OMG...While the Martin sounded nice, as soon as he hit the first chord of the Guild it was game over! What ear candy!!! The guitar has a deeper, richer, and more textured sound. I might have to save for a while, but this will be my #1 Acoustic. What a great sounding guitar!
@@ianmeadows6351 I bought my Guild D55, it was a pretty penny but I don't regret my purchase this guitar sounds fantastic!!! Thank you for your wonderful demo.
Absolutely! Man, I felt the same way. I’ve been looking at the Guilds for a while now. As you said, I’ll need to save up for a bit. Actually, the wife said with our tax return, I can do away with the couple inexpensive guitars I have, and guy something nice! I’ve heard the Taylors, The Martins, etc. as one of my BILs is a music professor, with his masters in music theory…….and I like the Guilds above all of them. As you said, it’s gonna be my main squeeze!
I had around £3000 saved up to buy a lifetime acoustic. I went to a lot of shops in the UK and played a lot of guitars including a D 28, 8018, a hummingbird, an 814, and 816 and a bunch of others too. I had a guild of 55 in the 80s and foolishly sold it having fallen out with music for a bit. I got myself another and it’s unbelievable. The sound of the soul.
Got small guild all hog and my first Thinline FCeNt spruce y rosewood y D20 y 1 GPC Martin a dreadnaught and a backpacker y a concert all solid Koa ukulele …I need the om28 or 00018 …for my last wish…I got classical guitars too a tele y etc an all solid European made studio piano y a Korg keyboard…not fully happy though…I sing a lot…y 4 Honer harps
Over the last 50+ odd years that I've been playing guitar, I've owned a lot of different instuments. A few stuck, most did'nt. I tried to always trade up when I found something I liked. Saved all my overtime earnings to throw in on the trades. I ended up with 5 wonderful ( IMHO ) instuments: Martin D45, Gibson Reissue '53 SJ200, Adamas 1687-gt7, Gibson C.S. J45 Red Sruce, and an E.J. hollowbody Strat. I realize how fortunate I am. Most have been with me for many years. All fantastic. I play the heck out of all of them. Or I did. Then I purchased a Guild D55 in 2018. I'm only sharing the details of my little herd to convey the caliber of gear that the Guild has pretty much relegated to their respective cases. I still enjoy playing the others, but after a little while I'm always ready to get back to the Guild. It's that good. Try one if you get a chance, you'll see what everyone is talking about.
D-55 over a D-45 is a strong statement, thanks for the insight, btw super jealous of you SJ200 def a guitar on my bucket list, is that a maple or rosewoods back/side?
Yah that has me impressed. A d55 over a d45. I have to try one now I've owned hundreds of guitars before and currently own a taylor k22, goodall rgc, taylor 414ce and a martin junior. (Taylor 414ce is extremely underrated the wood it has I perfer it over hog)
That's some line-up. Like you, I've been playing for 50+ years, and in that time I never found a match for the Guild D50 I bought new in 1976. Hated having to part with that a few years ago. Now playing small guitars, and a Guild M20 is my go to. Completely different beast, but Guild guitars are right up there with the best.
That D55 is so mellow, powerful, and thumpy. I love it. The 6 strings melt together so perfectly. Some may call it unfocused or muddy, but it sounds soulful too me.
Guild d 55 is the best acoustic I have ever heard to my taste. I know Martin is wonderful and taylor also. My lord that guild d-55 really has this thing going on where it is just incredible .I feel it in my soul or something.
I agree 100%. My pops has played and collected guilds since the 60s. And those who love to strum all play them.. Richie havrns, John Denver etc.. all the well known singer strummers.
@@joshythehand2960 I love guilds too. I think you are right, their strength is their strum. I have a few pretty good acoustics and of them all the guilds sound the best and fullest strummed or playing chords. The others, gibson, epi masterbuilt, ovation, washburn do seem to me a little more articulate and clear though picking or playing lead type riffs. That said, I love guilds so much I have 3 of them.
Wow. The Guild sounded amazing. Full. More bass than the Martin. This is the 2nd Guild D55 I have heard that sounds incredible. I have a custom Martin D 35 with Addy and GE bracing. I would love to put it against the Guild. Kudos to Guild.
