When to call time on a guitar? D140 thoughts.

[KCGuildPicker]

I’ve only been on this forum a few months, but it is safe to say that most of us here have been in the guitar purchasing, playing, selling, trading (etc) game for some time. Given that, i’m sure that i’m not alone in saying that some purchases and trades end up being busts and not panning out.

That said, i’m curious about when folks make the decision that a guitar should be moved along. To be more clear, i’m curious about when folks make the decision that an otherwise fully functioning and playable guitar is just not for them.

i’m at this point with the D140 - CE I purchased used a few months ago. Clearly folks on this forum have lots of good things to say about the 100 and 200 series, and the 140 I bought is the stunning sunburst with the 1.75 nut - by the numbers it should the perfect under 1,000 guitar for me. Sadly, I am not bonding with the guitar. I’ve tried different string types and gauges, different picks, different styles . . . had it professionally set up but still nothing.

Not sure what its future is but I am curious as to how others determine when to call time on a guitar. (Sorry. out the length of the post.)

 

[Westerly Wood]

I’ve only been on this forum a few months, but it is safe to say that most of us here have been in the guitar purchasing, playing, selling, trading (etc) game for some time. Given that, i’m sure that i’m not alone in saying that some purchases and trades end up being busts and not panning out.

That said, i’m curious about when folks make the decision that a guitar should be moved along. To be more clear, i’m curious about when folks make the decision that an otherwise fully functioning and playable guitar is just not for them.

i’m at this point with the D140 - CE I purchased used a few months ago. Clearly folks on this forum have lots of good things to say about the 100 and 200 series, and the 140 I bought is the stunning sunburst with the 1.75 nut - by the numbers it should the perfect under 1,000 guitar for me. Sadly, I am not bonding with the guitar. I’ve tried different string types and gauges, different picks, different styles . . . had it professionally set up but still nothing.

Not sure what its future is but I am curious as to how others determine when to call time on a guitar. (Sorry. out the length of the post.)

I think it's time to move on from it. You cannot force guitar bonding. It is what it is. I would move on and not look back.

 

[chazmo]

Fair enough, KC.

I'm not much into the game. I used to be, kinda', with Taylor guitars back in the 2000s, but not since. I buy to keep.

However, if I never bond with a guitar, I will part with it. I tend to be opportunistic about it. Also, if someone posts here and I've got something that's, well, a little bit surplus, shall we say... I might consider selling it to the right buyer.

In any case, nothing ever stays here that doesn't live up to my expectations. In your case, I probably would've returned the D-140 as soon as I realized it wasn't working out. I'm sorry it didn't work out. Call it "time," and move on.

 

[chazmo]

I think it's time to move on from it. You cannot force guitar bonding. It is what it is. I would move on and not look back.

^ What Woody said.

 

[GGJaguar]

You did all you could and there's still no chemistry. Time to move on. I'm the same way with my D-4HG and the D-26 I just got confirmed what I already knew. The D-4 is good, people like them and I understand why. It's just not for me. Oh well.

 

[KCGuildPicker]

From the replies, it sounds like we are all of the same mind set when it comes to calling time on a guitar. Just wanted to make sure i’m not moving too fast in that decision - i’m not sentimental for guitars that i’m not bonding with and in truth i’ve already started looking for trade scenarios to move this one along.

 

[WaltW]

I agree with moving on!
I purchased a Dobro resonator with Spanish neck and Mahogany body in 1991. I really liked how it sounded so different than anything I had played before. I had played one before purchasing mine. After a couple of months the novelty wore off especially when I played a few of my favorite tunes. I couldn't sing over the twang and buzz, not that my singing is my strong point. So I parted with it through Youngblood studio. He saw it and had a buyer that wanted one.
For me it was an easy decision and I didn't loose much money.

 

[HeyMikey]

Whether the decision comes sooner or later, there is no foul in deciding that it’s time for a guitar to move on. Nature of the beast. I’ve had and sold some very nice guitars that didn’t provide the sound or playability I was lookin for, or over time my proferences changed, or it became redundant with another purchase. Nothing wrong with them at all and the new owners were very happy. Don’t worry about it and keep moving forward.

