Grad77 said:
If you had to pick, (And I know that is almost impossible), do you prefer the D44 or the D46 over all?
If push came to shove (and I hope it never does), I would keep my ash D-46 over my pearwood D-44. Altho' I really like the "folksy" sound of the pearwood, the ash is richer with more bass and overtones, has great mids, and sparkling trebles. It's got great balance and is an all-around versatile dread (and it has a great neck!). It is also one of my loudest dreads, despite its heft (just an oz shy of 6 lbs, a couple oz more than my rosewoods).
As for recognizing pearwood vs maple... the first indicator is the build date. From Hans book and what I have seen on eBay and GBase, earlier than '71 would be pearwood. '73 or later likely maple. Between ~'71 and ~'73 it might be either. Most, but not all, of the maple 44s I have seen have had the "M" designation in the model number. If it still isn't clear, look at the back. The pearwood Guilds I have seen (all stained) show very little figuring in the back wood, and what "figuring" there is best described as "blotchy" rather than flamed. The stained maple 44Ms I have seen (on the web) all have had easily recognizeable "flame" figuring in the back wood, under the stain.
I haven't seen the 44 at GC (do you have a link?)... but
this looks to be a '66 D-44 in pearwood. Cosmetically rough, in my opinion... and may be in need of a neck reset (saddle looks pretty low).
This D-46 looks pretty nice... and may go for a reasonable price (I paid ~$950 for mine, and have seen them sell from <$600 to >$1000).
As always, ask LOTS of questions if bidding on eBay...
Good hunting!