The Guild is more balanced, all the way up the neck. The bass is true and genuine, the mids are superb! I was shocked quite frankly. Wow, what a guitar.
Better sustain for sure. And less of a clang in the treble strings. The Guild sound is more balanced. Though the Martin has more thump in the bass. But, yeah, I'd pick the Guild if I had to make the choice.
Every time I stray away from the Guilds I always end up coming back. Just a Guild guy through and through. They just speak to me and sound like I immagine an acoustix guitar should.
I really appreciate that the demo incorporates so many different techniques, and that the player patiently and thoroughly explores what each guitar is capable of. This gives us the information we need to make a good decision in line with both objective facts and our own personal taste. So many other reviewers cut corners and offer poorly articulated or unsupported opinions about what is “best”.
Guild...all day long...It just sounded fuller, as if you turned turned the volume down every time I heard the Martin, but not just the volume, the Guild sounded as though each string was ringing out. It has that something extra that the Martin lacked...
The martin sounded beautiful but when the Guild was played it went to another level. Almost like you were inside it. Quick story I was looking at a Yamaha 110 in the mid 70's and the salesman said "Try this". Handed me a Guild D-25. It was instant love. But at $325 pricey for a young man. I worked for my father and went home and asked him for an extra 2 weeks pay in advance. I still have that D-25 and my son has used it onstage and in the studio too. Sweet as ever.
I always considered the Martin D-28 to be my dream guitar. I will say the Guild D-55 is VERY impressive in this comparison video. Another commenter mentioned that the D-28 sounds brighter, and I agree. Picking one over the other would be a difficult task. Both great, but Guild is richer sounding.
I, too, dreamt of having a D28 from my early teens when I started playing guitar on a pretty crap flattop like so many of us. In 1978 I moved to Nashville from the UK and spent the first few week scouring all the music shops trying every D28 I could find, and none of them "touched" me. At the end of one rack there was a Takamine that looked so much like the Martin that I didn't realise it. I picked it up and played it. IT was better than all the others I'd played. Then I looked at the price and said to myself, "ah, this is a used one, that's why it sounds better". The salesman explained this wasn't the case, but at half the price I went home with it. Lived with it for 20 years and then living in the Detroit area, I befriended a guy who had a shop specialising in high end acoustics and I set my mind on getting a 12-string. Played several and kept coming back to a Guild D55-12. Fantastic. So I asked if I could try the six-string model and I was absolutely blown away. He had a couple of used D28s around for me to play against but there was simply no comparison. I regret not having enough cash on me that day to take away two guitars, but I did take home the D55 six string. Even more fabulous now than then, as you would imagine after being played for 20 years. Two years ago, realising that I hadn't played my Takamine for 20 years, I decided to sell it to someone who wanted a fabulous D28 sound without the price tag. This particular guitar was all solid woods, the real (false actually) lawsuit guitar. He was happy as hell. I had a twinging regret, a feeling of betrayal, but knew that this new owner would give that guitar another twenty years of playtime. So for me, nothing at all against the D28 or any other Martin, but the Guild is the absolute keeper. Before buying the Guild, I was in the New York area and wanted a smaller orchestra style guitar, so I tried out all the obvious guitars including of course Martin and Taylor (which I really disliked), and bought a Collings C10. Magnificent guitar. Never gets played when the D55 is next to it -- I know, totally different beasts, but I'm at a point in my life where something, no matter how good, if it doesn't call to me, needs to move on to call to someone else.
The Guild d55e wins. Hands down. I'm so lucky to actually own one. It sounds deep and mellow. Loves to be played. I've been a guitar collector for some time now, had them all but the guild d55e is a special thing. Thanks guild
That's a good representation of a d28. Nice individual model there. The Guild is nice. But Martin has literally the best mix of definition, warmth, bass and soul out there. Trebles are there. But its warm too. Not muddy. Idk. Martin sound is the sound for me. No one has that Martin Growl and punch. And that echo chamber on finger picking on just certain notes. That fullness that rings out harmonically. That guild has great sustain though on chords. A little thin imo but nice. Single notes seem to be a little compressed at times. But the guild sounds brighter in7a different way at certain times. And i think that's because you're hearing the strings more than the wood. Honestly it probably just needs to open up. The difference in punch and midrange is apparent between the two. Guild seems like a nice compromise if someone can't decide on a Martin or Gibson maybe.
