Guild

My musical style is a folk-country style--flatpicked alternating between strumming and arpeggiated chords. The guitar is well-made from a construction standpoint. No loose joins or bracing. No sloppy glue spots. It has a jumbo body with a solid spruce top and maple back and sides. It has a matte finish. It also features an undersaddle pickup and preamp. The volume and tone controls are located inside the soundhole. The bag which holds the 9-volt battery is attached to the neck block inside the body of the guitar. It has minimal cosmetic appointments. There is no binding on the fretboard and inlays are imitation pearl dots. The pickup/preamp is virtually useless. It feeds back at very low volumes. And no amount of EQ seems to be able to tame either the feedback or the piezo "quack." Acoustically, the tone is not much better. It lacks the chime-like quality which should be the signature tone of a 12-string. It sounds more like a 6-string run through a chorus pedal. At first I thought this might be due to the strings being old. But a change to fresh strings did not improve the sound. The tuners are another problem. In a guitar of this price range--one should expect at least sealed clones of Grovers or Gotohs--but these seem to be revisiting the early covered tuners made by Waverly or Kluson. They do not turn smoothly and getting an exact tuning, even with a strobe, is time consuming. I've only regretted purchasing a 12-string a few times in my life and this is one of the purchases I've regretted.

I bought my Cherry Red Guild Starfire lll back in 1965 when it was brand new for $250 which included a hard shell case. I picked it because it looked like Johnny River's Gibson that he played on Shindig and at the Whisky-A-Go Go and I couldn't afford the Gibson. I still play it at gigs. The finish has held up well but some of the binding is starting to pull away from the wood where the pick guard bracket is mounted to the body. It stays in tune as well as any other guitar I own, maybe better. Other than installing a tune-o-matic bridge with roller saddles on the aluminum base, for better intonation, the guitar is completely original. It has the sway bar made by Bigsby but branded as a Guild like they all do, which is why I went to the roller bridge. The original kept breaking strings. What I really like about this sway bar is that it is always reliable and the guitar will not go out of tune through use or if a string breaks. I cannot say that about any of my Fender tremolo bars. I play rock, blues and country through a Fender Blues Deluxe Amp and this guitar does it all well. It really shines as a blues guitar. The sound is stellar. The only con I've noticed with it is if you stand too close to the amp it will feed back a lot since it is a hollow body. In the 60's though this was a plus given the type of playing that was going on. It does lead and rhythm well as you can take it from a full body sound to country twang very easily. The electronics are still original and perform well and the neck is still perfect on it. It plays as well as the day I bought it and I've played it from New England to Guam. All in all I couldn't have bought a better guitar at any price, and I don't think a Gibson would have performed any better. Sorry Johnny. I think its great to be able to see my 15 year old self in photos playing the same guitar I'm still playing at 70 years old. I don't know if the new ones are any better or worse but I do know that this one is still a great guitar and holds a lot of memories.

I wanted an OM style guitar to have along with my Santa Cruz Tony Rice Dreadnought . Now these are hand made in China, actually hand made, and use all solid tone woods, Mine has Sitka spruce top and flame maple back and sides, like I said no laminate. I am of the mind that like anyone, the Chinese take pride in their work and this is obvious by the build quality, scolloped spruce forward bracing ect, very nice. As for the sound, Killer, playability , killer, even has "Butter Bean open back Tuners, I was actually shocked for what you get for the money, hangs right in with my Tony Rice which costs 5000$. These GAD Guilds are worth checking out for sure, I am very happy with mine… Comes with a Canadian made hard case which is excellent, case is probably 100$,, LOL

