The story of your first Guild

[dreadnut]

Here's mine: it was 1976, I was fresh out of the Navy, got a job and decided to go guitar shopping. I was planning on coming home with a Martin. The store had Martins, Gibsons, Guilds. I played all three. To me the Guild was clearly superior in both appearance and sound. The mahogany on the back is beautiful.

The Gibson was nice too, but I came home with the Guild. It has since been to a thousand weddings, campouts, jam sessions, nursing homes, churches...

With a brand new set of strings it sound like angels singing from on high. And it has bug punchy lows.

Louise, she's aging well. Age 46. Sometimes I remind Ma Dread that I've owned this guitar longer than I've been married to her. (But not often.)

It knows intuitively where all the John Prine chords are.

 

[Steve Messenger]

In 1967, I was a junior in high school. I had been playing in bands (with my trusty red Hagstrom F-12S, which I wish I still had), but I decided that I needed an acoustic 12-string. I lived in Stamford, CT, so it was just a short train ride into NYC and a few blocks over to 48th street to Manny's. I played a few, but a Guild F-212 I found I just couldn't put down. So I handed the salesman $210 and took her home (it took me another 6 months to save up enough for a case, but I eventually got that at Manny's, too).

She's been with me ever since.

 

[walrus]

Looking for an acoustic in '84. Walked into a local shop that had a new "second" 1984 Guild D64. I had no knowledge of Guilds, no idea the guitar was rare, just loved the sound and playability. After being my only acoustic for decades, it is now owned and played by LTGer wileypicket.

Here it is next to my current '11 F-30RCE.



walrus

 

[Neal]

I still own my first Guild, a 1973 D-35 that I bought with money earned lugging newspapers on two separate routes, with 50 or so papers in my satchel, walking to 50 homes, twice every day.

Sunday papers were brutally heavy. On Sundays, my dad helped me by driving half the load to the midpoint of each route.

In 1975, I went to Chuck Levins in DC with $300 in my pocket, and walked out with the two-year-old D-35 and $25 left over.

Through high school, college, marriage, children, a career, the marriage of my kids, and now grandchildren, it is still with me, and honestly still one of the best sounding guitars I have ever owned.

 

[Brad Little]

August, 1965, I'd been playing for several years and was getting ready for senior year in HS. I had been through the usual bottom dollar Kay and had a decent Japanese RW classical, but really wanted to play blues and was a big Leadbelly fan, so convinced my Mom to get me a guitar as a belated birthday present. We went to Banko's House of Music in Ansonia, CT a pretty major retailer for the area, and they had two12 strings in stock, an F212 at $200 and a Gibson at $300, so the F212 came home with me (and a chipboard case that was its home for another 4-5 years). Like Steve above, it's been with me ever since. Here it is from a few years ago (pickup no longer in it). FWIW, this guitar is the one I played at the last LMG in New Harford.

In fact, her it is on that stage:

Just got it back from a setup, and the luthier remarked on how great it sounded and what good condition it was in (thanks in a large part to his work over the last 40 years or so).

 

[RBSinTo]

I already wrote about this at length when I first joined this website, so here is the short version:
A couple of years ago, I became interested in acquiring a spruce/ maple jumbo guitar. A bud has a Seagull, but was not ready to part with it, so I began a kijiji and craigslist search. There was at least one Epiphone available, but their tasteless, ugly appearance kept me from ever seriously considering buying it.
Finally I came across a GAD jf-30 that needed work and after some back and forth with the seller, got it at a price I was happy with. I had the repairs made and am very pleased with the guitar.
RBSinTo

 

[Cougar]

I'm first a mostly self-taught keyboardist. My dad always played guitar -- old big band style. I learned some fingerpicking in high school when a very good guitar & banjo player moved in next door. I picked up a Candelas 12-string a little later, tuned it to all Es and Bs and played it more or less like a dulcimer. I had a cheap-o nylon string when I lived in Kenya in the Peace Corps -- just something to play -- then I got a cheap-o Washburn when I got back just so I'd have a guitar around. Some time later I picked up a jumbo Takamine 12-string and tried learning Embryonic Journey (since Jorma had it on youtube showing how he did it). Took me about 6 months to get it into this shape.

Anyway, that motivated me to join LTG and search for a Guild 12-string. TX posted a JF30-12 was on craigslist down in Dana Point, CA. But I was living in Salt Lake, UT. Fortuitously, I was going to be visiting family in SoCal in a couple weeks, so I contacted the seller to say I was really interested.

