If you are a guitarist and looking to invest in an acoustic guitar, choosing the best instrument can be challenging. But we are here to help. In this review, we’ll be comparing Guild D 240 vs Martin DX1AE helping you decide which one among the two acoustic-electric guitars has the features that will work for you. Here we go!
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Guild D-240E
The Guild D-240E is a dreadnought acoustic-electric guitar that features the manufacturer’s iconic arched back body. There are a couple of reasons why Guild decided to include this design on the Westerly D-240E. These reasons include the arched back design increases the instrument’s live projection, it reduces the guitar’s weight, and pays tribute to the manufacturer’s popular models, such as the F-30 and the D-25. Thanks to this body design, those with a D-240E get to use a guitar that is easy to travel with and guarantees a great playing experience.
The D-240E comes with some existing vintage specs that golden-era flat top guitars from Guild featured, including a retro red tortoiseshell pickguard, a classic Guild V-shaped neck, and a body made from premium woods. For a clean sound and to make plugging into a PA easy, Guild uses the AP-1 pickup in this guitar.
Core Features of the Guild D-240E
Guild boast of being one of the eldest manufacturers of high-quality guitars in America. Its prowess as a premier instrument maker can be seen in some of the D-240E’s features. This guitar’s arched back body has been designed in the traditional dreadnought style and made using mahogany and solid Sitka spruce material, which ensures quality, great playing experience, and a big sound. To ensure delivery of golden-era clarity and sustain, Guild uses a real bone nut and saddle on this instrument. And to enhance its vintage look, a red tortoiseshell pickguard from the 1960s is used.
Natural acoustic voice
The D-240E produces a natural acoustic voice thanks to its Westerly series AP-1 piezo pickup. These sound pairs great with a mic for recording purposes in the studio or at home, and onstage, the sound produced is full and dynamic. Guild mounted the controls for tone and volume directly on the sound-hole to preserve the flawless natural aesthetics of the guitar and also to make them easy for the player to access.
Comfortable playing experience
The Guild D-240E has been engineered to offer clean playability. Its neck is V-shaped and measures 25.5″ long with strings that offer slinky action all along its length, which is something that seasoned player will easily notice. The width of this guitar’s 1-11/16″ nuts provides spacing between strings that makes it suitable for fingerstyling, flatpicking, and strumming in a very comfortable way.
Pros of the Guild D-240E
- Has a traditional dreadnought body that produces a big, woody, and vibrant tone
- Pays tribute to Guild’s golden-era flat tops through its iconic arched back
- It is louder and lighter when compared to similar sized guitars thanks to its unique design
- It’s C-shaped neck with Indian rosewood fingerboard allows for comfortable playing
- Looks great under stage lights thanks to its matte finish
Martin DX1AE
If you are looking for an acoustic-electric guitar that will provide you with tonal quality that is amazing and high-quality sound projection for a buffet of just under $600, the Martin DX1AE is the perfect instrument for you. The DX1AE is produces a bright and loud tone that is more than capable of blending in with nearly all music genres.
Most players who’ve had the opportunity of playing this Martin guitar are endeared to it by the quality of its sound. The loud and bass sound that the DX1AE produces is made possible by its spruce top. Compared to other guitars in the class, such as the Guild D-240E, the DX1AE’s spruce stop is a bit thicker, which allows for the quality of sound it produces.
However hard or long you play the DX1AE, its strings always stay in tune without the need of constant re-tuning, something we can owe to the high quality tuners installed in them. Its tuning pegs are enclosed with small buttons, and the pegs themselves made of chrome.
This guitar features twenty frets, however, you’ll only be able to use fourteen of them. Martin used Black Rich Lite in making its fretboard and bridge. The DX1AE ensures comfort while playing tricky progressions and maneuvers thanks to its 2-1/8″ wide fingerboard.
The DX1AE’s bridge and end pins feature the white color with black dots, and you can also find them in optional tortoiseshell. Speaking of electronics, this guitar uses Fishman products which increase it’s versatility, making the DX1AE a guitar suitable for a wide range of performances.
Core Features of the Martin DX1AE
The DX1AE is one of the guitars that are part of Martin’s X Series — a line consisting of sixteen guitars. Something interesting to note about this guitar is that all the initials on its name have a meaning. The letter D stands for dreadnought which is its body style, X stands for the model which is X Series, 1 means that this model only has basic features, and AE abbreviating the words Acoustic Electric.
Suitable Genres for the Martin DX1AE
The DX1AE doesn’t have a specific genre it is best for since it produces a bright, loud, and warm sound. This means that this guitar is unlimited and pairs well with a wide variety of music genres. However, there are genres, such as thrasher metal that the DX1AE isn’t cut out for. So look at your sound quality needs before going for this Martin.
Is the DX1AE a Good Guitar?
Yes, this guitar is a good instrument to play with and it delivers what it promises. You do not need to possess a lot of skill in order to set up the DX1AE for amazing sound out put, and considering how much it costs, we can say that its tonal quality is great.
Pros of the Martin DX1AE
The following are some of this guitar’s benefits:
- Produces high-quality acoustic sound
- It is affordable
- Has a quality build that can withstand abuse with showing signs of wear and tear
- The quality of its sound is large and clear
- Provides amazing resonance
- Its sound is balanced
- It is light in weight and easy to transport