Guild vs Martin and Gibson in the 60’s, 70’s?

[rmsurve]

Guild D-55E Built and sounds as good if not better than any acoustic guitar I've ever played or heard - Build quality far exceeds many well named brands of today - Ive owned Martins, Gibsons, Taylors, etc. and this D-55 is a 2019 model and after trying numerous other well named guitars won hands down, in easy to play, tone, volume and build quality is excellent - I never even thought about owning a Guild until I played one and I'm from the 60's when Guild made Woodstock - Probably the biggest reason Guilt didn't get the recognition or popularity like Martin or Gibson is that the original owner died many years ago. After his death, the company changed hands and locations several times. This has given the Guild name an undeserved bad reputation. I will put Guild up there with the other top 3 American guitar builders in sound and build. By no means are Guild guitars cheap either, this one selling price New is equal to Martin, Gibsons or Taylor High end models.

 

[rmsurve]

Guild D-55E Built and sounds as good if not better than any acoustic guitar I've ever played or heard - Build quality far exceeds many well named brands of today - Ive owned Martins, Gibsons, Taylors, etc. and this D-55 is a 2019 model and after trying numerous other well named guitars won hands down, in easy to play, tone, volume and build quality is excellent - I never even thought about owning a Guild until I played one and I'm from the 60's when Guild made Woodstock - Probably the biggest reason Guilt didn't get the recognition or popularity like Martin or Gibson is that the original owner died many years ago. After his death, the company changed hands and locations several times. This has given the Guild name an undeserved bad reputation. I will put Guild up there with the other top 3 American guitar builders in sound and build.

 

[beep.click]

I started playing in 1976. When I had saved up enough to buy a SERIOUS acoustic guitar, around 1981 or so, I went to McCabe's, because they were serious. I knew I was looking for a Martin because everyone just knew, that's what you got when you were SERIOUS.

I tried some and was NOT impressed. But they had a Guild D50 in the same ballpark, price wise, and it sounded great and played great. No brainer.

That may have been the last straw of me paying attention to what other guitar players liked or valued. I've been a big Guild fan ever since.

 

[Jwalker99]

Perhaps I’m a young “Boomer”.
I guess that’s the only way I’ll ever be considered young again.
I remember when Martin, Gibson and Guild were the big three acoustic guitar companies.
Here’s my “take”.
Martin was considered by most of my associates to be the best sounding guitars.
They were sometimes harder to play, which may be a small part of why they sounded good.
Gibson “won” the style and playability contest.
The radius of the fretboard, fancy binding, inlays and flashier pickguards made them great stage guitars.
Their generally softer volume made them good for singers.
The guitar did not overpower them.
Guilds were “in between”.
They were easier to play than Martins, but not as good sounding.
They played as nicely as Gibsons, but were not as stage-worthy.
Where Guild excelled was in making good sounding, easy to play, and somewhat flashy 12 strings.
John Denver probably sold thousands of 12 strings for Guild.
I have owned a few Martins, many Gibsons, and no Guild acoustics.
In the 60s and 70s, Gibsons were more common and popular.
Martins were almost luxury-grade guitars.
Guilds were good quality also-rans.
Just my opinion.

john Denver? Didn’t he play Ovations in the 70s? The

 

[brookdalebill]

john Denver? Didn’t he play Ovations in the 70s? The

I never saw him play an Ovation, but he may have.
Ovations were “cool and new” in the 70s.
He had several nice custom made guitars, but the only 12 strings I saw him play were big, blonde jumbo Guilds.
He, like many successful artists, probably had, and was given all kinds of stuff.

 

[Jwalker99]

Great question. I believe that 70s Guild acoustic guitars are completely
underrated. my 1st Real guitar, a used 1971 D28 cherry red , is still a favorite. It’s loud, clear and pretty.

General consensus is 70s Martin’s are low priced because so many need to have their bridges reset do the improper design back then.

A good Martin built in the 60s and earlier tends to be really well balanced sonically. Gibsons are too thin sounding for me.

Fyi, guild semi hollow body electrics from the early 60s are great guitars too.

 

[Bill]

I had a 72 Guild G37 I got in 1977. Maple dreadnought with an arched back. Loud, with the sweetest top end I’ve ever heard. And I own a vintage Martin and two vintage Gibsons, including a 1950 J-45.

Unfortunately the Guild had a neck bow that couldn’t be fixed, so I sold it on eventually (and yeah I told the buyer about the neck).

Anyways at the time, they were regarded as less expensive than equivalent 70s Martins and Gibsons, and often better-sounding too.

