ROuNd-uP GuILd WESTERLY CoLLECTIon 84 summer 2016 TGR283.gear_round.
GEAR Round-up Words: Rob Laing Photography: Jesse Wild Guild Westerly Collection round-up Can Guild’s most affordable range yet live up to the American company’s reputation? We set our testing phasers to strum and pick up a concert, dreadnought and 12-string to find out… summer 2016 TGR283.gear_round.
ROuNd-uP GuILd WESTERLY CoLLECTIon TG doesn’t want to sound like that old know-it-all everyone avoids down your local, but it has to be said – you young acoustic players have never had it so good! and in truth, we can all benefit from the efforts big boys Martin and Taylor have made towards wooing players on more humble budgets with affordable gig-ready designs.
GEAR Round-up Guild D-240E £359 A solid (topped) and dependable dread’ The Concert model’s Westerly sibling is a good ol’ dreadnought. And there’s a reason why it’s the most popular acoustic shape, it usually yields an all round performance that will suite most needs. And true to form we find that lower end warmth that the M-240E doesn’t have to spare is present and correct here. Feature-wise it’s the same recipe as the smaller guitar.
ROuNd-uP GuILd WESTERLY CoLLECTIon VERdiCT All ThRee of these guitars turn in an impressive experience for the price point; their high quality and well-padded gigbags contribute to that, too. The M240-E’s versatility stands out; we can envision it being a go-to guitar in the home that has enough midrange clout to hold its own on stage in a band mix.
