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Gi'mi your views of the Guild GAD series


solitaire

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Posted

I just played one of those and now I'm seriously considering getting rid of my US-made guitars, soon redundant. What do you think? Can you GAS for a Chinese box of wood?

 

Cheers!

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Posted

Loved the sounds out of the GAD25 and the GAD50. Seemed like very quality instuments. If I only had the means I would have one.

 

--Tim

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Posted

I have a Cort PW340FM Jumbo Maple that is made in China. The thing is great in all categories: tone, sustain, playability, quality of workmanship, appearence. I love it and wouldn't hesitate to buy a guitar just because it is Chinese-made.

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Posted

I just recently got a Guild Gad 30R. I really like the way it plays & sounds. To me, it's an amazing value !!! Here's a few pics.

 

gad1.JPG

 

gad4.JPG

 

gad6.JPG

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Posted

I am very impressed with GAD Guilds. I have played the GAD JF30 and GAD 50 and liked them both very much. They are made to compete with Alvarez and I think they do that VERY well. Fit and finish is outstanding and they have wonderful sound. I have a F50 as my primary guitar but I plan on buying one the GAD guitars as a travel guitar. Check out Guitars of Montana @ www.guitarsofmontana.com They are great to work with and they ship all over the country.

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Posted

My experience was pretty similar - I was shopping all over the $500-$1500 range, and after playing pretty much everything I could get my hands on (which in LA is plenty), I was pretty much settled on a Taylor 2xx or a Breedlove Atlas...

 

Just to check off that final comparison-shopping box, I tried a Guild GAD... it pretty much knocked me off my feet, and made my short list even before taking price into consideration.

 

I ended up with a GAD-40C, which has the cutaway I want without the electronics I don't. That said, if I'd been in the market for a concert-sized model I would have gone for the GAD-30 in a heartbeat. Very sweet-sounding, probably the gem of the GAD series...

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Posted

I just tried out a guild at a store here in Manhattan, ludlow guitars. I think it's the GAD 30. I was so amazed by it. Great player and great sounding. And I don't mine using the word Great. I couldn't believe it as around five or six hundred bucks. I actually walked away from it when I saw the made in china sticker inside. Then I walked over to Carmine street guitars and they had one in there also and someone was playing it, the same one, and it sounded so good. I'm considering it.

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Posted

I felt the GAD 30 had an excellent neck profile and string spacing on upper (nut) and lower end (Saddle). It's very similar in feel and appearance to an OM. What I did not like about this little guitar was the lack of note separatioin. Overtones are nice and I love that feature in a guitar, but the GAD that I played was too "muddy". I like crisp note separation with a deep, chocolate low end. It's a nice little guitar and MUCH nicer than any Blueridge 000 I've ever played. I just wasn't all that impressed with the voice of the guitar.

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Posted

It's looking like the GAD30 is a serious contender. It's even gotten raves at APM, which is frequented by many folks who are focused on high-end (boutique and commissioned) guitars.

 

Where are these guitars made?

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Posted

Originally posted by the russ

They don't sound anything like the old Guilds, and I mean that in a bad way.
:(

 

w3rd. If you expect classic Guild sound, you'll be disappointed. They sound decent and are a pretty good value, but if you close your eyes, you don't know if you're playing a Yamaha, Fender, Eashburn, ir Ibanez. They're just all the same, not much mojo. :(

 

I even hate "Fender" Guilds after the buyout. The old RI examples really have a vibe to them.

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Posted

 

Originally posted by kwakatak

It's looking like the GAD30 is a serious contender. It's even gotten raves at APM, which is frequented by many folks who are focused on high-end (boutique and commissioned) guitars.


Where are these guitars made?

 

Hi Kwak,

I'm afraid I'm partly to blame for the discussion over at APM. These guitars are, believe it or not, made in China. My fathers Wester is also made in China but it's a completely different time of day.

 

Derivicus: I'm aware they are not really Guild like in tone. Old Guilds had more bark to them, while these ones are sort of sweeter in tone, much like Vancouver made guitars in that respect IMO. A couple of lively strings (read: cryo-hardened) will provide it with some nice saturation I think.

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Posted

 

They don't sound anything like the old Guilds, and I mean that in a bad way.

 

 

I really don't think they were ever meant to be comparable with the old Guilds. GADs are made to be an affordable guitar with great sound. Nothing more.........nothing less

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Posted

Originally posted by derivicus

They're just all the same, not much mojo.
:(

I even hate "Fender" Guilds after the buyout. The old RI examples really have a vibe to them.

 

 

Considering that the most of the mojo from the delta blues was created on a pretty scrungy assortment of sears and similarly vaunted guitars, I firmly believe that mojo lies within the fingers, and not the fretboard...

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Posted

Considering that the most of the mojo from the delta blues was created on a pretty scrungy assortment of sears and similarly vaunted guitars, I firmly believe that mojo lies within the fingers, and not the fretboard...

 

:thu:

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Posted

 

Originally posted by bsman




Considering that the most of the mojo from the delta blues was created on a pretty scrungy assortment of sears and similarly vaunted guitars, I firmly believe that mojo lies within the fingers, and not the fretboard...

 

 

Most of us don't play Delta Blues. Your comment is not relevant to my argument.

 

And yes, guitars have mojo.

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Posted

Originally posted by the russ

They don't sound anything like the old Guilds, and I mean that in a bad way.
:(

 

Originally posted by derivicus

They're just all the same, not much mojo.
:(

 

Same thought: if you can point me to a readily-available mojo-soaked or vintage-Guild-comparable sub-$1500 acoustic, I am all ears.

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Posted

 

Originally posted by utterhack





Same thought: if you can point me to a readily-available mojo-soaked or vintage-Guild-comparable sub-$1500 acoustic, I am all ears.

 

 

how about a vintage Guild?

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Posted

Originally posted by the russ



how about a vintage Guild?

 

That's where the readily-available part comes in :)

 

I'm still a little skittish about buying acoustics without having a chance to play them, and I didn't find any locally before I had to buy.

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Posted

 

Originally posted by Madill

Oops! I guess you are in Sweeden..............but you still check out the website I listed. Good luck!

 

I appreciate the thought though!

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Posted

I recently played a GAD 30 and was very impressed with the construction, sound, finish detail, etc. The neck profile wasn't my cup of tea, though (too thin for me), so opted to keep looking.

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Posted

 

Originally posted by DonK

I recently played a GAD 30 and was very impressed with the construction, sound, finish detail, etc. The neck profile wasn't my cup of tea, though (too thin for me), so opted to keep looking.

I believe Guilds in general has grown thinner and thinner over time. Once Guilds were much like Gibsons in the neck department. I guess acoustic guitars are designed to play like electrics nowadays to appeal to electric guitar players. Probably these brands fear they'd be out of business if they don't.

 

It's quite funny I for one have never bothered much about neck profile. Maybe it's because I haven't found my neck profile yet. I used to be in such a position I had to make do with what ever guitar was in my pricerange and the neck thing could be a result of that.

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Posted

Originally posted by utterhack



That's where the readily-available part comes in
:)

I'm still a little skittish about buying acoustics without having a chance to play them, and I didn't find any locally before I had to buy.

 

i know what you're saying. a lot of those old Guilds are very affordable. if you're really located in the sunset strip, there's gotta be a vintage guitar shop or two within half a day's drive where you can find one. either that or camp out on craigslist or eBay until one pops up in your area.

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