 

[schmee]

I love Guild acoustics and have 3 now, did have 4. They can be a grand bargain now days in some models. The necks feel far better than any others I have tried like martin, Taylor etc. The Hoboken Guilds were the 60's and earlier I think, my favorites seem to be the Westerly RI ones built in ~70 (?) up until the late 90's.

They were quite popular with the Folk music crowd and folk kinda fell out of favor in the mid 70's or a bit later.

I sold my little F-20 because I found a Gibson LG2 a couple years ago. Now that is an amazing guitar to beat out my old Guild F-20. Some old Gibsons are amazing. The LG2 is featherlight, everytime I pick it up i think "wow" this thing is light. A smallish guitar but booms out loud and clear.

 

[NC E30]

I have a D50 from the Fender/Corona era that is great. It's built like a tank though, so it's not as light as a Martin, but sounds great.

Most of the criticism of that era Guild comes about because when they closed Corona, Fender dumped all of the leftover inventory into the market. These had a sticker overlaid on the label, and USED stamped into the back of the headstock. These were sold at a discounted price, and without a warranty. I have never played one of them, so I can't comment on whether they were truly bad or not, but they did tarnish that era's name.

 

[DuckDodgers]

The “wisdom” back then was that Guild made the best 12s, but Gibson and Martin had more prestige. I have a 70s Guild D-35 that’s a fantastic guitar, very responsive. For years, used Guilds were a real bargain. I paid $220 for mine about 10-15 years ago but prices are catching up.

 

[Ron C]

Guild made great flatops. As the 70's progressed, Ovation had the first viable electrified acoustics, and then Takemine took that market over, which became the dominant acoustic market. Taylor came a bit later and became popular for their modern style and playability. Taylor got so popular so fast they kind of usurped Guild's market share. Martin and Gibson were so intrenched that they stayed popular.

I agree.

The impact of Ovation, and then later Takamine on amplifying acoustics can't be overstated. Back in the 70s, what the heck did we know about amplifying an acoustic? We saw the Beatles use J-160Es, we saw mics on stage, maybe we saw an oddball magnetic pickup at the local music store that sounded awful but we used it anyway. Ovations were like a lightning bolt change in all that, so we put up with the weird shaped back and unusual acoustic tone in order to play onstage with a more acoustic sound and no feedback. They laid the groundwork, and then Takamine makes that possible in a normal looking and sounding guitar that appeared on all the big stages.

And Taylor was the next lightning bolt. Remember how high the action was on straight-from the factory Martins? It's like they wanted to make sure that the hardest strumming busker never had to worry about fret buzz. And who the heck knew a luthier? I probably didn't even know what the word meant until I was 40. My '71 D-18S was glorious but brutal to play until the local Sam Ash filed the nut down some for me. Enter Taylor guitars that came from the factory easy to play. I was blown away by the first Taylors I tried in the 90s...it was like changing from .13s to .09s on your electric.

So my guess is the same as Bulldoggios: Gibson and Martin were really entrenched in the minds of players, but everyone else in the acoustic game lost ground to Taylor and Takamine thanks to the big advances they represented.

BTW - fast forward to the internet age: I learn what the heck a luthier is, seek them out and get my acoustics set up. My Martin is now the easiest playing acoustic I've ever touched.

 

[erobillard]

Others have covered Guild or Gibson, you also asked about 60-70s Martins.

Generally speaking I love Martin and searched for years for a D-28 I could afford. From their early days through the 60's they are simply, consistently wonderful. Everything you play on them sounds like a recording, no wonder they're so popular.

But something happened in the 70's. It's an era I don't love, they just don't sparkle as bright to my ears. But like all things try to compare and hear these things for yourself.

When I finally found "my" Martin, it turned out to be an '86 D-28. Not sure when they got their mojo back, maybe about the time of the HD with the scalloped braces they again paid more attention to other D28 versions as well. 80s Martin's don't seem as common in general, maybe someone else can comment. While I still prefer those late 50s and 60s vintages, they're just special, I'm happy for life at a fraction of the price.

Before that I was lucky to find an 80's Takamine for about $450CAD. Basically a D28 clone, it felt and sounded great from the first time I picked it up. Still does. And their pickups are also accurate, reliable units. It's my backup, great for stage, but, well you get the idea.

Have fun, hope you find your forever acoustic.

 

[turfdoc]

Guild made marvelous 12 strings back in the day. Very popular with recording artists.

 

[dbrnhm]

Hello Friends,

As an older millennial I’m looking for a historical perspective on Guild acoustics: From what I’ve seen and heard they were one of the 3 main acoustic guitar options for those playing a “serious” acoustic guitar back in the 60’s and 70’s. I’ve seen them featured prominently in the hands of famous players from that period. I have a ‘76 D-50 and it’s an excellent sounding and playing instrument.

