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Tracking down an old Byrdland


Ben Mac

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Hey everyone!  Back in 2005 I traded in a 68 Byrdland to Guitar Center in Indy.  This was a family heirloom and one of the biggest regrets of my life.  I grew up in a family full of music. My grandfather played fiddle, and my dad was raised playing guitar.  This Byrdland was his prized possession.  I'd love to track down the guitar and purchase it back, and be able to gift that guitar back to my father.  I've got the serial number for the guitar, does anyone have good advice for trying to track down this instrument?  I know it's likely a long shot.  Thanks in advance!

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I like the way you think, and kudos for trying to do that for your dad.  Unfortunately, I also agree with your feeling that this is a long shot.  After 16 years, the guitar could be just about anywhere.  If I were you, I'd start by doing a serious and persistent search on the web for (at least) a visual match.  Besides Reverb.com, Gbase, ebay, etc, you could also bookmark as many dealer websites as you can find (there are a LOT of them out there).  It would be time consuming, but the possibility is there if you're persistent.

If your Byrdland had any distinguishing characteristics (say from wear and tear, or a particular identifiable grain in the maple back or neck, etc etc), you might be able to use that to your advantage.  Sellers don't always include the serial number in their listings, so having that may or may not help you unless you first find an instrument that appears to be a match.

For a variety of reasons, the chances of your guitar being for sale currently or going up for sale any time soon are slim, but you never know.  Maybe others will chime in with other ideas.  Good luck!

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Thanks for that thoughtful and thorough answer.  I'll keep digging in.   I'll have to go back and see if I can find some old photos of the guitar.  I know it was sunburst and the paint was cracking off the sides, and a little on the back.  It also had the florentine cutaway.  We'll see what I can dig up.

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