By the time I got there... it was still there! I picked it up, strummed it, looked at the neck, but really in, like, two minutes I knew I wanted it. Gorgeous burst, ebony fretboard, low action, plenty of saddle, excellent condition... It was a fantastic deal besides. Just a killer guitar.

 

[lungimsam]

First:

Which model is this? Guild classical.

Back in the olde days I played my Dad’s Guild. What model is it? I remember it had very nice tone. Haha! My history with Guilds goes back further than I thought! I think I sold it to my music teacher in 1988. This pic was from late ‘70’s or early eighties. Like 2 years either side of 1980...

letstalkguild.com

Second:
2013.
Guild makes Starfire I again.
I didn't want red but, thinking this would be a quick run then gone forever, I got the red.
Didn't sound as good as my other basses.
2021 I added a neck pickup to it and it is now the best sounding of all my basses!
You can see it in my avatar pic to left.

 

[mushroom]

Pretty boring story for me.
Saw a band once about 20 years ago and dude was playing one.
I looked around and bought one.
Plugged in it.
Then started looking for more.

 

[Boneman]

I wanted a 12 string acoustic and word is everyone knows Guild is the only way to go. . Of course this helped in the process of evaluation:


However I didn’t want to spend the big bucks on their best jumbo 12(yet), cause we were smack in the middle of the pandemic. The folks on the AGF all raved about the D1212 when Sweetwater had it on sale years ago, great bang for the buck type thing. Then while browsing the Guild site looking at 12 strings that shiny all hog D1212 caught my eye. I said oh my, that’s the one, how cool does that look? But then I went to order it and the stores were all out!. Then I go back to Guild‘s site to see what’s up, and now it says the model was discontinued. So weird I thought, ok I might have to go used. Of course used guitar prices got wacky in 2020/2021 so I held off on the 12.

Many months later I get an email from Sweetwater the D1212 I wanted was in stock. Huh??(forgot I hit the button let me know when in stock) I thought, what the?…well shoot! I better hurry and get one before they’re all gone again! Called my Sweetwater sales engineer and boom 3 days later I was doing an NGD here lol

 

[DrumBob]

It was an 60's S-200 Thunderbird. I drove through a blinding blizzard to Fords, New Jersey on a Friday night to get it. $165.

 

[DianeA]

My GS-Mini was drowned out at the monthly Bluegrass jam, so I started to research a louder guitar. The Guild jumbo was always the most recommended, so I started to research it. When a Westerly built JF-30 came up on Craigslist with a big price drop, I bought it. Best guitar decision I have made because I used to get bored at jams but with this beauty I stay and play the entire time!

 

[Cougar]

When a Westerly built JF-30 came up on Craigslist with a big price drop, I bought it.

Ha! That's the way to do it! Welcome to LTG! There is nothing like a Guild jumbo!

 

[bobouz]

By the mid ‘70s, I’d already been checking flea markets for a while to unearth cheap (but quality) guitars. Some of those flea market finds helped cover the cost of my first Guild, a new D-40. Here’s an old Polaroid of the D-40, next to a 1950s Gibson LG2-3/4, and a 1930s carved-solid-spruce-top & X-braced Ward archtop, also made by Gibson.

 

[JohnW63]

I wanted a D-55 in 1979, I couldn't cough up the $700 that the discount sellers in the back of the guitar magazines wanted, so I ended up with a $400 Ovation Legend by a loan from my grand mother. I played that for a good 36 years as my only guitar. Then a musician friend made a few good natured jokes about the Legend and I started going on internet forums to see what was out their. I visited all the Guitar Centers in a 100 mile radius, I think, plus a few small shops in the Orange County area. I found a few guilds, like a D-40 Blue Grass and a D-55, but they were out of my price range. I finally found an F47R in really good shape at one of those GCs for $1000 and I bought it. I don't know if that was just before or just after I started posting here or not.

 

[davismanLV]

Okay, dread.... I'll bite. But most of you know the story after all these years. Don and I met up in the late 70's and he played guitar and sang (badly, sorry) and he tried to teach me guitar. So in 1994 I decided I was tired of his Martin (too narrow at the nut, although I didn't know that then) and his Goya, easier to play but didn't sound well. I got laid off from all the health care lay-offs in the early 90s. By then every other manger was gone and it was me, one other lady and the director who didn't know crap!! So she came in and said, "Figure out all these patient files and there other details on the medical transcription department I don't have.... < her voice softened a bit> and can you meet me in personnel at 2??" At that time I had 3 offices and two different computer systems and I was ready to quit anyway.... so. I didn't do shit for the files. I walked around the transcription department and said my goodbyes to many tears and then I was laid off.

