Guild GAD-30E

[a.z.n]

For the last few years, the only acoustic I've played for longer than a few minutes is my dad's old Yamaha jumbo - I'm definitely not a big guy, and playing a jumbo acoustic doesn't work out for me at all. Neither does the horrible condition that this guitar is in.

Today I was in the acoustic room of Steve's in Toronto and found a really GREAT deal on the best smallbody electracoustic I've picked up in pretty much forever.


---kindly disregard my foot in the bottom corner, which i just noticed. but yeah

I picked up a Guild GAD-30E built from spruce and mahogany, with a beautifully shaped neck that fits my hand just perfectly. It has tone that beat out the two Martins I tried at first ((one of which was literally 2.5x the cost)) - at such a great price there was no way I was willing to surrender it to anyone else.

So yeah. I'll post a sound clip sometime tomorrow if I get a chance, but for tonight I'm really happy with the first acoustic that's really mine.

[RomanS]

Hey, I've got exactly the same guitar!
Sounds great (unplugged, didn't have a chance to try the pickup in there yet), and the neck has to be the most comfortable acoustic guitar neck I ever tried (admittedly, I like extra-wide necks...); I alos like the smaller body shape, feels more comfortable than a dreadnaught.

BTW, I got mine used from the guy who does acoustic guitar reviews for the largest German music magazine - and he praised it a lot in his review, though he said it had more of a typical Martin sound rather than a Guild sound (not that I know what the difference would be...)

Here's mine:

[Schwalbe]

Nice guitars. I like mine.

[Kornelius]

Those guild are great guitars, i own the gad40 ec, and it's the best accoustic i've ever played, i won't change for a Martin much more expensive. Those guitar are built in china and i've heard that there can be a lot of difference from one to another, so you'd better not buy one on the the net without trying it before, but if you get the good one (and from what i read above, we get the good one) those Gad are really wonderful. So enjoy your new guitar, a.z.n.

[gitano718]

congrats on your purchase. i have a guild jumbo that looks quite a bit like the photo posted earlier and it keeps getting better with age...that special tone you mentioned will only get deeper and richer as time goes on. enjoy.

[FMA]

I have a Guild GAD 30r, with rosewood sides and back, and it's a great guitar. Nice neck. Great tone. Very full sounding for a small-bodied acoustic.

[Bill Ashton]

I purchased a GAD 30PCE last August as it spoke to me...well, really reached out and grabbed me by the shirt!

As of late, I have been "auditioning" a number of GAD small bodies for a friend who wishes to replace his Baby Taylor with a "real" guitar for travel. I have found one lousy, one pretty OK, and one outstanding GAD30...he found one dud. None of the ones I tried were the rosewood version, the oustanding one was a sunburst, if that makes a difference.

Would seem there is somewhat an inconsistancy here, so having seen/heard what I have would recommend "try before you buy." I am a total Guild-head, but would move with cautious optimism would I be buying again...and probably would not purchase off the internet, there are way too many GAD seconds (stamped "Used") floating out there.