Old Guild, Need info please.....

[Rick Crider]

G'evening troops.....
.....a friend of a friend, whom I hardly know, has asked me to sell an older Guild guitar on eBay.

With the amount of time it takes to photograph and put together an ad, I really don't want to start brokering guitars for others. I'd rather buy it myself, play with it a while, and then sell it if I don't like it.

But, I absolutely DON'T want to put more into it than I can expect to get out of it if and when I do sell it.

It's a dreadnaught body style. Info on the internal sticker indicates that it's a model G37-BLD (I think it's BLD, it's hand written and a bit hard to make out. The serial number is 143079. Also states made in USA (Rhode Island).

Appears to be maple sides and back, a three piece (lengthwise) laminated neck with two darker, narrow strips laminated into the back of the neck about 3/4" inch apart. Black headstock overlay (ebony?) with deep looking inlay that appears to be MOP. Rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Very seasoned amber top, I'm assuming aged spruce. (The top is much darker than the back and sides.) Good bit of pick wear top and bottom of sound hole. Dirty, shows use, needs cleaning and restringing. White binding that appears to have yellowed a bit over time.

The back is arched, one piece, and appears to be laminated since the interior wood grain doesn't match the exterior grain exactly.

Anyone know the approximate age of this guitar and the maximum I should put into it if I expect to recoup later?

Thanks gang....
Rick

[cpmusic]

Rick, here's a link to a Guild dating chart, or rather a series of charts as they altered their numbering system over the years:

http://www.mrgearhead.com/guild/dating.html

According to this page, the guitar in question dates to 1976. I would guess that the BLD part stands for blond, probably natural finish. From what I've been able to find on the web, it's got a solid spruce top. The arched back is definitely laminated, but the sides may actually be solid wood.

According to a local luthier I've spoken to about a couple of Guilds I've had over the years, most Guilds don't demand a lot of money on the used market, even as vintage instruments. However, this status may have changed in more recent years, especially as some folks become worried about quality with the factory's move to California. (A couple of luthiers over at the AG forum believe that quality will actually improve, but public perception is another matter!)

One source for information is Gruhn Guitars at www.gruhnguitars.com. I believe George Gruhn was part of a small consortium that owned Guild for a time in the 80s, and that and his experience in the field would make him as likely as anyone to know about their value. You won't find a listing on the site, but they have an online appraisal service for $25. Whether it's worth that much to appraise this guitar is hard to say, but it could be worth a shot. You might also try searching the major online dealers such as Elderly, Mandolin Brothers and Buffalo Brothers to see if they have one or something like it for sale.

Good luck, Rick, and let me know how it goes.

[Jim]

1976 sounds right, though it could be 1977 given how iffy their serial numbering system is. The G-37 was a lower priced Guild dreadnaught. They went to the black pickguard and Chesterfield headstock inlay in 1976 (when they started making the G-37 in 1973 it had a tortoise pickguard and no headstock inlay). If it and its case were in top condition and if you found just the right buyer you might get as much as $750 to $800 for it. In rough condition like yours, you might expect something less.

The Guild acousitics that people are willing to pay good prices for are the ones built in New York City or Hoboken. Guild moved from New York City to Hoboken in 1956 and then from Hoboken to Westerly in 1967. The most desireable of all Guilds and the ones that bring fancy prices are the New York City and Hoboken built F-50 jumbos which are the holy grails of Guilds. The other Guilds that tend to fetch good prices are the Hoboken made F-212s and 312s, and even the early F-412s and F512s from the late 60s that were made in the first couple of years at Westerly.

[JohnZ]

I have a '69 F-50 Special, that's Brazilian rosewood with a double pickguard and what appears to be a modified Artist Award neck with the oversized headstock with no logo, just rosewood in a V pattern to match the neck inlays. Supposedly, the story (from '75) was that there were five of these made for Jerry Garcia, wheather he owned it or not who knows, but it's just about my favorite acoustic.

When I checked with the factory a few years ago they only had one guy the worked for them then and he did not do custom work.

Anyone ever hear or see one of these?

[Rick Crider]

.....just a note to acknowledge and thank you guys for the tips on the Guild......

Nothing like a good broad knowledge base to tap from.

...Rick...

[JW]

I hade a Brian May model once and it was OK but I like to try out one of the Old F 50s. Ive heard about them but just never at the right place at the right time.
Rick I agree, some of the best guitar info can be had right here. Im impressed. JW

[Jim]

JohnZ. The guy to ask about your special Guild is Hans Moust in the Netherlands. He literally "wrote the book" on old Guilds and if anyone knows about them I would think that he would. I'll email you his email address.

[JohnZ]

Jim,
Thanks, I contacted Hans and sent him photos. He's never seen anything like either, but it's probably a '70 rather than a '69. It's the headstock with no logo that sets it apart.

John