This product review is going to be on a guitar company I never gave a second thought to, Guild. I never thought bad or good of them until the Guild rep was in Rock Bottom a couple months a go. He pulled out one of the newer revamped models. I played it and was floored. Last week I walked into the store and saw this beauty staring right at me....the GAD-M20. It was small and stunning. I picked it up and was in love. I had to have it. I have been playing on it and decided to write a review on it and the new company I "discovered" as of late.
First let's get the specs out.
The body style is concert.
The top is made of solid mahogany.
The bracing is scalloped spruce.
The back and sides are solid mahogany.
The scale is 24.75"
The neck is one piece mahogany.
The fretboard is rosewood.
The finger radius is 16"
It is a 20 fret guitar.
It has mother of pearl dot inlays.
The nut and saddle is bone.
The bridge is rosewood.
It has Grover Tuners.
It is designed for optimal sound with gauge .12-.53 strings.
It has Fishmen pick ups/electronics.
With the specs out of the way lets get to how it sounds, you can see how it looks from the picture.It has a full, rich sound. It is very "natural sounding. A lot of newer acoustics just don't sound real to me. This one does. By real I mean like a live sounding acoustic, not something with cheap wood or plastic. It puts out way more non amplified volume than it looks like it should,When you play the guitar softly and lightly it sounds just as crisp and even as it does when you are jamming hard and loud, the same as it does when you are playing just normal too. When you are playing open chords you can hear each individual note shimmer and sing.When playing lead up high on the neck the sound is also clean AND it can be heard. On a lot of acoustics when you play single note lead lines the volume drops and the notes get lost really easy. This one did not. When playing with other acoustic instruments it was heard easily. The overall sound of it reminded me of the great old 70's era folk/country rock music. Think of "Can't You See" by Marshall Tucker. For a guitar made in China it will blow your mind. It can keep up and surpasses alot of American guitars I have played as of late. I played it through a Fender acoustic amp and it sounded just as good as it did unplugged. Same with running it through a P.A. system. It sounds great no matter how you stack it. When you put a strap on it and put it on it sits as perfectly as you would want a guitar to sit. My hands and arms were in a very natural position to be playing. Sitting with it was just as comfortable. Even taking a slide and hitting some old delta blues sounded awesome. It still had volume and the notes still sang, even though in my opinion the thick glass slide sounded best. The glass slide sounded nice and warm on it. The guitar sustains really well too. No matter how hard you get into playing this guitar, you will hear no rattles or buzzes. You just hear the guitar. I know that sounds like something you should expect on a new guitar, that is not always the case. Even in a lot of new acoustic guitars you can hear the tuning keys buzz, some bracing buzz or a battery compartment rattle. This one is clean. In fact the battery is housed in a little "pouch" that Velcros inside the guitar, up at the neck, thus removing any possibility of it rattling. The volume and tone control are inside the sound hole at the top. Invisible to the eye but easy to get to. The input jack is on the bottom strap peg. The guitar is classy and timeless looking.Just the way I like it.
Guild has come a long way in it's 57 year history. This guitar and every model that has come into Rock Bottom Music is top quality at VERY REASONABLE prices. We have got a bunch of them in the past week. Get down and check them out. They will compete with any of your time tested legends like Martin or Taylor, hell it might surpass them. Guild did for me. I got a very top quality Taylor and the guild kills it. Get down to Rock Bottom and play one for yourself. Take my word, you will fall in love just like I did!
John Berret
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI'm a newbie, looking to start lessons for acoustic guitar. I checked out a few, and knowing almost nothing about guitars - it wasn't a very informative trip. All I remember is I saw a Guild M20E and I fell in love with it, the size, the look, the warm tone, (I thought so!) and the case! I've been trying to get an expert opinion on what guitar to buy as a beginner, and whether this is a good choice, or over the top. Also, not too many stores seem to stock it, so I was wondering why. Is it too old? I write songs and would love to learn to express myself through guitar as well. The genre of music I'm interested in is contemporary Christian/Praise & Worship music.
Glad I found your blog and I look fwd to seeing your response. Have a great day.
Nana
hey man. just found one of these baby's at a pawn shop and although i have always known guild was in the higher quality guitar group i never played one till recently. i have been debating on buying this guy and i think you just sold me on it. i really just needed some verification haha. thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou found one at a pawn shop? You are very lucky indeed, unless it was abused in its former life. I found mine at used-guitar shop, and it was not cheap. But I have no second thoughts; it's a great little guitar.
Deletenana,hit me up with an email and i will try and help you some more. it is john@questsoundpro.com glad to hear you are playing! at anonymous- glad it helped you! they are great guitars!!!
ReplyDeleteI am very intrigued by your comment that the Guild GAD-M20E doesn't buzz or rattle, regardless of how hard you play it. I am a small woman, so the smaller size of the Guild looks good to me. However, I currently own a Luna parlor-size guitar, and it buzzes and rattles like crazy; I think that's because I play a little more aggressively than that guitar was meant to handle. Now that you've had this Guild for a while, do you still stand by your comment that it doesn't rattle or buzz, even with aggressive strumming? Thanks, Shani
ReplyDeletei stand by my comment for sure. i am more pleased with the guitar now then i was when i did this review. and i loved it then too!
ReplyDeletejohn berret
I recently got married and as a wedding day present from my wife she got me one of these beautiful guitars. It was all a complete surprise as I knew nothing of her plans (which involved a great deal of subterfuge and help from our friends - which was funny and lovely). Aside from it being an amazing present I am also completely enamored by the guitar, its a truly lovely instrument: It plays beautifully across and up the neck, chords ring true and sound is warm but clear. Lead work as you say is great, notes are clear and the volume balance is just great. I am ever so pleased with it and wanted to share my experience.
ReplyDeleteI do have a Guild already (an F30CE) which is American made and truly lovely but the M20 imho is a better instrument, there is just something very special about it.
With regards
Joff
I have one. I actually bought it as a Xmas present for my grand daughter, but it was too big for her at 5 years of age. So it has sat unplayed in it's case for 2 years...until today. I thought I'd bring it out and give some play time. After setting it up & putting a new set of strings on it, all I can say is WOW. This little guitar's sat dormant far too long. John, everthing you initially said about it holds true. What Gem. No mud, sustaining notes all the way up the board w/ clarity & articulation, no matter what you throw at it. And, it wiil only get better w/ age. All I can is: my grand-daughter better grow up quick. Great bang for the buck Guild...
ReplyDeleteCheers, Rich