My Guild X-79 Skyhawk is a 1984 model that has three single coil pickups. Each pickup can be put out of phase or turned off and there is a volume and tone knob. The guitar has a set neck with 24 frets. The neck is very thin and quick to play, however the frets are also very small and can be hard to play, especially up the neck. In addition, the volume knob is located very close to the strings, making it easy to accidentally lower the volume. However, the volume knob is in a great spot for a disciplined player to be able to do a lot of volume swells. UTILIZATION The small frets can be a little difficult to play and to solo with, but might be useful for someone with smaller fingers. However, the guitar very light and is exceptionally well balanced. SOUNDS The set neck produces great tone and sustain, but the this shape guitar (think heavy metal) ought to have double-humbucking pickups instead of single coils. Changing the bridge pickup for one of the Seymour Duncan heavy metal pickups will go a lot way at improving the crunch of this guitar. The stock single coils tend to feedback pretty easily. OVERALL OPINION I bought this guitar because of it's space-age shape and because at the age of 16, I thought that's what my guitar hero from Twisted Sister, Jay Jay French played. JJ took the Guild endorsement, but from what I read (once he endorsed his own Epiphone model) he actually played a Les Paul on all of the Twisted Sister recordings, so who am I really to believe, and when? Whatever may be the true story, this guitar does look pretty badass and can go a long way to fooling people you can rock hard, which is just what I needed to trick people into thinking at 16 since it was my first guitar. There are other '80s metal looking guitars, but I think this one has the coolest looking headstock of them all. I saved up my money to buy it, and spent a bit more than I would on some other first guitar, because I knew my parents would flip out and it would probably be the last guitar I'd probably be able to buy. It turns out only the former was true. I hardly ever use it anymore because it's difficult to play on such small frets. But, I'll probably never part with it since it's my very first guitar.

The Guild D25 acoustic guitar was made in the USA and has 22 frets. It is strictly an acoustic guitar as has no pick up and therefore has no tone controls. It is made of mahogany and has a great overall feel to it - both in the neck and the body. It is built well and is designed both for feel and sound, which are the two most important things to me when looking at guitars. UTILIZATION The neck feels flowing and it is easy to play all around the neck. It isn't too heavy and the big body of the guitar helps to add to its big tone. It is easy to get a good sound out of this if it is in proper condition and is set up properly. I love the overall sound from this guitar as it is fuller sounding to me than most other acoustic guitars. SOUNDS This guitar is good for all types of music that you would want to play acoustic guitar on. It has a full range, both with a solid body and bass and a crisp high end. Its good feel makes it easy to play and therefore easy to get a nice sound out of it. This isn't the best sounding acoustic in the world, but it is above average and full in tone. OVERALL OPINION I've had my Guild D25 for about five years. While it isn't my only acoustic guitar, it provides me with a great option that I know I can rely on for a good sound and will always be easy to play. The price is reasonable, but there are plenty of other guitars out there that are great at this price and for less, like some of what Martin and Taylor makes. It is a good deal, but I would encourage players to go check out the guitars for themselves, as different players have different preferences!

The Guild F-150RCE is an exciting guitar to play. Great looking spruce top, rosewood back and sides. The ivoroid binding is complemented with a ring of mother of pearl about sound and mathching block inlays, nice touch. The neck profile is comfortable in the hand and allows for quick chord changes which is a great feature to have on such a large guitar. The onboard electronics sound great. The pickup system is a Fishman Sonitone. UTILIZATION Even with the mammoth size of the F-150RCE, the guitar is perfectly comfortable. The neck profile allows for nimble playability while the cutaway provides ample reach in to the higher registers of the guitar. The tuning stability was so-so. I had to retune numerous times when switching between songs that required alternate arrangements. The guitars large body projected very well with both strumming and fingerstyle playing, without being overly boomy in the low end. SOUNDS The guild had a very complex sound to it that was charming. Chords sounded very sweet while arpeggiated notes sounded out very clearly. I preferred the sound this guitar with using a plectrum. Fingerstyle passages while being projected well and loud, lacked a degree of intelligibility. While the tuning issues did not completely overwhelm the perks of the playing experience, it was inconvenient and frustrating. OVERALL OPINION The Guild F-150RCE is a brilliant sounding guitar for singer songwriters. I enjoy the aesthetics of the guild and felt that the playability exceeded a lot of other guitars with the same shape in the price point. While their are certainly values on the market that exceed the guild (the Taylor GS mini and Eastman models come to mind) none are Jumbo bodies. The Guild is a good looking guitar and it certainly does justice to the Guild branding. I do not believe the tuning issues I had were typical with these guitars but it is something to be aware of as a consumer.

