Guild D-55 / dTar pickup

[LiveMusic]

 

D-55's sell new between $1900 & 2100, depending on whether you have the DTar pickup system installed. They are reputed to sound big. (That's an understatement.) Very different from an 814CE. If there is a knock on the D-55, it's that it sounds too big. It overwhelms. I loved the way the 814ce played. I loved the way it felt when I held it. The Guild is a heavy dreadnought with a big sound. It won't play, feel or sound like the 814ce. It will sound a lot better. It probably won't play as easily or feel so right. So between the D-55 & the 814ce, you have two good extremes to compare and contrast, an alpha & omega of high-end steel string acoustics. Find one & play it. See what you think.

 

 

I decided this should have its own thread rather than highjack the other.

 

Marcellis (or anyone), what do you think of the dTar pickup? Have you ever heard it? It's supposed to be something special, I've never heard it.

 

The D-55, you said it's sound is big. Did you mean the guitar itself or the D-55 with the dTar? When you said it might be too big, care to elaborate on that?

 

You said it might not play so easy... why? With a good setup, that cannot be "fixed?" Or is it the neck?

 

Is there a particular playing style that this guitar would be good/bad at?

 

Do you have an opinion of how the D-55 sounds/plays vs. Gibson J45?

 

I love the looks of this guitar and I've long lusted for a Guild and also a solid rosewood/spruce guitar.

[DonK]

Are you talking about the dTar Mama Bear pre-amp. If so, check out this vid:

 

http://www.d-tar.com/mama_bear_videos.shtml

[Etienne Rambert]

Donk's right. I think there are several varieties of DTar.

I have never heard any of them to my knowledge. I know they run

from around $70 up to $200+.

 

I know the DTar adds about $200 to the price of a Guild D-55.

 

DTAR

 

I can't tell you if the DTAR on the D-55 is any good. I just know it adds 200 bucks to the price.

 

Here are some reviews of a D-55. http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Acoustic+Guitar/product/Guild/D-55/10/1

 

EvilTwin had a pretty good thread about trying one out recently. But I can't find it anywhere. He commented on the volume, as did others. Tony Burns here owns one also.

 

I've heard them from Rhode Island and Corona California. The Rhode Island D-55's were to my ears, in a class of their own in terms of volume, range and warmth. I'm don't know if the old Maple JF-55 I've played on was louder or not. It was a monster. But it wasn't as warm and didn't have the tonal range of the D-55.

 

I have not heard any Tacoma D-55's. But they're getting rave reviews and they're hard to find. In the $1900-2100 range, they are worth looking into. They poster in the previous thread was looking for a $2k acoustic guitar. That's the D-55 niche.

 

Back to p'ups. I personally don't like acoustic guitar pickups. My favorite p'up is my electric Kent Armstrong p'up on my Mahogany archtop. It makes the guitar sound like an electric hollow-body.

 

I just bought a Guild with the Fishman blender onboard. I didn't buy it for the pickup. I'll probably plug it in now & then though.

 

Comparing a D-55 to Gibsons? I love the sound of the great Gibsons. I associate a sweet warmth with the best Gibson acoustics, not volume. But I could be wrong.

 

I remember playing a Gibson from the 60's. It was a J-45 or a J-40. It's the sweetest, warmest sounding guitar I've can ever remember. But other J-series Gibbys I've played sound dull to my ears. The sound is not consistent.

 

There is a "Guild sound". You know it when you hear it. It's been consistent across the decades, with the possible exception of a few models during the Corona years.

 

Ease of playing? I've never associated that quality with Guilds. I do associate it with the Taylor 814ce, which I've recorded on a lot. I love the action and the feel of that guitar. I don't love the sound.

 

Sure - setup could fix that. I understand the F65 I just bought has beautiful action.

[J45dale]

Livemusic,

I own one of the dreaded Corona built D55s. I also own and play a J45 Gibson.

And they are as much alike as night and day.

The Guild has no pick-up, but can roar with power. Tons of Rosewood overtones. A massive bass on demand, but is the most balanced Dred I have played. The thin neck feels like a electric. Great for rock and swing and western sounds. It sounds like a big Guild.

The J45, is a quiter, smoother, dry, woody, Mohogany Dred. Great on old-time tunes. It has a good feel. I would never be without a J45.

I say get both.

Dale.

[Etienne Rambert]

J-45 I played a Corona D-55 in New York about four years ago. I loved it. It may have been my ears, but it just didn't sound like the D-55's I'd heard from the 70's. It had a great neck too, which I wasn't expecting.

[utterhack]

Just for the record, the d-tar he's talking about is this one: http://www.d-tar.com/load_n_lock.shtml

 

18V operation for quack-free strumming

non-invasive (soundhole preamp/endpin jack)

highly tempting