Guild D-30

Mine was made in the mid 1980s, I bought it new from some shop in the NY suburbs. Blonde body, solid front and back, with blonde neck and gold Grover tuning pegs. I swapped the shop-provided cardboard case with a friend who had an authentic Guild case: he was so impressed with the look of my guitar that he felt it needed the big case. I had a Martin Slimline pickup installed, but after 15+ years, I'm having it taken out as I almost never need to play with it wired; it projects that well.

Wow, what a clear, silky sound! I had a pocketful of cash when I went shopping for a guitar, and had my pick of what the store carried. I played fingerpicking blues at that time, and this guitar had the best sound in the house; better than the Martins or high-end Gibsons. Love at first pluck. Over time, the sound has mellowed nicely; it used to be sort of bright, with a booming but immature bass note. Now, the high notes have softened, and the bass has rounded out to blend very nicely. Nothing like old wood....

When I field-tested it, the action was great, but when they installed the Slimline, it raised the action a bit higher than I like. I brought it down a bit by tweaking the trussrod, but now after all these years it appears that the neck is warping ever-so-slightly, and the action has risen so that its uncomfortable to play high up the neck. I'm having the bridge shaved down this summer, and the pickup removed. I expect that this will bring the action back down again to where it plays like satin.

There were no factory blems when I bought it, and the nitrocellulose finish on the back is so rugged that two decades of belt buckles has not dented or scratched it. There is one small crack along the neck from my 'bending' some notes by arcing the neck outside on a winter gig. But other than that, the finish is as bright and polished as the day I bought it. Amazing...

This is one seriously well-built guitar! It could probably stand being driven on and still hold up. Its a great instrument for a travelling band, as it can withstand the bumps and grinds of daily work. Nothing about it seems to be fragile or delicate.

Never needed to do anything on warranty, but the Guild repairman who is going to look at it to straighten the neck and lower the bridge says these are a real dream to work on, as they are built so well and the finish is easy to mend once they do any work on them.

If this was stolen, I'd probably get something less heavy. I'm not gigging anymore, so I can afford to have something delicate and more ornate. But I don't think anything but a 30 year old Martin can match this for sound quality.

Early 90's D-30 with the sweet blonde finish, definetly the nicest looking guitar I have seen. Also has the gold grover tuning keys that match the blonde look. My D-30 is so sturdy, and thats what kept me away from some of the Martin models where the wood was too light.

Best sounding guitar I have heard! I fell in love with this guitar the minute I played it. The tone is no match for any other guitar i've heard. The bowed out feature makes it so much louder that all of my friends guitars and people know it when I am playing.

Had some problems with a warp in the neck that needed to be adjusted,i hear it is common with this model. But I makes up for the problem with the other features

This guitar is built like a tank and I will always have faith in playing live with it. I havent had any problems so far and I dont plan on any. Jerry Cantrell survived his unplugged set plying all guild, I think that says something for the Reliability.

Never dealt with Guild

Over the 5 years I have been playing I have had many crap guitars,I finally treated my self by spending some money and getting a nice guitar. Im so glad I bought my Guild because in my opinion it has a much better sound then most of the more expensive guitars. If you get the chance Definetly Get One!

I bought my guitar new almost a year ago. It's a Rhode Island blonde. The most beautiful guitar that I have ever layed my hands on.
My fellow nusicians always compliment my guitar.. mo so than they compliment me!My d30 feels great too.

My d-30 covers any all the acoustic songs that I'll ever wish to play. Hell, I can even belt out a decent version of purple haze on it. The sound can not be matched.

My guitar was set up nicely. Not too many problems there

3 weeks ago, I would have given it a 10 here. The bridge is coming up though!!!!! I took it in to get a slight rise in the wood behind the bridge a long time ago and they told me that it was natural. I figured they knew what they were talking about so I accepted their conclusion. I took it back in a week and a half ago because of a buzz that had been developing, and they told me the bridge was coming up! Their fixing it right now. I sure hope they can make it good as new.

dunno.. lifetime warranty, but there is so many things exclude your guitar from being warranted that it's kind of pointless having the thing.. ofcourse all lifetime warranty guitars are like this.

