1968 Guild D-55
The inaugural Guild D-55 — Guild's answer to the Martin D-45. Built at the new Westerly, Rhode Island factory with scalloped X-bracing and premium rosewood back and sides. A commanding dreadnought voice.
Current Market Value
* Prices are estimates based on recent market data. Actual value depends on originality, condition, and provenance. Pricing methodology
Specifications
| Body Wood | Spruce top, Rosewood back and sides |
| Neck Wood | Mahogany |
| Fingerboard | Ebony |
| Scale Length | 25.625" |
| Frets | 20 |
| Pickup Config | None |
| Bridge | Rosewood belly bridge with bone saddle |
| Tuners | Grover Rotomatic |
| Finish Options | Natural Spruce Top, Sunburst |
| Est. Production | 200 |
Pickups & Electronics
Acoustic — no pickups. Projection and tone are entirely from the body and bracing.
What Changed in 1968
First year of the Guild D-55 — Guild's flagship dreadnought. Introduced at the Westerly, Rhode Island factory (Guild moved from Hoboken, NJ in 1966). Scalloped X-bracing, rosewood body, spruce top — built to compete with Martin D-28 and D-45.
Notable Examples
Richie Havens played Guild acoustics at Woodstock. The D-55 became a favorite of fingerstyle and flatpicking players.
Collector's Notes
First-year D-55s are the rarest. The Westerly factory was new in 1966 but already producing excellent instruments. Verify bracing pattern — scalloped X-bracing is standard. Rosewood species may vary (Brazilian rosewood possible on earliest examples).