Bought a Westerly made D55 after watching this review...unbelievable guitar....loved the Guild so much that I got an OM-130 after that.....great additions to my Martin DC-Aura, Taylor 710 KCE, 314CE, and 654CE, and '48 Gretsch New Yorker......life is good and I have acoustic Heaven here on earth
I bought a D-55 in 1976. It has aged beautifully and is very deep, rich, bright, and loud now. Much more than when bought. I got it because it was much cheaper than a Martin and nearly as fine. It has never let me down.
Heard all these riffs on a that pedal show episode and had to come back and check them out played with these beauties, the last solo part from the 12string was just AMAZING
That D-55 cuts through a mix very nicely but I have to say that the F-30 would do extremely well for a solo singer/performer or someone playing for friends around a campfire. Very smooth articulation. Well done on the demo👍👍
Last week I tried out a D-55 (the first Guild I ever played) and was thoroughly impressed, but now I'm thinking F-30; indeed may be better suited for a man and his voice.
I own 3 Guilds now: the F-30 Standard, the Starfire V electric and the A-150 acoustic archtop. The F-30 is far and away the best acoustic I've ever played. I went through the full stock of 2 guitar stores and played high end Martins and Gibsons, price was not an object. And I came away loving the F-30 just for the feel of the neck, the responsiveness, and the tone. Years later I got a great deal on a brand new Starfire V. It's been practically the only electric I've used since, and I own an American Deluxe tele and strat. The guild has a tone that's somewhere between a single coil sound but with the warmth of a humbucker. And the playability and neck lead me to wonder if Guild made an archtop acoustic, since they're my main gig lately. Sure enough, I managed to get a good deal on an A-150 and I play it almost as much as the F-30. As with all archtops, it hit its full volume after about 3 months and just opened up in the most amazing way. I'm just blown away by it and I'd buy another guild in a heartbeat. If they come out with an American made solid wood archtop acoustic, price would literally be no object.
I have the F 512 made in Tacoma and it is a wonderful guitar. Of course, I would love to have these other two beauties as well. Thanks for sharing. The sound quality and overall descriptive presentation was second to none. You all put out a terrific magazine too - just got a copy of the new acoustic version last month and love it. Thanks for featuring and posting Guild on your site and magazine. It is indeed an iconic American brand and they are making some of the best guitars around in their Connecticut factory.
The 9 people who disliked this does NOT play a Guitar, Or anything else as far as that goes.. Here you have GREAT lessons FREE , On Beautiful Guitars to. If you want to expand your playing method learn these riffs and take off man, This is really cool with how much more you can do with these simple riffs. All I can say is Thanks for the Riffs . I have a DCE--5 Guild, 6 String Cutaway w/ Electronics . I LOVE this Guitar. I put on a new set of Martin med Strings and it sounds like a piano. Man just BEAUTIFUL...! I might be mistaken BUT I heard Fender took over the Guild company . Anybody hear anything about that ? let me know.
Nice work on this... They sound glorious... I cherish my old mid-80s Guild-D40, The Rosewood D-55 and 512 have that nice bottom, and the F30 has such rich mids.
I played a 400 dollar Guild in the music store the other day and fell in love with the tone. I cant remember the model number but its tone was bright and crisp which is my personal favorite. Love the Guild headstock design too.
Maybe a Westerly collection Guild. They have a really charasteristic back, they are Archback. I went yesterday to a music store, and I was with the idea of sigma guitars, but the guy from the store told me to play the Guild, and it was AWESOOOME. The model I tried was the Guild OM-240 e
Wow, I just LOVE Guild Guitars! Thank you for one of the best guitar video comparisons I have ever seen. It is so painful to me to think about the D55 and an F412 that I once had. Both had neck issues, and I was told that at the time Guild guitars often had that problem, so I no longer have them. But there is something about that Guild sound that just grabs my heart. If Guild has eliminated that neck problem, I would find a way to buy them agiain, somehow!
Thank you, so useful, so amazing that you took the time, thank you...F30 sounded so good, but the D55 really has all the appointments I have been looking for, for a long time. With the knowlege of Gibson's master luthier now being at the helm is what got me hooked... The 12 string sounded so warm...
Great demonstration.except for, as noted previously, they used compression and reverb effects which cover the original sound, but i really like how they play all three guitars in the same way on the same songs and switch quickly between them so you can easily distinguish the individual sounds. They also picked really nice tunes to use. i used to have a 70's D-55 (when strummed hard it would almost ring forever) that i foolishly traded in for a Martin. I am going to buy another D-55 but both of the other guitars sound great as well. Thanks for the video
I wanna say something else: Your Video arrangement, your sound/micing and playing is absolutely wonderful! Great Video. I own myself a 1992 F-30 Westerly) and since recently a 1979 F-512NT Westerly! Hell yeah.