I agree with all you said. The new Guilds with nitro finish seem to take a long time to open up. However, I would still take the Guild over the Martin because of the fretboard radius. I use my thumb to help make barre chords. The 12" radius is much easier for me than the 16" .
I really like the tones from the D55 played solo. It has a very rounded and broad tonal spectrum. The beauty of the the D55 can get lost when playing in a group or band. However, the D28 holds up better to serious hard driving picking when in a band or group. Also, each of these guitars invites you to play very differently. If I am not drawn in by the guitar to play it a certain way I don’t get inspired. I really liked my D28 that I had to sell in the early 70s to pay for college tuition. I recently got a D55 and it brings me much joy just savoring the beautiful tones.
Thanks for the video, very interesting comparison! If I can make a small suggestion, a re-edit to put each section/style on each guitar back to back would I think really help highlight the differences. Beautiful guitars and beautiful playing!
I just wanna say thankyou for using a Shure KSM for all your comparisons. It's like the most neutral microphone ever so it really presents the guitars about as well as any mic out there.
Absolutely love the Guild. Such power, depth and sustain. Top end sounded sweeter to me too. Particularly appreciated the inclusion of the capo on these reviews, a lot of guitars sound very different played that way, great review, nothing left to do but find the money! Thankyou! 👍
This Guild has a monstrous heat bordering on suffocation ... I love warm guitars but not at this level. To play alone or light it can do it ... but in the mix with a band it must be quite subtle. I like warm guitars but with a little more brilliance and tonal openness. So my vote goes to Martin D-28. Your comparison videos are really the best I've seen ... the sound and picture quality are excellent ... keep up the good work.
I get what you’re saying, where as the guild is really lush I think the Martin would be better in an acoustic ensemble particularly Bluegrass. I think the Martin has a more fundamental/mid range forward bark to it. However, if I was doing an intimate solo acoustic session or with one or two other people, where there was some finger style going on the guild would probably be my choice.
I have always loved I have had my D55 for three years nearly It is absolutely amazing I won’t be looking to find a better sound for my ears anyway it great what Ren Ferguson and Cordoba did relaunching quality Guild instuments again after being reduced for a time in quality and sound by Fender who I guess didn’t continue the crafted approach previously demonstrated by the Rhode Island luthiers till 1996 It’s wonderful that quality and better has now come on stream.
Wow, that Guild just hits me right in the gut. Deep sound, bass and treble balance out, truly one of the best sounding guitars. I,was,so bummed when Fender bought them but now they're back and better than ever.sounds much better than the overpriced Martin.
Quite everyone here says martin is brighter, guild is fuller. I don't know, I hear the exact opposite ;) Morover, that's the distinctive D28 tone to my ears.
It was over 20 years ago when I sat in the store and compared these two models. It was a very difficult decision but I ended up leaving with the D55 in my hands. Honestly I could not have made a wrong decision picking either as they are both wonderful instruments. At that time my impression was that the D28 was brighter and the D55 fuller and that is what swayed me. In a live band I think the Martin may cut through better but playing alone the fullness of the Guild filled my ears with more joyous sounds.
I'm no expert, I'll just toss my coin. They are both wonderful guitars. That being said the D28 has slightly warmer response in the low range. The Guild D55 appears to have more balance with higher response in the midrange. Overall the sound is less rounded but it has a lot resonance. It seems to suit better the different guitar syles, and I really enjoyed the sound with the capo. Also it looks like the D55 has excellent playability at the cost of some string buzz. Overall my preference goes to the D55; it seems to have more character.
I've picked a lot of guitars and the best two were a tie between a Mosrite made in Bakersfield,CA and a Grammer made in Nashville,TN. I played several of each and all were top notch in tone, tuning, string height, treble/bass balance, resonance, construction, etc. Very best were an early 60's Mosrite and a late 60's Grammer, I still have the Grammer which my son now uses. The other well known guitar makers all make excellent products just with what I believe is more variation in the same model between individual instruments. I'd like to hear what some other players think.
I'd love tho know which factory that Guild was made in. I used to build them when they were made in Tacoma, so it would be awesome to know if I actually had a hand in building that guitar. It's so unfortunate that we weren't paid enough to actually afford a Guild. My dream guitar would be a Tacoma made Guild F-50r. We built some beautiful instruments back in those days...
