Guild D-55 vs Martin D-41 - Iconic Rosewood Dreadnought Acoustic Battle

Both Rosewood and Sitka. Both iconic in their respected lines. Both big & boomy! Both iconic in the acoustic world… but which one stands out to you?? The Guild D-55 or the Martin D-41?

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[sbolfing]

What I love most about this - the Martin sounds like a Martin and Guild sounds like a Guild: each have their unique character! I've always loved Martins (have 3) but am seriously thinking about how to get a D-55!

[jaredwood]

I own both and love both, but the D-55 is my favorite. I believe the D-55 has thinner bracing, similar to the D-35. To me, the D-55 is like a beautiful cross between a Martin and Gibson.

[Mike-B]

To me it always seems the D55 wins these head to head comparisons. Subjective, but every time I hear it played against any others it just sounds noticeably better.

[nwatkinz]

My word, these are two unbelievable instruments. I will echo what many others here are saying, I don't think you can say that one is better than the other... Slightly different tones, but two incredible guitars from builders that are at the top of their class! Too bad most of us don't have the pocket change to own one 😂

[iamthemusicman]

The Guild D-55 is by far a top notch guitar and seems to out perform almost any other major made high end acoustics.. amazing.

[rudykizuty]

Can't help but love both. But to my ear, I preferred the Guild when played with a flat pick and the Martin when played finger style.

[mackmor]

Two great guitars. The D-41 has that traditional bluegrass ring which to me is a tighter sound whereas the D-55 has more latitude, rounded and balanced. I like their comment that the D-55 has projection like a J-200 in a Dreadnaught body. Comes down to playing style for me. I'm not a bluegrass picker so the D-55 is likely the choice. Great comparison. Exactly what I need to decide on my upcoming purchase.

[davidstoeckl]

Enjoyed hearing both. D-41. No contest.

[uvp]

In a golden era of acoustic guitars, either one of these instruments is worth your time and/or money. It's a matter of which one feels/sounds/plays best overall (ears, hands, and fingers) to any individual musician. As I've commented many times here, I would prefer both. If I had to pick one, of the two played here, I'd pick the Guild. With solid spruce tops and rosewood back and sides, either of these should age nicely from a very nice sound, to begin with.

[jjoltra]

I own a Guild D55 and a Martin D35, both sound fantastic but if I had to keep one, the Guild would be my choice.

[moedeluca]

Both awesome sounding guitars for sure. I've played for 48 years now and played pretty much all of them - Martin, Collings, Taylor, Huss & Dalton, Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, Guild, and more. Of all of those though, to my ears, the Guild D-55 stands a cut above. It just overall sounds INCREDIBLE. So... I bought one and it's a custom model that again, to my ears, sounds even better than the "standard" D-55. I've never looked back as it sounds better and better every time I pick it up. Thanks for this cool comparison video!

[BobPerrone]

In the mix of Taylor's, Martin's and over priced Gibsons. Guild stands above as high quality, great value for your $.

[anthonyb]

Martin has a great sound I love. I’ve had the privilege of playing a D41 but not a Guild dread since the 70’s so I don’t recall the sound. Back in the day Guilds were well know, well used, and a top level guitar. Great to see this video. Thank you

[jeffreyhall]

I’ve got a 1973 Guild D-50. My first nice dred. I’ll never sell it

[qtogopx]

Thanks for this review. Guild for me, although I prefer the Guild jumbos to dreads. We all have guitars we regret selling and for me one was a 1974 F50R. When I bought that guitar new Martins of that era sounded dull.
I’d love to see reviews of higher end Breedloves. I have an Oregon Concerto spruce/myrtlewood model that I think would compare favorably with a lot of the guitars you feature.

[mikevendetti]

I love the sound of a Guild. Just a beautiful sound.

[texhaines]

That Guild sounds great but my paid for Martin sounds just fine. The Guild DS240 Memoir burst is doing just fine and sounds great.

[TomasAWalker]

Love both. A decision one way or the other would depend on price. Could you consider Canadian made guitars by the Godin family now that they’ve started building with more traditional tonewoods in addition to cherry and maple?

[andrewjbusaguitar]

Would love to see how the high end Yamahas (LL26 / 36 / 56) stack up if you can get your hands on one.

[kenallen]

I recently got to play a Guild d55 and it will be my next buy.