GGJaguar
Reverential Member
I didn’t need a 14-fret dread, especially with a cutaway and onboard preamp, but autumn is here, pumpkin spice is in the air and I could not resist the orangeness! I didn’t know much about the DCE3, but from what I’ve read on LTG by current and former owners, the overall consensus is positive. After digging around the interwebs, I found out the DCE3 was introduced in 1999 or July 1998 if you believe the info on Guild’s website back in the day. It was discontinued with the closure of the Westerly facility in 2001. Naturally, it filled the void between the DCE1 and DCE5 models that were introduced a few years earlier. It was available in Blonde (natural), Black, Antique Sunburst and Tennessee Orange.
The fit and finish is excellent as found on most late Westerly era guitars. It has a laminated maple body (a full 5” deep!) with an arched back. I think that’s a smart design for a maple acoustic guitar. It’s difficult to photograph (for me, a photography luddite), but there is some flame on the back. This is what I call “ghost flame” – your eye can see it, but the camera (read: my camera) cannot. Thankfully, the flamed sides are easy to photograph. Oh, did I mention it’s deliciously orange?
According to Guild literature, it has an AA solid spruce top and I’m betting it’s the same top as used on the DCE5 (also AA spruce, same rosette). The finish is almost certainly nitrocellulose lacquer as evidenced by the way it’s sinking into the spruce grain. The earliest specifications on Guild’s website from December 1998 through October 1999 list the preamp as “Fishman Prefix Blender” (mic and piezo) as used on the DCE5, however, this may have been an error which was corrected to read “Fishman Prefix Pro” (piezo only) on the website by March 2000.
Excerpts from the 2001 catalog and price list (courtesy of GAD.net)
The earliest DCE3s have tortoise pickguards and 3-piece maple necks with rosewood fingerboard and bridge. The later version was fitted with a black pickguard and 1-piece mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard and bridge. All of them have a 5-ply bound top and 1-ply bound back. Based on serial numbers, I’m guessing that between 550 and 600 were made over 3 years or so of production.
The neck profile is modestly meaty and fills the hand nicely. It has a 1 11/16” nut width and narrow frets. The ebony board feels great and I’d call it an easy-to-play neck. There is no fret marker or side marker at the 3rd fret which is a surprise. It is straight braced (not scalloped) and lacks side bracing probably due to the laminated sides not needing additional support. There are two heavy duty transverse braces between the soundhole and neck block. I assume these are larger than normal to add extra support due to the cutaway. This example weighs in at hefty 5.9 lb (2.68 kg) which is exactly the same as my 1977 D-55.
My initial thought was that the acoustic tone is okay. It definitely lacked the volume I’d expect for a full-size dreadnaught with an arched back. Of course, the first step with any acoustic (or acousti-lectric) is to change the strings even if you think they aren’t dead. In this case, I wanted new strings in hopes of a volume increase. That’s when I discovered the strings that were on it (phosphor bronze) were extra light gauge (10 – 47). The DCE3 specs from 2001 call for Guild L350 strings (PB, light gauge, 12 – 53) so I slapped on a set of D’Addario EJ16 strings (PB, light gauge, 12 – 53).
The acoustic tone is much better with a fresh set of PB 12s and the volume improved, though it’s not nearly as loud as my other fully acoustic dreads. I let the guitar sit for a couple days to let the brassy sizzle of the new PB strings subside. The guitar has a typical Guild dreadnaught voice: very pleasant and well-balanced from top to bottom. I’m sure it would record better than my boomy 12-fret Martin dreadnaughts. Surprisingly, it is not very bright for having a maple body. In fact, I might try brighter strings on it next. The notes come off the soundboard strong and decay somewhat quickly, but the sustain is admirable.
Just for kicks, I tuned the guitar down a half step. Wow! I don’t know if I hit the resonant frequency of the body or what, but that put the guitar into a sonic sweet spot. The harmonic content increased producing a richer sound and I swear it’s a little louder now as well. I never would have guessed this would be the result of a simple de-tune. What a happy accident!
The fit and finish is excellent as found on most late Westerly era guitars. It has a laminated maple body (a full 5” deep!) with an arched back. I think that’s a smart design for a maple acoustic guitar. It’s difficult to photograph (for me, a photography luddite), but there is some flame on the back. This is what I call “ghost flame” – your eye can see it, but the camera (read: my camera) cannot. Thankfully, the flamed sides are easy to photograph. Oh, did I mention it’s deliciously orange?
According to Guild literature, it has an AA solid spruce top and I’m betting it’s the same top as used on the DCE5 (also AA spruce, same rosette). The finish is almost certainly nitrocellulose lacquer as evidenced by the way it’s sinking into the spruce grain. The earliest specifications on Guild’s website from December 1998 through October 1999 list the preamp as “Fishman Prefix Blender” (mic and piezo) as used on the DCE5, however, this may have been an error which was corrected to read “Fishman Prefix Pro” (piezo only) on the website by March 2000.
Excerpts from the 2001 catalog and price list (courtesy of GAD.net)
The earliest DCE3s have tortoise pickguards and 3-piece maple necks with rosewood fingerboard and bridge. The later version was fitted with a black pickguard and 1-piece mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard and bridge. All of them have a 5-ply bound top and 1-ply bound back. Based on serial numbers, I’m guessing that between 550 and 600 were made over 3 years or so of production.
The neck profile is modestly meaty and fills the hand nicely. It has a 1 11/16” nut width and narrow frets. The ebony board feels great and I’d call it an easy-to-play neck. There is no fret marker or side marker at the 3rd fret which is a surprise. It is straight braced (not scalloped) and lacks side bracing probably due to the laminated sides not needing additional support. There are two heavy duty transverse braces between the soundhole and neck block. I assume these are larger than normal to add extra support due to the cutaway. This example weighs in at hefty 5.9 lb (2.68 kg) which is exactly the same as my 1977 D-55.
My initial thought was that the acoustic tone is okay. It definitely lacked the volume I’d expect for a full-size dreadnaught with an arched back. Of course, the first step with any acoustic (or acousti-lectric) is to change the strings even if you think they aren’t dead. In this case, I wanted new strings in hopes of a volume increase. That’s when I discovered the strings that were on it (phosphor bronze) were extra light gauge (10 – 47). The DCE3 specs from 2001 call for Guild L350 strings (PB, light gauge, 12 – 53) so I slapped on a set of D’Addario EJ16 strings (PB, light gauge, 12 – 53).
The acoustic tone is much better with a fresh set of PB 12s and the volume improved, though it’s not nearly as loud as my other fully acoustic dreads. I let the guitar sit for a couple days to let the brassy sizzle of the new PB strings subside. The guitar has a typical Guild dreadnaught voice: very pleasant and well-balanced from top to bottom. I’m sure it would record better than my boomy 12-fret Martin dreadnaughts. Surprisingly, it is not very bright for having a maple body. In fact, I might try brighter strings on it next. The notes come off the soundboard strong and decay somewhat quickly, but the sustain is admirable.
Just for kicks, I tuned the guitar down a half step. Wow! I don’t know if I hit the resonant frequency of the body or what, but that put the guitar into a sonic sweet spot. The harmonic content increased producing a richer sound and I swear it’s a little louder now as well. I never would have guessed this would be the result of a simple de-tune. What a happy accident!
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