This is the ultimate acoustic guitar. I've only played 2 other guitars that I liked as well as the d-30. Martin's Clapton model($2500), and a gibson that was about 550 more than this one. If the bridge can be fixed properly then I will happily keep this guitar as my lone acoustic for the rest of my years.

My Guild D30 is a mid-1990s 20 fret model with solid spruce top and maple back and sides. It is cherry red in colour which takes a bit if getting used to but I'm fine with it now. It has an active Fishman pickup installed with Volume Tone and Brightness controls, also a phase switch - this is a great pickup for stage work. The tuners are Grover brass-plated. As I bought the guitar it had a rather ugly brass scratch plate on the body which I have removed and replaced with a thin black scratch plate - this has greatly improved the overall sound. The instrument was bought with a Guild hard case.

The guitar was good with the brass scratch plate, but once I removed it the sound has improved enormously, both in terms of volume and tone. It has a lovely mellow tone with excellent projection and has also become my favourite guitar when I am plugged in due to the quality of the Fishman pickup. I play Irihs traditional, rock/blues and jazz so it is great to own a guitar which performs well in a number of styles.

Ampified, I play the guitar through a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 amp with a DigiTech effects board - so most sounds are possible.

The guitar was bought second hand. It has a number of minor blemishes and scratches but I have only fixed one of them (on the neck, which was affecting playability). The bookmatching is good from what I can see (difficult to judge with the cherry finish and the back may well be a single piece of maple??

Action is slightly higher than "normal" - but I like a higher action. I'm sure it could be adjusted if required.

It is a perfect acoustic guitar for stage work and also has a great acoustic sound. It is very well-built and will probably last longer than I will. I have used in several times without a backup and it has never let me down (the Fishman pickup has a LED which lights up when it is time to change the battery - nice touch!!"!")

Never dealt with Guild

I have been playing guitar for approx. 30 years. I have 2 hand-made Joe Foley (Irish luthier) acoustic guitars, a Joe Foley bouzouki, a US Standard Fender Stratocaster (2000)and an Ibanez Strat copy (1979).

If it was stolen I imagine it would be difficult to replace - I would probably buy another Guild if I could, otherwise a Martin which I probably couldn't afford.

I love the sound and the quality of workmanship, I'm just OK with the overall colour and I HATED the brass scratch plate which was on it when I bought it. This was an absolute sacrilege which murdered the sound.

I originally bought it because it was a bargain and for the pick-up.

I am so delighted I changed the brass scratch plate as it revolutionised my overall opinion of the instrument.

My Guild D30 is a mid-1990s 20 fret model with solid spruce top and maple back and sides. It is cherry red in colour which takes a bit if getting used to but I'm fine with it now. It has an active Fishman pickup installed with Volume Tone and Brightness controls, also a phase switch - this is a great pickup for stage work. The tuners are Grover brass-plated. As I bought the guitar it had a rather ugly brass scratch plate on the body which I have removed and replaced with a thin black scratch plate - this has greatly improved the overall sound. The instrument was bought with a Guild hard case.

The guitar was good with the brass scratch plate, but once I removed it the sound has improved enormously, both in terms of volume and tone. It has a lovely mellow tone with excellent projection and has also become my favourite guitar when I am plugged in due to the quality of the Fishman pickup. I play Irihs traditional, rock/blues and jazz so it is great to own a guitar which performs well in a number of styles.

Ampified, I play the guitar through a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 amp with a DigiTech effects board - so most sounds are possible.

The guitar was bought second hand. It has a number of minor blemishes and scratches but I have only fixed one of them (on the neck, which was affecting playability). The bookmatching is good from what I can see (difficult to judge with the cherry finish and the back may well be a single piece of maple??

Action is slightly higher than "normal" - but I like a higher action. I'm sure it could be adjusted if required.

It is a perfect acoustic guitar for stage work and also has a great acoustic sound. It is very well-built and will probably last longer than I will. I have used in several times without a backup and it has never let me down (the Fishman pickup has a LED which lights up when it is time to change the battery - nice touch!!"!")

