Guild D-50

Bought mine in '82 for $300 with the case, kid didn't know what he had but I did (he'd had it for 3 months). Was tired of Japanese laminates, wanted American solid body but couldn't afford a Martin, or new Guild for that matter. Haven't wanted another guitar since, it's a true work horse that holds it's own.

As the years go by it seems the sound gets sweeter and sweeter, when i play with my friends they often want to switch with me for a few songs. I oblige with a puffed up heart.

No complaints on the action after many years I figured I should take it in to adjust the action or check the fret board. When I went back they said there was nothing they could do - it's perfect. Being as I've played in bands, solo in restaurants and bars for all these years the finish shows very little wear.

Withstanding live playing? I was playing in a restaurant years ago, during my break I jumped off the platform with guitar in hand a landed on a wet spot on the tile floor. I went straight down with the guitar under my arm and landed on top of it. I was afraid to look and when I did I couldn't believe - just a slight crack maybe an inch of the finish not the body. More dependable than any car I've ever owned. Love it.

Only story about repairs is mentioned above. It's been great from head to bottom strap button.

I love this guitar, I always wanted a Martin before I bought it but when I found it I was convinced that there was no need to want anything else, and I've played others. If it were stolen or lost I couldn't replace it all others to me would be 2nd best. I'd probably quit playing.

1988 Sunburst. Ebony fretboard. Ebony bridge. Solid spruce top and solid rosewood sides and back. Grover tuners. Typical dreadnaught style. Finish is flawless. No build issues. This guitar looked like it had never been played. No wear whatsoever on the frets. I am not so sure about the sunburst although I think it is making a comeback. No frills but the beauty is in the build qulity and tonewoods.

This guitar definately has no weak spots as far sound goes. Well ballanced with clearly defined highs and lows well pronounced. A strumming and picking machine. My buddy has a Martin D-28 to compare with and they sound almost identical. This guitar is designed to play hard and loud.

I have not found any physical issues with guitar. The setup was a little high for my style and with lighter strings it plays beatifully. No dead spots or fret buzz. I may lower the action a bit more down the road. Neck is not fat.

No problems found and none expected any time soon. Seems very solidly built. No sense gigging with this as there are no electronics and no sense getting it dinged up but I have no doubt it would perform admiralbly and reliably on a gig. A cheaper guitar with built in electronics puts my mind at ease when out and about.

N/A. Never contacted Guild.

I have been playing reliably for about 10 years and own about a dozen different types of guitars, acoustically a solid top Ibanez cutaway with electronics and a a Washburn 12 string jumbo. This is one of my few quality guitars. This guitar is very similar in sound and build with a Martin D-28, perhaps with the highs a bit more pronounced. Guild definately makes quality instruments and I found a really great value in my used D-50. Check one out. I would definately consider buying another if this was lost or stolen.

High gloss flawless finish, beautiful solid red spruce top. My third and by far best sounding Guild Dreadnought. The other two were DV-52 HG East Coast builds, hand picked for their great sound and ease of play. Eventually sold them to friends only because I had the lust for something new. This new Tacoma built D-50 has them all beat for sound. And, it offers that simple no frills look that I love in a dreadnought guitar. The tuners, while smooth as butter seem a bit over heavy, as I'm more used to open back light weights.

I play bluegrass, both backup and solo as well as finger pick the old standard '60s folk style guitar, blues, Hurt, Travis, Doc Watson, etc. This guitar is loud and resonate. Reminds me most of a great early Martin HD-28 I once owned.

I tweaked the saddle height a bit to bring the action down to my preferred standard. Still lots of saddle showing for any future tweaks. I can't find any flaws on this instrument.

It's difficult to predict how well this guitar will hold up to hard playing as it is too new to tell. All my other Guilds were somewhat heavier, built like Sherman tanks, and looked as good after 5 years as when new. Interesting to see if this one develops any problems due to lighter bracing or whatever else Guild did to get that loud resonant sound.

I've been playing dreadnoughts since 1955. I've owned more new Martins than I can count. This D-50 out of the box can keep up with the best of them. If its sound improves with age, as it does for most guitars, it will be a killer! I'd love to compare it to an old pre-WWII dreadnought but I and all my friends are too poor to afford one.

I was lucky to buy this one when they were first hitting the market and dealers were offering terrific prices to get the guitar into circulation. They will cost you more now, but they are worth every penny of the price.

This is one of the newer D50's out of the Corona, California plant. The folks at Guild have sought to recover the classic shape and design of the older Guilds while taking advantage of the newer computer assisted technologies employed by the Taylors of the world - and the result is a solid guitar that is sharp, clean and still a Guild.

