Goodall TRD

Has all the features I look for in the 'best' acoustic steel string guitar, EXCEPT the 'ivoroid tuners' (see below).

Adirondack spruce top
E.I. rosewood back/sides
1.75" at nut, mahogany neck
Fishbone ornamentation on purfling and rosette
NO plastic anywhere on Goodall WOOD guitars
Satin finish neck

Smoooth, even tone, lots of overtones on the highs
All likes no dislikes
If yer lookin for a Neil Young bass boomer...this is probably no the guitar you are seeking. More in the Michael Hedges (may he R.I.P) tone category

Perfect, although I would probably switch tuners to the steel or ebony tuners. Ivoroid plastic tuners leave me cold on such a beautiful instrument. I believe James Goodall is attempting to stay 'true' to the era of this instrument, but I dont like any plastic on a 'high end' acoustic guitar.

Goodall does make em as solid as they come
Owned enough of them to know!

James & Co. is only a phone call or email away. They usually respond immediately.
Never need a repair of any kind...and I have been fortunate to own
(or have owned) four Goodall Guitars.
Guitar Solo of San Francisco stands behind all guitars...especially Goodall!

Playing for 40+ years
Started with a Gibson acoustic in 1964
Dont own this particular guitar...yet
Tuners would be the only feature I would change. Probably vintage style 'butterbean' tuners would be my only change...if I buy

favorite features: Tone, playability, looks, feels great for a Dreadnaught

Hate? tuners

Give it a 9.5... rounded up to a "10" to offset the 'first reviewer's' unfair criticism... he/she wisely remained "annonymous".

New Goodall TRD - Adirondack top, EIR back and sides, mahogany neck, Waverly tuners, excellent hard shell case, no electronics. Everything you need, nothing you don't.

I have been playing guitar since 1964 (should be a lot better) and play mostly blues with a lot of folk, 60s, 70s folk-rock (think Dylan, Prine, Hiatt), some bluegrass. To my ears, and for what I play, it is the best sound I have ever heard in an acoustic guitar. It has an extremely rich bass -as another reviewer pointed out - not as focused or as punchy as a vintage Martin - but full and distinct. It has incredible balance across all the strings and overtones to die for. I have owned several high end Martins - HD40MS (Marty Stuart signature model), Mandolin Bros Custom D-41 - a Collings, a Huss and Dalton TrOM, and before I bought the TRD I played every high end dread in Acoustic Roots, including Martins, Collings, H&Ds, Bourgeois, SCGC, and nothing compared to the overall sound of the TRD. The best part is that it will only get better over time!

The fit and finish is typical Goodall - flawless as far as I can tell. Beatiful herringbone purfling and rosette with maple binding and tasteful but attrative flying "G" on the headstock with snowflake dot markers. The action is low without any buzzing.

Have had it for a short period of time, so unable to comment, but considering the quality of the guitar and the Goodall reputation I am totally confident that it will outlive me by at least a generation (to be fair I am 63).

Have had no contact with the Goodalls, but their reputation is superb when it comes to supporting their products PLUS I have total confidence that Larry and Tom at Acoustic Roots in Bryn Mawr PA will not let me down if I have any problems. They are terrific folks and Acoustic Roots (in Medley Music) is absolutely THE place to look for acoustic guitars in the Philly area.

As noted, I have been playing guitar now for 42 years. The Goodall is currently my only acoustic guitar. My electrics include a Heritage 555, a Fender '52 Tele Reissue and a custom made beauty from Rich and Chris Rich. I am not a great player (strictly a hobbyist), but I can recognize and appreciate tone and quality workmanship, and the Goodall TRD is the pinnacle as far as I am concerned. In doing this review I have tried to find some category that I could make less than a 10, but I just can't! If it were stolen or lost I would start to save up for another . . . immediately.

I have played a few of these in stores, and owned one for about a week. Body was Cocobolo (I have played Indian Rosewood and Mahogany models as well). Tops were all Adirondack spruce. They have neck widths of either 1-11/16" or 1-3/4", and were made in 2004 or 2005. These are all Goodall Traditional Dreadnought models.

Feature rating is really not relevant.

I generally flatpick, and attempt to play modern bluegrass style material. I've played most every different high-end guitar (Martin, Collings, Bourgeois, Huss & Dalton, SGC, etc.) in direct comparison and found the Goodall TRDs to be among the most pleasing in sound. They have a very full, deep, and complex sound that is perhaps not as punchy and piercing as the best traditional Bluegrass dreads (e.g. vintage Martins). They have a more modern and versatile sound, that is very pleasant whether flatpicked or fingerpicked, and suitable to lots of different musical genres.

Every Goodall TRD I played was beautifully made and near perfect. They have a great, solid feel to them, yet they are very responsive. You can feel the bass in your chest when you strum one. The finish is excellent. The previous review complained about the waverly tuners with ivroid buttons, and while I agree that the ivroid is a terrible choice, given that no plastic is used throughout the rest of the instrument, they can be ordered with nickel or ebony buttons at no extra charge, or upgraded to gold.