I traded my 89 Martin HD28 for a Tacoma built F50R a couple years ago. Truly an amazing Guild with the best tone in my collection. It may have been you that built this beauty! Superb craftsmanship. I tip my hat to the folks in Guild’s Tacoma workshop. Thank you for such a wonderful instrument.
You must have had a hand in building my Tacoma Guild 2007 D55.. Best Guitar I have ever owned or played..what a fantastic guitar..I salute you and your fellow workers for the great Guild Guitars that came out of the Tacoma factory around that time...
Highly suggest you use the side-by-side time links Ian's lays out in his notes section for comparing both guitars for Strumming, Flatpicking, Fingerpicking and Capo. It's really a great way to compare the two for styles of play. To me, the Martin is brighter for Strumming, Flatpicking and Fingerpicking. In addition to this comparison I watched a different comparison of these two guitars and found a similar thing when using a capo at the second fret. A strange thing hit my ears: the Martin sounded muddier and the Guild brighter which kinda floored me. I play with a capo many times to match my voice so this makes the Guild an interesting option. I like the Guild without capo in any event. The Martin obviously always sounds great for bluegrass but that's not my gig. So, I guess I'll go with the Guild.
All guilds are. Some of the best they ever made were from the late 70s till about 82. Known not only for tone.. but they had freakish resonance. You could hear them over the band without a pick up
I don't think guild has ever really had a bad period. Most people feel that all the American manufacturers declined in the 70's and 80's. Guild may never have quite reached the heights of golden era Martin or Gibson, but they were damn close and never had a bad era. That's enviable, I think.
Even the Korean made Newark St line are great sounding guitars, especially at the $800-$1000 price point. But the D-40 and D-55 are something else entirely.
Full disclosure: I've had a long love affair with Guild. I've never liked Martin because they were never bright. So I'm surprised to hear the brightness of the Martin. Were the same strings used on both guitars? Also playability. How did you like playing the Martin versus the Guild? I have always found Guild's neck and low action to be amazing. I would still choose the Guild, but I wouldn't mind the Martin as a second guitar! Their prices are extremely high though, and I'm also a big bling fan. To afford a more blingy Martin I'd have to sell my car, a kidney etc. Great comparison!!!
Yes, same strings on each. D'addario EJ16 which are my go to. Both play great and sound great, we're talking extremely small differences in these guitars. If you dig bling, the D-55 is perfect...
I've been playing Guild for 50 years, I still have my 1980 Guild D 50. Bass response and treble on Guild guitars have their own tone quality. Martin builds a great guitar as well but Guild just has it all in my opinion. Los Angeles
Guild. Guild has always made well balanced guitars - over all 6 strings. But I would pick the Guild mostly for ease of play, 12" fretboard radius. Martin's 16" radius is too flat for my old hands. These 2 guitars both sound excellent to me.
Nice playing, you represented them with style. All this has done is tell me I want mine back and all you listeners need one of each and get practicing... lol. I have owned a Martin HD-28V, amazing guitar as well as a Guild JF-55 and that was amazing too. So kiddies, good luck with your decision. While one is never to old to play, my arhtritis has pretty much put a kabash on my playing so, I parted ways with them because I had no kids to hand them down to. But ether one will bring you much joy, some of you for a entire lifetimes worth and maybe your kids and grandkids... PEACE!
I really appreciate this video! Trying to pick between the two would be tough. However, while I liked the full body of the Guild initially, suddenly I heard a frequency I didn't like around the 390Hz. Maybe indicative to this particular Guild guitar, but it'd be something I'd have to EQ down in production. This was such a great video showing an example why guitar players HAVE to have more than one guitar, based on what style is to be performed! Thanks so much Ian! Really Great!
Huge Martin fan here but that Guild sounds really nice. I think the Martin 'cuts' in a little better, but the Guild has such a nice mellow sound. I'll take one of each, please! If you have a Taylor, I would go with the Guild as it is even more different from a Taylor than is a Martin.
Hi, i personally disagree.I've owned many guitars,including high end Martin and i've always noticed a true difference between D28 and especially D42 and 45 More vitality,headroom,sustain and a more complex tone in 40's series.It's not only bling.IMHO.