Solid tonewoods throughout - solid spruce top, solid Indian rosewood back and sides, full body binding, a nice back strip wood inlay, ebony fretboard, nice rosewood bridge, silver Grover tuners and a fat headstock, dot fret markers and a solid hard case.

Mine came set up with some upgrades - a Fishman undersaddle pickup and a bone saddle and nut.

I noticed that the depth of this guitar is thinner than the D55 and other Guild dreadnoughts...it's more comfortable to play and I appreciate this. I think it lessons the boomy-ness of it, though - resulting in a more balanced and even sound than older Guilds. I find this refreshing and there's more glassy-ness as a result.

The D50 is understated compared to a D55 - not abalone inlays or block fret inlays, the neck and head are unbound and it comes across like a traditional Martin D28. Simple and elegant. The tortise pickguard is pretty and the soundhole is smaller than other Guild's I've owned...it still possesses that sexy dreadnought shape and overall it results in a nice acoustic guitar.

I picked up this D50 when I bought it used from a guy and it had old strings on it - but immediately I noticed that the tone and sustain were classic Guild - long, deep, and rich. This must come from the beautiful spruce and rosewood that Guild employs. I was also impressed by the balanced sound that came out of this. It still possesses that signature Guild boom, but it's now complemented by a thick middle and crisp high. Very balanced, LOUD and clear. I'm looking forward to seeing how this relatively young guitar will mature over the years.

This Corona (Fender plant) Guild was nicely made - I think the use of the new computer technology in the manufacturing process resulted in a tighter, more perfected finished product. Even though it still feels like a Guild, it has that Taylor fit and precise-ness that was always missing with Guild. This may be a plus or a negative depending on who you ask. Personally, I sort of liked the quirky, non-computer-assisted Guilds from Rhode Island and New Jersey - it added to Guild's old-time character. The necks were never as straight as the Taylor's, but I sort of took pride in the "imperfect" human hand-crafted Guilds (this is also sort of a criticism of the "impersonal" feel one gets when playing a Taylor).

BUT this new Guild D50 is sort of compromise between the old and new. It still feels like a Guild, but it has that Taylor refinement and precise-ness that was lacking in the past. I'm curious how this particular D50 will hold up over the years. But for now, all I can say is that I appreciate how STRAIGHT this neck feels and looks. The wood grain on the spruce top is tightly grained and gorgeous and the craftsmanship on the entire guitar is clean and tight.

ONE THING I've also noticed about these new Guilds is that they've remedied this annoying tendency of the older Guild's to suffer from a bulging, bellying effect that occurs south of the bridge on the lower top bout of the guitar. Since I owned a few of the older Guilds, I used to notice this tendency of them swelling up - causing the top to almost crack. But these new Guild's have dealt with this tendency and the top feels flat and smooth. I owned a Corona D55 as well and noticed that it didn't suffer from the swelling either. Good job Guild on this improvement.

Everything feels solid and clean on this guitar. The case is excellent and I suspect that this guitar will hold up well.

I'm very happy with this D50. It reminds me of a Taylor 810 and a Martin D28. I acquired this Guild as a factory second or blemish due to some finish cracking and so I managed to get it under a grand - which is waaaaaaaayyyyyy more reasonable than the cost of an 810 or D28 - but the American-made quality of workmanship and use of tonewoods is on par with those models. I love this Guild for this very reason - I got a genuien USA product with materials equal to those other guitars but for hundreds and thousands less!!!! As much as the Martin and Taylor owners may take pride in their guitars, they are crying on the inside for how much they overspent for their trophies...Guild owners share the peace of mind knowing how much bang for the buck we've attained in our Guild's.

Bought it new in 1978, so it's made in the U.S. I got a great price due to a very slight (almost imperceptible) finish flaw on the back ($480)!

Fantastic - only gotten better with age. This was straight acoustic until early in 2002 when I added a Fishman under-saddle piezo played through a Fishman Pro Platimun preamp. Still much prefer the acoustic sound (too harsh with the piezo and my somewhat heavy-handed style) so when I can (stage setup allows) I'll mic it with a Shure SM84. I did add some Tusc bridge pins which helped the already impressive sustain and volume.

As said, only a slight finish flaw on the back which I gladly live with for the great price I got. Never had to adjust anything for the 1st 15 years or so, after which I had to have the bridge reset (my fault - left in the sun too long at a BG festival) and at that time the action was lowered just a hair to suit my evolved style.

No problems I didn't cause myself. This is a well made, solid instrument. All these years the finish is still great, no problems. Outstanding craftsmanship!

NA - never had to call Guild.

