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1968 Guild F 50


JuanCarlosVejar

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Man that guitar sounds gorgeous

 

I always assumed that guilds are bright brassy noisy things

 

If I thought that’s what this guilds alll sounded like then I’d be searching one out

 

So gentle ...

 

My late 70's F50 sounded a lot like this one, full and rich. The neck was too skinny though.

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Man that guitar sounds gorgeous

I always assumed that guilds are bright brassy noisy things

BBG, that assumption is most definitely worth rethinking!

 

I got hooked on Guilds in the '70s & had four of them. Then got interested in Martins & Gibsons, and kind of forgot about how good my Guilds were.

 

So a few years ago I started revisiting the models I'd let go, and in the blink of an eye, I had latched onto six instruments produced at the Westerly, RI plant between '73 & '97.

 

The guitar in the video was made in Hoboken, NJ - Guild's first plant (initially staffed by many workers who had left Epiphone). Westerly was their second facility. Later models produced at Tacoma & New Hartford (thru Ren's tenure) have also been well received. Guild is now building guitars in Oxnard, California (where Larrivee's are made) by Cordoba, who purchased Guild from Fender in 2014.

 

For more info on Guilds, visit Let's Talk Guild online.

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Is that like a 3/4's body?

JC - No, the lower bout is a tad bit over 15", and it's a full 25.5" scale. It's very similar in size to Gibson's J-165 (or CJ-165).

 

Guild's 6-string version of this was the F-30, but only F-30s built in the '70s thru the mid '80s had this body shape & size. Earlier & later versions were more like a Martin 000.

 

The '70s F-30 is one of the guitars I repurchased a few years ago, but rather than the highly produced mahogany body version, I got very lucky & found a rare '73 F-30R, which has a rosewood body, ebony board & bridge, and a higher level of overall ornamentation. Noteworthy too, is that along with the 15" lower body width, the depth on these is 5". That large lower air space provides the tone, while a very small waist & upper body makes it extremely comfortable to play.

 

They're worth checking out if you ever get the opportunity.

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+1 bobouz

 

The rounded lower bout = small jumbo.

 

Guild built the first F112s in Hoboken (NJ) with a OM/GA lower bout, not so rounded as the Westerly vers like my F112.

 

The #1 thing to watch for with these older Guilds is the neck to bridge eval, many are sold because they need a neck reset has been my experience. Ok to buy one but factor in the cost of reset. Mine has had a reset.

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JC - No, the lower bout is a tad bit over 15", and it's a full 25.5" scale. It's very similar in size to Gibson's J-165 (or CJ-165).

 

Guild's 6-string version of this was the F-30, but only F-30s built in the '70s thru the mid '80s had this body shape & size. Earlier & later versions were more like a Martin 000.

 

The '70s F-30 is one of the guitars I repurchased a few years ago, but rather than the highly produced mahogany body version, I got very lucky & found a rare '73 F-30R, which has a rosewood body, ebony board & bridge, and a higher level of overall ornamentation. Noteworthy too, is that along with the 15" lower body width, the depth on these is 5". That large lower air space provides the tone, while a very small waist & upper body makes it extremely comfortable to play.

 

They're worth checking out if you ever get the opportunity.

Thanks for the welcome on Let's Talk Guild!

I've heard good things about the 70's Guilds. Some have said that the builds are a bit heavy, whereas when Ren was briefly in charge he issued the F-30 Standard with a lighter build, 1 3/4" nut and adi braces.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

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I've heard good things about the 70's Guilds. Some have said that the builds are a bit heavy, whereas when Ren was briefly in charge he issued the F-30 Standard with a lighter build, 1 3/4" nut and adi braces.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Well, from the comfort of my armchair quarterback position, I'd say the following:

 

- Yes, Westerly Guilds from the '70s generally have some weight to them. My two early '70s 'F' Guilds are built a little lighter than the 1976 G-37 dread I have, which has one of the largest neckblocks I've ever seen - you could almost build a tiny house with that thing! But here's the surprise: That G-37 still sings like an angel. I believe one of the most critical factors is the thickness of the top, and to a lesser extent, the sides & back. So you can have a weight inducing neckblock, tailblock, headstock, etc, but still have a top that vibrates very freely. My eyeball test of these Guilds is that the tops are not overbuilt at all.

