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

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 Guilds were originally made in New york but production was moved to westerley for space and expansion, so this is a company that has more unfamiliar hands working on its designs.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.

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.

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.

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.

never dealt with them - its fender now... so

this axe is yummy

active musician

blues rock country

My Guild D-55 is a 1976 guitar. I have probably played over 50 different guitars over the years, including Gibson Dove, Gibson Hummingbird, J-200 and others. I call mine "Baby"... It almost plays itself, and the sound is absolutely AMAZING! A Guild IS a heavier guitar...it can have either a booming sound or a non-booming sound depending on the strings and set up. If the setup isn't right, or with the wrong strings, it tends to hold back. Experiment with strings and set-up to find the "sweet spot".

The inlays and other things like the tuners, bridge, frets, etc. , and are better than any I have seen. My D-55 is the "Sunburst" and I think it is Beautiful. I have a matching 12-string (D-55 features) that is a "Natural", and they both are beautiful.

No learning curve. If you can play, this guitar just makes you better..

Mine is a 1976, so I can't comment on the newer D-55's. But the overall quality of mine is fantastic.

I think that a lot of people put more "value" on the Gibsons, and now Takemines, etc. But after playing for the last 30+ years, I still think the top-line Guilds are the best... Especially on the road.. They are tough!

Haven't had to go to the factory.. Of course, it is a 1976 guitar.

I think the D-55 model, with the ablone inlays, and great bindings, is one of the prettiest guitars around. They don't have the fancy pickguard inlays like the Dove or Hummingbird, but they DO look nice on stage. I have played the Gibson Dove, Hummingbird, and J-200, which are GREAT guitars (the Dove and Hummingbird have their own niche). But for a general "Player", my D-55 is the best.

Active from 1980-1995, then part-time performer and hobbyist since..

Accoustic; Eagles to Black Crowes to Jerry Jeff to Van Morrison

Plenty of volume but still with the right highs when you need them

Beautiful work everywhere from the abalone inlays to the finish. Only problem is the binding around the neck which I have had to repair more than once

Never had to report any problem but the binding on the neck which they refereed me to the right person to repair for me ( for free)

Not many guitars look better than this. You play this machine and all heads will turn

hobby

everything

One of the best sounding guitar ever.

The best

Highly priced, but hey....you get what you pay for. Better than any Martins i' ve played.

Never needed any kind of service

Killer looks and faboulus balanced tone.

hobbyist

folk-rock

Tried the natural D-55 in Nashville a couple weeks ago. I had sworn by Guild guitars from the early 70's until the mid 80's. Then the guitars started getting really poor. The D-25 I purchased 'new' in the mid 80's (black) actually had a factory repaired hole in the top that I only discovered with a mirror. The new D-55 I tried had the tone of the old 70's Guilds and even had quality craftmanship again!

Continuing-The price is a little high but IS a quality instrument. EVERY SINGLE 'non-USA' made Guild I have tried has been very, very poor in quality. Also they have been consistantly uneven in tone and virtually without any voice or volume. Very uneven and cheap sounding. The USA D-55 has been a relief that there is a breath of life still in the Guild name. Fender sure made a mistake in importing production of the afordable Guilds. The new China Guilds simply suck without exception!

Excellent overall quality in the 'over $2000.00' Guild products. Warning: ANY 'non-usa' guild is a wast of money. They may look 'purty' but they sound like $50.00 Dean's. In fact, the USA made Guilds for the last few years (under $2000.00) have been very, very poor and lacking tone quality, balance, intonation and feel.

Excellent guitar (Guild D-55) but you can get a comparable D-25 or D-35 from the 70's in the $600.00 range in near perfect shape...and THEY sound every bit as good if not better! Also the old Guilds tended to have beefier necks and they didn't skimp on the saddle or detail.

Phone mail hell.

Very nice but not as nice as the vintage Guilds, Gibsons or Martins.

Active musician

roots, classic, original, country sometimes, variety.......

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

N/A

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.

Active part-time musician

Modern and classic rock

Play the guitar regularly, if possible on a daily basis. Play it in by playing scales up and down the neck. remember to wipe the guitar down with a soft cloth before putting it away to remove any oils from your skin.

a wonderful instrument right out of the case

Hobbyist

Rock & Country

Guild-At one time a distinctive voice among acoustic guitars. They LOOK nice these days but sound very much like a 100.00 guitar. I don't know if they are using plastic instead of wood or what but the sound quality of all Guild acoustics is worse than it has ever been. I rated Guild at the top in the 60's and 70's ..... the new Hong Kong models or wherever they are made are worse than the Mexican Fenders!

Generally poor quality wood coated in too much acrylic clear.

The instrument will prevent you from ever getting great sounds. If you are doing a photo shoot, a Guild would be a nice prop.

Looks are generally pretty nice......until you look closely.

You would do MUCH better with an Alvarez, Takamine etc.....or step up to a Taylor or Martin etc

The company has gone througe several hands over the last few years. Fender finally killed Guild by purchasing the name and putting the name on cardboard, childrens' guitars.

My favorite guitar company is now at the bottom of the list with guitars like Dean or Johnson.

Active musician

Variety...most styles