I sort of agree but at the same time the D-55 is the only rosewood dreadnought Guild makes at the moment. The D-35 would also be a better comparison too as they tend to have more mids than a D-28.
Great comparison thank you! The guild is closer to my D35 retro which has a European spruce top. Very deep bass and warm top end compared to a D28. I love the sound. Should have kept it. Maybe time for a D55?
I've played a few Guild D-25s (not D-55s unfortunately) and Martin D-28s in my 40 years of playing the guitar, and they consistently sound like this. Martin: Very well balanced and even across the strings and across the frequency range. Slightly quiet. Good separation and definition of notes when you play a chord. Clear, nice sustain. Guild: Less well balanced but that translates into lots more character and a lovely, rich sound. Harmonic resonances hiding in the chords that just sound fantastic when you listen out for them. Lots of volume. Fantastic sustain (especially on archback D25s). If you play a Guild first and then switch to a Martin you feel as though you are driving a slightly quieter, more luxurious car but with the handbrake stuck on. Neither Guild nor Martin dreadnoughts sound quite as open and alive as a good Gibson dread like a Hummingbird, in my experience, and the Gibsons I've played have been very well balanced. But Gibsons are more expensive. However good they sound I won't buy a new Gibson because these days the company is driven by brand managers and lawyers instead of good luthiers. I own two Guild D-25s, one archback from 1986 and one flatback from 1971. Both have spruce tops, mahogany sides and back. The arched back is laminated but the archback sounds much more lively than the flatback. D-25 archbacks are awesomely good guitars, they are among the best-sounding acoustic guitars ever made in my opinion. I don't own a Martin dread. They are great guitars but I prefer the personality of a Guild.
I once owned a 1978 D-55. Paid $850 for it new. I had a tragic accident that shattered by left elbow and ended my guitar playing days. Beautiful sound and great action! Always got complements on how great it sounded. Played fingerstyle.
Have to go with the Guild here. I have owned an early '70's Martin D18 and early '80's Guild D40, so not biased towards either brand. Both great. But for these two examples, not really close to my ears.
For me, I prefer the brighter tone of the Martin. I imagine it would be a peach for fingerstyle? The Guild had a slightly softer tone (to my 'Brit ears'!) the word 'Muddy' springs to mind but who would say that about a Guild? Both lovely instruments and really nicely demo'd. Still that Martin......... thanks, Peter
If the smaller spruce/rosewood Guilds are on a par with that D-55, color me interested in one. I played a 1967 Martin D-18 for decades, but at this point in my life -- I'm about to turn 74 -- dreads are just too big and awkward to hold and play, so a small, arched back Guild just might be "the one" for me.
I own a vintage Martin D-28 which I love but I have to say that Guild sounds every bit as good, if not better. I have always been a fan of Guild acoustic guitars. My latest interest is in the Epiphone Excellente, a big body acoustic that has a great sound, a beautiful design, and costs less than half the D-28 and D-55.
The D-55 is amazingly loud, a bit brash, does it have an arched back ? Still, the Martin has a more beautiful tone, and you play it to exploit that. Good job.
Both are well worth the money very good quality in both Martin has that nice bluegrass hint as well for anything else you want out of it.The Giild has a nice bass response. Loud projection, clean..I love the Guild 12 strings all around the best in quality for 12 string balance, loud and big on the bassend.
Guild sounds nice, You need to do a fair comparison though.Your comparing a top of the line Guild to a standard Martin. How about a D41,42 or D45 or even a Hd35 ,Hd28 comparison to the Guid. I do t think you could put your spin on those comparisons.
The two guitars are different in their sound. One is not better than the other but the choice here is easy. Please send me one of each. That said, if I had to pick only 1, I would have to go with the Guild. Hats off to those guys, they have come back in leaps and bounds.
The Guild all the way! No contest! Interestingly enough, I actually just played a Martin D-28 for the first time a few weeks ago at a guitar store. Historically, I haven't been that impressed with Martins, but I liked that D-28. I love Guilds, though, and I already own several. So I was curious to see how the Martin D-28 would stack up against the Guild D-55. Even Guild's Chinese-made guitars are great, but their USA line is incredible!
