NGD Thursday: Oxnard D-20!

My first decent guitar in 1999 was a Guild (a DCE-1, unfortunately, and not the green D-25 I wanted); my first really good guitar was a D-55 in 2001. I never thought I'd buy another Guild (at least not a new one), but I was in the market for all-mahogany, and I heard about Ren's D-20.

I'm a little worried about the nut width, but I'm banking that I adjust.

Will post photos and impressions this weekend if not Thursday. It's been way too long since I owned a Guild!

Congrats on a new US made Guild. I hear these are super well built. Look forward to the pics.

What's the nut width on the new D20's and why would it worry you? I've heard great things about these new all mahogany Guilds. Congrats and I can't wait for a report and some photos!! I bet you're gonna love it!! :encouragement:

p.s. - I go back and forth from 1 11/16ths to 1 3/4ths without any problem at all. Any narrower or wider would probably be a stretch for me.

I have a lot of love for my D 20 and I'm thinkin' you will as well.

Congrats, Jesse, and HNGD!

Jesse_Dylan said:

I'm a little worried about the nut width, but I'm banking that I adjust.

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Well, it's the standard 1 11/16. If you're adjusting from 1 3/4, it shouldn't be a problem.

Yep, I was pretty well used to 1-3/4" since it's what my Martin M-36 has. But, then I bought some Gibsons (there's an understatement!), and they are 1.725", which is right in between 1-11/16" and 1-3/4". I really like the 1.725", though. I can definitely tell the difference of 1/16" (especially at the bridge), but I don't know if I can tell a difference of 1/32".

So perhaps telling myself they all had to be 1-3/4" was just my way of trying to prevent myself from buying more Martins or a Guild!

Anyway, I'm really excited. Here are the photos that the retailer took of my guitar. I don't know if it's the photo, or if all the D-20s look like this, or if it's just mine, but it's a very dark stain. It's neat. It really reminds me of the era in which these guitars were first made (late '50s, right?), where as the Martin equivalent reminds me more of when they were made in the '30s and earlier.

As soon as I figure out how to post photos anyway...

There we go. Swanky-looking case with built-in humidifier (so I don't have to buy one for this guitar yet--yay). No strap button (maybe I can add it myself if I want one). Really dark stain, though it might look lighter in person. Reminds me of some oak (I think it's oak) furniture I grew up with which hits the nostalgia button (as does the mahogany itself--it just looks like the classier side of 1950 to me, slightly art deco headstock (always adored Guild headstocks) and pickguard).

I just paid the asking price. I was out of the country and couldn't phone Sweetwater to haggle, and none of my usual dealers seem to carry Guild. I know other folks have gotten one for $1100, which is a great deal and sounds about right. I think mine was $1279, which is still a great deal, maybe the best deal around for an advertised-price, USA-made, all-solid guitar. Martin (15 series) and Gibson (J-15, the other best value in American guitars at the moment) both advertise for $1500 and can be had for about $1100. The J-15 is hard to beat if you want Gibson tone and a spruce top, and the Martin 15s are great, but I think the D-20 is probably where I'd point anyone looking for the most excellent basic least-expensive new USA-built acoustic.

Woops they didn't all fit in the first one

Beautiful guitar!! Congrats, again! :encouragement:

I wonder why thet didn't call it a D-25. It looks just like my Westerly D-25 looked new.

Pretty instrument!

That case looks a lot like the one my New Hartford-made F-47R came in.

marcellis said:

I wonder why thet didn't call it a D-25. It looks just like my Westerly D-25 looked new.

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I haven't seen the full explanation of Guild's new naming protocol, but my understanding is that models that have numbers ending in 5 are going to have more bling (that's why the F50 was renamed the F55).

jeffcoop said:

I haven't seen the full explanation of Guild's new naming protocol, but my understanding is that models that have numbers ending in 5 are going to have more bling (that's why the F50 was renamed the F55).

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That's how I remember it although the last time we looked at their model number key there was still room for "confusion".
That last digit was defined as "+5= specialty"
So theoretically they could introduce an archback version as a D25 without adding bling.
Or they could introduce a "Class" code for "Solid top, arched back, USA made", but they obviously didn't do that with the F55 Maple.
Conversely I like that calling it the D20 prevents any confusion with all the various versions that preceded it, it HAS to be an Oxnard-built guitar.
Ahh, found it, kindly posted by new member JasonG, here

marcellis said:

I wonder why thet didn't call it a D-25. It looks just like my Westerly D-25 looked new.

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Guild's naming architecture is more confusing to me than even Martin's complicated (and often excepted) language or Gibson's somewhat nonsensical designating.

Does the 20 now mean mahogany? So the M-20 and D-20 are basically identical other than the huge differences in size (M--what does "M" even stand for?--vs D), scale and innards (no doubt vastly different bracing). And presumably an F-20, were it to exist, would also be identical, all-mahogany with no binding but a jumbo body, jumbo scale, jumbo bracing... Or maybe I am on the wrong track. (No idea what the "F" for jumbo actually stands for either. "Frigate"?)

Edit: Oops, missed some posts

Jesse_Dylan said:

Guild's naming architecture is more confusing to me than even Martin's complicated (and often excepted) language or Gibson's somewhat nonsensical designating.

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Whoopsie, forgive me for forgetting to congratulate you on getting one of the first guitars to come out of Oxnard!
I suspect you were composing that message while I was looking up the chart above.
I think that'll answer those questions.
:friendly_wink:

Jesse_Dylan said:

Guild's naming architecture is more confusing to me than even Martin's complicated (and often excepted) language or Gibson's somewhat nonsensical designating.

Does the 20 now mean mahogany? So the M-20 and D-20 are basically identical other than the huge differences in size (M--what does "M" even stand for?--vs D), scale and innards (no doubt vastly different bracing). And presumably an F-20, were it to exist, would also be identical, all-mahogany with no binding but a jumbo body, jumbo scale, jumbo bracing... Or maybe I am on the wrong track. (No idea what the "F" for jumbo actually stands for either. "Frigate"?)

Edit: Oops, missed some posts

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well, for now just the M20 and D20 are all hog.
the M20 was always all hog, the D20 was never a model #. It was called a D25 from 68-71/72 (all hog), and D25 stuck but morphed into arched hog back with spruce top.
F20 however is spurce top, hog back.

good luck bud

And to add to the confusion, the GAD version of the D-25 was all solid mahogany as well.

Jesse, just give up now. There's no hope. The model naming is completely inscrutable, and Guild's (new) owners ain't helpin'.

I think the Oxnard naming convention is fairly clear and makes sense. I don't have a problem with it. There's nothing they could come up with that would explain CURRENT models and also make sense in light of past naming inconsistencies. There's no way to do that. So they just have to move forward with the above guide to naming and let past craziness be on its own. That's the way I look at it. Different factories have always done things a little differently in the Guild world.

Thanks for reposting the chart, Al. I was looking for it and when I saw you posted it .... it was a huge relief!! :encouragement:

Thanks, and yes, I agree--all they can do is move forward in a manner that seems to be inwardly congruent! (not sure what the right words are, but what I mean is something that makes sense and that they can adapt their output to)

I think they should also put Made in the USA on the truss rod cover or something for the USA Guilds. I see it is stamped on the neck block, but it seems like it would be good marketing for it to be visible on the outside of the guitar to differentiate between Oxnard and import.

The imported Guilds don't have truss rod covers so that's easy to distinguish. You adjust the truss rod through the sound hole. So if you see a TRC, it's an American made Guild. Although we know a few people who've put FAUX TRC's on their imports to deceive!!!