No info because I haven't owned one long enough, but they feel extremely solid, and the used ones I've played appear fine.

Contrary to a previous reviewer's experience, I found Jane Goodall (business manager) to be very helpful and courteous. She emailed me and also spoke with me on the phone at length about custom orders. She emphasized the care they take with each guitar and the fact that they do not rush the process.

I've been playing 30+ years and owned a few decent dreadnoughts, and I've played many more. The Goodall certainly rank among the very best, and I will be purchasing one shortly.

This Goodall TRD, serial #33XX, was made in 2004. It's a 14 fret, dreadnaught, solid Adirondack spruce top, solid Indian rosewood B&S, exceptional 1 3/4" mahogany neck, tastefully maple bound body, ebony purfling, and 3 wood herringbone rosette. The back-strip is a beautiful chevron made of walnut, maple and koa. No electronics except for a Sunrise soundhole pickup. Vintage Waverly tuners, nickel knobs; I have seen the Ivoroid tuners, they?re cool... $135 from Stew MacDonald.

The sound from this guitar is amazing! Not as focused or woody as a Martin or a Collings. Much richer, far more overtones... so much so it sometimes sounds like a 12 string! Style wise I play Christian contemp, folk, rock & alternative; it's perfect for all of them. This is quite honestly the best sounding acoustic I have ever heard. Strong bass, full and ringing overtones, perfectly balanced.

The best I have seen in any guitar, including my previous Goodall?s. The level of craftsmanship here is truly awe striking. You'll notice that EVERY review of Goodall guitars (except the one rather silly unbelievable one below) gush about the fit and finish of these guitars and for good reason; they're genuinely perfect out of the box. Let me say I have owned (and sold) more than 150k in instruments in the last 10 years including Bourgeois, Gibson Custom Elite, Breedlove, Collings, Martin, Santa Cruz, and Ryan; simply said there is no better fit and finish than a Goodall.

Solid as a rock... A lifetime warranty would be nice though, 5 years seems low in this enviroment.

I emailed Goodall right after I bought this guitar, they emailed right back and were friendly and helpful.

There are few if any guitars that compare to a Goodall. And though I have always been a fan and owned a few over the years I had always perferred the tone of a pre-war guitar. In the TRD you get the volume of a prewar guitar matched with the overtones of top end fingerstyle guitar. IMHO this is the best guitar I have period... And by the way, I think the headstock is VERY cool, I love the flying "G"; the sticker is the same as the one from my first Goodall in the early 90's and personally I like it that way. Comparing the TRD neck to a Taylor is like comparing a Mercedes to a Kia and saying they're exactly the same just becase they're both cars... just ridiculous. Frankly the complaints from the earlier reviewer are bizarre; he doesn?t like the tuner buttons, the sticker, the logo, and the builder?s wife; wow! All I can say is Mr. Anonymous 2/2/05 is at best, unreliable. My contact data is as proudly displayed as my review... and my Goodall TRD is magnificent!

2002. East Indian Rosewood Dreadnought. Adirondak top. 1 3/4" nut. Waverly tuning machines with ivoroid buttons. Proportionately oversized mother-of-pearl "G" logo with "wings" on the ebony headstock. Standard configuration--as listed on their website.

Bright and full, but not as complete as several other less-expensive, more aesthetically appealing rosewood dreadnoughts in the same category.

Set-up reasonably well. Ridiculously selected tuning machines--who would spend between 4 and 5 thousand dollars on a guitar with ivoroid buttons on the tuning machines? Unfortunately, me. And from a guitar maker who ordinarily avoids ivoroid in places on the guitar where other builders commonly use it (ref. body binding). Fit and finish are about what you would expect from a guitar in this price range. The headstock logo is, quite honestly, outdated and tacky and considerably more gaudy than it appears on their website. The design of the neck looks Taylor-esque and contains nothing interesting or notable (ref. volute, etc.); it has a very "average" feel. The sticker inside the guitar indicating the model number, signature, etc. is in need of a serious upgrade.

Hopefully I will be able to sell this guitar before I have to contend with reliability/durability concerns. I'm sure it will be the worst financial guitar purchase I have made in the last 15 years.

No telephone number on their website currently. Dealers are limited in most areas, and very rarely do they carry this particular model (and I believe I understand why). The co-owner (wife of the builder) is reason enough never buy from this maker. She was condescending, rude, and unhelpful--entirely inappropriate customer support. This fact, coupled with the other factors listed above, will hopefully prevent you from making the same mistake I made with this instrument.

27 years experience with acoustic guitars. Collection of 7 American steel-string guitars: Olson, Collings, vintage Martin, vintage Gibson, others. Using basic design theory, this guitar should have been configured with standard (non-ivoroid) nickel Waverly tuning machines (now some dealers appear to be ordering the model with ebony buttons--obviously realizing the same design flaw). Honestly, I wish I would have never purchased this expensive instrument, particularly after calling their shop.