Guild DV-52

Wave goodbye to the Guild DV-52 cause the factory closed about two years ago, and there may not be no mo. But in the cause of sharing a fun tale I'll tell you about my Guild. (Yes, it's possible Guild will come out with this again...but who knows...and where are the craftsmen?)

I was not looking for an acoustic at the time I bought this, in fact, I didn't even like it too much when I bought it. It was an orphan.

I was visiting with Roger Thurman of Thurman Guitar in Kent, Ohio 330-673-4054, and he's been raving about Guilds forever, claiming they're a deal, in truth I'd bought Guilds before...a Starfire II from 1962 and a concert sized acoustic in mahogany and a Blues Bird. Now to get this story you have to understand Roger and his shop. Walk in and you smell wood, cause he makes guitars, by hand and there's wood and tools and glues everywhere piles of aging wood, and guitars so packed that he stumbles over them. He almost knocked one over the other day just walking around, he growled.

Anyhow, before the Guild factory closed he bought a bunch of guitars and in came this DV52. I saw it but it was too expensive for me. A DV52 is a full sized dreadnought, kind of their bare bones quality sound acoustic, money went into materials and good sound, not carvings and too much pearl inlay, with solid Indian Rosewood on back and sides, spruce top and mahogany neck, excellent tuners in gold. There's pearl inlay, but not much, not like their higher end guitar. Well that was fine by me, but there was no way I was going to pay the $1900 retail on this guitar, or even half that cause I didn't want another acoustic. I never asked Roger what he'd sell it for, cause I told you, I didn't want another acoustic.

Anyway, so he puts the guitar by the front window and some wannabe rocker throws a brick through the window at 3 am to get this piece of shit cheap baby blue colored electric guitar, and the glass shards strike the DV52, scratching it and putting a few little dents in the face, and the guitar gets hit so hard it falls to the floor along with some other guitars too. Like bowling.

I go to his shop, see the glass, and what the hell happened. He explains and I see the DV52.

Now my mind starts working and I think, "Maybe I should buy this thing for the tone, and if I want another acoustic I'll have it."

So I bought it for $500, and then my life changed.

Kids come to my house and they pick up the DV52, and I don't care cause it's scratched and they have a ball.

And I play it all the time cause the sound's A+.

Sheepishly I admit that I recently sold most all my older guitars, but I kept one, just one. (Well actually two, because I don't count my hand build classical.) Yes, the DV52 stayed, it's the best guitar I've ever owned. This is the kind of instrument Guild built their reputation on, bare bones, great sound, built like a tank. And it survived the brick through the window and bowling test.

Oh, I see I'm supposed to address features. The tone is about it as long as the thing holds together right? It has a bone nut and saddle, a dark ebony fretboard, gold plated tuners, a little bitty nub on the bottom for a strap, and a plastic guard glued to the face of the instrument to protect from the pick, which is nicely scratched from glass too!

Thrusty, full bodied acoustic, very balanced tonally, with a bit of focus on the lower sound spectrum. Nice vintage sound, lots of punch, listeners always say how pretty it sounds and tell me not to bring the Mahogany guitars I have, cause they think the Rosewood sounds prettier, it does.

They think the face scratches are some kind of special diamond effect, ha ha, it's just scratched.

This is not the easiest acoustic I've every played, but it's got more volume. I played a Paul Taylor once and it was easier, as was a nice Martin. But the cost was 3 to 1. Guild is not tough to play but it ain't no baby, and heavy built compared to the others.

I don't think this guitar was meant to be a real fancy guitar, just a player.

Well, it got hit smack on with a brick and glass, hard enough to crack the clear varnish on the face, denting the wood in places, scratches everywhere, but it didn't crack and it plays great and sounds great, maybe you will want to try throwing a brick through glass at your guitar to improve it's tone?

I thought about having the face re cleared, but I don't want to do that. It's fine by me, and it's a fun story too, which is always a plus with any instrument. The weirder the better!

I don't know anything about Guild's customer support, but Roger wouldn't have dealt with them if they weren't good.

Overall, this is a very fine acoustic indeed, if you like simple looks, lots of volume with the bass full, and are comfortable with vintage action.