 

[swiveltung]

One of the problems with on line purchase is you dont get to just "feel it". I'd say move on. You just bond with some guitars and not with others. Sometimes that happens even with the same model of guitar!

 

[Rad]

It takes me months with a guitar before I know for sure it is a keeper. I fall in love with a guitar and have been known to overlook a shortcoming initially but after a couple months reality sinks in and I move it on.

I decided a number of years ago that life is to short to do things like finish reading a book I don’t like or keep a guitar that I have not bonded with.

 

[Br1ck]

I've never had money I wanted to squander playing catch and release, it's just not my nature. As soon as I could I upped my buying budget, and by that time I'd played a lot of guitars. In the last 25 years, I've sold no more than three good guitars. I needed to sell a 000 16, the early 90s version to buy an exceptional Martin M 36 which was my only acoustic for 15 years. During this time I bought my 70 D 35 that spent ten years in the closet. I also began exclusively flat picking. I sold a pedal steel, and found my 65 Texan which I spent a mind numbing $3400 for. Then I retired and got the 70 Guild fixed. I found myself playing the M 36 every six months out of guilt, and I had a friend who wanted it for decades, so I sold it to him cheap. I bought a Martin D 35 from Bryan Kinsey. But every buy was three or more years apart. I still was playing a lot of guitars at Gryphon, but once you reach a certain level, they don't seem worth the premium. But my Texan was an instant bond. I learned to pay attention to that every five or ten years occurrence, which would no doubt happen more frequently if I didn't have a rule not to pick up anything more than 20% over my self imposed limit.

I did just that when I played my Santa Cruz D P/W. I knew in five minutes I was buying it. It was used and I was kinda sorta looking for a D 18GE. But this was the one. It has been six months now, and I'm waiting for the new to wear off. It's not going to. So, do I need my 70 Guild D 35, or my 07 D 35 Custom or my Texan? Time will tell, and it's a sobering thought. So what have I learned in 50 years? Play as many guitars as you can. Buy something on the order of a D 18 level instrument as soon as you can. A Guild D 40 will do. Then, quit actively looking. Support your local store, and when you buy strings, play a few guitars. Teach yourself that once you've lived with a quality instrument, you can play many good guitars. There are thousands. One day you'll pick up a guitar that makes time go away. Do whatever you can to buy it.

To sum up. Get to the Standard series Martin or brand of your choice as quick as you can. This should enable you to play and put down many guitars without regret. Learn to realize the guitar you can't put down. Remember you don't play $7000 guitars. But maybe you find a D18GE, or a great J 45 that is captivating. Stretch to buy it. Rinse and repeat. Read up on dopamine and realize the dangers of needing a fix over the real deal find. My last two buys were when my frame of mind was I didn't really need anything. I had tried to find a mandolin under $4000 for years. I finally realized I wasn't being realistic and said, it's OK, I can play what I have. Soon after that conclusion, one fell in my lap. I had really decided I didn't need another dread too. My Guild D 35 was a big part of that. Then the Santa Cruz appeared. It was three years after I'd bought my Weber Yellowstone.

Now some are addicted to the dopamine rush of buying stuff. There is no problem with a habit if you know it's a habit and you chose to spend that way. Everyone is different. I have a friend that loves to buy, but is able to sell. He has many fine guitars, but one in, one out. He has discipline. But buy few, sell fewer is what works for me. If you buy right, you won't often sell. If you have the thought of how much will this be worth, don't buy the guitar. The feeling you are going for is feeling over the moon. Had I ever had the thought I needed a Santa Cruz? No, I had played many I could walk away from with no regret. Just another fine guitar. One day I couldn't.

 

[Stagefright]

I played an HD-35 several weeks ago and knew I had to have it. As fate would have it, the guitar was sold online hours before I arrive to buy it. My dopamine levels are out of kilter and i am doing odd things like stalking similar versions on the Web. I know better than to force the issue, but I can’t shake bass response of the 1/4 inch bracing. I picked 2 guitars to cull from the herd and will not regret moving on.

