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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| It's A Guild! | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Fri Apr 28th, 2006 04:11 am |
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1st Post |
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Greg Nelson Approved 
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 Well I finally bit the bullet and bought my last guitar. It's a Guild; GAD-30R, and let me tell you folks, you will have to pry this baby out of my cold, dead hands! Unbelievable craftsmanship. I have never played a more balanced, tonally crisp guitar in all my life. All for less than $1000. I believe I have played and own, the very best of the budget guitars to be had. My list includes; Lucida 777 (classical), Lucida 767 (Picado/Flamenco), Ibanez AK-85 (Archtop), Aria AD-80 (dreadnought), and of course, the new Guild GAD-30R. I've been playing and buying guitars for almost ten years now, and I can say with complete certainty that this one is the one! While I don't have anything recorded yet besides The Sixty Second Rag, I'm sure that the inspiration will be coming shortly. I've got some older songs that I'd like to set in motion once again, and I think this guitar can bring them to life. This guitar is a chicken picker's dream, strums like a thunderstorm and still does everything else in between that I could ever conceive of doing on a guitar. Wow! These guitars will be gone very shortly, as the word gets out. I had a slightly difficult time getting my hands on the right one, but they are out there for those folks willing to go a looking. If you're looking for artistic beauty in a guitar that was also built for playing, check these out. Fantastic. Crazy. You won't believe what your fingers have to say! They come with everything you would expect in details on a fine, acoustic guitar. Nothing to be changed out. Great tuners, bone nut and saddle, ebony bridge pins, solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, ebony fingerboard (1 3/4" Wow!), mahogany neck, snowflake inlays, full body gloss (not too heavily applied!), solid Butter-bean style tuners (not cheap knockoffs), clean straight neck and tight fretwork, (no skewed or miss-hammered frets), ebony strap pin, maple bindings on the body, no glue spatters, tight grained top, flawless finish. While you may need to play a couple of different ones to find the perfect details and workmanship, they are definitely out there for the patient to be rewarded! I personally chose one in Ice Tea Burst right off of the showroom floor after wiping it down thoroughly, and comparing woods and workmanship with a brand new, untouched version. Not a great deal of tonal difference, but the showroom model had tighter, more figured grains and a slightly better action.  The GAD-30R's come in four gorgeous colors; Ice Tea Burst (mine), Amber Burst, Antique Sunburst, and Natural. Finding the right color may take some time. The Ice Tea looks terrible in the pictures on-line, but in the shop and at home I could hardly resist that color. The maple bindings really pop, and catch the eye! This is an Auditorium size guitar, and Guild (owned by Fender for those that don't know), puts a very small vinyl pick guard on the top, which detracts little from the tone. I may go to China, just to see how these puppies are being made! My only complaint is that the action is a tad high. I suspect this will be resolved when my extra-lite strings get here. I'm going with a set branded by Guild. I really doubt I will have to lower the action as my technique is bound to improve on this guitar quickly! If I could start my collection over, this would be the first guitar I would have bought. Great tone, great playability, great looks, and great workmanship.  Did I mention the archtop hardshell case that comes included? It's a canvas, sage green, tweed case with leather (probably pleather) accents. Absolutely classic like a finely crafted piece of luggage! Anywhere I go with this case, I will feel like a real musician on the road. If it's in the budget, an under-saddle transducer would really finish things off for good, along with a very basic amp. But . . . electronics are completely unnecessary as it stands. The volume and resonance is huge! This is a really, really fine, acoustic guitar, one of the very best I have played in ten years time. I fully expect this one to increase by $100-$200 in retail value within the next three years, the same as every other budget guitar I have purchased has gone up in value (except the Ibanez, which I haven't checked lately) since my acquisition of them. I love playing, talking and writing about guitars, and I hope this helps anyone out there looking, whether for this guitar or another. The standard rules don't change too much from one guitar to the next. The Barefoot Bard. a.k.a Greg Nelson.Copyright 2006, By Greg Nelson. All Rights Reserved. Barefoot Records, Inc.
