Guild Face-Off: D-25 vs. GAD-25

So today I finally had a chance to put my 1981 Guild D-25M up against my 2011 Guild GAD-25. The D-25 is the best-selling Guild acoustic model ever and has gone through various iterations.  Mine has a solid (Mahogany-stained) Spruce top and arched Mahogany laminate back.  The GAD-25 has a solid Mahogany flat top and back and is closer to the original D-25 introduced in 1968 and a second version discontinued in 2003.  It is one of the Guild Acoustic Design (GAD) series models built in China to Guild specifications to achieve a lower price point for an all solid wood guitar. First introduced in 2005, this year's GAD model is now called the D-125 and lists for $739 with a street price around $550.

Both guitars are big and powerful, with a warm sound, but one stood out with its crisp note definition in all registers: the GAD-25!  By comparison, the D-25 sounded muddled, especially in the middle ranges.  Thinking it might be the strings that were due for a change, I repeated the comparison with the D-25 strung with my favorites: Elixir medium-lights.  Although the new strings sounded better, it was still an obvious win for the Chinese-made GAD-25 (on the right) over the Westerly, RI-made D-25 (on the left).  The finish work on the GAD-25 is also impressive.  The Mahogany wood binding around the body is particularly striking (although the 2012 model now sports a more prosaic black binding).  And you can get it brand new for less than what you would have to pay for a vintage model in good shape.  Who knew?