Guild D25 vs D40
 

First let me say that I do have a copy of Hans Moust's book and have consulted therewith.

I have a 76 D40 and a 78 D25. I'm thinning the herd and trying to decide which of these guitars to sell. They sound very similar so holding on to both seems a little self indulgent.

Both are spruce top and hog sides and back. Dimensions are almost identical, the D25 is slightly thinner, at least the sides, but it has the rounded back.


Where can I find more detailed info on the type of bracing and wood used on either guitar, or other info not available in the Bible according to Herr Moust?

Thanks to all in advance.

Over at the Lets Talk Guild forum, where the author hangs out on occasion ? Nice folks over there too.

check and find out if your D25 has laminated back and sides. i believe they do.

D25 vs D40
 

Hi Bill.

I know that the rounded back on the D25 is laminate, not sure about the sides now that you mention it.

I also have this posted over at LTG but thought I'd post it here as this site seems to get more traffic.

I own these two guitars also (not same years) and I guess it boils down to which one you like better.

I don't think the sides of a D25 are laminate and there is no shame in the arched back laminate Guild uses. They use it on the high end F50 maple version and those will hold their own against any J200 out there.

It seems that a lot of people like the D25 over the 35/40 due to them being a bit louder (attributed to the arched back). Even though the the 25 was a "cheaper" guitars it maintains a semi-legendary status among Guilds.

If you need to get rid of one, go with your gut and keep the one you play more often.

The sides on your D25 are solid, backs were laminated, outer layers mahogany, inner most commonly poplar but other woods were used.

What was your question on bracing, wood types or patterns?

Guild was known to generate lots of oddities through the Westerly years as old parts that were lying around sometimes got thrown into production. Sometimes changes were made during production runs but the exact date or serial number wasn't well documented. Westerly was a small factory that produced an incredible number of models and variants. When Fender moved production to California, a lot of history was tossed in the dumpsters.

My question was whether there was any difference either in the wood used or style of bracing, scalloped vs non. If not then the the only real difference is the arched back vs the flat back.

Why not look inside each guitar and compare the bracing for yourself?

Neither D40 or D25 were scalloped braced during those years. D40 definitely had a higher grade of tone woods and appointments. I have a 1971 D25M (with a flat back, all solid), and I love its tone. However, I just played a 1966 D40 at GC, and there really is no comparison. To my ears, I would keep the D40 if it were up to me.

D25 vs D40
 

And, from a purely monetary point of view, the D25 is in near mint condition, one minor ding on the top, no checquing or wear anywhere on it, whereas the D40 is in good shape for its age, but......... So the D25 would fetch more toward the top of it's price range, just thinking out loud here.

It's like trying to decide which one of your kids to give up. :confused: :confused:

then i would make the decision about laminate wood vs solid wood. the D25s didnt stay all solid for long, i think by 73 or 74, they moved to a laminate back. however, many on the guild forum swear by the laminate backed D25s, as they are louder than the flat backs. you would make a good 300-400 more if you sell the D40, but i would give up a laminate over a solid wood most days. still, if you really love your D25, no one could possible fault you for giving up the D40. just by the fact of the post, i can tell you really dig the D25. tough call :) The good news is that D40s are really easy to find on ebay, etc.

D25 is still Guild's most sold acoustic dreadnought.

Guild D25 vs D40
 

I would never give up my 79 D25. It gets 90% of my live action and almost 100% of studio work. Records better than my '07 Gibson Hummingbird, which cost much more. Last session I did, it beat out the Hummingbird, two D28s and a really nice older Irish Lowden...

see? this is what i hear about the laminate backed D25s from the 70s and 80s. nice.

yep... there's just something about the way the frequencies of that guitar work with a good mic that is just magical..