1985 Guild® D-25NT Very Good, Original Hard, $695.00
Made in the fabled Westerly, Rhode Island, plant in early 1985 according to the serial number (DA113731) and the Guild website, this wonderful dreadnought has been dominating lesser instruments for over three decades. It has been played, and it has the resonance of its aged woods to prove it, but cosmetically the finish still gleams. The classic good looks make it stand out in a crowd, but it’s the huge sound that will make other musicians turn around to check it out.
This Guild D-25NT has a solid spruce top, solid mahogany sides and neck, and a mahogany back arched for greater projection. The dreadnought style body is bound in black top and back, with a large black pick guard, a beautifully figured rosewood bridge with black abalone-dot pins, and a multi-stripe rosette. The 14/20 fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlay ends in three-per-side chrome Guild tuners and the inlaid headstock logo.
There are some cosmetic items: a few small dings on the lower bout, the back, and the bottom side; a ½” chip on the headstock corner (not nearly as conspicuous as it looks in the flash picture); a ¼” chip in the back; a professionally sealed bruise on the top lower bout bass edge; and most obviously a patch of the inner edge of the rosette. Structurally, it’s ready to play: the neck is straight and true, the top is flat, the truss rod works, the nut and saddle have been up-graded to bone, and the action is set up for heavy playing at 4/32” at the 12th fret low E. It plays great now and has done so for over 30 years.
Naturally, the years of playing have enhanced the resonance of the tonewoods, the arched back enhances the projection, and you can humble a lot of banjo and fiddle players with this guy. In short, you can go to China and get a Guild GAD if you want shiny, but this is a real Guild, “Made to be Played,” and Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, it will pass into the heads of a player able to make music and turn heads for a generation or two to come.
The included Guild hard shell case is also in excellent condition—mebbe too good to be “original.” The hardware is perfect, the plush lining is clean and soft, the handle is comfortable, and structurally it is solid as a rock. With the Guild name discreetly displayed on the top, it is the ideal complement for this fine guitar—and of course offers outstanding protection.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashiers and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have made every effort to describe and illustrate this guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy it. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing.
Thank you for your interest in this fine vintage guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.