customer reviews
31 People rated this product :
8 out of 10
7 People wrote reviews
9 out of 10
Feature:
Mine is made in Tacoma at the Tacoma Guitar factory after Fender completed the purchase of Tacoma's assets and moved the facility for production from Corona, Calif where it had a short stint after being moved from Westerley RI when Fender bought Guild. Guilds were originally made in New york but production was moved to westerley for space and expansion, so this is a company that has more unfamiliar hands working on its designs. I hear the debate as to which are better but frankly they are all based on tha same designs and selection of woods, The Corona builders build Strats and the like and not too many acoustics so they got a bad wrap- the Tacoma guys build nothing but acousitcs and the Tacoma's were generally innovative, albeit a little unique for most but were always well built so I think it is a good match. Ive playerd several Westerley's and these are better, I think. The materials used are topnotch AAA spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, Grover Gold tuners- the finish is superb- you would be at least another 1500 to get into a Gibson, Martin or Taylor with all of the features of this guitar.
Quality:
This is a stunning guitar looks wise and the appointments like abalone and the white bindings and anitique burst are tasteful, giving the guitar a vintage vibe. I think this is important because you want a guitar that inspires you to play it and the guild begs you to pick it up. It is a little heavier than most and gives you the feeling of a durable guitar. Overall the build quality is first rate as are the materials- it comes off a little heavily lacquered for some purists and someone reported the lacquer by the neckbinding is prone to minor chipping as it did with mine- apart from this the top back and sides it is far more substantive and durable i think than the other guitars I have owned- the top will take a litlle longer to break in but is less prone to playing wear and dings and is a very fine instrument- a great choice for the playing professional in this regard.
Value:
The value is relative- I think there is a lot of guitar here-it is totally dressed and well built and offers more bang for the buck on US made guitars than the other brands. If you want value in terms of Bang for Buck, all of the solid wood instruments coming out of China represent awesome values and are sold at half the dinero or better. Find a good one of those and you will find the best value. In terms of resale, I don't think the Guild will fetch quite as much as say a Gibson, Taylor or Martin nor retain as much of its original asking price, but it will be very close. Unfortunately the chinese brands will likely lose more as a percentage of their original price as they will not be coveted as much in the used market. So you might pay 10-1200 for a tricked out solid wood chinese tanglewood or cort or even one of those guild GAD's and get a great axe, but unload it after five or six years for half or less of its street price. You might lay out twice that for a mid upper Taylor gibson or martin and get 75-80% if you strike a really good deal at the time of purchase- this Guild will be 65-75% I hope but is only 75% Which offers a better value? I say seven here cause the chinese guitars beat anything in terms of bang for the buck.
Desirability:
this axe is yummy
Sound:
I tried a number of guitars in the higher end of the range from all of the major North American Brands. The Taylors have a shimmery and bright high end without enough umph in the lower registers, so much so that I hear many sound guys will lower them in a full band mix, the Martin dreadnoughts are a little too boomy for my liking and lack some clarity-you are into five grand with either manufacturer before this evens out. the Gibson songwriters in this price range sound a bit better to me but they are plain jane companred to the guitars were thin sounding to me like the taylors but had better note definition for fingerpicking styles. As a strummer this Guild had all of the good qualities and none of the shortcomings- a little less lively than the Taylors but an even and balanced sound throughout. I threw out the plastic bridgepins and installed a set of Brass "tonepins" for fifteen bucks and while I was always an elixir bronze guy, I strung this with the phosphor bronze as recommended by the manufacturer. It is , I am happy to say, the holy grail in terms of tone for me. IO say this as I don't use the Guild for fingerpicking, prefering instead a small bodied Gibson. I have reserved the nine and tens for guitars I havent heard yet but
Ease of Use:
Mine was setup up before I bought it so I can't say how it is out of the box- I have big hands and an aggressive attack so I like a somewhat high action to p[revent string buzz- this one is lower than any of my guitars, including my strat and 80's banger charveljap with the floyd rose and still responds well to a heavy hand- fender could learn something about fretting and setup from these guys- simply amazingly easy to play.
Support:
never dealt with them - its fender now... so
Overall:
I'm happy with this guitar- it is everything I could want and then some.
Submitted: 2/26/2007
Style of Music: blues rock country
10 out of 10
"My D55 has become my favorite dreadnought..."
Feature:
I do wish it had built in electronics, but I can add that. There is a model with a DTar pickup for a little bit more $$$. I think the endpins(and maybe the saddle) are plastic, so that is kind of cheezy, but easily replaced. The finish on the neck feels a little sticky, not as smooth as my Taylor, but maybe with time it'll get smoother,
Quality:
As far as I can tell, it is top notch quality. Almost any guitar needs a little personal setting up. I'm hoping to keep this guitar for a very long time, so I'll see if it stands the test of time. I think it will. It certainly feels solid.
Value:
It's not an inexpensive guitar, but for a Rosewood, all solid wood, USA made guitar, and all things considered, it is reasonably priced. I think it's worth every penny.
Desirability:
It is a very beautiful guitar. The fretboard inlays and and binding give it a nice look. Not all blinged out, just the right amount. Very classy looking guitar. It inspires me to pick it up and play by just looking at it.
Sound:
The D55 has quickly become my favorite guitar. It sounds great with lots of low end response and it is well balanced. I would say it is more vintage sounding than say a Taylor.
Ease of Use:
One strum and I knew I had made a great choice. Good action to start with, but had room for improvement. I lowered the saddle, and a little filing at the nut, and it went from a good playing guitar, to a great playing guitar. Fretwork seems to be flawless for me to get the action so low.
Support:
N/A
Overall:
I just ordered a pickup for my D55 and should have it soon. This is a "keeper". It doesn't have a cutaway, which I sometimes need, but I have another guitar with that feature. Man, I would love a D55 with a cutaway! There isn't anything I don't like about this guitar except for the plastic bridgepins. Great guitar!
Submitted: 2/19/2007
Style of Music: Modern and classic rock
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