I'm a bit obsessed with acoustic guitars these days. I have 2 custom shop Martins, a D28, a black custom shop Hummingbird, a J-55, etc etc....and I have to say - this D-55 is (almost by FAR) my favorite of the bunch. I'm out 4-5 times a week playing - and its NEVER been this enjoyable to do that until now. This is my new main guitar - I wish I had 2 of em. HIGHLY recommend this one...may I say though - the Guild capo that you get with it - its like $ or something - trust me - you NEED that. Its ALSO ironically enough BY FAR the best capo I have even owned. I have 3 of them now. Its THAT good.

This guitar is the best acoustic I've personally played. I recently bought a Taylor 814CE and it was a great sounding guitar and really well built but just sounded like a tin can to my ears and was very light to my surprise. I ended up returning it and happened to come across some D55 videos on you tube and loved the sound and reviews. I own an older D150CENA that has always played very well for me so I put myself on the notify list on Sweetwater and finally got the email it was available and snatched it up right away. This thing is absolutely beautiful in every aspect of an acoustic guitar. It is the plays like a dream for me and the sound is authentic. Something you have to hear for yourself. I can't wait to hear how it ages with time. The build quality is amazing and it feels very solid and has some weight to it unlike the Taylor. I loved the Taylor and I'm not knocking it, just wasn't for me and my ears. If you are in the market for an acoustic, give this one a shot, you won't be disappointed.

The Guild USA D-55E is an amazing guitar. The build quality is stellar. The sound is even better! String tone is well balanced, producing an orchestra-like sound with deep bass and clear, crisp highs. The neck feels great. It is easy to play. The action was good. The AAA Spruce top, Rosewood back and sides, Ebony fretboard and bridge, inlays, binding, headstock overlay, and Guild inlay/logo are beautiful. It comes with a great humidicase. The D-55E is a wonderful strumming guitar, easily handling a soft and heavy touch. This is my bucket list acoustic guitar. There is very little to criticize. I don't like the battery bag that attaches with velcro inside the body. The D-55E lacks a strap button on the heel. Guild should install a strap button. Nitpicking -- the top screw on the truss rod cover is in crooked. Overall the fit and finish is as close to perfect as it can get. This is a remarkable dreadnought guitar.

Love it. It is a cannon when you want it, a drum when you need it, and produces harmonic bell like tones which seem to come from the bridge / sound hole that ring out as the chord volume decay that are perfectly in tune with what chords you are playing. That is a sure sign of quality tonewoods, manufacturing, and setup. I have never played a guitar with the harmonic response and volume that equal this instrument. You feel the bass notes when you play hard and the treble response is never shrill or brittle. Plays very well and it will be keeper. My sales engineer, Zac Coleman, was responsive and knowledgeable. Setup, packaging, and shipping were top notch and I could tell all of this was done by professionals that truly respond to the needs of both the instrument and the customer. The Guild D-55 is a heirloom quality instrument that is on par or better than many guitars costing much more.
I purchased a D'Addario Hygrometer and humidity pack kit and installed it after the 24 hour wait time that Sweetwater recommends before opening the guitar package after its shipping arrival time. It only took a few minutes after the Bluetooth software download and setup configuration of the meter for the meter to show the guitar in the 50% humidity range for me to know that the guitar was well taken care of by Sweetwater.
I am very happy with this purchase.

My brand new guild D55E natural is an amazing guitar. I first played one of these In 1985 and the experience was amazing. All these years later I finally own one and the quality is exactly the same as it was in '85.

When it arrived I adjusted the neck to compensate for my elixir HD light strings. The action is low and it feels fabulous.

The sound and tone quality reminds me of a Martin guitar. The transducer and microphone has top notch sound and accurately reproduces the tone of the guitar. 

The design and styling of this guitar is beautiful. I love the gorgeous headstock with the inlaid brand name Guild, the G logo, and large V inlay on the ebony fretboard. I could go on and on about the details as I look at it sitting on the guitar stand in front of me.

