Saturday, June 2, 2012

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?

4 comments:

  1. I like mahogany guitars. My first guitar was a Goya N-21. Still have it. Only drawback is that it doesn't have a truss rod but is, instead, reinforced with an inserted steel rod. Still love the feel and the sound but I think that in the next few years a neck reset might be called for. Take a look.

    https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1ZEqDoywDFbMIXsKwdCGVHo_D96IhyuTehFOg4P0S5TkrecWT

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  2. Nice looking guitar Ted. The profile looks very comfortable.
    Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Oh wow! Great blog! I just now found you so expect to do a lot of visiting here.
    I love mahogany & maple guitars. I have a Martin D-18 s well as a vintage Framus Falcon 12 which is maple. I bought it because I couldn't afford the one I *really* wanted way back then...the Guild F412. But I've never been unhappy with my Framus - a guitar that seems to get constant criticism from many...it is a 1964 & my soul mate.
    I more recently bought a Guild GAD50 after a lot of thought. I was scared to death of the fact it was made in China, but figured I'd take a chance on it. And so happy I did!
    Everything about this guitar is beautiful & I hope Martin isn't reading because frankly I prefer the neck on my Guild to my D-18. Not that there's a thing wrong with the D-18 neck but you see what I'm saying? Anyway, wonderful blog & I'm looking forward to reading more. ♪

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  4. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words Ginger! My first guitar was a D-18, so it's kind of my touchstone. Love Martins, but I love the Guild necks too (Gibson necks just do not work for me), and the Guild GAD series guitars are some of the most under-appreciated axes available at great prices relative to other guitars with similar features. Happy pickings!

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