I will keep this until it gets driven over by a truck. This is not so improbable. I did have a portable computer once that I laid down behind the car next to me, while I loaded my car. The other car then started moving and drove over it just a little. It ran for a week then the mother board got sick and hickkuped. I threw it away, actually I threw it on a concrete floor I was so pissed. Then I threw it away. They just don't make computers to last, do you agree?

Manufactured June,1995. Purchased April, 1996.

Rosewood back and sides, Spruce top, Mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard, Rosewood bridge. Solid Grover tuners (very nice). Abalone inlay around the soundhole. High gloss finish, which is very nice, but if I ever purchase another one I'm going to get the satin finish because it took a while for this guitar to really start to breathe.

Bone nut and bone compensated saddle added after purchase (I always have my local luthier put new nuts and saddles to my liking on all of my guitars). Fishman under-saddle pickup and preamp installed after purchase.

Hardshell case included, but I've found from past experience that most Guild cases tend to give out after about five or six years.

This guitar sounds fantastic. I tried all different makes and models and this one took the cake hands down. Trebles cut through nicely without being too harsh, mids are nice and even, and this baby can pump out some bass. This instrument suits all styles of music. I am also very impressed with all the different textures that can be coaxed out of it adjusting the position of your strumming hand. Adjusting the tone in this way offers more possibilites than any of the tone controls on all of my electrics.

Guitar came from the factory very clean. Top was nicely matched, frets were nicely crowned and not one protruding edge on any of them. Interior is just as solid. After playing this baby HARD every day for six years it is still solid as a rock.

Factory action was nice, but too low for my liking. I've found that I like the action on my guitars higher than most people can tolerate. However, I think that most people would be pleased with the action as it came from the factory.

ROCK SOLID! This guitar has been used at hundreds of gigs since I purchased it six years ago and I have never needed to use my backup for anything other than a broken string. This guitar also gets played at home more than any of my others, so it has seen literally thousands of hours of use and held up very nicely. I've never been one to "baby" my guitars and other than the finsh getting thinner on the back of the neck and a few dings and scratches it looks almost new.

I did need to have this guitar refretted last summer, but every five or six years seems to be an average for me so I do not see it as a cause for concern.

I've never had to deal with Guild customer service. They build them so tough that you don't need to.

However, I have dealt with Fender in the past on a few things and they have always been very accomodating

I've been playing guitar for 18 years and this is one of my favorite acoustics ever. Incidentally, the best guitar I EVER owned was also a Guild but it's not around anymore due to unfortunate circumstances. If anything were to happen to this one I would definitely replace it with the exact same model (except without the high gloss finish). I would not hesitate recommending it to anyone. Probably one of the best buys on the Acoustic market.

1999 Guild DV52 with Antique Sunburst spruce top. Pretty standard features and mine also has had a Fishman pickup installed.

This guitar has a super sound. Very clear with a whole lotta bass power when plugged in. It's a dream to play and is quite loud unplugged. I've yet to hear a guitar that can match it's wonderfull deep tone, a Martin came close but really didn't have the depth this one has. It sounds fantastic with Martin SP lights or Rotosound Country Golds.

Setup ex factory was okay but a few tweaks were neccessary just get it to my personal liking. The finish is very good but there are a few overspray marks from the black paint of the sunburst top. You have to look hard though. Other than that there's no fault at all.

This guitar gets gigged every week and yes it takes a few knocks. It has the nitrocellulose coating which is not very hard. It doesn't really take knocks very well, even when the buckle hits the top it puts a small mark on it somewhere. But hey I don't mind, I'd rather have the sound....."Made to be played" right!

N/A

This guitar is defintely a keeper and a genuine bargain. You get the rosewood sides and back, which the grain has opened up beatifully, gorgeous spruce top which again is ageing wonderfully. Abalone around the sound hole and ebony bridge and fretboard. Also bone nut and saddle. They haven't skimped on this guitar but have kept the price down. Yes I would buy another in a flash.

Mine's a 1999 model - bought in spring 2001 - salesman's demo - or so I was told. Bought in, my native, Canada. Great finish.
Tuners are great with the exception of the "D" which is kinda mushy (can't think of another word).
Really a pretty guitar without being over-the-top. I really like the head-stock, and low-key look.

I shopped for about 6 months to replace my old Epiphone shit-box. I had 2 major issues - how it "fit" my hands, and tone. As soon as I heard this guitar I was sold. It doesn't "fit" may hands quite as well as a wider nut guitar (Taylor??) but, the tone won me over right away.
Really a nice, complex tone that other guitars in the price range can't come close to. The only guitar that I liked better was a Guild
d55 that I tried - maybe I just like Guild's tone.