If the Guild D-55 had a 1.75" nut width and an adirondack top I'd own one. Went with a Martin D-28 Marquis instead. VERY happy. As to the Guild 12... I have a 1979 Guild F212XL NT... WOW! Guild makes great guitars.
An excellent review. Possibly the best I've seen. I thought each guitar sounded good for it's type. The D-55 and F-512 sounded in a league with some of the Gibsons and Martins I've played for similar value. It would be down to personal taste. The OM was obviously a cheaper guitar. A good cheap OM will often have a good blues tone as I think this one does. A better OM would blow it and the D-55 away for the other lead though. For the OMs I'd like to hear how the F-50 rates against the Taylor, Gibson, Martin and PW.
This just makes me sad. My Guild F-512 was stolen in a home break in in 1989. They weren't making them anymore at that time. I replaced it with a Taylor (tinny) and later with a Chinese Guild (better than the Taylor). Oh well, maybe the new owners will bring it back.
Jesus these guitars sound better than 90% acoustic guitar videos I have watched in the last years. I have a zoom A3 pedal and always though the imitation Guild setting sounded best, even over the martin and taylor settings. Now I know what it was based on. Its called F-55 on the pedal. Dont know if its ripping off the D-55 or a different older guitar right enough cant find any results for guild F-55
I liked the F-30 also. I'm inclined to buy one for blues and not the similar styled Gibson for a lot more money. But I wouldn't call the F-30 or the Gibson a great OM.
All three offer something unique, don't they? I liked the F-30 the most on the first strum, then in the parts with more articulations I preferred the D-55. The F-30 has a more mellow, jazier sound. The D-55 sounds to me like it would be better in the recording studio. Now that 12 string is something else huh! Lovely.
Bought a Westerly made D55 after watching this review...unbelievable guitar....loved the Guild so much that I got an OM-130 after that.....great additions to my Martin DC-Aura, Taylor 710 KCE, 314CE, and 654CE, and '48 Gretsch New Yorker......life is good and I have acoustic Heaven here on earth
The D-55 sounds amazing in this demo. This is why I should have been rich. Too many guitars, too little money.
I bought a D-55 in 1976. It has aged beautifully and is very deep, rich, bright, and loud now. Much more than when bought. I got it because it was much cheaper than a Martin and nearly as fine. It has never let me down.
Ekis86 buy one d55 and you’re all set, that's consider saving money on buying other useless ones, isn't it?
That would explain the fact that it’s $3000
buy some ETH and you can buy a pile of them in 2025.
Where there is a way all that is stopping you is the divorce papers...
That D-55 made my ears smile and the 12 string sounds wonderful,may have to look into a new Guild soon.
Now THIS is the way to demo guitars!! Love all three, but that F -30 has won me over . . .
Absolutely! The D-55 got me. He plays a Collings in real life I undaerstand.
I think this is the best acoustic demo I have seen ever on youtube. WOW
These guitars were made for music and soul. Excellent sounding guitars! And the player, too! Two thumbs up!
Thanks, acoustic guitar benchmarks & demos should always be this way, not very often at yt
Man that F-512 sounds like a church!!!
That F-30 though. I need one.
...bought a 2001 D55 after I watched this video......super nice guitar....WONDERFUL video demonstration....THANK YOU !!
Heard all these riffs on a that pedal show episode and had to come back and check them out played with these beauties, the last solo part from the 12string was just AMAZING
The benchmark for acoustic guitar demonstration. Excellent
Very creative review.Nice surprise at the end with all the guitars playing in the video.
That D-55 cuts through a mix very nicely but I have to say that the F-30 would do extremely well for a solo singer/performer or someone playing for friends around a campfire. Very smooth articulation. Well done on the demo👍👍
Last week I tried out a D-55 (the first Guild I ever played) and was thoroughly impressed, but now I'm thinking F-30; indeed may be better suited for a man and his voice.
Bravo! What a demo for Guild.
The F-30 sounds sweet!!
I own 3 Guilds now: the F-30 Standard, the Starfire V electric and the A-150 acoustic archtop. The F-30 is far and away the best acoustic I've ever played. I went through the full stock of 2 guitar stores and played high end Martins and Gibsons, price was not an object. And I came away loving the F-30 just for the feel of the neck, the responsiveness, and the tone.
Years later I got a great deal on a brand new Starfire V. It's been practically the only electric I've used since, and I own an American Deluxe tele and strat. The guild has a tone that's somewhere between a single coil sound but with the warmth of a humbucker. And the playability and neck lead me to wonder if Guild made an archtop acoustic, since they're my main gig lately.