I recently bought a new Guild D-55E, and it has been a joy to play since I unpacked it. Here's the story of how it took 43 years to get myself one. When I was 17, my dad took me to see John Renbourn play in a little club in Seattle, and between sets I worked up the courage to go backstage to tell him how much I loved his playing. He was touring with a Guild D-55 with a lot of miles on it, and it sounded wonderful. He was having a beer and smoking a cigarette. He thanked me and then asked if I played guitar. I shyly said I did. He handed me his guitar to play. I sat down, and with shaking hands, played a couple short original instrumentals. He was very kind in his judgement of them! I handed him back his guitar, and thanked him for the privilege of playing it. Cut to earlier this year, and my 60th birthday. Something brought that memory to to the surface, and I decided to order myself a D-55 from Sweetwater. Everything about the purchase went so well, and the guitar plays like a dream. I especially love the low end on Guild Dreadnaughts, and the articulate voicing of the top, which works so well for fingerstyle and open tunings. The onboard electronics are great too! This beauty will be with me as long as I keep having birthdays.

As the title states, It's the best guitar I could have hoped to own. For the last two years I have saved and tried several different acoustic guitars ranging from $1500.00 to 3000.00 Taylor guitars, a $1500.00 Yamaha KOA guitar, a Gibson Rosewood Hummingbird, and a Martin D-18,D-28. and D-35. At Sweetwaters Gearfest last year I tried the Guild D-55 and fell in love the the sound, feel, and looks of this guitar. Unfortunately I was not in a position to spend that much money on any kind of guitar so I had to wait. On "Black Friday" I drove to Sweetwater and got a fantastic deal coupled with the extra money I'd saved and bought this guitar. I'd like to take this opportunity to plug Sweetwater as there's more to this story than I can write down and they are the "real deal" when it comes to their customers. I'd like to mention the names of the sales contact person that keeps in touch with me: Tiberius Huiu and the salesman on the floor that helped me without any pressure and very knowledgeable: Andrew Fisher.

I love this guitar. I pulled it out of the case and it was still in tune. The guitar has a pleasant, well-balanced sound. There was no need to adjust the action as it was ready to play. I would recomment this guitar to anyone looking for a high end dreadnought. Sweetwater gave excellent, personalized service, making the entire purchase very enjoyable.

I've tried all of the big hitters (Martin, Gibson, Taylor, etc), and while they all boast great guitars, the Guild D55e outshines them all. When taking the guitar out of its case for the first time I was blown away by the attention to detail and the meticulousness of all of the fine appointments. You can tell the luthiers at Guild take pride in the instruments that they are currently creating. Not only are the aesthetics of this instrument top notch, but the first strum of an open E chord rang like a bell with incredible sustain and overtones, of which will only get better with age! This instruments is incredibly responsive as well making it wonderful for both fingerpicking and strumming alike--if you really dig in you can make this baby growl and shower yourself in rich bass and shimmering highs that is truly a spiritual experience. It also comes with a fantastic case!

All in all, you cannot go wrong with this guitar. The Guild D55e is an exemplary acoustic guitar that is unparalleled at this price range. I plan on enjoying this guitar for my lifetime; the beauty and pleasure it brings is priceless. Thank you Sweetwater for your impeccable service and thank you Guild!

I purchased a Guild D55 back in 1994. It played so well that it was my favorite guitar in my collection. I also owned 2 Gibson's including a J-200. The tone and quality were better than any of those. After owning it for 2 years, someone broke into my home and stole it. Never to be seen again. All of these years later, I finally decided to by a high end guitar. It wasn't even a question that I wanted a Guild D55. I researched the company and was so happy with what I read about Guild and the manufacturing facility in California. I received it a little over a week ago and it plays wonderful. Just as I expected. So happy with the service I received from Ian McGhee, my sales engineer. Thanks Ian, Thanks Sweetwater, and Thanks Guild.

This is the most expensive guitar I own. I bought it to upgrade from my previous best workhorse guitar, the Martin D-16RGT. This review will be most helpful to someone familiar with Martin dreadnoughts. I am an average guitar player. I play acoustic and electric sessions at home with a friend. We write songs. But I spend a lot of time working on tone. I"ve owned the D-55E for four months. I think it"s a sophisticated instrument and I need many more hours with it to review it accurately. I love it more each time I play it. A year from now I might give it 5 stars. I suspect accomplished players will love this guitar and be able to make it do things few guitars can.