____________________ The Barefoot Bard |
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| Posted: Wed May 3rd, 2006 02:56 am |
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2nd Post |
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Will Approved 
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Congratulations on your new Guild GAD-30R guitar! This past February, I bought a new Guild GAD-G212 twelve-string from Sam Ash, which I really love. It's a solid wood (spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides) dreadnought that plays really well (low action, tuned at concert pitch) and has that really lush, booming sound that Guilds are known for. It has a really nice glossy finish with beautiful wood grain. The headstock has the big Guild logo inlaid in mother-of-pearl, and the snowflake and side dot markers on the neck are abalone, which doesn't show up well in the photograph. It's unbelievably priced at about $700, and that includes the deluxe tweed hard case with antique brass hardware. This Guild compared favorably with the Taylor 12-string that cost twice as much, and blew away all of the other 12-strings in its price range. http://samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?itemid=46599  Last edited on Thu May 4th, 2006 04:34 am by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Wed May 3rd, 2006 04:53 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Greg Nelson Approved
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 Hey there Will,Thanks for posting a response to my review, and leaving a little info on the twelve string Guild. These are really fine guitars for around $700 dollars or so. There's also a dreadnought model going for roughly the same money, just so folk know. These are all solid wood construction guitars! I'll be working to get some pictures up of the GAD-30R so folks can really see what I'm talking about in terms of detail, and by the end of the week, I should have a new album up on my page, of songs performed on the Guild, so folks can have a listen to its wonderful tone, which really comes alive, even through my terrible playing! Actually, it's not all that bad, just simple chords and rhythms. So much to play and so little time. I happened on a few of your tunes today and found a real nice mix of traditional folk songs played on a variety of instruments, including auto-harp, which I'm seeing more of these days. Nice work, and best wishes. The Barefoot Bard.  [url=http://ezfolk.com/audio/Greg Nelson]http://ezfolk.com/audio/Greg Nelson[/url]
____________________ The Barefoot Bard |
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| Posted: Wed May 3rd, 2006 05:43 pm |
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4th Post |
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Will Approved
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Hello, Greg: Thanks, and I'm glad to hear from another Chicagoland area folkie! I know a good mandolin/fiddle player from McHenry named Mark Fowler, who goes to the same local musicians' jam in Grayslake, held usually every 2nd and 4th Friday evening of the month. It's a great time, with lots of different jams going on in different rooms (the jam is housed in a church with the permission of the pastor). You're welcome to join us any time. I would love to see and hear you play your new Guild guitar. I always bring my Guild 12-string along with my Martin D-15 custom. Here's the URL for the web page that I created for the Acoustic Music Jam: http://jazzmanjeffjustman.tripod.com/acousticmusicjam.htm Jeff Justman, the jam host, is Vice-President of the Lake County Folk Club, and also has an artist page here at ezFolk: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/788/music.php Last edited on Wed May 3rd, 2006 09:31 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Thu May 4th, 2006 09:25 am |
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5th Post |
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Folke Approved
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Hey Greg! I'm in the process of buying my first "real" guitar (started playing 6 months ago, and currently own a cheap dreadnought) and the Guild GAD-30R is number one on my list currently. Played it at a local store and it was wonderful compared to my current guitar (and all other guitars including a Taylor 110 I tried too). Did you have the chance to check out the antique burst finnish on these babies? The photo on Guilds homepage is somewhat unrealistic and I really can't decide wheter to get the ATB or the natural (the store didn't have the burst in stock). On the photos it kinda looks like the Ice Tea Burst on the mahogny model. Is there any difference? Thanks! EDIT: Hm... Looks like the antique burst is a classic "sunburst" and that the finish I thought was ATB actually is a mislabeled amber burst.  Found some photos on a GAD-30 selling on ebay which must be the antique burst, so no more worries. Think I'm gonna get one like that. Last edited on Thu May 4th, 2006 09:30 am by Folke |
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| Posted: Thu May 4th, 2006 10:14 pm |
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6th Post |
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Greg Nelson Approved