This is a chinese made acoustic guitar manufactured by Guild. It is your standard dreadnought acoustic with 20 frets and no cutaway. It has a nice and thin neck with very nice string spacing on the fretboard. Mine is in the natural burst and its simple but very appealing. The guy at the store said it was made of spruce and rosewood. He's a very honest salesman who loves guitars so I'm positive on that. I give this guitar a 9 because while it's not the best guitar in the world, it serves its purpose with pride, especially for a non-USA made guitar. UTILIZATION The neck on this guitar is great. As I said before the spacing between the strings is perfect. You can easily make chord changes or do some lead work without a sweat. The access to the higher frets isn't stellar but if you like to play pas the 13th 14th fret on an acoustic you should be buying a cutaway. The design of this guitar is simple but very effective (and beautiful.) It doesn't have any frills but it feels great in your hands and doesn't weigh much since it doesn't have any electronics. I give this guitar a 9 once again because it is simple and very effective. Playing is a breeze and this thing doesn't stifle creativity like some acoustics. SOUNDS This guitar sounds good for any type of music. It has a real classic acoustic sound. Very warm and full as opposed to other guitars in its price range which sound sharp and chalky. The notes lower on the neck ring clear but sound organic. The higher register is shimmery and a little bit more rounded so it blends with the low end perfectly. No other guitar in this price range sounds as organic as this one. Due to the use of woods it sounds like a real acoustic should. Nice job Guild. I give this guitar a 10 for sound because you can't beat the bang for the buck of this guitar in terms of sound. OVERALL OPINION I've been using this guitar for about 2 months now and I love it more every day. Other acoustics I've owned have made playing seem boring. They stifled my creativity. I can jam out on this guitar for hours and no matter what I want to play it for just a little bit more. I use it for open mics and the other guy I play with has one too. People often comment on how warm our tone is and how they enjoy it. Even a lot of non-musicians. I tried a lot of other guitars in this price and I can't believe the difference. Everything else played poorly and sounded fake. Guild has really impressed me with the GAD-50. If something were to happen to this guitar I would definitely get it again because you get great tone and playability for a very reasonable price. I give this guitar a 10 for overall because it really shines through all of its competition and has the quality of a more expensive guitar for the price of a mid-level guitar.

The Guild D4 was made in the USA and is not an electric - acoustic so it doesn't have a pick up or any control knobs. To me, its fine that it is just acoustic as I use it for recording only, as it is one of the best sounding guitars on the planet for recording, in my opinion. UTILIZATION This guitar is extremely fluid and easy to play. It is easy to play anywhere on the neck and feels fluid overall. It is the perfect shape and weight, which adds to its overall feel and ease of use. The body is big which adds to its full sound - this is one of the fullest sounding acoustic guitars I have ever used. To get a good tone, all you have to do is pick it up and play! SOUNDS For recording, I think the sound of the Guild D4 is just about as good as it gets. I always get a good sound when I record with this and it never ceases to amaze me how good this really sounds. I use it for all types of music - rock, pop, and folk as it sounds good in just about any setting. I love the sound of this guitar as it has a full body sound with a full mid sound and transparent high end. OVERALL OPINION For recording, I think the sound of the Guild D4 is just about as good as it gets. I always get a good sound when I record with this and it never ceases to amaze me how good this really sounds. I use it for all types of music - rock, pop, and folk as it sounds good in just about any setting. I love the sound of this guitar as it has a full body sound with a full mid sound and transparent high end.

This Guild guitar was built in the U.S.A. in 1977. It has a mahogany body and neck with a 24 fret ebony fretboard. Because this is an S-300D, it has been equipped with a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge and a PAF Pro in the neck position. There is a volume and tone control for each pickup, a three way toggle selector switch, and a two way phase switch. It has a Guild style tune-a-matic bridge. UTILIZATION The body shape is truly unique, however it does allow for easy access to the upper frets. The body is relatively thin and the guitar is fairly light weight, but this is still a very resonant and well balanced instrument. SOUNDS I play all varieties of rock and this guitar is built for just that. I plug my Guild into a Peavey Classic 50 and several pedals consisting of a MXR Micro Amp, a Bodenhamer modded Boss SD-1, a Line 6 MM4, and an ISP Decimator. This guitar sounds great whether you’re playing clean or distorted. The PAF Pro in the neck is an excellent compliment to the Super Distortion in the bridge, adding a smooth creaminess to contrast the high output grind. The phase switch is an interesting concept, but is so subtle an effect it is virtually unnoticeable unless you are on a relatively loud clean channel. OVERALL OPINION My favorite thing about this guitar is how it looks. It is a VERY unique and original body design. When I purchased this guitar they were typically going for $700 on the used market. For a vintage guitar of this quality and craftsmanship, $700 is an excellent deal. If made today this guitar would probably retail for well over $1,000. My least favorite thing about this guitar is that they are so hard to find. I would love to own another one!

