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Old 02-04-2018, 04:48 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Default late 70's Guild

About a year ago, I was gifted a rather nice Guild classical from an elderly lady who was downsizing to go into assisted living. Her son does not play, so did not want it. The label inside only says "Mark II" in very sloppy handwriting, Made in USA and Westerly, RI. The serial number is 167xxx, which puts the manufacture date in the last month of 1977. The paper label inside matches the serial number stamped into the back of the head stock. There are no other markings inside that I could find while the strings were off.

Even though I really don't play classical, it seems to be a pretty nice guitar. Given the age of both the guitar and its unmarked hard case -- probably original -- are in decent shape. It apparently has a solid top and might have a laminated body (the inside appears to be mahogany, but the outside looks very much like rosewood, although that could just be a really dark stain). The top is very dark orange, deep pumpkin color, and the rosette is fairly plain. The rosette appears to be a decal, not an inlay. I assume this is a basic student grade guitar from that era.

I finally strung it up today, and played it for the first time. It came to me missing the three wound strings, and I've had other priorities until this rainy day. We don't really care about the Splendid Bowl, so it's "re-string guitars and ukulele day".
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Old 02-04-2018, 07:31 PM
dkstott dkstott is offline
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According to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, the Guild Mark II classical guitar was manufactured from 1961 to 1986. Gruhn’s Guide and Vintage Guitar Price Guide basically agree, although there is some disagreement as to specific features. Like most classical guitars, it’s smaller than the dreadnought or jumbo series, measuring 14 ½” at the lower bout, with a scale of 25 ½.” Like its rival, the Gibson C-1, it may have been designed more for the coffee house of the 1960s folk music scene than for classical performance or the blue grass stage. However, it still has enough carrying power for anybody and is a beautiful example of Guild craftsmanship.

The Mark II features a solid spruce top with mahogany back, sides, and three-piece neck in a polished satin natural finish, a rosewood wrap-around bridge, and a 12/19-fret rosewood finger board. It has an ornate patterned rosette and full binding on both the top and the back. The slotted classical headstock has no logo, but is set off beautifully by the pearloid buttons on the open nickel tuners.
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Old 02-04-2018, 10:18 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Thank you for that, dkstott. Additional searching after my post came up with that same information. So it could be solid mahogany b/s, and the top is either solid spruce (likely) or possibly cedar (some 60's models were cedar).

In any event, it got cleaned up and some fresh strings today. So I will try to play it once in a while. I knew it was a nice guitar and worthy of some care. It has no cracks, and only a couple of minor dings here and there. I would have to rate it as VGC+. I'm a steel string ragtime / Piedmont blues finger style player, but maybe I need to spend some time with classical too.
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Old 02-05-2018, 03:22 PM
Rogerblair Rogerblair is offline
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I have one from the mid 60s and it has a Brazilian rosewood bridge and fretboard (not too unusual for the time period). The top is cedar and someone had started digging a Willie Nelson hole below the soundhole when I got it. It has a HUGE deep, rich sound. Pretty cool piece, but I don’t play it much due to the neck size.

Interestingly, it still emits a wonderful mahogany fragrance that fills the room it’s in.

Rb
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Old 02-05-2018, 03:44 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Since mine is from late 1977, I would be very surprised if the bridge, peg head overlay, and fret board were BRW. But they are definitely nice looking rosewood...... I cleaned the fret board and lightly oiled it, maybe for the first time in its life.
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