Ever since its introduction in the music industry, many brands have come along. Every brand prides itself on providing reliable and high-quality guitars.
However, there are certain differences between the guitars of every brand in terms of features and performance. Choosing the right brand to buy a guitar from can be quite a daunting task.
With a large number of brands available on the market, anyone can face difficulty while finalizing a brand, be that person a professional guitar player, a hobbyist, or a learner kid.
The most important thing to remember while purchasing your desired guitar is that it must meet your requirements and demands.
The right guitar decision can allow you to enjoy the support services and the standard durability that comes along with the playback experience.
On the list of US-based guitar brands, Taylor and Guild find themselves on the top. These brands have been in the market for some time now. Their great quality has led them to dominate the industry.
However, there are several differences between Taylor and Guild that sets them apart from each other.
Having an idea of the individual features of the two of these guitar brands and the factors that differentiate them can ease the decision- making process for you. Let’s study them in detail.
Taylor vs Guild Guitars
Brief Comparison
| Features | Taylor Guitar | Guild Guitars |
|---|---|---|
| Range | More | Less |
| Quality | Satisfactory | Great |
| Versatility | More | Less |
| Price | Affordable | Expensive |
Taylor Guitar
The manufacturing of the exquisite acoustic instruments by Taylor guitars has been taking place for decades. They stand out from the rest of the guitar production companies on the grounds of using quality materials in the process of manufacture.
The main reason behind the reputation of Taylor Guitars is its determination and commitment to creativity and innovation. They don’t just rely on the traditional methods. They keep bringing advancements in their equipment.
The design of every Taylor guitar is made while keeping the player in mind. A plethora of renowned performers, singers, recording guitarists, and songwriters all across the globe have chosen Taylor as their reliable brand of guitars.
Guitar Body
You cannot use a guitar if you are comfortable with its body. There are various body shapes of Taylor guitars, including Grand Concert, Grand Symphony, Grand Auditorium, Grand Orchestra, and Dreadnought.
Let’s briefly discuss these Taylor guitar shapes.
- Grand Concert
Although a Grand Concert is a suitable guitar for everyone, small players can find maximum comfort with it. The voice coming out of the Grand Concert is pretty focused.
If you want to project the strumming without any mess, you should opt for the Grand Symphony. It is a perfect option for rhythm work.
- Grand Auditorium
Grand Auditorium holds the reputation of having the most popular design by Taylor. There is a subtle balance of comfort and pleasant tone associated with this guitar. You won’t find a better performance partner than this one.
- Grand Orchestra
The body style of the Grand Orchestra is perfect for players who are looking for punchy highs, pillowy low end, and a little scooped midrange in their acoustic. It is a perfect amalgam of incredible power and complex tone.
- Dreadnought
The bold sound of the remarkable Dreadnought is the major reason behind its popularity all around the globe. Anyone can get used to its design without feeling uncomfortable.
Tonewoods
The effect of wood on the acoustic guitar is grand. Not only does it impact the overall tone, but it also adds much more to its looks. As far as the Taylor is concerned, it uses Spruce and Cedar as its tonewoods.
V-Class Bracing
The V-class bracing is a potentially useful addition to the traditional features of Taylor guitars.
As successfully as it bucks the trend of X-braced acoustic guitars, it also plays a key role in directing the sound across the top of the guitar so that a louder tone with better sustain can be generated.
It is quite crucial for the improvement of Taylor’s intonation.
UV-Cured Finishes
Another astonishing fact about the Taylor guitars is their amazingly applied finish. The UV-cured nature of these finishes get them remarkably thin for the application, and thereby the resonance of the guitar is maintained.
The protection offered by these finishes is quite supreme and long-lasting.
Versatility
There is a wide range of genres covered by Taylor guitars, and in all of them, these guitars deliver the most. There is a perfect balance of loudness and frequencies.
Guild Guitar
Ever since the launch of Guild guitars in 1953, they have been used by plenty of artists on various platforms. It is very rare to come across any negative comment on Guild guitars.
They offer great value for money. Therefore, many renowned guitar players are still in awe of them.
It won’t be wrong to call Guild a premium guitar brand that best suits the needs of intermediate to advanced guitarists.
Quality
The unique factor about Guild guitars is their supreme quality. When compared with renowned brands like Gibson, Taylor, and Martin, Guild is way ahead with its great quality of guitars.
The Body
Having a large size body, Guild guitars promise a rich and warm tone.
X-bracing
A good wood cannot go through the completion of the design features unless its bracing is good. As far as the bracing system of Guild is concerned, it is a scalloped X brace system.
In this technique, wood is shaved from the center of the brace to assure good resonance and bring more strength to the soundboard.
The plain and a satin varnish finish of the wood allows for the vibration. Overall the build and look are pretty impressive.
Playability
Playability is not an easy area to quantify because it’s not necessary for one player to fit well with the conditions of another one. You might not believe it, but there is a strong impact even from the player’s fingers.
No matter what the physical attribute of the individual is, it is going to affect playability. However, the playability of Guild guitars for an average person is comfortable and beautiful.
Sound
If you want to know about the tone of Guild guitars without actually playing them, you can have an idea from the fact that their tone sounds somewhat like Martin and Taylor’s.
However, it is difficult to make any straight generalization as the tone is largely impacted by the wood, shape, and size of guitars.
Most of the Guild guitar players have revealed that the tonal niche of Guild is different from the other brands. It has its own touch and vibe.
Popular Players Of Guild Guitars
There are some famous guitar players that played Guild in their days and acknowledged its greatness.
They include Jimi Hendrix, Kim Thayil, David Byrne, Slash, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Jeff Buckley, and many others. The list goes on.
Cost
For the intermediate and advanced guitar players, there is a large range of Guild guitars ranging from $1000 and going far beyond.
If you are getting your first guitar, you don’t have to spend that much money. You can still get your hands on an affordable Guild of $400. Guild guitars come at all prices.
Conclusion
If you are in need of a guitar with great quality and a mid-range price, you can opt for Guild guitars.
On the other hand, the range for the guitar body shapes and tonewoods is more for Taylor guitars. Therefore, if you are looking for versatility, your best option is Taylor.
The construction and craftsman to me is better with the Guild brand, there was a brief time (2001) when moving from the east coast (Rhode Island) to the west coast (Corona Ca) that Guild prepared “kits” for the people at Fender to assemble to maintain stock until the relocation was complete. Most of the problems with these were more with the finish than the structure. Today’s Guild’s are to me the best premium acoustic guitar you can buy, that the gap between them and others like Taylor is larger the larger the guitar you get. To me there is no better sounding guitar than a Guild Dreadnaught.
Good article but I disagree with your “superior quality” comments about Guild over Taylor. I have owned several of both and the Taylors far exceed the Guilds in terms of quality, playability, and sound quality.
Guild went through a real corporate disaster of changing brands, plants, designs etc. between 1995 and 2015 when they brought in Ren Ferguson from Gibson to restore the brand. I have heard he has done some good things. But Guild was on the rocks when he came in. Fender and Cordoba had dumped the brand and Kaman’s involvement was uncertain. It became very difficult to tell where a particular Guild was produced, never a good omen.
But it is very misleading to suggest that Guild produced guitars of superior quality in the last 20+ years. If you are going to purchase a Guild guitar, ask a lot of questions and absolutely play them before your buy them. I hope Guild makes a full comeback.