❌SOLD❌ Guild GAD-50E Amber Dreadnought, 2005

Here is a lovely and great sounding Guild GAD-50e AMB – for Amber – non-cutaway Dreadnought guitar, built during 2005. When introduced in 2004 under the ownership of Fender Musical Instrument Corporation (FMIC), the GAD series represented Guild’s effort to provide a lower cost but high quality instrument and in this they definitely succeeded.

Based on the D-50 Bluegrass model introduced in 1963, the Guild GAD-50E uses the Dreadnought body design. The top is Sitka Spruce paired with Indian Rosewood for the sides, back, head plate, fingerboard and bridge. The body blocks and neck are Mahogany. The tastefully discreet snowflake and diamond inlay set is Mother of Pearl. This is an E model, meaning that it has an under-saddle pickup installed with a pre-amp, and the battery clip is located on the neck block. The top has a smallish, clear pickguard.

Visible under the battery of this Guild GAD-50E, on the neck block, is a series of numbers – 0502360584.  For the GAD line,  this is the instrument’s true serial number, which dates it to 2005. The serial number on the label, GAD-10028, does not provide dating information.

These are frankly great guitars. They are very well made, reasonably priced, play well and sound quite good. This example is in good clean condition with a few light marks on the top and back. Fret wear is light. The sound is full, clear, rich and sweet. It produces a fair amount of volume, but perhaps lacks the raw power of the original US made Guild Bluegrass models (which were intended to compete on a stage with banjos and mandolins). If you need a good steel string for many genres especially bluegrass and country, this is an excellent choice.

This Guild GAD-50E AMB is sold with its original hard shell case.

For the GAD series, in 2004 FMIC, Guild’s parent, contracted with the Grand Reward factory in Guangdong, China. There’s some uncertainty around this but it appears that the GAD line was built in a separate facility, away from the work done Grand Reward does for other brands. The GAD builders were specially trained and had a much higher return rate (after company breaks) than for the other brands. The line was discontinued in 2015, not long after Guild was transferred to their current owner, Cordoba Music Group. Famed luthier Ren Ferguson – who had run the Gibson Acoustic shop in Bozeman, Montana – came on as the lead.