The next day I had my severance package and went down the hill to Guitar Center on Hollywood Blvd on the Sunset Strip. I thought, there's never gonna be a better time to get my own decent guitar!! So then, I dragged Don down there and after many, many trials I picked 3 guitars. A Martin, a Taylor, and my Guild D65S. I was such a crappy player (still am) and so I played and then I got the sales guy who was really really good to play them both randomly for me facing away. Blind tests as much as you can. I picked the Guild every time. THEN, we were writing up the sale and it hit me I was paying $1100 for a GUITAR!!! I freaked!! Grabbed a Guild D4 and took it home. Put it on the stand downstairs and went to bed.

The next morning I walked downstairs (after saving like almost $500) and said, "Oh hell no!! That's not the guitar I want on that stand!!" I missed my blonde already. So coffee, a muffin or something and then BACK down the hill to GC and they said, "You want the blonde don't you?" And I did. And it was one of the best decisions that I've ever made. Didn't know it was 1 of 20.... I mean I did but I just wanted it. So I got it. And it's still my favorite guitar to this day!!







That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

 

[GardMan]

Here's the story from another thread last December:

Told my dad that after I saved my first $1K from my first real job, I was going to spend the next paycheck on a guitar. Took me 5 months to reach that goal, and in January 1973 (I was 17), I was ready to go guitar shopping. I couldn't afford a Martin or Gibson, and the Epiphone acoustics and a couple of Japanese models didn't catch my ear. Found a little shop on N Burnside in Portland that had three Guilds hanging on the wall, a flat back D-25, a D-35, and a D-40. I preferred the sound and look of the spruce-topped D-35 and the D-40. The D-40 was out of my price range. So was the D-35, for that matter. But the next day I went to the bank, and then rode the bus downtown to pick it up my new Guild D-35. Took it home in a chipboard case the shop loaned me, 'cause I didn't have the money for the hard case (got it the next month). My dad was a bit peeved at the price I paid... but I still have that D-35 hanging on my guitar room wall (it will be 50 years old next year... it's top already is). I think Dad finally realized that it was one of the best purchases I ever made.

Me, with my '72 D-35 circa 1985 (I had a LOT more hair back then! Still got the 'stache!):

Here she is in 2015:

Based on the SN, she turned 50 sometime last month!

 

[YCScott]

The year was 1975. The acoustic sound was everything. The Eagles, Neil Young, John Prine, Doc & Merle Watson and countless others were all motivating me down this new path. I had outgrown all my friends guitars and I knew that I needed to buy one for myself. Living in a quiet suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, my searching brought me to Minneapolis. There in an area known as Dinkytown, was a music store called Positively Fourth Street (Bob Dylan used to rent the apartment upstairs for $30 a month) and after playing half a dozen or so guitars, I purchased a D25M archback with a hard shell case for $430. I had no idea of just how magnificent this instrument was going to sound... 15 to 20 years later.

 

[Rich Cohen]

Mine was a DV-52, satin finish. I got real lucky. It was in perfect shape, and the guy who sold it to me was a great seller. We stayed in touch. Ultimately, I sold it back to him, when I started acquiring more Guilds. I had just sold my Martin D-28 (bought new in 1970), and was blown away by how much better, especially in the bass, by the DV-52. I replaced it with a Finesse I bought from Richard Peterson, which was even better. I sold it back to Richard. Some day I'm goin' ask Richard to sell it back to me. What a dred! I got dibs, so no LTG bros get any ideas!

 

[Sal]

Living in a quiet suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, my searching brought me to Minneapolis. There in an area known as Dinkytown, was a music store called Positively Fourth Street (Bob Dylan used to rent the apartment upstairs for $30 a month) and after playing half a dozen or so guitars, I purchased a D25M archback with a hard shell case for $430. I had no idea of just how magnificent this instrument was going to sound... 15 to 20 years later.

Hey, a first post. Welcome to the group from a fellow Minnesotan. Positively 4th Street was a record / head shop about a half a mile west of Dinkytown. The music / guitar store in Dinkytown was called the Podium. Could your guitar have come from the Podium?

My D25M was my first guitar too. They are wonderful guitars owned by many loyal Guild players.