Guild F-512

114 Guitarist March 2014
GUILD F-30, D-55 & F-512 £1,966, £2,470 & £2,422
Acoustics
being a 12-string model
notwithstanding – are their
body shapes and sizes. The F-30
is the smallest, Guild’s take on
the curvier, thinner, orchestra-
style instrument beloved of all
manner of folkies and
fingerstylists for a tone you’ll
often hear described as
anything from “balanced” or
“vocal”, through to “focused”.
Underlining that are the solid
mahogany back and sides;
mahogany can often have a
cleaner, clearer attack and more
defined string separation when
compared with a similar guitar
that uses rosewood for its back
and sides.
Next up, the D-55 is Guild’s
dreadnought, very similar in
shape to the all-conquering
14-fret Martin on which it’s
based, loved the world over as
the true acoustic all-rounder –
characterised by deeper bass,
less accentuated mids and
slightly more sparkling trebles
than a smaller-bodied guitar,
all other things being equal.
It makes them more pleasing
strummers in general, but they
also get finger- and flatpicked
very successfully, too.
The D-55 has solid rosewood
back and sides that, in theory,
should bring some richness,
depth and lower-midrange
overtones when compared with
a mahogany body alternative.
Finally, the Jumbo – also solid
rosewood back and sides – is
obviously the biggest of the
bunch, an inch and a half wider
than the dreadnought, albeit
marginally less deep from front
to back, and aping the curvier,
F body type with the more
pinched waist. This extra
roominess – again, all things
being equal – deepens bass
further, which tends to knock
the mids back a touch in what
you perceive, sonically.
A 12-string isn’t usually a first
choice for fingerpicking for
obvious reasons, so you’re more
likely to hear them strummed or
picking out plectrum melodies
and chord arpeggios: it’s a
familiar sound that’s distinctive,
evocative and unmistakable.
All three guitars have solid
Sitka spruce tops supported by
scalloped red (Adirondack)
spruce bracing. Red spruce is
lighter and stiffer than the Sitka
variety, so makes a lot of sense
for bracing a top that needs to
be light, strong and resonant.
Some people like red spruce for
the entire soundboard too,
especially those with a hard
pick attack, or players requiring
maximum headroom and
clarity. It can take a little bit of
The D-55 dread has great definition and dynamic range Abalone and mother-of-pearl inlays on the F-512
The D55 is Guild’s dreadnought, very
similar in shape to the all-conquering
14-fret Martin on which it’s based
The Rivals
For a different take on the ‘folk’
guitar in this price range, we
really like the all-mahogany
Taylor 522 (£1,815). For a
flashy dreadnought, the
Martin D-41 (£3,676) is king of
the hill; the D-35 is less
ostentatious (and less
expensive, too). High-end,
non-cutaway jumbo 12-strings
are thin on the ground – none
of Gibson, Martin or Taylor
makes one, which kind of
proves that the F-512 really
does stand alone
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GIT378.rev_guild.indd 114 1/23/14 4:19 PM