In the end, we are all chasing the experience we crave.

 

[jwsamuel]

Do you really know what you want and what this guitar is not giving you?

Not bonding is a vague statement. What don't you like? Is it the sound? The neck? The way the guitar feels when you are playing it? It the dread shape too big? Is the neck to thin of too thick? The nut too wide?

I think too many people buy and sell guitars in the constant hope they will find the guitar they "bond" with or that "speaks to them." Over the past few years, I've found that what worked for me was to pick just one guitar, get rid of all the others, and stick with that one.

There is no holy grail.

 

[Christopher Cozad]

...There is no holy grail.

Say it ain't so, say it ain't so!

 

[Wilmywood]

I've never had money I wanted to squander playing catch and release, it's just not my nature. As soon as I could I upped my buying budget, and by that time I'd played a lot of guitars. In the last 25 years, I've sold no more than three good guitars. I needed to sell a 000 16, the early 90s version to buy an exceptional Martin M 36 which was my only acoustic for 15 years. During this time I bought my 70 D 35 that spent ten years in the closet. I also began exclusively flat picking. I sold a pedal steel, and found my 65 Texan which I spent a mind numbing $3400 for. Then I retired and got the 70 Guild fixed. I found myself playing the M 36 every six months out of guilt, and I had a friend who wanted it for decades, so I sold it to him cheap. I bought a Martin D 35 from Bryan Kinsey. But every buy was three or more years apart. I still was playing a lot of guitars at Gryphon, but once you reach a certain level, they don't seem worth the premium. But my Texan was an instant bond. I learned to pay attention to that every five or ten years occurrence, which would no doubt happen more frequently if I didn't have a rule not to pick up anything more than 20% over my self imposed limit.

I did just that when I played my Santa Cruz D P/W. I knew in five minutes I was buying it. It was used and I was kinda sorta looking for a D 18GE. But this was the one. It has been six months now, and I'm waiting for the new to wear off. It's not going to. So, do I need my 70 Guild D 35, or my 07 D 35 Custom or my Texan? Time will tell, and it's a sobering thought. So what have I learned in 50 years? Play as many guitars as you can. Buy something on the order of a D 18 level instrument as soon as you can. A Guild D 40 will do. Then, quit actively looking. Support your local store, and when you buy strings, play a few guitars. Teach yourself that once you've lived with a quality instrument, you can play many good guitars. There are thousands. One day you'll pick up a guitar that makes time go away. Do whatever you can to buy it.

To sum up. Get to the Standard series Martin or brand of your choice as quick as you can. This should enable you to play and put down many guitars without regret. Learn to realize the guitar you can't put down. Remember you don't play $7000 guitars. But maybe you find a D18GE, or a great J 45 that is captivating. Stretch to buy it. Rinse and repeat. Read up on dopamine and realize the dangers of needing a fix over the real deal find. My last two buys were when my frame of mind was I didn't really need anything. I had tried to find a mandolin under $4000 for years. I finally realized I wasn't being realistic and said, it's OK, I can play what I have. Soon after that conclusion, one fell in my lap. I had really decided I didn't need another dread too. My Guild D 35 was a big part of that. Then the Santa Cruz appeared. It was three years after I'd bought my Weber Yellowstone.

Now some are addicted to the dopamine rush of buying stuff. There is no problem with a habit if you know it's a habit and you chose to spend that way. Everyone is different. I have a friend that loves to buy, but is able to sell. He has many fine guitars, but one in, one out. He has discipline. But buy few, sell fewer is what works for me. If you buy right, you won't often sell. If you have the thought of how much will this be worth, don't buy the guitar. The feeling you are going for is feeling over the moon. Had I ever had the thought I needed a Santa Cruz? No, I had played many I could walk away from with no regret. Just another fine guitar. One day I couldn't.

I currently have about 15 guitars, but only a small handful are untouchable. I have probably bought and sold 30 or more over the past three years, some with the intention of keeping but just not feeling it. I have been fortunate to buy almost all of them right so I could break even or make a buck on their sales. I am always looking for the next big thing.