Never dealt with Guild

I have been playing guitar for approx. 30 years. I have 2 hand-made Joe Foley (Irish luthier) acoustic guitars, a Joe Foley bouzouki, a US Standard Fender Stratocaster (2000)and an Ibanez Strat copy (1979).

If it was stolen I imagine it would be difficult to replace - I would probably buy another Guild if I could, otherwise a Martin which I probably couldn't afford.

I love the sound and the quality of workmanship, I'm just OK with the overall colour and I HATED the brass scratch plate which was on it when I bought it. This was an absolute sacrilege which murdered the sound.

I originally bought it because it was a bargain and for the pick-up.

I am so delighted I changed the brass scratch plate as it revolutionised my overall opinion of the instrument.

Beautiful choice of solid woods, gold Grovers and simple appointments gives this D-30 a unique look. Nitrocellulose finish is perfect. Needed fret major fret work out of the box - higher frets were buzzing and not quite masterfully finished. I played several Guilds with this problem so it is NOT unique to the D-30

Unbelievable sound! Low low's, full mids and sweet treble makes this the most well balanced sound I have ever played.

Action was too high from the factory and fret problems as well. All fixed easily and under warranty by certified tech. Pretty flamed maple back and sides makes her a wonder to look at - in different light she glows!

Pick up a Martin, then pick up a D-30. This is a man's guitar. It's heavy, cumbersome and obnoxiously big...BUT, this thing is built RAM Tough!

Warranty work covered NO PROBLEM

Compared to equally priced guitars, this is a no-brainer. Compared to Martins and Taylors which are $500-$1000 more, it stilll wins in all categories! I have had my D-30 for 6 years now and each year it mellows and sounds even sweeter than the day I bought it. Upgrading to a D-55 this week...my dilemma is whether or not to part with the D-30.

Made in the mid 90s sometime, in the US, at the rhode island plant I think. 20 fret dreadnaught shape. Rosewod fingerboard and bridge, 3 piece maple neck, solid spruce top and maple back and sides. Back may be laminate maple--not sure. The back is domed or carved into an arch. Very highly flamed neck and quilted back. Gold Grover tuners. Finish is glossy nitro, thinly applied.

I actually think it's kind of an ugly guitar--sort of awkward looking. Even though all the individual components are handsome on their own, they don't quite add up. It has a huge body and a thin neck, flame neck and quilt back, and the pickguard doesn't fit the style of the rest of it. It's got a lot of "archtop wanna-be" kind of features, like the gold tuners and the three piece flame neck, the black and white binding, but then it's got small, understated position markers. I traded a very very beautiful Taylor to get this, and my wife's first response was "that's an ugly guitar." But then she heard it, and right away she said "wow, that sounds great." Several times shes commented on liking it better. I have no doubt it's a better sounding guitar for what I want

I use this to play jazz and blues at home--chord melody stuff. I gig mostly as a bass player, on upright and electric, so this is for my own pleasure. I've done a couple solo coffehouse things on guitar, playing standards. The sound is what killed me on this guitar--most dreadnaughts have a boomy bass and a twangy top end--the Martin sound, which is a great sound. But this guitar sounds very different from other dreads. It's a very big guitar, very very rich and full sounding, with a smooth and deep but also clear bass and a bright top end. It's much closer to an archtop in voicing, I think. Probably because of the maple and the arched back. But it rings like a flat-top. It's very very rich sounding and smooth, but also louder than hell and it's almost impossible to overdrive it. None of that dry jangle you get with so many acoustics. A lot of people will find this a bad feature, since it doesn't sound like every other guitar. But this guitar is like a big, plush ride. I am still learning how to get the most out of what it can do--it's an exceptional sound. The treble might be a bit too sharp, but that's part of learning to play the particular instrument you're playing

For the player, it's better with a pick than fingerstyle, as it takes a good bit of energy to get the big soundbox moving. Listeners hear the fingerstyle better, but I think for fingerstyle a concert shape is better for the player's ear. I tended to play the Taylor fingerstyle more often