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Hey there Folke!The GAD-30R is a great pick for your first "real" guitar. Don't focus too much on color, go with whatever strikes you at the moment. When I'm evaluating the quality of a guitar I look at 1) Tone 2) Craftsmanship and 3) Looks. That's my classical upbringing, though. The on line photos are terrible, don't even bother with them. I've been trying to photograph my guitar, but the brilliant lacquer finish actually makes it quite difficult to highlight grain details and so forth. I saw the amber burst at a Sam Ash and didn't buy because I wasn't quite convinced at the time. A beautiful color, though. The Antique is a very traditional sunburst from what I can tell, and the Ice Tea as I've said, really struck me as beautiful, despite all the photos I've seen. I don't think you'd regret any color choice with these guitars, although, the maple bindings do really stand out on the "colored" guitars! Make sure you check for glue spatters inside if you're buying in person from a shop. I bought mine from Sam Ash and spent almost two hours playing and checking things out. Most of that time was spent on tunning. I like a very straight, close grain on my tops and just a little bit of waver in the rosewood back and sides. There shouldn't be any lacquer bubbles or scratches so to speak. I bought the floor model and asked for a polishing cloth to check for dings and scratches. You should do the same on a guitar fresh out of the back as well. Otherwise I think you'll do fine in choosing one of the Guilds. Remember, it's about having fun, too! I like looking for all the little details and flaws, and find it a challenge to get the best guitar at the best price. For me that's fun! It isn't impolite to go over an instrument the same way you buy a car. You're spending a lot of money at $800 bucks! I think you will really appreciate the 1 3/4" nut. I just strung up a set of Martin silk & steel strings, and besides being gentle on the fingers and easy to fret, I can also play a lot of standard classical pieces which have a nice ring to them vs. nylon strings. That extra fingerboard width is great for strumming and gives you lots of room to grow into some finger picking and other styles; blues, jazz, country, folk, and many more. I also purchased a set of Guild branded light and extra-light strings from Elderly Instruments on line. They're inexpensive and will give me a little brighter sound when I finally get back on stage somewhere. The silk and steel record very nicely, though. You can check out the sound on my music page. All the songs from A Pocket Full Of Chords were recorded with the Guild. http://ezfolk.com/audio/Greg_Nelson I should probably thank by former guitar teacher, who taught me most of what I know about choosing a good guitar. His methodology and technique has been right on the money every time. I hope my info helps you out in buying a new guitar, whichever model you ultimately decide on. I always look at instruments as investments that I can play. If you pick a good one at any price it will always go up in personal value! A room without a guitar is like a body without a soul. I'd have one in every room if I could afford it! Good luck, and thanks for writing, The Barefoot Bard.
____________________ The Barefoot Bard |
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| Posted: Fri May 5th, 2006 12:12 pm |
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7th Post |
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Folke Approved
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Thanks for your input! I agree that tone, playability and built quality etc is much more important than looks (but still it's nicer to have a beautiful good guitar than a boring looking). So right now my guitar is on order (which means I can't inspect it myself but it will be manually checked by the store before dispatch to me, have to trust them). The antique burst just went out of stock so I ordered an amber burst instead. I think it will look nice too. Will post some pictures when it arrives! UPDATE: Listened to your songs. I really liked them. The production/mastering wasn't as nice as it could be, so I really think you should work on this (or get some help with it). But the songs were pretty nice. I really like the simple folk style and I think you could evole these songs into something real good. What kind of recording equipment do you use? Last edited on Fri May 5th, 2006 10:26 pm by Folke |
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| Posted: Mon May 8th, 2006 02:09 am |
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8th Post |
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Greg Nelson Approved
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Hey there Folke, Just caught your last update, thanks for giving my songs a listen, I really appreciate it. My equipment is really quite basic. I use two Marshall MXL condenser mikes, running through a Behringer UB 1202 mixer. I have a few simple tricks to get some reverb, (which I'm keeping a trade secret, for now). Otherwise, everything gets dumped into Audacity on my computer. I've got tons of processing power, and storage! More than I really need for now. I've looked into more sophisticated setups, but the learning curve is just too high. That's what sound engineers are for! My rig is designed to be set up quick and dirty, for roughly the same results from song to song. When things get too complicated, I lose all inspiration. Probably some other simple things that would improve the sound quality, a bit, but I'm more concerned about getting the songs written, than making them perfect. Once the moments gone, it's gone for good! No use tweaking a poorly inspired recording. Let me know what happens with the Guild, I'd be interested to hear how you like it. The Barefoot Bard. http://ezfolk.com/audio/Greg_Nelson
____________________ The Barefoot Bard |
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| Posted: Sun May 13th, 2007 04:07 am |
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9th Post |
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marindavid Approved
