Guild GAD-M20

A really simple concert size/ parlor guitar with solid mahogany back sides and top, high gloss polyurethane finish, fishman matrix pickup with sound hole mounted tone and volume control, fast mahogany neck , 20 frets, grover tuners and a really nice hard shell case. simple to the point and perfect, all the features i need.

I have always like mahogany and koa topped guitars they seem to have an warmier earthier sound than say a spruce or cedar topped instrument, which i find works great for they style of music that i play which mainly consists of fingerpicking in the 30's country blues , 60's-70's british folk , and solo jazz arrangements. it handles open tunings ranging from open D, G, E, and A to more straining tunings like nick drake's D-A-D-G-DF# or Daniel Lanois' F-F-C-F-A-C

The Guitar was set up well from the factory but i absolutely hated the strings so i changed them to D'adadario EJ40 silk and steel strings which in my opinion added just the right amount balance and mellowness to the guitar, already warm tone , The top and back seemed perfectly book matched with no finish flaws even if the finish was a little on the to thick side. and the nut and bridge all cut flawlessly. I give this a ten because the thick finish might be a hinderance in most cases , I happen to live in manitoba canada where the temperature ranges from plus thirty Celsius in the summer to minus 40 Celsius in the winter, which is a little rough on my all koa custom built parlor with a super thin nitro finish, which is forced to hibernate during the winter. the poly finish of this little guild should be a little more tolerant of the cold or at least tolerant enough that it can ride in a car for four hours with a reduced possibility or nasty cracks.

I think this guitar could withstand a lot , would play it live without backup without a second thought, the finish sadly won't wear at all which does concern me a since it will take longer to age. but I think this think should last for ever, even if it is kept in manitoba.

i have no experience with customer service.

I have been playing for around 5 years, i also own some fender electrics, a really well built koa parlor guitar built by a local luthier, and a nylon string guitar that i don't really know much about or how i got it.
I am really i happy i chose to buy this guitar, if it were stolen i would buy for sure another one.
I really like the fact that it' a solid wood guitar for under 1,000.
normally i would have a slight dislike but i have already explained why i don't mind it.
my favorite part of the guitar it the mohogany top which as i stated before adds that earthy quality to it's sounds, and looks great.

It although doesn't sound quite as good as my koa parlor in my opinion it does have a great sound, compared to other smaller body guitars i was looking at, it sounded better than a seagull folk bodied guitar, A&L amie series guitar, all of the martins under $2,000 i played and better than all of the gibsons. a great guitar for not that much money.
oh and even if some people say nick drake didn't play one of these like some people say, it works great for his playing style. Also the fact that one of Daniel Lanois favorite guitars in his entire collection of vintage acoustics is his trusty 1977 Guild M-20, also goes to show that these little all mahogany guilds have always been great guitars (even though they are now made in china)

O size body (concert), high-gloss finish, Grover tuners, Fishman preamp. Made in China in late '08, purchased early '09. Top, back and sides all mahogany. Rosewood bridge and fretboard.

Nothing fancy going on here???it's just not needed. I think it's a big part of the charm, for me, anyway.

Cost me approximately ??600 pounds, brand new, from a shop in England. A very fair price for a guitar like this.

I play in rock, folk and blues styles mostly. This guitar is fantastic for finger-style, obviously, but also suits flat-picking and strumming as well if you've got a good feel for dynamics.

The sound overall is more warm than bright, with a very dry, woody and earthy tone. Projects very well despite its size. The mid-ranges are strong, and the highs are bright and clear but not harsh. Bass isn't too quiet or too overpowering.

Suits alternate tunings well: the lower strings can be dropped considerably without any buzzing, provided the setup is good, and the tuners seem to hold unconventional tunings just as well as when in standard.

The neck feels great and plays very well. I'm a young man with small/medium hands, and I'm not the bulkiest, so the neck and the body size suits me perfectly.

Easy to record acoustically, and the Fishman sounds decent on its own or as a blend.

If you seek a guitar tone to accompany a softer, less prominent vocal, this guitar is a great shout. It won't drown such a vocal out in the same way a boomy dreadnought might; it'll give it space to breathe.