I bought this used, but in mont condition. Frets were well leveled and polished--the action is very very low, with slight relief in the neck. Finish is very glossy and thin--you can see the grain lines in the spruce top. The rosewood compenents are very dark and close grained. The neck has some slight uneveness in the sanding--it's a tiny bit wavy. Maybe because the neck is so highly figured, and figured wood is hard to work. Everything else is right and tight. No visible glue lines inside, nut setup is excellent

Hard to know--seems very solid, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall. I know this from playing upright bass! I have used it without backup and have no reservations

NA--bought used

It's a fantastic guitar for the money. Guild's are unpriced in general, and this seems to me to be a great buy. Been playing more than 20 years, and owned five different acoustics, maybe a dozen electrics. I would be very unhappy if this guitar were stolen, and I'd look for another one in a second

Favorite feature is the big, rich sound, and the price

This D-30 is one of the last Rhode Island Guilds. Solid AA spruce top, solid flame maple sides, laminated and arched maple back. Rosewood fretboard and bridge, maple three piece neck, gold tuners, black chesterfield headstock. Mine is Tennessee ORANGE - can you believe it? It's beautiful if you like orange Tootsie Pops - sort of that translucent, slightly darker color. The neck is unbound as well. I've always wondered why Guild doesn't do this more often to their guitars. Those would be my only added desires for this guitar.

I've always been biased towards rosewood guitars and thought that maples were too bright, but this Guild blows me away! I believe it carries a perfect balance between deep, resonant tones and a thick mid-section. Rather than being bright, the guitar sounds clear - not muddled or too boomy. I love this guitar!

Oh, I forgot to mention that I put a John Pearse armrest on this and it makes the sound resonant all the more. The Pearse website claimed that sound loudness and resonance would improve 15-20% with the armrest - and they are absolutely correct. I simply wail on this guitar and it shines through the crowd of other guitars begging to be heard.

Action and fit were great. I'm a Guild guy and I'm familiar with their necks, heels, and overall quality. This felt like a real Guild and that is what I was looking for. By being a Guild I mean that it isn't a fragile guitar, but it's not as heavy as other Guilds. This one just feels solid. Again, the orange color takes a bit getting used to, but with rosewood accents on the guitar as well as my own coffee colored guitar strap make this look yummy!

I've become a Guild guy for the very reason of Guild's quality and craftsmanship. This D-30 is no different - it represents the company and tradition well. I'm not sure how the new Corona built Guilds will fare - I just hope Fender doesn't screw with them too much!

I don't know. But the dealers and lutheirs I've worked with have always been helpful.

I forgot to mention that that I had a Fishman Matrix II installed under the bridge and it sounds awesome plugged in. I love this guitar - I would have preferred a sunburst finish, but my other Guild has that. This orange D-30 stands out - visually and acoustically. I can't wait to get home and strum this baby. Guild is the most underrated guitar company in the world - too many people are missing out on the joy.

I finally found The guitar of my dreams. Looks fabulous Mine is the blonde finish with gold hardware. Quality is 10times better than most Martins and I have two.
The sound ooohhh the sound.
Best acoustic guitar by far for the money, I paid 19000 Swedish kroner
(quality costs here and they don't import many).

I play blues and rock acoustic I also have a very nice 1989 Gibson Les Paul. Which I will never part with alng with my new guild.

Perfect perfect perfect,
However the guitar store I bought it fro, know mre well. and proberbly put a little more effort than usual into ther setup.

One slight bubble blemish on the heel binding, but thats it.
The guitar is built like a tank and will gig all night IO only take one acoustic to my gigs now. Instead of two Martins. Only a 7 because of the slight finish imperfection.

Just bought it one month ago so hopefully I will never need to call Guild.

Good God heaven forbid someone steal it. Now that Guild Have moved from RI to CA. to a bigger factory I would like to think I could replace it with one of the same quality, WE shall see.
IU also play a Les Paul Standard. A Martin 0028 X 2 I have an old jap Strat which I hate but comes in handy now and again. Going back to the Guild I Love everything about it Except for the price I paid for it.

