the same time. I know there is a lot more I can do with it. suggestions? joan

Here is a good place to explore, Joan...If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have found this...Thanks Steffan
http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GarageBand.html

 

[marcellis]

I remember a long time ago, decades ago, playing coffee-houses in New Orleans. I'd play my 1972 D-25 and my pal Peter would be playing his 74' F-50 Maple. We'd always play "The Boxer".

Very nice job on the singing and playing. And congratulations on buying one of the
greatest acoustic dreadnoughts in history - the Guild D-25.

 

[huitzlopochtli]

Did I notice a soundhole pick up on your Guild or did you mike it? I'm just starting using Garage Band but haven't gotten beyond recording one track with one mike singing and playing at the same time. I know there is a lot more I can do with it. suggestions? joan

I mixed 2 sources, a condensor mic (one of those cheap MXL 990s on musiciansfriend) and a Seymour Duncan MagMic (which has a combined humbucker and condensor) -- so I guess, really 3 sources. The MagMic I got from user 'bighouse' here, for $165, and the MXL condensor sells for $50 nowadays.

If you get an audio interface (which I highly suggest), you'll lose all the hiss/noise from the normal 1/8" input, and also allow simultaneous multitrack recording. Luckily, GarageBand is very intuitive; if you click the record button for two tracks, it'll record on both of those at once. You just have to select different input sources on the two (or more) tracks that you want to record to. Splitting each source allows you to have cool stereo effects (I have each guitar source panned to one side, with the melody in the center and the harmony slightly off center, much like how Garfunkel stood 8) ).

BTW, how was your first year at med school? That D-25 will keep you busy this summer!

Pretty sweet, it's been a fun ride so far. School starts in 2 wks again, though, so the poor D25 won't be played quite as often....

 

[chicagowineguy]

Welcome to the D-25 cult! $425 is about what I paid for my '77 and it's every bit as beat up as yours and I love it! Amazing how much guitar we have for that money, hmm? Congrats on a great score and good luck in school this year! Nice job on The Boxer, too!

 

[Ross]

I'm just starting using Garage Band but haven't gotten beyond recording one track with one mike singing and playing at the same time. I know there is a lot more I can do with it. suggestions? joan

As suggested, an interface is almost a "must-have". I bought a simple one by M-Audio, with one 1/4" and one XLR input. I also like to double-track acoustics with a mic, once with the mic aimed at the 12th fret, then again with it pointed at the bridge.

GB has lots of features to colour the sound. I always record "dry" or "clean", then add any effects afterward.

I find that the metronome in GB is quite faint, and I often can't hear it well enough to follow it properly when recording. Instead, I choose a drum kit from the Loops library, and make a track of drums that I then play along with. The loops are fully adjustable; ie, you can make a drum track at one speed, then increase or decrease it later if you decide to play the song faster or slower.

I bought a book on GB - a "for Dummies" or "Missing Manual", forget which. Very helpful. Steffan's website is also very useful.

Enjoy the GB journey!

 

[dogberry]

Pretty sweet, it's been a fun ride so far. School starts in 2 wks again, though, so the poor D25 won't be played quite as often....

I am green with envy. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
You can loan me the D25 if you want it to be played while you're in school. . .