[mjudd]

I'm new to the forum, so I hope I don't breach any of the forum protocol, here. If I do, I apologize ahead of time.

I have a guitar that belongs to my father (who has been in and out of nursing care recently). The guitar is a Guild F-20 with a low serial number (3503). The label indicates that the guitar was built in their New York facility before they moved the operation to New Jersey sometime around 1957. Other websites indicate that this serial number puts the date of construction sometime around mid-1956. My father bought the guitar new in the late 1950's or early 1960's. The store he purchased it at was a small town gift shop that sold guitars in the back of the store. The owner also gave lessons. (Incidentally, I also purchased my first guitar in the same store in 1969 - a Harmony Stella).

From my research, it appears that Guild began numbering their guitars with number 1000 and added 1 to each new guitar built regardless of the model. I think that in 1953, they produced a few archtops, along with the flat-top models F-40 and F-50. In 1954, It appears they added the F-30.

My question is this: Does anyone have any information indicating the first year of production of the F-20, and/or the first serial number for an F-20. None of my research turns up the answer to either of these questions. The guild factory itself apparently did not record this information. I sent a query to the company, but, of course, got no response. The company sold to Fender in 1995, but records from the '50's were probably lost long before that.

The few "experts" that I've asked didn't even know that an F-20 had been produced prior to 1960. I have also been unable to get any idea if a Guild with a low serial number like this has any extra "value" or not. I've seen a few early 1960's Guilds sell on e-bay for the $800 range (about the same as a new built-in-China F-20). While this guitar is not in pristine shape (mostly bad bindings and some surface damage), I'd like to know it's approximate value. I never intend to sell it, but I would like to have it professionally restored, but I don't want to put a lot more into it than it's worth.

I've contacted a professional luthier that is both a "Factory Authorized Repairman" for Guild as well as a former employee of the Mossman guitar factory from the 1970's. He has indicated an interest in restoring the instrument and has indicated that $500 would go "a long way" in a restoration of this type, although he hasn't given me a specific bid yet, because he has not personally seen the guitar.

I apologize for the long post, but hope more info will help with a response to this question.