1995, USA-made, 20-fret, can't recall the dealer-installed pickup. High-maintenance, gloss black finish. Included case.

By far, most "rich" and "full" sound of any acoustic in the $1k range in the Sam Ash/NY stable at that time. Just sweet, sweet sound. Particularly on the bottom. In fact, I don't particularly love the "needs polishin'" finish, but gitter sounded so good, I couldn't pass it up.

Action was high, so got it re-set. Finish was with slight blemish on side of neck, and so was sold at slight discount. However, gloss finish on rest of guitar is flawless. (As a high-gloss, black finish damn well has to be.)

I pamper this little bitch, so I couldn't fairly report it's endurance.

Slight seperation of back from sides, almost certainly due to my dampit dripping. They/Sam Ash fixed it right up perfectly (back to factory). Loaner in the meantime.

Just a great guitar. Just wish mine had a more "normal" finish.

This is a 1992 Guild "D30-SB" dreadnought. I'm not certain what the SB stands for but I'm guessing Solid Body. It was manufactured in the USA. It has 20 frets. The body and neck are maple, I believe (the color matches the "fire maple" design as shown on the guild website). The top is maple unlike the solid spruce tops that the current incarnation of the D30 possesses. The fretboard is of mahogany I believe, but don't quote me since I can't find tech specs on this guitar after a bit of websearching, it may be rosewood. Additionally there is an inlay of the same wood running down the middle of the back of the neck. The guild logo, head ornamentation, and fret marks are I believe of mother of pearl or something designed to look similar. The Grover tuners and pegs appear to be brass plate.

I have never heard another acoustic that sounds as good as this one. I play a rather odd finger picking style or accented strumming style. In other words, when I strum the guitar I tend to accent certain strings in order to bring a specific note out of the chord, and thus maintain a melodic component. This guitar is perfect for this, with a rich mellow sound in the bass register, a very very full midrange, and clear, cutting treble. The farther I move away from the bridge, the more smooth and liquid the sound becomes. The harmonics are very pure and easily produced. The neck is virtually perfect - I have perfect pitch, and there is no discernable discrepancy in a pitch played open string or fretted high up on the fretboard. Furthermore, this guitar stays in tune remarkably well even through changes in temperature and humidity, usually requiring only the tiniest bit of retuning after travel. I can't praise the sound of this guitar enough. It was clear and away the best of the bunch that I tried when I purchased it, and I must've tested about 20 guitars against it. My mother, who was with me at the time, agreed that it was the winner, no contest.

Being rather ignorant of proper technique in guitar construction, I am not really qualified to make detailed judgements in this area. All I can say is, it sure did look nice in the showroom :) If there's any beef I have with it, it's that the action is rather high due to a high bridge. I suppose if I wanted to I could have the bridge filed down, but since I am not really into blues guitar (and the attendant pitch bends and finger vibrato), I'm not too concerned and have become rather used to it.

It's hard to make a fair judgement in this area as well. This guitar has been with me for almost 10 years now, and frankly (and to my shame) it has been ill treated. Rarely polished, subjected to radical changes in temperate and humidity multiple times, bumped, banged, laid on the floor, propped up and then tipped over, subjected to duct tape, electrical tape, scotch tape (to attach an acoustic transducer for recording purposes), and basically bearing the brunt of a freewheeling bachelor lifestyle. After all this, it seems to have borne up remarkably well. There are a series of cracks in the finish along the top and around the sound hole. The tuning keys need to be tightened down a little bit, though I have been able to detect no degredation of tuning stability. Also the tuning keys have either oxidized, or as looks more likely, had the brass rubbed off a bit. Maybe I would care if I ever planned to sell this guitar, but I think it likely that I would sell my left arm sooner, and the sound quality remains impeccable. :) So, even though there is damage to the guitar, I am going to give it a 10 in consideration of how much damage there ISN'T after all it's been through!

I haven't dealt with guild in any way shape or form since this guitar was purchased. I don't know whether I filled out a warranty card or not.

