1971 Guild D-50 Bluegrass Special

With Highlander iP-2 pickup

Comes with new Gator HS case and Humidifer

Weight is 5lb 11oz (includes the secondary microphone pickup and 9V battery)

I’ve owned this guitar for over 25 years. The serial number is 56154 and I bought it at my luthier’s shop in Santa Monica and had him install the Highlander iP-2 pickup for playing live. The guitar is an excellent playing instrument all the way up the neck and genuinely has character in spades, both aesthetically with its vintage body checking, and in the way the guitar resonates. I consistently capo above the 6th fret and the guitar stays in tune and has wonderful slightly lowered action by way of a minor bridge shaving and decreasing the height of the saddle– another job for a skilled luthier.

The D50 line of Guilds was the top of the line for Guild dreadnoughts in the early 70’s. You can distinguish them by the ebony fretboard, the alternating thin strips of black and white purfling around the sound hole and body, the mosaic purling down the center on the back of the guitar, and most importantly the Indian Rosewood sides and back that give it the beautiful low end, scooped midrange, and warm sustain. The tuners are OEM closed back Grovers and the nut is the original bone. 

The neck has a two way truss rod, and the frets are still original with life left. I’ve had a few small repairs professionally done to the body on the front, towards the bottom at the binding. See the pictures. 

There is a plastic celluloid cap at the heel of the guitar that has seen better days, but affects nothing but the aesthetic of the rear of the guitar, which rarely is seen anyway.

The Highlander iP-2 is a truly wonderful pickup for playing on stage. It’s also a challenging install compared to a standard piezo and must be done by someone experienced in order to get the sound that Highlanders are so well known for. I couldn’t be happier when using it through either an acoustic amplifier or running directly through a PA.

I’m including a new Gator case because I’d always kept it in a flight case for traveling. I’ll also include a guitar humidifier as well because it’s a must have item.

1971 Guild D-50 "Bluegrass Special" Specifications

Body Type & Dimensions

Body Style: Dreadnought

Scale Length: 25.5"

Body Depth: 5" (at deepest point)

Materials

Top: Solid Sitka Spruce

Back & Sides: Solid Indian Rosewood

Bridge: Indian Rosewood (with straight, non-compensated bone saddle)

Neck & Fretboard

Neck Material: 3-piece laminate (Mahogany / Maple / Mahogany)

Neck Profile: "C" shape

Nut Width: 1-11/16" (Natural bone material)

Fretboard: Solid Ebony (12" radius)

Frets: Standard medium-gauge vintage wire (approx. .080" wide x .040" high)

Hardware

Tuners: OEM Grover Rotomatic (102 series) enclosed tuners, factory-stamped with the "Guild" block logo

Truss Rod: Dual-action system, adjusted at the headstock

Pickguard: Celluloid faux-tortoiseshell, proprietary Guild teardrop/swoop shape 

Binding & Purfling

Front: White celluloid outer binding; 4-to-5-ply black/white top purfling; multi-ring black/white rosette (9-3-3 pattern)

Back: White celluloid outer binding; checkered (mosaic) multi-ply wood center backstrip; white celluloid heel cap

Internal Construction

Bracing: Shaved/scalloped Sitka Spruce top bracing (heavy, durable Westerly factory build)

Highlander iP-2 pickup

Coaxial Undersaddle Pickup, unlike standard flat piezo elements, the Highlander Pickups coaxial design senses vibrations in all directions, delivering a fat, highly dynamic, and natural acoustic tone favored by professional guitarists like Martin Simpson and David Crosby.

Dual-Source Capability: The system includes an auxiliary 3.5 mm stereo input (or access jack) for adding a second transducer, such as the Highlander Internal Mic or a Sunrise Pickup.

Endpin Preamp: It utilizes an active endpin jack pre-amp powered by a 9V battery, which automatically activates when a guitar cord is plugged into the jack