 

- Many early '70s Guilds have one of the most comfortable neck shapes I've ever encountered. It's kind of a shallow soft 'D' shape. They're 1-11/16", but not tight feeling, imho. Mid '70s to mid '80s can be a little chunkier or narrower - there's a lot of variety. I'm honestly not super familiar with earlier Hoboken necks, but some late '80 necks and '90s necks can be quite skinny, with a 1-10/16" nut. There weren't very many offerings over those years with a 1-3/4" nut, but again, neck sizing was not super consistent, so you never know what you might run into.

 

- Guilds from the '90s can be really nice. I have two, a '92 dread with a neck that mirrors the early '70s neck to a tee, and a '94 jumbo that is 1-11/16", but a little larger 'C' shape.

 

- In the 2000s, we get into Corona, Tacoma, and New Hartford Guilds. Although I've played a few of these, I don't have a firm background in them & would defer to others on LTG. Some folks really like the Tacoma builds with Adi tops, and others are quite partial to the New Hartford instruments. It's much more likely that you'll run into 1-3/4" necks in these later years.

 

- Overall, Guild did not really have a down era. Sure, I've played some duds, but by & large, they were putting out a consistently good product. As expected, you'll find some that don't measure up, many that are quite good, and some that are stellar.

 

Happy hunting!

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Well, from the comfort of my armchair quarterback position, I'd say the following:

 

- Yes, Westerly Guilds from the '70s generally have some weight to them. My two early '70s 'F' Guilds are built a little lighter than the 1976 G-37 dread I have, which has one of the largest neckblocks I've ever seen - you could almost build a tiny house with that thing! But here's the surprise: That G-37 still sings like an angel. I believe one of the most critical factors is the thickness of the top, and to a lesser extent, the sides & back. So you can have a weight inducing neckblock, tailblock, headstock, etc, but still have a top that vibrates very freely. My eyeball test of these Guilds is that the tops are not overbuilt at all.

 

- Many early '70s Guilds have one of the most comfortable neck shapes I've ever encountered. It's kind of a shallow soft 'D' shape. They're 1-11/16", but not tight feeling, imho. Mid '70s to mid '80s can be a little chunkier or narrower - there's a lot of variety. I'm honestly not super familiar with earlier Hoboken necks, but some late '80 necks and '90s necks can be quite skinny, with a 1-10/16" nut. There weren't very many offerings over those years with a 1-3/4" nut, but again, neck sizing was not super consistent, so you never know what you might run into.

 

- Guilds from the '90s can be really nice. I have two, a '92 dread with a neck that mirrors the early '70s neck to a tee, and a '94 jumbo that is 1-11/16", but a little larger 'C' shape.

 

- In the 2000s, we get into Corona, Tacoma, and New Hartford Guilds. Although I've played a few of these, I don't have a firm background in them & would defer to others on LTG. Some folks really like the Tacoma builds with Adi tops, and others are quite partial to the New Hartford instruments. It's much more likely that you'll run into 1-3/4" necks in these later years.

 

- Overall, Guild did not really have a down era. Sure, I've played some duds, but by & large, they were putting out a consistently good product. As expected, you'll find some that don't measure up, many that are quite good, and some that are stellar.

 

Happy hunting!

 

Thanks, bobouz

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- In the 2000s, we get into Corona, Tacoma, and New Hartford Guilds. Although I've played a few of these, I don't have a firm background in them & would defer to others on LTG. Some folks really like the Tacoma builds with Adi tops, and others are quite partial to the New Hartford instruments....

 

I tend to favor the New Hartford builds just because they're newer and less likely to need repairs. I'm no guitar tech! I did get lucky, however, with my Corona-built JF30-12, which was in excellent condition when I got it a couple years ago, and after a little work on it recently, it's in perfect playing condition and sonically stupendous!

 

jib801.jpg

 

jib786.jpg

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