Sure enough, I managed to get a good deal on an A-150 and I play it almost as much as the F-30. As with all archtops, it hit its full volume after about 3 months and just opened up in the most amazing way. I'm just blown away by it and I'd buy another guild in a heartbeat. If they come out with an American made solid wood archtop acoustic, price would literally be no object.
This had to be the best demo video I’ve ever seen.
I have the F 512 made in Tacoma and it is a wonderful guitar. Of course, I would love to have these other two beauties as well. Thanks for sharing. The sound quality and overall descriptive presentation was second to none. You all put out a terrific magazine too - just got a copy of the new acoustic version last month and love it. Thanks for featuring and posting Guild on your site and magazine. It is indeed an iconic American brand and they are making some of the best guitars around in their Connecticut factory.
The 9 people who disliked this does NOT play a Guitar, Or anything else as far as that goes.. Here you have GREAT lessons FREE , On Beautiful Guitars to. If you want to expand your playing method learn these riffs and take off man, This is really cool with how much more you can do with these simple riffs. All I can say is Thanks for the Riffs . I have a DCE--5 Guild, 6 String Cutaway w/ Electronics . I LOVE this Guitar. I put on a new set of Martin med Strings and it sounds like a piano. Man just BEAUTIFUL...! I might be mistaken BUT I heard Fender took over the Guild company . Anybody hear anything about that ? let me know.
He is a wicked Guitar player. Does great demos as well.
Nice work on this... They sound glorious... I cherish my old mid-80s Guild-D40, The Rosewood D-55 and 512 have that nice bottom, and the F30 has such rich mids.
All have there own unique voicing all rich, bright, clear,distinct, projection, and balanced. All good reasons to own any one of them.
Excellent video! Loved the tune at the end. Now I want a Guild, especially the D-55 (although they all sound beautiful).
I played a 400 dollar Guild in the music store the other day and fell in love with the tone. I cant remember the model number but its tone was bright and crisp which is my personal favorite. Love the Guild headstock design too.
Maybe a Westerly collection Guild. They have a really charasteristic back, they are Archback.
I went yesterday to a music store, and I was with the idea of sigma guitars, but the guy from the store told me to play the Guild, and it was AWESOOOME. The model I tried was the Guild OM-240 e
Tasty playing. One of the nicest acoustic demos I've come across on here. Great idea to combine all three at the end, as well.
I have a Guild F-30 NT. I love it! It sound exactly the same as this one. Great demo! Loved it!
Best guitar video. Outstanding guitarist.
Thank you for this really useful demo and the sheer musicality of the tune at the end. I have fallen in love with my neglected D-55
Wow, I just LOVE Guild Guitars! Thank you for one of the best guitar video comparisons I have ever seen. It is so painful to me to think about the D55 and an F412 that I once had. Both had neck issues, and I was told that at the time Guild guitars often had that problem, so I no longer have them. But there is something about that Guild sound that just grabs my heart. If Guild has eliminated that neck problem, I would find a way to buy them agiain, somehow!
Man the F30 sounded soooooo goooood!!!!!
Nothing sounds like a Guild. Ive got an old G37Blonde Ive had since the 70's. Great old piece of wood.
My G37 blond from the early 70's is the best sounding guitar in my house, and I own a few. Gimme maple please.
Now THAT’S the way to demo three really good guitars! Your playing is exquisite. I have a version of all three, and you did them well!
The final Jam is just beautiful! The F30 sounds more direct and warm for me, while the D55 is more complex and ethereal...
Thank you, so useful, so amazing that you took the time, thank you...F30 sounded so good, but the D55 really has all the appointments I have been looking for, for a long time. With the knowlege of Gibson's master luthier now being at the helm is what got me hooked... The 12 string sounded so warm...
Mick! I found you! Loved and miss your acoustic reviews with Pete!
Great demonstration.except for, as noted previously, they used compression and reverb effects which cover the original sound, but i really like how they play all three guitars in the same way on the same songs and switch quickly between them so you can easily distinguish the individual sounds. They also picked really nice tunes to use. i used to have a 70's D-55 (when strummed hard it would almost ring forever) that i foolishly traded in for a Martin. I am going to buy another D-55 but both of the other guitars sound great as well. Thanks for the video
Excellent playing and sounding Guitars!!
What one could call a super-pro demo. That 12 string takes things to another level.
Wow! What a beautifully differentiating demo!
Guild has really come back!
I wanna say something else: Your Video arrangement, your sound/micing and playing is absolutely wonderful! Great Video. I own myself a 1992 F-30 Westerly) and since recently a 1979 F-512NT Westerly! Hell yeah.