Factory set-up was great - but it was a salesmans demo (??) so maybe it had been altered. I haven't adjusted a thing in the 6 months I've owned it.
Some of the internal work seems a little messy, but not bad - external craftsmanship is great.

This guitar is built like a brick shit house. I thought it was almost too solid at first - but the tone and resonance is excellent - so I figure it's got to be A-OK.
I'll pass this guitar down thru to a few generations.

I have no idea - haven't even contacted them.

My guild is a 1998, I ordered it sight unseen on the recomendation of a friend that I trusted. It has a rosewood body and double grade spruce top. The neck is mahongany and the fret board and bridge are ebony. The finish is high gloss. It has gold grover turners and just enough mother of pearl and abalone to make it look like a real nice guitar. It came with a deluxe hard shell case.

I play the old blues and country. Stuff that is 40 years old. This guitar has the same sound that was what every country and blues player wanted back then. A full rich bass sound without to many highs. You can do a solo act without a bass and still sound real good. When I play the blues I can go into a lead lick and back to rhythem without a loss of any kind.And straight from the factory there where no buzzes or problems of any kind.

As for the action, fit and finish, my guitar was flawless in every way. It even came with a real bone nut and saddle.

As far as live playing goes, I play three or four nights a week. It is all I do to make a living. I play all over the country, even Alaska, and I don't even carry a backup. I believe it will be the last guitar I ever buy,( I am 51 years old and have been playing guitars from the time I was 14 )

So far i've never had any problems with it. I installed a humididy gague in my guitar case and when it is needed I use a damp-it. I've ajusted the neck twice, very little at that

I bought my Guild DV52 April 2001. Solid Top (color natural) high gloss dreadnought with rosewood sides/back with a one piece mahogany neck. The width of the nut is 1 11/16"; the fretboard is made of ebony with 20 frets. The turners or gold plated Grovers. Unique features: Abalone Rosette, Dot Inlay, Cream Binding, and Bone Nut & Saddle. Includes a Standard Hardshell Case. Strung with Guild Phosphor Bronze L350L ---- gauge .012. Made in the U.S.A

I play R&B, Folk, Classic Rock, and fingerstyle and she's able to handle all of my musical needs prefectly. The Guild bass response is rich and full, and her sound has a warm tone but, it can fill a room. I find it a breeze to move up, down, and around neck. I did replace the strings with Martin SP Lights and she revealed herself to be able to produce an even more richer/complex sounds.

The setup from the factory was just fine. The action was great. I was able to move from one chord to another and barre chords with prefect ease ---- I own a Washburn D10--- I've been able to do so many things on my Guild that I've labored to do on my WB. Once she's tuned she stays their up and down the fretboard. I was surprised when I purchased my Guild her strings dull and oxidizing, I had them with replaced with Martins.

This guitar is built solid! She will last a lifetime with proper care.

Guild customer support is excellent. Limited Lifetime Warranty. I've always had my email questions replied too within 24 hrs. When I purchased my guitar, my guitar case would'nt close properly; Guild replaced my standard case with "deluxe case", at no cost.

I've been playing for 3 years. My starter guitar was an Washburn D10 ------ I thought it was time to take the plunged, and buy my frist solid body acoustic. I was looking for a solid top spruce with rosewood back/sides. Guild offered the most bang for the buck. I bought an amazing guitar for little over a grand! Taylor and Martin wanted more money for the same spec's. Guild is very underated and undervalued if she were lost or stolen I buy another Guild in a heartbeat.

Made in 2000(US,RI) with a 'AA' solid spruce top and solid Rosewood back and sides and one piece mahogany neck. I wanted a guitar that was a throw back. I can only give it a 9 because it doesn't have a "ton of features". But that's why it 's a vintage model. I didn't want the extras.

Rich/full bass response. This guitar sings. I like to play mostly blues and old rock, and this guitar is perfect for that style.

The factory setup was perfect. I was surprised at how low the action was. The only blemish I could find was the a little glue overlap, but very minor.

