Guild GAD-50 Review

[boomboxbadboy1]

Hello mate I bought this guitar about 2 months ago after much research of many guitars. I am very happy with it. My usual guitar is Yamaha fg750s which has an awesome mellow sound. I've messed up by putting super slinky strings ( 10's ) on the guild. Waay too tinny for this guitar do you agree? What strings to recommend ? Thanks. Lee

[nutmegger1957]

@boomboxbadboy1 "I" like  .011 to .052 on my acoustics. D'Addario is my string manufacturer of preference.

[shikamaru4shadow]

this is the guitar that Bruno Mars has in the "Grenade" studio session! :D *_*

[mfang11]

Hey Nutmegger1957. Your reviews are great. I'm considering either the GAD 50 or GAD 25 as my first guitar. Do you have a preference of one over the other?  Or can you do a video comparing the GAD-50 to the GAD-25? ;) Thanks!

[EricClaptonFan24]

Wich do like better? The 50 or 25?

[TheWolfDogMoon]

I am intrigued by Guild GAD series....

[splashfizz]

Thanks. Good review. Very helpful.

[AvengedSevenfoldisda]

Which do you think is better overall. The Guild GAD - 25 or the Guild GAD - 50

[rubbersole79]

Yep, a luthier buddy of mine told me thats the best, easiest, setup improvement you can make to ANY guitar....throw a set of Elixers on 'em.

If you do, odds are you won't go back. I like the Nanoweb 80/20 bronze in .12 thru .53 myself.

[nutmegger1957]

It's DADF#AD Tuning............my custom intro to "Big Yellow Taxi" (Joni Mitchell)

[swiftlessons]

Thanks for posting this, there seems to be a lot of interest in these GAD's. Check out my demo of the GAD30r. Thanks

[willguestable]

What is the name of that song you were playing?

[psalm143]

@willguestable

I would like to know this too. The chord progression is great.

[pelensky]

what gauge of strings did you use? I have the same guitar but they didn't tell me the gauge.

[fleecejohnson]

Thanks so much for this. Grrreat playing. And it shows off a guitar I bought just an hour ago -- online, sight unseen. Such is my belief in Guild (and 1,000 glowing reviews...).

[sowafication]

Dang I swear me and you have the EXACT same taste in guitars..

Soo since you got those nice guilds why dont you sell me that  vintage sunburst epiphone masterbilt ...lol

bein serious.... I cant find one...

[BoydZart]

Thanks for giving us the Demo of the string swap, but I got to tell you from this end of the mic the original strings had more even tone across the bandwidth of each string and the chime at the end was way way better, louder and fuller. Elixers were lighter and silvery sounding, mostly mids and highs. In my humble opinion a Rosewood guitar is clearly a bass to midrange guitar. So why take away the bass sound? If I had a dirt bike and put street tires on it I could ride it on the street.

[harrylegthigh]

I am playing a Martin HD 28V which I love but I have always appreciated the Guilds. I wonder how this would compare as I got the Martin because I am playing bluegrass and it needs the punch to be heard. Would this keep up with a Martin? Its similar in design for alot less money.

[eatthemoon13]

@harrylegthigh I think they would go well together the guild is kinda close to a d-28 to me. I also want a martin hd28V to go along with my guild 50

[downhome7500]

My friend Rock bought one of these over a year ago, some people didn't like it but I did. I find it has an older sound typical of an old Gibson, not really a guild sound. Like the playability. Only thing I was weary about when he bought it was that it was hand made in China. One day, 6 months after he bought it he heard a "ping" sound from his living room & discovered the face had almost split right in half. He took it to a Luthier who determined it had improper bracing.

[downhome7500]

He had it repaired and now it seems stable. I've been a fan of Guild since my father had and F-30 CE from 1994. He sold it some years ago and still kicks himself in the ass about it. I was able to get a DV-72 NT HG about 2 weeks ago. Was made in '93 in Westerly and there were only 200 made. Quality is exceptional and I don't know if Fender does it quite like Guild did. You can find 70's Guilds, beaten up for $500- $800 that sound as good as a pre-war Martin. That's what I would rather buy.

[resoblues]

I think the first strings sounded fuller. But thats ok if you like just send me that 50 and I'll test it out. Thanks.

