New D-140 Day

Big-Al

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One In and one out. My Larrivee sold today and my new D-140 arrived from Amazon.

d_140.jpg


It came still in all of the factory packaging with the wrapper still on the strings, so I'm sure I'm the first person to see it since it was boxed up at the factory. It came with a QC tag on it with the stylized "GR" running around the border of the tag, so I assume it came from the Grand Reward factory. As far as I can tell the fit and finish is flawless. There is some nice silking on the top and the burst looks much better than it did on the Amazon website. The back grain is really nice and the gloss finish looks like glass. From looking at it, I'd never guess that this was a sub-$2000 guitar, let alone a $518 steal. It looks that good.

It sounds good too. Here's the factory video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsOYasBqn4U

And yes, it looks and sounds that good in person.

My only complaint is that the saddle is a little low for my taste. I shimmed it for now, but I'll probably a make up a new one this weekend from a too-tall bone one I found in my parts box.

Yup. I'm happy about this one.
 
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beecee

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Yup. I'm happy about this one.

I can see why. Drop dead gorgeous!!

Dumb question: What is Grand Reward?
 
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Rayk

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One In and one out. My Larrivee sold today and my new D-140 arrived from Amazon.

d_140.jpg


It came still in all of the factory packaging with the wrapper still on the strings, so I'm sure I'm the first person to see it since it was boxed up at the factory. It came with a QC tag on it with the stylized "GR" running around the border of the tag, so I assume it came from the Grand Reward factory. As far as I can tell the fit and finish is flawless. There is some nice silking on the top and the burst looks much better than it did on the Amazon website. The back grain is really nice and the gloss finish looks like glass. From looking at it, I'd never guess that this was a sub-$2000 guitar, let alone a $518 steal. It looks that good.

It sounds good too. Here's the factory video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsOYasBqn4U

And yes, it looks and sounds that good in person.

My only complaint is that the saddle is a little low for my taste. I shimmed it for now, but I'll probably a make up a new one this weekend from a too-tall bone one I found in my parts box.

Yup. I'm happy about this one.

Wow hard to believe it sounds better then the Larrivée.
Anyway good looking guitar
I’m patiently await my Om 120 :) got delayed again another 6 weeks .
 

Big-Al

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Wow hard to believe it sounds better then the Larrivée.
Anyway good looking guitar
I’m patiently await my Om 120 :) got delayed again another 6 weeks .

Well, the Larrivee possibly had a more nuanced sound . . . not that the Guild is a slouch . . . but the Larrivee was a pretty quiet guitar. When I played it with the group I'm in, it disappeared. I even had trouble hearing myself play. A guitar you can hear (in the right hands) sounds better than one you can't hear.
 

beecee

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A guitar you can hear (in the right hands) sounds better than one you can't hear.

I'm glad you added the qualifier "in the right hands".

A lot of people that play with me would have said otherwise!
 

Rayk

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Well, the Larrivee possibly had a more nuanced sound . . . not that the Guild is a slouch . . . but the Larrivee was a pretty quiet guitar. When I played it with the group I'm in, it disappeared. I even had trouble hearing myself play. A guitar you can hear (in the right hands) sounds better than one you can't hear.

I hear ya now ! Lol
 

Big-Al

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Well, I've had the guitar for three days now and I just keep liking it more and more. The saddle I had in my parts box wasn't quite long enough for the bridge slot, so I bought a "Blisstime" bone saddle/pins/nut set from Amazon for just under $15. I didn't use the nut, but I did use the saddle and the bone bridge pins. The quality of the parts was surprisingly good. With the strings at their proper height, the guitar really sings . . . nice deep lows airy mids and clear trebles and no excessive low-end tubbiness. The guitar is loud. It just begs to be played hard. Did I say it's loud? . . . like get out the hearing protection loud? It also finger picks well. It sounds good open and with a capo . . . no bad notes anywhere on the neck. Speaking of the neck, I like the neck. It's substantial, not baseball bat fat, but substantial. It fits my hand. I think I'm going to like this guitar a lot and for a long time. It's definitely a keeper.

Yes, it's a mid-priced import, not a USA flagship model. If the USA-made D-40's are better than this one, then they must be really incredible, because this one is a fantastic guitar.
 

Grassdog

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Wow, what a burst. That thing is beautiful and if sounds half as good as it looks, you got a steal.

It's just amazing what you can buy nowadays for a reasonable price. I picked up a Blueridge BR-160 for about $500 not too long ago and I can't get over how good that thing sounds.
 

beecee

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If the USA-made D-40's are better than this one, then they must be really incredible, because this one is a fantastic guitar.

They are slightly better than really incredible!
 

Rayk

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Wow, what a burst. That thing is beautiful and if sounds half as good as it looks, you got a steal.

It's just amazing what you can buy nowadays for a reasonable price. I picked up a Blueridge BR-160 for about $500 not too long ago and I can't get over how good that thing sounds.

That’s because Blueridges Rock ! 😁
 

rwmct

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$518? That is a great deal. The D-140s I have seen have sounded very nice. That one certainly looks great.
 

Cougar

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....As far as I can tell the fit and finish is flawless.

Gorgeous! Grand Reward has been producing great "less expensive" guitars for many years. That thing is a beauty! Love the burst & the abalone rosette! The fretboard can't be ebony, but it sure looks like it!
 

Big-Al

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Thanks! I played the guitar with a contemporary church choir yesterday, using a K&K Meridian mic played through a Loudbox Mini. It filled the space very well and I was pleased with the overall tone. I'm normally not a big fan of bursts, but I like this one. It's kind of a dark root beer color fading into amber. I'm really getting to like the neck too. It's "vintage" . . . wide and thick . . . kind of like me. :laughing:
 
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