1973 Guild D-25 "Cherry" Dreadnought Guitar

The D-25 has been a long-run, successful model. It blends the woody, balanced, mids-focus of a mahogany-topped guitar with the bigger punch of a dreadnought body. At the time these were made, I'm not aware of another maker building such a beast in any quantity. A bunch of 70s ones also got the "cherry finish" treatment, like this one, and the stand-out look is just as much of a fashion statement as slinging an SG around your neck. It's not just cherry -- it's bright cherry.

I worked on this for a customer and it got the usual glorified setup -- a fret level/dress, cleaning, and bridge, saddle, and nut adjustments. It plays like a champ (even with the long scale) and has an electric-fast neck profile (just like any other period Guild). What's not to like? It's a practical, big-body guitar -- perfect for rock-n-roll chords up and down the neck or folksy cowboy chomp-chomp work, both.

Aside from weather-check, this D-25 is also quite clean. I didn't spot a single crack and check out how that stained mahogany gleams in the sun!

The nut is a replacement, but well-made.

Six-string Guilds of this time mix a fast, 70s-style C-shaped Gibson-ish neck profile with the flatter 14" radius and longer scale of a Martin.

The sturdy, oversize Guild bridges tend to hold up quite well. This one has a lot of pin-hole wear but the bridge plate is nice and tidy. I added some shallow string-ramps behind the saddle, too, and compensated its top edge.

The original tuners aren't the highest-quality units from the time, but they do suffice and continue to work decently.

I love the flattened, easy-access Guild heel profile.