[tealeafk]

nvm haha

i wrote that comment write before you said you traded in the aj-500

so i guess that answers my question

[tealeafk]

would you recomend this or the aj500

i am thinking about picking up an aj500m but i want to know the comparison of this and the epiphone

[MunkyRider]

Wow, the elixers make a huge difference!!

[ghaouat25]

is this electro too?

[tfakesoundofprogress]

the gloss finish can be a little "sticky". that's the one issue i have with mine.

[nevikmoore]

Wow, those Elixirs make a helluva difference. Thanks for demonstrating.

[hambonecharliejohnso]

sounds great

[JulianHertz]

what makes this one different from the GAD-40? if you had the choice of that too which one would you choose? *might be a stupid question*

[zodiacbluesbaby]

Julian - The GAD-40 is mahogany back and sides. The '50' has a rosewood body, which is brighter-sounding. Both good guitars for the money IMHO.

[tealeafk]

actually rosewood is more bass responsive, its really basy and clean sounding. mahogony is warmer and a bit muddy

[WarEagle2893]

I have been looking for a guitar and you have helped me find it. i considered some taylors and martins but the sound this one gives is amazing for the money, or for any guitar

[DDevin7]

Wonderful guitar, for sure. The Elixirs sound great. I think any good quality strings would sound good on this guitar.

Thanks for the comparison. Nice job.

[RondelayAOK]

I love my GAD 50. Now you've got me thinking about putting on some of those Elixirs---surprising the sound difference there! Thanks for the good video.

[nutmegger1957]

Try the Elixir Polywebs first.......try to keep your low E string at Ø.053 - .054 for best sound.

[Chris81292]

Wow u really traded in your AJ500? I love that guitar sooooo much. But I've never played this before so maybe it was worth it...

[ziadtarab86]

i tried a bunch of 1000$ ish guitars... my personal tastes would be:

-burn martins (i know people will hate me, but i just dont find the tone balanced enough)

-blueridge are good, but i prefer the sound of my current 13 year old ibanez starter pack acoustic (seriously im not kidding) and feels dead.

-tried the taylor 214 its nice sounding guitar, nice action, but volume is too low.

in the end, i would either get the GAD 50 or a takamine.. forgot the model tho.

these are MY tastes!

[jugglerjoe]

I have to agree with you there on the Martin. They are way way up there. I haven't actually tried a blueridge. I think Taylors sound thin unless they are the special high-end models (which cost over $2000).

[davizcool]

Now.. Is this a gad 50e? or a just a gad 50? Currently i'm paying a downpayment on a Gad 50E Antique sunburst

[nutmegger1957]

Nope.....not a GAD-50E......just a GAD-50

[SelfRenaissance]

Holy cow those Elixers make a HUGE difference! This was very helpful - I've been shopping around for my first guitar and was considering Martins for the most part (Custom D or D-16-R if I can swing it) but someone mentioned the GAD-50. Thanks for giving me more food for thought!

[nutmegger1957]

Martin (I'm fond of the D-55 myself, but can't afford it), makes a good instrument, although I've never been fond of their lack of creativity with their head stocks (a small personal, subjective beef). But there's a wealth of great-playing, reliable, durable and crowd-pleasing instruments out there that ARE affordable. (Elixirs, as I have learned, are not always the best choice for every instrument, as I have learned for the GAD-50. I tend to like the D'Addario's on this one, myself).

[ziadtarab86]

i personally HATE martins...... theyre too bassy and no resonance at the highs... but thats my opinions

[DDevin7]

I have owned my GAD50 for about a year now and I couldn't be more pleased with the quality of this guitar.

I have never played the 25. I'm afraid to. I already own 5 guitars. lol

Good luck.

[nutmegger1957]

I understand your "fear" DDevin7.....lol

[nutmegger1957]

As an owner of an EJ200, I have no doubt you can covert it, Slammercal. Almost any guitar can be converted.

Choose well, young grasshopper!

[GRobsGuitar]

WOW, Just wow...

[slammercal]

great video

BTW

i just bought an Epiphone EJ200 Jumbo Acoustic, Can I convert it into an electric acoustic?