 

[Br1ck]

Do you really know what you want and what this guitar is not giving you?

Not bonding is a vague statement. What don't you like? Is it the sound? The neck? The way the guitar feels when you are playing it? It the dread shape too big? Is the neck to thin of too thick? The nut too wide?

I think too many people buy and sell guitars in the constant hope they will find the guitar they "bond" with or that "speaks to them." Over the past few years, I've found that what worked for me was to pick just one guitar, get rid of all the others, and stick with that one.

There is no holy grail.

Boy, the opening statement is brutally true. So many times, people aren't brutally honest with themselves. Many have a habit and need a fix. Since I bought a 000 16 in the early nineties, I've been able to play most anything in a great shop and walk out without pangs of regret. I kept an M 36 for decades as my one and only. But I quit finger style and wanted more headroom so bought a dread. Kept the M 36 for years until I realized it was a possession, not the tool I needed.

There is certainly no holy grail, but there are a few keepers. I've found them to be on the fringes of what is being sold to you. In reality what we think we want is ever so much a sliver better than what we have. Once you have a D 40 or a D 18 or a J 45, which I'll argue you need, you're chasing rainbows.

 

[Stuball48]

When you think about it each time you play it -- sell it!

 

[F30]

Not sure if it is the neck, the nut width, the tone...But one thing to keep in mind is if you played say 10 different D140's there would probably be few that really stand out as with any Acoustic model or brand. I hope this doesn't steer you away from Guild because they have plenty to offer everyone.

 

[Br1ck]

As you spend more money, I think it a natural progression to put more consideration in moving on, and more in your next purchase. I think there is not much point, at least for me, in lateral moves. What you want going forward is a satisfying instrument for the long haul. I've long called this the D 18 line, not for the D 18, though they are great, but the quality level they represent. In the Guild world, that's a D 25, 35, or 40. You can get a nice old Guild shopping the $1000 to $1500 used market. A D18 is hard to find at $2k.

I have this view for several reasons. Economically is they will likely hold value. As instruments, they will be satisfying. A satisfying instrument will encourage playing, and playing makes you better quicker. Instead of wasting time wondering whether or if to get another guitar, you'll spend the energy in learning. This is very good for your mental health.

Where things get tricky is in your own ability to evaluate which guitar is for you. I, after 50 years, can reject a guitar in two to three minutes. What I reject may be the guitar for you. Take the modern D 18 for example. I don't like Martin's MLO neck. I can live with them if I have to, but a 70s Martin neck is by far my preference. I can resolve to spend $5k in five minutes, as I just did. But let's take a D 18 as an example. Buying a used one clears the monetary hurdle as well as a base quality level. You could sell one, buy a Guild D 40 and pocket the extra. Or you could decide you want a D 28 and add a few hundred extra. Now ideally you don't really want to do this often. You want a guitar that sticks around a while.

Now, the elephant in the room is, are you an addictive personality? Just look at people's guitar lists at the end of the posts. That is another subject for another discussion. Suffice to say, I got my 70 Guild D 35 for an all in price of $1400. I've had it ten years. I've also bought a 65 Epiphone Texan, a Martin D 35 Custom, and a SCGC D P/W, but this was over 15 or so years. Some here do that in a year. Of course some have the means. I have a friend who I guess has $30,000 tied up in guitars from the sale of a Telecaster. He always has six or eight guitars. He loves buying them, he also sells one when he buys one. It is for him great entertainment.

I think what you are feeling will only be satisfied by the move to the D 18 line. After that money buys very incremental improvements. I don't think generally speaking, a different equal value guitar will gain much. But we all are different and sometimes finding our own path is necessary.

 

[Roland]

We've always had a one in, one out thing going. It isn't a plan or a strategy or set in stone, my wife has an electric bass, I have a hollow body electric and we have two acoustics, the big one and the little one. The big one was a birthday present, so I guess it is mine. The other one is just one we have. We wouldn't have to, but whenever we've wanted a different guitar we've always taken something we've had to trade on it. No reason, that's just how we do it. So we just look and decide what's going. We've never gotten rid of a guitar unless there was something else we wanted.