I live in probably the worst state to own a guitar(Arizona). I only had the guitar 3 months when it started to buss. When I brought the guitar in for repair, I found that the fret board was shrinking. Now I was using a humidifier, but I guess it wasn't enough. They had to file the frets and God knows what else. I believe they used a lot of lemon oil to help keep the neck from shrinking. I was told to use 2 humidifiers. One in the sound hole and one in the case. My only complaint with Guild is that it seems that the wood has not been aged enough. But I bet that all guitars these days are like that!

Even though the guitar shrinking is weather related Guild repaired it under warranty. The customer reps for the most part were very easy to talk to.

I have been playing for 20 years. This guitar is a keeper. It is so underrated! If this guitar was stolen I would buy a new one just like it. I also own a Yamaha Weddington series electic that was also under appreciated and it is no longer made. If you only have 1000 dollars to spend I think that you will find it hard pressed to find a better made guitar in that price range. Hell it probably compares to guitars that are almost twice its price range. I love this guitar! Thank You Guild!

Made in 2000 with a 'AA' solid spruce top and solid Rosewood back and sides and one piece mahogany neck. This is a 'no frills' model with just the necessities for a great playing and sounding acoustic guitar.

This guitar is designed after the vintage style acoustics that have that desired warm, rich balanced tone and sound projection. I highly recommend it as the best playing/sounding all solid wood guitar for the money available today.

Everything on this guitar is perfect - from the construction to the high gloss finish. It was set-up extremely well from the factory.

Time will tell but I see no reason why it won't last a lifetime if it is well taken care of.

Have had the need to contact them yet!

I've been playing guitar for 30 years and I must admit, this is one of the finest acoustics I've had the pleasure to know!

2000 DV-52: AA Spruce top, Rosewood back/sides; 1 piece mahogany neck, ebony fretboard; high gloss antique burst finish.

As far as style goes, I am an all-round player. I just like to perform at church or at coffee houses. This baby has a very balanced tone. Nice bass response, and very good treble action as well. (I was considering a Martin because of it's incredible bass response, but the high strings just don't sound as good to me) Right when I got this guitar, I put some medium Martin SP's. It is powerful! The action was set very well, I'm able to do many finger acrobatics that I can't really do on Martin models. It's got a very thick sound.

Factory conditions were excellent... the finish was just beautiful! I really like the pearl rossette. No flaws at all. Absolutely perfectly done. The action setting was just amazing... I was so sure before I got it that I would have to get it adjusted, but it is very well done.

This guitar drives awesome. It'll last the rest of my life, I'm sure of it. I'm not a travelling person, but I like to do little gigs. She'll stick around for a long time.

Haven't had to deal with the company.

I've compared the Guild DV-52 model to Martins, Taylors, Tacomas, and Takamines. For the price range that I was in, Guild won out. I wanted a guitar that people could look at, and say "Oh, that's really pretty", but I wouldn't have to sacrifice any of the sound. That's what I got. Guild made me a beauty. All i gotta do now is have a pickup installed.

This is a brand new 2000 Guild DV-52. Very simple. I got it because I wanted a great old style acoustic guitar. Did not want features. No cutaway, no electronics, ect.. It is natural finish in High Gloss. Satin finish is also available and you can get it in Antique burst finish too. The features I was looking for were tone, balance, harmonics and playability.

I play a mixed style. Mostly rock influnce with blues and pick and finger style. Very balanced tone from lows to highs. Very complex also. It responded to different dynamics very well. Lots of harmonics. All guitars, even of the same model sound different from one and other. This one is rich in tone. Lots of depth, resonance and sustain. Projected very well and was moderately loud.

Excellent quality workmanship. Stayed in tune. Was very "player friendly". I was able to pull off some technical stuff on it that I couldn't on other guitars. All glue joints looked tight. It looks and plays like it was made by people who cared. Seemed to be set up well for being right "off the shelf".

This tone of this guitar will only improve with age.

Haven't had to deal with them.

Excellent guitar; especially for the money. Guild is very underrated. This is the third Guild I've had in the past 15 years. I compared for 2 weeks before going with this one. Played a Gibson Hummingbird, SJ-200, Taylors, Alvarez other Guilds(D55)and Martins all ranging from $699 to $2899 and HONESTLY liked this one the best. Funny, the Guild D55 is about $600 more too. Try a few. All brands sound different and people gravitate toward a certain type of acoustic sound. Also, try to play more than one of the exact same model. As I said earlier, they are all different.