Really impressive demo, fair to each guitar, it shows that you would be happy to own any one of these great American guitars.
The D-55 would be my choice. I haven't picked mine up much lately, but this has inspired me
Quality cost's money! Marvelous guitars!!!😍
Amazing sounding guitars. Ive always wanted a Guild acoustic.
Agreed on the sixer call,but I'll take the f512,thank you very much!!
Very nice playing and tone. Thanks
For God's sake, that tune at 5:22 is f***ing BEAUTIFUL!!!...Good Lord man.....
Very nice demo, beautiful guitars, well played. I have a Ren Ferguson made gibson. He knows what he is doing. Keep it up.
Excellent review
Really nice playing. Guitars sound good too.
If the Guild D-55 had a 1.75" nut width and an adirondack top I'd own one. Went with a Martin D-28 Marquis instead. VERY happy.
As to the Guild 12... I have a 1979 Guild F212XL NT... WOW! Guild makes great guitars.
great playing as always
That D-55 is some kind of special. I'll take one, please!
Very, very nice! Inquiring about that D-55 right now.
Very-very good demo! Thanks for sharing!
The F30 sounds so sweet and I wonder why it is not in my Guild guitars arsenal
very nice review, eargasm indeed.
An excellent review. Possibly the best I've seen. I thought each guitar sounded good for it's type. The D-55 and F-512 sounded in a league with some of the Gibsons and Martins I've played for similar value. It would be down to personal taste. The OM was obviously a cheaper guitar. A good cheap OM will often have a good blues tone as I think this one does. A better OM would blow it and the D-55 away for the other lead though. For the OMs I'd like to hear how the F-50 rates against the Taylor, Gibson, Martin and PW.
The man can play.
The D-55 most "musical" to me. Oh dear, I'd love to own one.
Cant choose between this or a Taylor acoustic.
F30 is phenomenal
Very talented mate. Amazing playing!
Suhweeeeet demo! Great way to compare!
Yeah Mick!!!!!!!!! Didn't know he domoed for you. The best!!!
F-30 Love it.
Beautiful song. I love what you did
fell in love with the d55
Benchmark quality presentation..
very well done mic
This just makes me sad. My Guild F-512 was stolen in a home break in in 1989. They weren't making them anymore at that time. I replaced it with a Taylor (tinny) and later with a Chinese Guild (better than the Taylor). Oh well, maybe the new owners will bring it back.
WOW...GREAT DEMO GREAT GUITARIST AND GUITARS...
That's a beautiful tune @4:08 on the f-30. What is it? I'd like to do it.
The 12 string in the video is not the same instrument that's in the "Shop now" ad,and I was thinking of buying one too!
Beautiful, clear and crisp! Bet it costs limbs and arms in my country.
D-55...best guitar Ive ever had the pleasure to play.
The three are fantastic, but the D55 pleased me more in all the passages
Does the strumming tune he plays have a name? I could warm up to that every day! Awesome video. Time to start saving for an f55.
All three sound great in their own respect I think :D
Love all 3.
Very good. I liked of D-55.
guild F512 what a sound.
Well done.
Jesus these guitars sound better than 90% acoustic guitar videos I have watched in the last years. I have a zoom A3 pedal and always though the imitation Guild setting sounded best, even over the martin and taylor settings. Now I know what it was based on. Its called F-55 on the pedal. Dont know if its ripping off the D-55 or a different older guitar right enough cant find any results for guild F-55
That was amazing, the flat picking on the 12-string. Any tabs? Or anyone willing to tab by ear and share?
Great review!! I own 3 Guild guitars myself. Great guitars for the money. Will we ever see you again on Acoustic Paradiso?
D-55 omaigadddddd!
Very useful. D55 for me!
wow!... but with D-55 I'm falling in love!... ;-))
D-55 what a sexy guitar
this 12 strings guitar sounds great man.
I like the F-30 the best. They all sounded fantastic but the F-30 sounded like you had more room to move.
F30 is clear and focused, good for finger picking, solo performer.
Great playing of superb original music. Guitars weren't bad either.
D-55 F*ckin Amazing
This presenter plays the same tunes in every video and it truly covers the full range of an instrument.
u guys need to include string brand and gauge otherwise excellent stuff
Love F-30
I liked the F-30 also. I'm inclined to buy one for blues and not the similar styled Gibson for a lot more money. But I wouldn't call the F-30 or the Gibson a great OM.
All three offer something unique, don't they? I liked the F-30 the most on the first strum, then in the parts with more articulations I preferred the D-55. The F-30 has a more mellow, jazier sound. The D-55 sounds to me like it would be better in the recording studio. Now that 12 string is something else huh! Lovely.