FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

Although Guild was making flattop acoustic guitars since 1954, the company did not offer a dreadnought sized model until 1963. Guild dreadnaughts, in general, are built a bit heavier than their Martin counterparts. However, this does not detract from the tone of the Guilds. They merely sound different than Martin guitars. The D-40 was introduced as a mid-line acoustic model in 1963 and was next in line to the upscale D-50. In the 1970s, the D-40 fell behind the D-44, D-50, and D-55 dreadnaughts. One of characteristic of the mahogany bodied Guild flattops is the sweet, well-balanced tone they produce which is suited to a variety of musical styles. This particular guitar was one of the last D-40s to be produced in Hoboken, New Jersey before that facility was abandoned for the Rhode Island factory in early 1969. It has a “cloud” bridge which is an unusual feature for a Guild flattop from the late 1960s.

 Body:  Hollow; solid 2-piece spruce top, solid 2-piece mahogany back, and solid  mahogany sides; triple bound top, single bound back

 Finish:  Natural, nitrocellulose lacquer

 Neck:  3-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany, set-in; black plastic headstock overlay with pearloid logo and Chesterfield inlay 

 Fingerboard:  Rosewood; pearloid dot markers

 Number of Frets:  20

 Pickguard:  Tortoise, acetate

 Bridge:  Rosewood with bone saddle

 Nut:  Plastic

 Tuners:  Kolb, open, chrome

 Pickups:  None

 Controls:  None

 Scale Length:  25 1/2 inches

 Neck Width at Nut:  1 11/16 inches

 Body Width at Lower Bout:  16 inches

 Body Depth:  4 7/8 inches

 Weight: n/a