1. Were they every bit as much of a player in that market and time period as it appears?

2. What happened by the 80’s and 90’s that caused them to cede that position to others like Taylor and Takamine? Quality issues? Buyouts? Personnel? Logistics? All the above?

Thanks in advance for perspective from those who were there!

To me Guilds are great acoustics. They are rugged well built guitars so they can withstand humidity changes better than others. Always were and still are.
They are almost overbuilt and that’s especially why they have been known for their 12 strings. They stand up to the increased tension of the extra strings very well. Overall good guitars. I have one. But sound wise I will choose a nice “under built” Martin and keep an eye out for climate changes. All of that said. I like guilds. I don’t love them.

 

[timbgtr]

Guild made marvelous 12 strings back in the day. Very popular with recording artists.

I have a 1980 F212 12 string I picked up used on 48th St. in Manhattan way back in the day. It sounds great and is fantastically easy to play.



While on Guilds, their classical guitars deserve a shout out as well. I have a restored Mark III that doesn't get played nearly enough.

 

[padreraven]

I was looking for a new medium-price-range acoustic in the early '90s after playing cheap guitars for 30 years. I had played a friend's Guild and really liked the sound so I checked those out first. The salesman asked me to try a Martin D-1 (they don't make that model anymore, it was a mahogany dreadnought) and after going back and forth trying them out I bought the Martin. It just sounded better. I now have a D-28; I've tried the Gibsons and Taylors and they are fine guitars but I have turned into a Martin guy (except for my Tacoma 12-string). I still like the old Guilds but I still think the Martins just sound better.

 

[backalleyblues]

I’ve played a couple corona guitars (F-50 and F-512) and those are 2 of the best acoustic guitars I’ve ever heard, period. The 512 belongs to my wife so I’m even more familiar with it-it chimes like a good 12 should, but also has some serious meat to the tone as well. The F-50 belongs to a dear friend of ours and actually inspired my wife to get her 512-best jumbo i’ve ever played and I’ve played a bunch of Gibson J guitars, including some great ones.

As noted, guilds problem was the changing market and a series of ownership changes which nearly did them in-the quality through each era was always good, and at times spectacular, so if you’re looking at one for playing, don’t get too hung up that it’s not from this factory or that, they’re all going to be at least decent.

I have 2 guild electrics, a SF IV Newark st series (MIK) that’s a fabulous guitar, and an original 1960 T-50 Slim that is just a blast to play, a wonderful guitar that lets you focus on just playing instead of which pickup you’re set on etc. Haven’t played the MIC guilds much, so no comment on them...

Franc Robert

 

[Don Rich Rules]

I had a 76 Guild D50. My Dad bought it in some pawn shop in Chelsea.
I was 12 at the time and I remember vividly how beautiful it played and sounded.
Then My Dad bought a 1966 Martin D35 from a preist at our church.
Turns out the priest protested the Veitnam war by not paying his taxes.
So my Dad bought the D35 from the preist for $500.which was really high
for that guitar at that time. He came home and we compared the Guild to the Martin.
The Guild was really a great guitar but the Martin was in a league of its own.
Then he said I could have either the Guild or the Martin. I was stunned, I couldn't believe what he was saying. I kept the D35 and 45 years later I still have the guitar and play it all the time. I was so fortunate to have such a cool Dad. I guess he knew I'd take care of it and play it. R.I.P. Tuff guy and thanks for everything.

P.S. the preist went to jail for molesting most of the young boys at the church.
He never touched me or my brother because he knew my Dad would have killed him.

.

 

[Tall-Fir]

George Strait sure got some mileage out of Guild guitars. In his career he’s only played to who knows how many millions of country music fans.

 

[BassKulcha]

I saved up all summer working as a cook for the crew on the Long Island Ferry in the Summer of '86 to purchase my first "real" guitar—a Guild D-17M mahogany dreadnought.

I still have it, though I'm sorry to say it's been neglected and dejected and rejected over the years and now needs some serious TLC. (Backstory: I found a D-17M at the local guitar shop and fell in love, but just couldn't pull the trigger on the price. I came back a few days later...and it was gone! Thinking it would sound the same, I pulled another D-17M off the wall, put the cash on the counter, and walked off with it. Nope...it never did sound the same, and I just never really clicked with it.)

I recently found a near mint '68 Gibson J-50 at a local flea market for a jaw-droppingly cheap price and snatched it up. It has the booming clarity, "janglyness", and punch I've been looking for, and has reignited my playing. Which means that the Guild, unfortunately, is now on the chopping block...