Playing for 36 years, 28 of them on this guitar. Also have a Washburn I mainly drag around to R&R jams where the Guild amplification just doesn't suit, and recently added a Taylor 614CE, mainly for playing at my church band. But the Guild remains the old standby, especially at bluegrass jams (louder and better base response than most Martins I've tried) and is my "comfort" box.

1993 D50 Solid spruce top, rosewood sides and back. Ebony fingerboard. Very classic, simple dreadnought.

I was purchasing my first dreadnought and wanted a rosewood body. My brother has a 1968 D25 that always sounded and played pretty good, so I shopped around to find a good used Guild...although I had already be predisposed to purchasing a Martin D28 or D42. The shop i bought her in had a used D28 and this D50. I played them side by side for an hour, and my Guild's sound was SO superior to the Martin that I quickly tossed out my predjudices about the Martins and bought my Guild. The sound is very well balanced, strong, smooth, bright, and consistent. However, it seems to perform best with Guild light gauge strings; Med. gauge sound heavy and blended, and Martin Marquis sound tinny and empty

Action - excellent
Finish - a work of art
Fit - great

I wanted a simple, classic, stripped down instrument that just played well....and I got it...except for the gold plated tuners...could have done without the flash there.

...it's 13 years old, played every day and still in factory condition

never needed it....however the old Guild is gone...I have no experience with Fender

I've been playing since 1969, almost 40 years!!! I own a vintage Rickenbacker 6 string electric and a 1978 Les Paul Artisan.

I LOVE THIS GUILD...I'm not interested in upgrading or changing, the sound and look is classic. And, it's aged to a beautiful gold patina that makes it irreplaceable.

Let the truth be known....THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES....these pre-fender Guilds sound better than their Martin counterparts!!!

I bought the D-50 new in 1975, then played it in a country/country rock band for the acoustic numbers with an early transducer pickup [piezo] I purchased separately and ran thru a Peavey PA. Solid spruce top, rosewood back and sides, Grovers.

I used this guitar on stage with a pick for band numbers and it was great. At home, mostly fingerpicking style, ok for that, too, but I found it better suited, in my playing, for the plectrum stuff. The sound was fairly balanced, but it only really shone when the strings were new, and I mean the first couple days. It lacked some brightness, and the basses were a bit toned down for my taste. So I can only give it an average for sound.

Action was great, never changed it, and I prefer lower action. The woods were beautiful, no flaws and it was great to just look at. I play a Martin now, but I still love that Guild headstock and the beautiful mother of pearl and Guild logo stuff. The neck was straight and though I did adjust it a few times, we're talking a few times over about thirty years and no big deal.

Live playing is where the Guild really shows its worth. This D-50 was very, very solidly built and held up beautifully. The finish on the soundboard cracked and crazed a lot, and I've heard others tell me their Guilds also did this. It wasn't so noticeable except when you held the guitar at an angle. But I wouldn't mark it down too much for this. The tuners, Grovers, were great and I never even considered changing them, they worked perfectly.

Been playing 35 yr. Have sold this guitar for a Martin now, but there are fond memories and I worried a lot less about taking the Guild out and about. I've never, never heard anyone saying they had a problem with reliability of their Guild, and I've known a number of folks who played the D series Guilds. All of them sounded good and were built like trucks, so to speak. In my experience, they do not have the great sounds of some more expensive makes, such as Martin, but they are one third the price and seemingly cannot be harmed by rough handling. If I were still playing out in public, I would want another D-50 to leave my Martin back home. A friend of mine, who plays a D-40, was well under the influence of demon rum one evening when he accepted a ride home from a picnic in a Pickup truck...he was so messed up in the head he set the guitar in the bed of the truck, forgetting the case for it at the picnic grounds, and it rode home bumping around in back and the next day, when he was more in the world of the living, he found the guitar only slightly scratched and still in tune!!

I purchased this guitar new around 1976. Features aare generally the same as listed by other posts: Spruce dreadnought top, Rosewood sides and back (split), Mahogany neck, ebony fret board and bridge. Chrome tuners.

The rosewood is a bit unusual in that it is very light colored, more on the orangy side. The guy I bought it from said he'd never seen one like it. I plan to send photos to Guild to see if they can confirm the type.

I play mainly modern folk from the 60's-80's, James Taylor, Don McClean etc. and mostly pick. I usually play with light guage strings and really love the sound - very well balanced. Someone mentioned not playing it above the sixth fret and I don't understand that as I do it all the time and the sound is still good. If you put your ear to the side while playing you can sense the fullness - amazing.

Long ago I played it when it was miked and I was blown away by the sound. I just put a piezo pickup in it and have heard it plugged in only once so far but will be hunting for an acoustic amp in the coming weeks (can't wait).

