Guild M-20 6-String Acoustic Guitar
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Gearank Recommended
The Guild M-20 was on our now defunct recommended list for Acoustic Guitars from $1500 to $2000 from March 2022 until September 2022 when we removed that category.
It also appeared on our recommended list for Parlor Guitars when we published the first edition 2022.09, in September 2021 and due to its high ratings it has remained on the list for the current 2022.07 edition.
In January 2022 we announced the results of our annual analysis of acoustic guitar brands - Guild ranked 2nd.
Guild M-20 Overview
Guild is an acoustic guitar company that went toe to toe with the more established Martin brand back in the '60s. Now under Cordoba, Guild is back to producing vintage style acoustics like the M-20, the origins of which are from the same folk era where the brand built their reputation.
The M-20 is a modern reproduction of the original Guild M-20, which is often called as the "Nick Drake Guitar", because of its appearance in Nick's album Bryter Layter. If you're not familiar with Nick, you should look him up - his songwriting, singing and guitar playing earned him a following that is very much alive up to this day, many years after his early passing at 26 years old.
The Guild M-20 stays true to the original Nick Drake guitar, with an all-solid mahogany body, that gives it a mid-focused tone that works great for folk style music. Note that mahogany seems to be the trend in acoustic guitars, dominating conventional spruce top models in terms of ratings.
Having an all-solid wood body means that this guitar is very responsive, while its smaller concert shape further enhances the mids. The concert shape's narrow waist makes it more comfortable to play.
Speaking of comfort, this guitar comes with a 24.75" scale length neck, which is easier on the hands. But it has a wider than usual nut width of 1.75", allowing for more string spacing. Guild steered clear of cosmetics, leaving only essentials that give the M-20 its old school stripped-down appeal. Finish options include natural and vintage sunburst.
For those with budget constraints, Guild offers a China-made cheaper yet similarly spec'ed all-mahogany concert acoustic called the Guild M-120. You can read more about how it compares with the M-20 in this forum discussion.
Support Information
- Warranty - 1 Year
- Guild Support
For more information on Nick Drake, check out this video:
About the Author
Alexander Briones
I have been writing about and researching music gear for many years, all while serving as a music director at my local church. I engage in guitar playing and singer-songwriter stints, in addition to mentoring young musicians and teaching guitar and bass.
