Guild guitars are known in the industry for producing high-quality guitars while also serving a commitment to preserve the environment. With one tree planted for every guitar made, this is definitely an advocacy we’d want to support.
Aside from being an environment-friendly brand, Guild is also known to produce great-sounding guitars for beginners and experienced musicians alike.
Take the Guild A-20 Marley as an example. It’s inspired by the King of Reggae, Bob Marley’s songwriting guitar Guild Madeira A-20 Dreadnought – hence the name – marketed along with a few cool add-ons.
With that said, you might be curious if this guitar is right for you. Don’t worry, because we wrote this Guild A-20 Marley review, especially for you.
Guild A-20 Marley Acoustic Guitar Review
When it comes to writing guitar reviews, we want to be as thorough as possible. That’s why we’ll give you an in-depth discussion of the Guild A-20 Marley’s features, build quality, sound quality, and hardware, to let you in on what it truly has to offer.
Key Features
The Guild A-20 Marley guitar has a dreadnought body shape that’s most beneficial for aspiring guitarists. This shape is the easiest to handle, and that allows you to play the guitar easier. It also offers a comfortable hold, so you can create music without feeling so tense.
Speaking of a comfortable hold, this guitar also features a c-shaped neck with a 25.5″ scale length. This is the ideal scale length to help you feel more relaxed while playing. And when you’re in the best position while you play, that certainly reflects in the music you produce.
But perhaps one of the best features of this guitar is how it pays homage to the King of Reggae. It has a classic acoustic guitar exterior, but if you look closely at the pickguard you will see Bob Marley’s signature in gold.
Additionally, an inlay of the “Marley” name on the 12th fret and the first letter “M” is visible on the truss rod cover on the headstock. It also comes with a Bob Marley poster and custom Bob Marley guitar picks – making it the best guitar for the true fan.
Build Quality
With the key features covered, let’s now proceed to the guitar’s build quality.
The Guild A-20 Bob Marley dreadnought is made of the finest tonewoods out there, including a solid Sitka Spruce top, a mahogany back, body, and neck, and a Morado fretboard. All these guarantees that it’s not made of cheap laminated wood material.
Thus, expect these guitars to last for a long time – that is, with the proper care on your part as well.
Sound and Tone
Since the Guild A-20 Marley is made of solid tonewoods, there’s no denying that it can produce the best sound and tonal quality.
The Mahogany back, neck, and body is known for producing a strong mid-range tone that helps bring excellent acoustics to life. This is paired with the Spruce top, which can further improve its resonance to deliver a loud yet rich sound.
Together, these tonewoods are not only loud and bright but also offer a more subtle and well-balanced tone that’s perfect for any acoustic performance. Besides, both tonewoods are known to sound better with age, and that makes them a great investment for guitar enthusiasts.
Hardware
Like the materials used for its body, the Guild A-20 Marley also features high-quality hardware to complement the body.
Unlike other guitars in the market with plastic hardware, this item features a bone nut and saddle. Not only is this material more durable, but it also helps produce better sounds with the least vibrations.
Also, the A-20 Marley uses D’addario phosphor bronze Light strings (.012 – .053). These strings are soft and easy to strum, making the guitar highly playable. It’s also known to resist corrosion better than other metals, so you know that it won’t wear off and break easily.
So together with the Pau Ferro fingerboard and bridge, even a beginner can feel like a pro while playing this guitar.
Pros
- It is lightweight and very comfortable to play with.
- It produces a well-balanced sound.
- It has excellent volume.
- It offers great value for the money.
- It is beginner-friendly.
Cons
- Honestly, we couldn’t find anything that we didn’t like about this guitar.
Verdict
Overall, the Marley X Guild Guitars A-20 Acoustic Guitar is one of the best affordable guitars we’ve ever tried. It’s easy to hold and strum, making it comfortable for the absolute beginner to learn how to play.
But even if it leans towards a beginner clientele, it delivers superior performance that experienced guitarists and songwriters can’t refuse. That makes it a great guitar for anyone of any skill level.
We also love that you get a lot of inspiration from all the Bob Marley merchandise that comes with the purchase. Even if you’re not a fan of reggae, you will still learn a lot from the guitar chords booklet.
Admittedly, Guild guitars often come with an expensive price tag. But if you have to factor in the tonal quality and overall sound, there’s no denying that you’re getting a great investment out of it. Plus, the fact that the brand promises to preserve the environment makes the purchase more worthwhile.