Tone: A friend and I played and compared the D-55E to a Martin D-28 and a Taylor K14ce. We both preferred the D-55E. The D-55E is more tonally precise than the Martin dreadnoughts. It is warmer and has more low end depth than the K14ce. The D-55E makes magical sounds. It is strong through the whole tonal spectrum, no dropout on the mids. But because each note is so clear, I find it less forgiving of bad playing and bad singing than the Martin. The woody muddiness of the Martin helps mask these things. The D-55E is forcing me to become a better player and singer. Clarity and intonation of bar chords up the neck are excellent. I"d say even better than the K14ce because of the extra bit of depth and warmth. I was instantly sold on the D-55E"s acoustic lead ability. Excellent tone and sustain on individual notes up the neck. Fewer overtones than a Martin, but just enough to be magic.

Volume: This was a big adjustment from my Martin D-16. The D-55E is not as loud. More importantly, I find that the D-55E projects sound outward (to the audience) superbly while the Martin dreadnoughts envelop the player in sound. I think this makes the Martins easier to sing with. However, everyone who has heard me play the D-55E and D-16 says the D-55E clearly sounds better.

Pickup: The LR Baggs Anthem is the best pickup I"ve owned. However, it is so accurate that it broadcasts mistakes more than, say, the LR Baggs iBeam that I put in my D-16. If you mute strings on the D-55E and strum them with a pick, you will hear a whole lot of thumping in your amplified sound.

Neck: I have medium sized hands and the neck feels a bit tight at the nut and I flub open chords like B7 more than on the Martin. However, bar chords up the neck are much easier. I find finger picking on the D-55E harder than the Martin because of narrower string spacing.

Finish: I have the sunburst. It"s glossy. Front, back, sides, neck. The whole thing. I prefer a more matte finish. I do like bling, especially fretboard inlays, which was part of why I wanted this guitar. But I find this guitar to be aesthetically a little too busy. The combination of gold tuners, Guild V-block inlays, sunburst finish, tortoise shell pickguard and sound hole inlay looks like a bit too much. It clashes. I think eliminating the sparkly sound hole inlay would be better. I don"t yet love the feel of the nitrocellulose finish on the neck. I don"t think it"s as fast as other, more matte, finishes. The LR Baggs pickup controls are also plainly visible in the sound hole which I think looks clunky.

Other: Physically, I"d call this guitar "hot." You feel the reverberations. You feel the tone almost as much as you hear it. Play hard and it feels like it"s going to vibrate out of your arms. This is another cool aspect of this guitar being so sensitive and it takes some getting used to.

My new D-55 is the best guitar I've owned! Just fell in love with the sound and playability. Thank you all at Guild Guitars for your hard work in creating such a beautiful instrument. Why I waited so long to get one I don't know but, I'm so glad I did. I saw the New Hartford factory tour with Ren Furgerson on You Tube and was amazed how a guitar is built. Never realized the amount of work that's involved. It's like having a new born in the house, gotta baby this bundle of joy! Thanks Sweetwater!

Buying another D-55, but bought my first Guild D-55 in 1992 and to this day it is the best acoustic guitar I've ever owned. I've spent more money on Gibson 210 jumbos, Taylors, but the sound of Guild is unrivaled. I value my old Guild more than any other guitar I've played. About 5 years ago had the neck adjusted to loosen the action a bit since I needed to have the neck re-glued anyway. Someone broke into a second home about 15 years back and they stole all the guitars but my Guild: I had it with me. I am absolutely taken by the Guild brand. And Sweetwater. Thank you Guild for your craftsmanship and care in creating these beautiful musical gems.

Just got my new Guild D-55 Guitar. It is absolutely beautiful. Craftsmanship is outstanding puts my other acoustic to shame (Taylor 814ce). The sound is stunning full, warm, rich sound. Playability is unbelievable. I am going to enjoy this guitar for a long time.

Also my sales rep at Sweetwater, Jacob Stutzman, was outstanding. Very knowledgeable and helpful when putting my order together. Always kept me informed as to the status of the order, as it took awhile for Guild to build the guitar. Couldn't be happier with the service I received.

Sweetwater took great care in shipping the guitar to California, arrived in perfect condition.

Almost forgot, the price couldn't be beat. Sweetwater is the place to buy.

Thank you again Jacob and Sweetwater, and of course Guild for such a beautiful instrument .