Having never played an original M20, or even one of the 90's reissues, I can't compare.

Overall, I love the tone and feel, and hope that once it's properly played in, it will sound even better, as with the old models.

The factory set up was okay, but not great. I didn't like the strings (I think they were D'Addarios), and the action felt a little high. But once I'd replaced the strings with a new set of Martin Silk & Steel M130s, oiled the fretboard and sanded the saddle down a little, it played perfectly.

Apart from that, which I expected to have to do anyway, I couldn't find any flaws at all.

I haven't gigged with this guitar yet, although I hope to at some point. It seems like it would be sturdy enough.

I would probably use it without a backup.

I haven't dealt with customer support, and I don't plan to, hopefully.

I own a few other acoustics (a mid-range Yamaha semi-acoustic, a Freshman dreadnought and a battered laminate-top Crafter) and a few electrics (a mid-nineties Jackson and an Ibanez JS1000). This is definitely my favourite for casual and serious acoustic work.

If it were stolen or lost I'd replace it as soon as I could.

I've been playing for eight years.

It's all mahogany... it's quite a small guitar, about the size of a Martin 0-15 or 00-15 as others have stated, although I prefer the shape and the look of the M20 to the look of the Martins. Aside from a shiny finish, it has the same look--shape, pickguard, headstock, as the old ones, so far as I know, as I've only seen them in pictures unfortunately... it looks just like the version on the cover of Nick Drake's "Bryter Layter", which I believe is more accurate in looks to the 90's reissue of the M20.
The tuners leave a bit to be desired, but otherwise a really lovely guitar.

To be honest I got it because I love the music of Nick Drake so much, and at first I didn't play the guitar for two days after I'd bought it because I worried it wouldn't sound like his music. When I first started to play this guitar, however, the sound immediately was recognizable as being like Drake's... it has that dullness of the bass strings and the crisp high strings, and it sounds especially like Drake if you drop the strings a whole step and then use his alternate tunings... I started to notice that on ND's recordings the strings sound a bit slack; I'm also waiting for the strings to dull a bit to see if it sounds more like his recordings.
I definitely noticed that the guitar sounds better finger-picked rather than strummed, as I've read about mahogany guitars in general, as opposed to spruce or spruce-top guitars... the mahogany does not provide a lot of sustain.

The action was very nice and low. Because the guitar is quite small it's very easy to hold and it gives your right arm a lot of movement to get to the strings, unlike a dreadnought (or at least the dreadnoughts I've played).

I would imagine it would last very long as an instrument. The guitar really suits alternate tunings, and so far (I've been playing it for four days) can accommodate really dropped strings and tuned-up high strings.

I bought it through a dealer, and I believe Guild has a specific warranty on their new guitars, but I haven't looked into it...

I've been playing for about 18 years... I owned a "Signet" Martin 00-18 copy as an acoustic, as well as a Hohner classical guitar, as well as a 90's Fender Jazzmaster (from Japan) and an American-made Fender Stratocaster. I've never really owned that decent of an acoustic guitar, so it is a real pleasure to be playing this guitar.
If it was stolen, I would certainly buy a replacement of the same model. I'd almost be really interested now to find a vintage M20.
What I love about this guitar is that it is -really- easy to play... I find that I have a lot of patience to sit for an hour and a half straight all of the last four nights just effortlessly concentrating on playing, which I've found really difficult in other things. So I must be really enjoying it!