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GUILD Guitars from China? Why should their quality be a shocker?! In my search for a relatively inexpensive guitar to keep for use at the office, I have looked at, tried and actually purchased (and then resold) several. Looking in the range of $200-275., I have tried out a range of low-end guitars including a (used) Simon & Patrick TSU. It is a nice little dreadnaught, build in Canada of solid woods – but not enough bass for me. I moved on next to try the Walden G570 just after it had been favorably reviewed in Acoustic Guitar magazine in May 2007. This Grand Auditorium size guitar is made in China in a small city just south of Beijing – my first try of one of these. I was pleasantly surprised at its easy playability and better-than-expected sustainability and decent bass sound – yet, I wasn’t quite satisfied. It was too light for my taste (Cedar top and laminated sapele mahogany back and sides). Then, I began to read about the Guild GAD line – manufactured to Guild specs in China. I decided to give a try to this instrument, which lists at $989. but is available for as little as $650; More than I was thinking about spending, but in a range I felt was worth taking a look at. I played it for a while and see how it felt, sounded and looked. This is an Orchestra/Auditorium size guitar – narrower than a Dreadnaught, but with similar width and height) with the natural finish. It is also available in two Sunburst finishes. I’m not sure why I would have reservations about an instrument made half-way around the world. After all, they have been making lots of things in China (not just fire crackers) for a lot longer than we have. This includes musical instruments. This realization, along with the good experience with the low-cost Walden, along a small sampling of excellent professional and user reviews of the GAD-30R, are the things that motivated me to give it a try. Appearance This guitar is nicely put together. There are no significant or readily obvious flaws in either the assembly or finish and with the natural tone top (which I prefer on all my guitars) the Mother-of-Pearl Position inlays (Snowflake style) and the Abalone dot position inlays stand out more than they might in the other available finishes (Antique Burst and Amber Burst.) This is also true of the little appointments that are not the first things you generally notice about a guitar: like the Ebony bridge and end pins with MOP dots, the back center wood mosaic inlay, the uniquely shaped Guild tortoise shell pick guard or the carefully crafted wood body bindings. The plainness of the instrument actually makes its appointments stand out – in a tasteful way, of course. This guitar bears a Guild Mother-of-Pearl headstock logo. The finish is smooth and nicely glossy, but not reflectively distracting. Although it smelled a bit for a couple of days out of the box from the finish, it faded within that period of time. Funny – it doesn’t look Chinese! Construction I suppose that the most extraordinary feature of this guitar is how much guitar it really is for the price. I can only assume this has to do with the lower cost of both labor and materials in China – but the net product is on a par with some of the best guitars I have played that are made here in the US. With a Dovetail neck joint, the materials appear to be first rate. The top is solid Sitka spruce and the back and sides are solid Indian Rosewood as is the bridge. The woods are well matched and quite beautiful. The neck is solid mahogany and the fingerboard is ebony – a feature I find especially accommodative to my own playing style. There is nothing quite as smooth and easy as ebony. I noticed only one very minor flaw on the upper edge of the fingerboard – but I really had to search for it! The tuning machines are Grover Stay-Tites. The width at the nut is a little wider than my Martin HD28 at 1 12/16 (the Martin standard is 1 11/16) but narrower than the twelve string Taylor 355 (12-string) with its 1 14/16 width. It seems to me that the small increase in width makes finger picking, a style I am new to, somewhat easier than it is on a neck narrower by only a seemingly silly little16th of an inch. The scale is 25 ½”, there are 20 frets (14 above the body) and the nicely decorated with snowflake design MOP inlays ebony fret board radius is 12”. The interior bracing is scalloped as per Guild’s unique application of that bracing style. The size differential took a little getting used to, especially the reduced depth (4” at the base). I am accustomed to larger guitars – both the Dreadnaught Martin and the Jumbo Taylor are substantially larger and deeper than is this guitar. Once settled in with it, though, my experience has been entirely positive. Playability I found this guitar to be quite player-friendly. That is, the strings (Light Phosphor Bronze), frets and fingerboard work with little effort under the ministrations of my less-than-expert fingerings. It produces the sounds I expect to hear at the volume at which I intend them. I would call these particular characteristics responsiveness. It has what I would characterize as a ‘bell-like’ clarity and definition. The bass and treble tones are nicely balanced – one not overpowering the other, yielding a tonality that makes accompanying voice(s) a nice experience. Played as a solo instrument, each note rings true and clear. During the first week, I played it for about a half hour a day and my hands felt good afterwards! That’s probably one of the best compliments I can give a guitar’s playability – at least so far as it conforms to my own musculature, movements and preferences. Sound While lacking the punch of some of the older US made Guilds, this Orchestra style guitar holds it’s own, either alone or in groups – playing either finger or flat picking lead or strumming rhythm. I have made several allusions to the sound of this guitar in earlier sections of the review but will add here only that, like so many other of its features and characteristics, that the sound it produces is honestly surprising. It sounds as good (or batter than) guitars costing 2-4 times as much. Overall Value A lot of guitar for a reasonable modest price. Delivered with a distinctive tweed covered hard shell case for $750. or less, you really can’t go wrong with this one. Responsive to fingers, fingerpicks and flat picks, it produces sounds one would reasonably expect from a Guild. Representative, I expect, of an entire line (the GAD Series) that are worth exploring further. Thumbs up on this one! 
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