This thing was a dream out of the box.

This guitar is solid - very hard to damage. You'd think that would make its sound dull but it doesn't. The finsh has held up pretty well but there are some hairline cracks in the varnish on the top. Also some dings there but that's my fault. There are also some hairline cracks in the black finish of the head but that's probably because I tightened the nuts of the tuners too tighly some time back. I heard from a friend who has a Martin that he had a problem with his pickguard coming loose. Mine is still on as firmly as ever.

It's held up for nearly 30 years and I expect it will for another 30.

I've had this D-50 for 30 years and have had it serviced by a local dealer only once, and that was just last year (2003) to have the neck adjusted and the saddle lowered a bit. I've had no contact with Guild directly so can't assess that.

I've been playing since 7th grade - about 38 years! I still have the Aria classical guitar I started with, and the Harmony thin hollow-body electric I played in a rock band in highschool (it was a kit by Heathkit and my dad an I put it together! A great guitat, too). Also have a Framus twelve-string I got in Germany (has a narrow neack so is now a bit hard to play with older and fatter fingers).

After going through my 60's electric phase I fell in love with acoustic folk in the early 70's. When I'd finally earned enough over the summers to buy a steel string, of course I wanted a Martin, but couldn't quite afford it. The guy at the guitar shop told me I'd love the Guild just as much and would pay less to boot hey, John Denver played one so it had to be OK). Well he was right - this guitar has been a dream. The things I like most about it are its beautiful sound and its classic, simple, but great looks.

I've heard that the new Guilds aren't up to the standards of these old ones, so if I lost this one I'd probably look around at other brands as I haven't played anything but the Guild in years and would like to try others. But boy, if you find one of these at a good price, I don't think you could go wrong buying it.

Spruce dreadnought top, Rosewood sides and back, Mahogany neck, ebony fret board and bridge. Pearl dot fret positions, and multiple bindings. Chrome Grover die cast tuners. Made in Corona , California.Its an acousic if you want features buy a electric, For what it comes with I give it a 10 : quality craftmanship!

This has got to be my favorite of all my guitars! I am not much on fingerpicking. This guitars is very well balanced in lows, mids, and highs. I cant really just there and look at it without playing it. I just love to hear it do its thing.

I got it used online so when I got the action looked like it was going to be way to low and may experience fret buzz. Not a chance... very easy to play without any buzz.

All I will say is this : Its very dependable and built to last.It still looks brand new with no fiish checking or dings.

the nice folks at Guild were very nice in helping me date my guitar.

I have a Taylor 310 ce ( my second favorite) and the Guild really holds it own with any guitar in my opinion. They were originally called the Bluegrass Special in 1963 when first introduced.It offers all the best acoustic guitar features in one model, and has great tonal depth and power. Like the best late 60's versions, the new D50 features a Spruce top, Rosewood back and sides, 4.8" body depth, "X" bracing, an Ebony fretboard, and a sculpted Rosewood bridge. Other features include a Tortoise shell pickguard, Mother-of-Pearl dot position inlays, black & white multiple binding and the classic Chesterfield headstock logo. If it were stolen I would hunt someone down and buy another one or a D-55.

Musicianbuy sells these currently for 1425.00 w/ case.

I purchased my first and only Guild D50 in 1973 from American Dream Music located in San Diego, CA. As fate has it, I had (2) Martins: D18 & D35 which were both stolen (bummer!). A musican friend of mine suggested that I check out the D50. I was glad he did.......I left the music shop with guitar and case. I still have the original case!

I find that my style of music really covers almost everything. The beauty of this particular guitar is its ability to sustain individually picked notes or full-on open chords. I tend to use several alternative tunings incorporating many open type chords and alternating picking.....it even sounds great with a slide! Lots of volumn!

This guitar came right off the rack......I used it that same evening without any hickups..........

I can't even think of the number of notes that have been plucked with this guitar. It has been around the world! The finish quality has held up really well on the box-the gloss is still there and feels really solid. Over the years I have removed the finish on the neck, replaced the tuning machines, replaced the bridge (2x), has been refretted in some areas....the finish is wearing off near the sound hole and where my arm rests....the tone is great! I use it every day!

I have never delt with the factory........I choose to use a great repair center which maintains all of my amps and axes.

I have been playing for 40+ years. My first guitar was a Harmony Rocket (which I still have)I currently have over a dozen guitars mixed bag of Fender, Gibson, Gretch, Guild and Harmony. If this axe was lost/stolen I would head straight to the Guild factory to look for a replacement. I haven't needed to replace this guitar and hope that I never do. This axe is a workhorse......