I've been playing for about 12 years now, self taught. Never played professionally or consistently, but it has seen plenty of use in that time. If this guitar were stolen or lost (heaven forbid), then I would buy the best sounding guitar I could, no matter the make and model, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if that meant I ended up with another D30. This guitar is a smooth, sweet instrument and I love it dearly. It looks great, plays great, and sounds phenomenal, and all at a rather decent price indeed.

I don't have much in the way of associated gear. A glass slide and a couple of picks which I don't use, an acoustic transducer that is hell to attach to the guitar with any degree of reliability, a nice vocal mic that I intend to acquire a stand for so I can try recording guitar with it, and a yamaha MD-4 player/recorder with built in EQ and mixer, which is really sweet and I need to get off my butt and do something with it. :)

But, as far as guitars go, I've never had a need for anything more than this 1992 Guild D30-SB dreadnought, and I hope I never will.

This is a follow-up to my review of a few days ago. I returned the D-30 I purchased for a refund, and found a brand-new one with no defects to the finish or case for $100 more at a nearby store. After consulting the web for prices on a new Guild hard case (TKL) and finding I would be paying $100 anyway at some point, I decided I might as well pay the difference for a "perfect" D-30. The one I purchased as a replacement had none of the problems to the peghead (none of the cracks to the finish by the Grover tuners), the factory setup for the action was dead on (nice and low), and the case was new out of the box(with an included Dampit humidifier in the case). In addition, the 3-piece maple neck has an incredibly striking curl. I can't say I've ever seen anything like it. This eliminated any concerns from the previous review and makes the action, fit and finish a "10".

Getting one new, just out of the box changed my experience from the previous review. Moral of the story - don't make compromises on something as important as an instrument which you want to be a partner for life - especially such a nice guitar as the D-30. That savings of $100 on a $1000 instrument because of shortcomings like damage to the finish or case may seem important at the time, but if a week or a month from now you become concerned about it . . .

This is a 1999 or 2000 Guild dreadnaught six string acoustic. Solid spruce top, solid maple sides, and arched maple back. Mahogany bridge and fretboard, Grover tuners, high gloss finish. White/black/white/black binding on the top, and white binding on the bottom of the body. Comes with hard (TKL) case.

For acoustic, I basically play a mix of 60s folk and acoustic blues. The sound is what sold this guitar for me - I traded up a basic Road Series Martin guitar which had wonderful bright sound, but for the music I play, when I traded up I wanted a guitar with a slightly more mellow sound. I'm not sure what it is about the Guild, perhaps the arched back, but it just has slightly more full and dark sound (without giving up the high end). The guitars I compared it to were the Martin D-2R and D-16GT, and for a lark the Gibson J-160E John Lennon model. I wasn't prepared to give up a grand and a half more the the J-160, which was fantastic. The Martins both had the great clear Martin sound, but the mellow sound of the Guild (and the nicer finish and appointments) gave the D30 the edge.

The action as I played it at the store was perfect. I prefer a low action and the D30 was dead-on. The finish on the Guild is also excellent, the choice of woods is perfectly matched. The only area where I am very disappointed is that according to the tech at the store, the Grover tuners were ratcheted down a bit tight, resulting in damage to the finish immediately around the tuners. Where the finish is cracked below the tuners is not a problem which will degrade, and the tech says he's seen this on several models including Gibsons. The store gave me a bit off of the price due to this problem (and also damage to the case). If the sound were not so darned good compared to the other acoustic guitars, this would have been enough to dissuade me from buying this guitar.

The guitar appears built like a tank, and the problems described above are the result of the manufacturing process, and not the result of a durability issue. I feel comfortable that the guitar could stand up to live playing. The gloss finish appears more reliable than the "satin" finish of the guitar it replaced.

I have not dealt with Guild, but from what I read they are a responsive company.

I've been playing on and off for 15 years. What sold this guitar is the sound, and it was good enough that I overlooked some issues which otherwise would have directed me elsewhere for an acoustic guitar. This is now my only acoustic. As far as electric, I have a '52 Tele and '62 Strat Fender American Vintage reissues, and also a '97 Rickenbacker 330.