Stared with a Harmony 12-string, got an EKO Ranger XII E in the Navy. Self-taught, got a Gibson 335 when I got out and have a few others, only sold one, gave one away and demolished one. I'm playing folk-rock, blues, rock n roll and original stuff. I was introduced to my 212 by a friend who saw it and had to get a job to buy it in '74. Had to pay full price ($775 w/ case - Akron Music Center) It's been my baby for 35 years. It sounds great, good intonation, does well with a bone saddle or a brass one. Consistent. Double truss rod helps alot. Guild's finish started checking after two years and they didn't bother with it when I sent it back to them (what a mistake) in the late 80's as the bridge was coming up. They left out the bridge hold-downs that Virgil Lay put in for me when they replaced the bridge, the saddle was way off intonation-wise and the finish wasn't touched out side of asome kind of black stuff across a check scrape on the back of the neck. I sanded it all down a couple of years ago when it was flaking off and did a temp finish until I learn how to do it better or can afford a RAL refinish job. I did put a Highlander pickup system in it and it sounds like a 12-string when it's amped, so I can use it all the time, if I want. I bought a Carvin electric 12-string because the neck was similar, I can reccomend that one. Under the beautiful looking finish lies a sweetheart of a 12-string. Plays extremely well. Great action. Very forgiving of me, that's for sure. I think I'm gonna have it put in the crematorium with me (gotta have your sword to get to Valhalla). All the 212's, 312's 412's and 512's of that vintage have been really good soundingguitars. The Guild 12-strings I've been picking up lately just ain't got it. I wonder what happened. I've been considering asking Taylor to make me one with this neck's measurements. That might be as near as I would get to this one. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I have played about 25 years. I have tried other instruments, but I've only felt right playing bass. I currently have three children, teach high school and have little time for a band. However, I frequently play for my own satisfation. My musical tastes tend towards alternative rock and rockabilly/country. I purchased a 1978 B301 at a flea market for $300.00. It was in such nice shape I couldn't pass it up. I then took it to The Guitar Factory in Orlando,Fl to have it set up. The Guild is a solidly built bass with a unique shape. It set up nearly perfectly, and is very easy to play. It's tone is very smooth, with a good deal of bottom end. It falls somewhere between a P-Bass and an old EBO. Yet it responds very well to the passive tone and a great deal of treble can be dialed in. I think the combination of set-neck, mohagony wood, and fat single coil pickup provide some of the best attributes of gibson and fender basses without some of their shortcomings. The bass is has a fairly small body with a horn that only extends past the 10th fret. This combined with the classic headstock and Schaller tuners do make it neckheavy. Additionally, while not a back-breaker, mohagony is a heavy wood. This bass is better than most 70's era Jazz Basses, but it is a little heavier than my precision. Additionally, While the range of tones is sufficient for old school funk, it doesn't have the extreme high range of modern active basses. As I have stated, the B301 is a solidly built set-neck bass with a full 34 in scale. The neck is slightly deeper than the average P-Bass width. It is a 3-piece neck with a strip of maple sandwiched between two wings of mohagony. The truss rod adjustment is located on the headstock, and one large(and quiet)single coil pickup is located in the P-Bass position. The Guild B301 is solid, unique, and has a distinctive tone. At a time when vintage basses are at a premium, it has managed to sneak under the radar. What a great deal for collectors who want to play with their pieces. It is also a graet deal for players who want to play something with a vintage vibe that also sounds great. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

i was given this guitar by my grand ma afore she passed. And I'm thinkin she paid alot fo it cause she did'nt eat much afta she gave it to me. I like this guitar cause it just keeps on tickin. I broke a few strings, but she still sounds great. It was them tiny strings that broke. I dont much care for the way they sound any way. Also, my dog... she chewed the neck part a lil and that ol guitar just keeps on soundin real good I cant think a much I dont like. Maybe they could make all the strings fat so they dont break so easy this guitar is built like a brick s..t housse if ya get my drift. Sometimes i leave it out overnight and the top got a lil lumpy but she still plays great ya gotta get one of these great guitars. afore they dont sell em no more I really love mine. wish I new more bout that finger pickin stuff. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com