So far so good with the New Hartford D-40 Bluegrass Jubilee!

Larry Mal

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2019
Messages
47
Reaction score
53
So, the guitar was shipped today:



Absolutely wonderful sound to it. A little hard to describe, but I can say that it's certainly different from the Martin, Taylor and Gibson sound that I'm more familiar with. It's got great sound all around, very clear and present high end, crisp and powerful, with tight bass that can boom out but can also stay in the back if you want it to. It's not the most bass heavy instrument I've ever played, I guess you could just call it very well balanced like Guild says it is for lack of a better word. It's very nice.

The nut seems even more thin than I had thought, slimmer than my Martins that had the 1 11/16" nuts in feel anyway. Not only that, but the strings are pretty close on the nut itself (a beautiful nut), making the strings pretty tight. It plays very well, though, although it would probably take some time to get my fingers used to fingerpicking with it as well as I do with my other guitars. The neck is fairly thick, and this guitar is very fast playing especially for chording.

It also has a tremendous dynamic range to it, also, which is very pleasant. A fair amount of sustain, which is pretty nice with this guitar- I have a few Gibsons that have the nice dry and woody Gibson sound, and I love that, but this guitar has that haunting sustain that dreadnaughts have and you can't go wrong with that, either.

Bear in mind that I'm saying all this with the stock strings being on there, and I don't even know what they are. They seem to have some life to them but I'll write more when I get it restrung.

One thing I will not have to do is any kind of setup to it, whoever had this guitar before me has it dialed in just perfectly, so all I need to do is string and play. Also, Guild seems to have been very much wanting to compete on quality, the nut is beautiful and much better than the stock plastic ones that come on my other guitars. The saddle is great and the bridge pins seem of very high quality also. Usually, I have to upgrade that stuff.

One thing is, though, I had heard that Adirondack would remain clear all the way through the range of sound, but really, I'm finding it to break up about at the same point that my Sitka tops do. Maybe my ear just hasn't gotten used to what I'm hearing, or maybe the new strings will help, maybe it's my right hand and my thin picks, I dunno. Not a big deal... it sure does sound good.

All in all, it was the guitar I was hoping it would be, so thanks for all the advice! Great forum here.
 

Stuball48

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Oct 22, 2017
Messages
4,736
Reaction score
2,534
Location
Dickson, TN
It is a beautiful D40 and from your excellent printed review, the sound and playability matches or surpasses the looks.
Sincere congratulations to another Guild owner/lover.
 

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
Leave it alone, LOL. It looks and sounds like a wonderful acquisition. Gotta love a dread with a big bass end! Sweet blonde Adi top, too. Any idea what strings are currently on her?
 

Larry Mal

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2019
Messages
47
Reaction score
53
Judging from looks they appear to be 80/20s, and the John Pearse versions of those is what I use these days anyway. No idea what brand, though, but they don't have that reddish tinge that phosphor bronze has.
 

txbumper57

Enlightened Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
7,577
Reaction score
58
Location
Texas
This Guild shipped from the factory with Medium Gauge (.056-.013) Daddario EXP-17 Coated Phosphor Bronze Strings. The Non coated versions would have been Daddario EJ-17's. I am sure the 80/20's give it more of a brighter tone whihc is cool if that is what you are going for.

I'm really glad to hear that you are enjoying the D40! As far as that top thing you mentioned with it breakup around the same time as your Sitka guitars is concerned, I have found with the Adi topped Guilds from this period that it takes a bit of playing to get these tops to really open up and start to breathe. It may sound a bit tight for awhile until you get some playtime on it as it may not have ever been played much from what you have described. Once they do get settled in though they just won't stop! Mine have the most Touch Sensitivity out of any guitars I have ever played. I can really get them singing with minimal effort fingerpicking and the different dynamics in tone from just the slightest modification in touch is Amazing. Then of course you can get your pick and just blow the windows out of the room if you like, LOL!

Congrats Again man!

TX
 
Last edited:

mike1100

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2018
Messages
135
Reaction score
34
Congrats Larry. I've been on the lookout for one of these in my area for awhile.

"The saddle is great and the bridge pins seem of very high quality also"

Yea regarding the pins....they should be bone from what I've read, along with the saddle and the nut I believe. You might enjoy the link below. The author talks about the D-40 Bluegrass Jubilee in the second half of the article.

https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/The-Guild-D-50-Bluegrass-Special-Acoustic-Guitar
 

Larry Mal

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2019
Messages
47
Reaction score
53
Mine have the most Touch Sensitivity out of any guitars I have ever played. I can really get them singing with minimal effort fingerpicking and the different dynamics in tone from just the slightest modification in touch is Amazing. Then of course you can get your pick and just blow the windows out of the room if you like, LOL!

Congrats Again man!

TX

Wonderful! I feel I already have that now, actually. It's got a great dynamic range to it, very well balanced across the sound spectrum at all sound levels. Play it soft, play it loud, and you still hear the notes clearly.

I feel pretty sure that this guitar was well played, I'd imagine the top is fairly opened up at this point. It's got plenty of dings and such from use, it wasn't living in a case all these years or anything.
 

SFIV1967

Venerated Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
18,442
Reaction score
8,956
Location
Bavaria / Germany
Guild Total
8
There is also this video, where Dave Gonzalez and Chris Fleming talk about the model. (Chris Fleming is the Director of the Fender Custom Shop nowadays)



Ralf
 
Last edited:

Larry Mal

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2019
Messages
47
Reaction score
53
I did see that video, Ralf, it was actually a part of the decision making process for me in deciding I wanted one of these. It's easy to see how much care the people at Guild took in making this guitar as good as they could possibly make it.

And they did make a great one, it's excellent. What a great sound, it's growing on me.

It occurred to me when playing it today that if somehow this guitar could be my only one, then I would still be doing pretty good... that's always a good feeling when you get a new instrument.
 

Larry Mal

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2019
Messages
47
Reaction score
53
Also, I'm happy to report that when I measure the nut, my calipers are giving me a reading of 1.720", so a little thicker than the advertised 1.6875". This makes me happier.
 

txbumper57

Enlightened Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
7,577
Reaction score
58
Location
Texas
Also, I'm happy to report that when I measure the nut, my calipers are giving me a reading of 1.720", so a little thicker than the advertised 1.6875". This makes me happier.

That is one thing that I have noticed was normal on New Hartford builds, Actual over sized nut width. All of my Traditional Series New Hartford Guilds were spec'ed at 1-11/16" but they all are over that in width in real life. Over the 12-15 Traditional models I have had or have they all come in between 1.715" and 1.745" on my Starrett Calipers. Even some of the Orpheum 12 fret models that were spec'ed at 1-3/4" nut width are actually 1.80"-1.90".

It was a bit of a shock when I went to play the New Oxnard American made Acoustic Guilds as they are spec'ed at 1-11/16" like the New Hartford models but they are actually 1-11/16" in real life which felt a little cramped for me. I prefer the wider nut personally.

TX
 

Larry Mal

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2019
Messages
47
Reaction score
53
Yeah, most of my Gibsons are wider than the advertised 1.725" nuts also, one of them (my J-60) is actually a dead on 1.75", which is probably my preference, although it's not a hard and fast one.

Regardless, whoever set this Guild up did a great job, I don't know how it would be set up any better, frankly. It plays fast and easy and I hope it stays this way for a while.
 
Top