Overview
Guild D-40E Standard Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
The Guild D-40E acoustic-electric guitar is a premium dreadnought acoustic guitar that blends classic tonewoods with modern performance and craftsmanship.
Handcrafted in the USA, the D-40E features a solid Sitka spruce top paired with solid African mahogany back and sides, delivering a powerful, balanced tone with clear highs and warm lows. Equipped with an L.R. Baggs® Element VTC pickup system, this professional acoustic-electric guitar provides natural, studio-quality amplification for live performance and recording. Built in Guild’s traditional dreadnought body shape, the D-40E offers excellent projection, dynamic range, and versatility across multiple playing styles. The mahogany C-shape neck is fitted with an Indian rosewood fingerboard for smooth playability and comfort. Premium components include an Indian rosewood bridge, compensated bone saddle, and bone nut, enhancing sustain, tone, and tuning stability.
Finished in a high-quality Vintage Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, this USA-made acoustic guitar maximises resonance while highlighting the beauty of its solid tonewoods. Elegant details such as a pearloid rosette, Guild Peak headstock inlay, tortoiseshell pickguard, and white body binding complete the classic aesthetic. Guild Deluxe open-gear tuners ensure reliable tuning, and each guitar includes a Guild deluxe humidified hardshell case for secure storage and protection.
- Guild D - Dreadnought body shape
- Solid Sitka spruce top and solid African mahogany back and sides
- Integrated L.R. Baggs® Element VTC pickup system
- Natural Vintage Gloss nitro finish
- Mahogany C-Shape neck with Indian rosewood fingerboard
- Pearloid rosette and Guild Peak headstock inlay
- Indian rosewood bridge, compensated bone saddle, bone nut
- Tortoiseshell pickguard, white body binding
- Guild Deluxe Vintage open-gear tuners with cream buttons
- Guild Deluxe humidified hardshell case included
Finance
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Features
Dreadnought Body Shape
A perennial favorite of flatpickers and strummers and the most recognizable body shape by far, the dreadnought dates back more than a century, with Guild introducing its first dreadnoughts in the early 1960s. Characterized by square shoulders, a wide waist, and a relatively flat lower bout, dreadnought guitars are renowned for their robust lows, punchy mids, crisp highs, and powerful projection—and the D-40 Standard Natural guitar’s forward-shifted scalloped Adirondack spruce top bracing enhances those qualities while also increasing overall responsiveness. The ultra-thin Natural Vintage Gloss nitro lacquer finish has both satin and gloss qualities that highlight the natural beauty of the tonewoods and give the instrument a worn-in vintage look and feel.
Premium Tonewoods
The D-40 Standard Natural is meticulously constructed of the finest quality tonewoods. Wood choices and combinations contribute significantly to an acoustic guitar’s sound, and qualities such as hardness, density, and flexible strength distinguish different tonewoods. The D-40 Standard Natural guitar’s solid African mahogany back and sides provide warmth and an earthy richness, while a solid Sitka spruce top adds brightness and clarity, resulting in a powerful, well-balanced sound. The guitar’s mahogany neck topped with an Indian rosewood fingerboard and the Indian rosewood bridge complement the other tonewoods.
L.R. BAGGS Element VTC Pickup System
The D-40E Standard Natural includes a factory-installed L.R. Baggs Element VTC pickup system with Volume and Tone controls that faithfully reproduces the guitar’s acoustic sound when amplified or recorded. By detecting soundboard movement rather than picking pressure, the pickup captures the full and balanced tone of the guitar while eliminating the high-frequency "quack" typical of undersaddle pickups. The Volume and Tone controls are positioned nearly out of sight under the top edge of the soundhole, along with the built-in low-frequency compressor (the “C” in VTC), which reduces boominess and feedback. The system is powered by an internally located 9-volt battery.
Specs
Body:
- Body Shape ~ D - Dreadnought
- Body Top ~ Solid Sitka Spruce
- Top Bracing Pattern ~ Scalloped X
- Soundhole Diameter ~ 3 7/8" (98mm)
- Rosette ~ ABS Rings
- Top Purfling Inlay ~ Black and White ABS
- Top Binding ~ N/A
- Body Sides ~ Solid African Mahoganyy
- Side Purfling Inlay ~ N / A
- Body Back ~ Solid African Mahogany
- Back Purfling Inlay ~ N / A
- Body Binding ~ N/A
Neck:
- Neck Material ~ Mahogany
- Scale Length ~ 25 5/8" (651mm)
- Neck Shape ~ C Shape
- Nut Width ~ 1 11/16" (43mm)
- Neck Thickness 1st Fret ~ 21mm
- Neck Thickness 9th Fret ~ 22.5mm
- Truss Rod ~ Dual Action
- Truss Rod Wrench ~ 4mm Allen Key
- Fingerboard Material ~ Indian Rosewood
- Fingerboard Radius ~ 12" (305mm)
- Fingerboard Inlays ~ Pearloid Dots
- Fingerboard Inlay Location ~ 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 (x2), 15, 17
- Frets Total ~ 20
- Fingerboard Binding ~ N / A
Finish:
- Colour ~ Natural
- Vintage Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Hardware:
- Bridge Material ~ Indian Rosewood
- Bridge String Spacing ~ 2 1/8" (54mm)
- Bridge Pins ~ Ivory Coloured Plastic
- Saddle Material ~ Compensated Bone
- Hardware Finish / Plating ~ N/A
- Nut Material ~ Bone
- Tuning Machines ~ Guild Deluxe Vintage Open Gear
- Endpin ~ Strap Button - Ivory Coloured Plastic
- Pickguard ~ Tortoiseshell
Electronics:
- Electronics ~ LR Baggs Element VTC with Volume and Tone Control
- Controls ~ Master Volume & Tone
Other:
- Upper Bout Width ~ 11 5/8" (295mm)
- Lower Bout Width ~ 16" (406mm)
- Body Depth Upper Bout ~ 4" (101mm)
- Body Depth Lower Bout ~ 5" (127mm)
- Body Length ~ 20" (508mm)
- Overall Length ~ 41 3/4" (1061mm)