I didn't compare it with other guitars unfortunately, because I was so excited about the Nick Drake connection, but I do wish I had tried out a Martin 000-15, although the M20 I found was half as much as an 000-15 (the GAD M20 was 470$ without a case, the case being an extra 100$)! I'd also like to compare it to a Martin 000-18 or 00-18, or maybe a Guild F20, just to see exactly how different the M20 sounds from a similar-sized spruce top, but maybe in the future I'll do that.
Part of the reason I felt compelled to write this review was because of how important reading the other reviews of the GAD M20's and the vintage M20's on this site were in learning about the guitar. I'd also recommend potential buyers check out Youtube, which has a lot of videos of people playing M20's (and in some instances really perfectly recreating the Drake sound).

superb, wish it was not so glossy.

wow, i have owned 5 of these. i currently have a '59 "ghost label" which has seen better days, but still plays and sounds really good.
warm and bright, midrange forward.

better than any of the other four. i was sure that the top and back are one piece, after really intense scrutiny, looks like a perfect bookmatch job, quite impressive.

dunno, its still new, but i'll bet it'll last well. the top is thin, which is critical to the wonderful bell tone, don't put thick strings on this! i've got twelves, i may go to 11's. or even drop the tuning, and capo the first fret.
BUT, i don't think that this guitar is delicate.

??????

this guitar is going to give my '59 a run for its money. the sound is wonderful, the bone nut and bridge are well cut and fitted, the thin top is built like the originals, all in all, a superb reissue, better than the early '90's usa made version, much more open and ringing tone.
intonation is excellent, without a compensated saddle, just an all around well crafted instrument. the guild design is just superb, always has been. i can get the nick drake sound without breaking a sweat.
remember, i have owned four other examples of this model. this may be the best of them all, including the original '59

Gloss Finish
Parlour acoustic size body (like 0015)
Vintage Guild Style button tuners
C profile neck
Vintage tweed style hardcase
Made 2008 in China
Solid Mahogany body and neck
Fishman Matrix preamp system

My music style is that of Nick Drake which is exactly what i bought this for. I know some haters complain that he didnt use one etc blah blah, but ive seen these guitars play Nick Drake songs and ive seen other guitars play his songs and this just suits the soud i want! This guitar is new, ive not even had a chance to plug it in yet but i know that fishman pickups are the best ive tried for recreating an acoustic's tone. For me the acoustic sound is amazing, ive always been told small bodied acoustics don't strum well. This is the exception, it is very loud for such a tiny body and suits strumming, but get those finger picking runs out and this guitar just pulls something else out of the bag! I love this sound and i only hope it stays as good or gets better as this ages.

Considering this is made in China, it is very well put together. I'm still yet to send it to my techie to give it the once over (i do that for every instrument i purchase anyway) but i already love how this thing plays and sounds
The only gripe i have over this guitar is the finish. I would prefer it to have a thin varnish finish as opposed to the 'gloss the life out of it' approach that cheaper guitars seem to have as standard. I'm considering getting it stripped back to the wood and having a thin varnish applied. I want something that will breathe with age, not stay sealed in a bubble its whole life.

This guitar is solidly built. What is it about a new guitar that i have to ding it within the first week? I hit it on a table on day two and while it left a mark on the corner, it didnt dent!
The fishman pickup will probably be very realiable they usually are. I hope the finish wears off through playing, see above!
I would never play a gig without a backup, mainly because i need two similar guitars in order to save time with Nick Drake's tunings. I use a Martin 0015 which i bought when M20s were not available.

I contacted Guild the minute i spotted that they were making them again. They replied to my email, albeit rather cagely, i think they wanted to maintain the interest in these things. That said, within a few days the website was updated with loads more info so i was happy.

I have been playing 15 years now and have been through just about every guitar made! Ive wanted an M20 for 8 years now and have always found them to be very expensive (the shop i bought this from had a 1977 model for ??1395!) As mentioned before i own a Martin 0015 which is very similar in looks and material but not the same! Irony is the Martin cost me ??700 and this was far cheaper and electro into the bargain!
I love the simplicity of this guitar, the sound is perfect for my needs and the tiny body makes it very easy and comfortable to play. I hate big acoustics as im only 5'4 and find them unplayable.
In comparison to the 1977 M20 i played, this needs time to settle down, remember that wood ages with time and the sound changes and mellows. This brings me onto the finish, it's the only thing i dont like. I'd prefer it had the thinner finish (think a cross between a fender highway 1 finish and a mahogany gibson sg where the lacquer can sink in and age the wood) as opposed to the thick gloss available here. I want this guitar to age and i worry that it won't.