Guild 12 Strings

[ewh2]

I tried a 1962 Guild F212 today, which wasn't in the best condition but sounded pretty good and was a lot of fun to play (well as much as a 12 string can be!).

Has anyone ever played a F112, did the slightly smaller body size lead to a significant bass loss?

Or the rosewood model the F312? I've not tried a rosewood 12 string Guild. It seems that the F312 was made from Braz Rosewood, not EIR which being in the UK affectively makes it near enough impossible to find....

[Glennwillow]

Hi EWH,

I wish I could help. I own a 1972 F212 that I have kept in very good shape -- well, it has a few dings -- and it sounds great. I recently had it fixed up to make it easier to play, particularly because of increasing problems I am having with osteoarthritis at my age (mid-60s now). I have never played any other version of a Guild 12-string, but I would really like to.

The problem with older Guild 12-strings is that sooner or later they will need a neck reset. A guitar as old as 1962 may well need a neck reset if it hasn't had one already. My 1972 F212 is right on the edge of needing a neck reset. They sure sound good, to me, the ultimate 12-string sound, but a neck reset on one of these guitars is expensive. I was told about $1000, which would include a refret, also. In the USA, a Guild F212 sells for $800-1000, so the neck reset is the current value of the guitar.

My F212 has plenty of bass, but I have no idea how an F112 compares. I have seen many posts about F112 here on the AGF, so hopefully someone with personal experience will chime in here.

- Glenn

[ewh2]

Thanks for the reply Glenn,

I imagine your F212 must sound amazing! I have a lot of love for the old Guild 12's which I've tried. I myself have the MIC GAD F212, which is still a great guitar but it's not quite the American counterpart. It sounds excellent for it's price, but the saddle string spacing on the American versions which I've played is more fingerpicking friendly. The MIC version is a slightly different body shape too.

Good point about the neck reset. It's something I completely overlooked, for prices. The F212 which I tried today, was $2200 (in UK pounds). The neck seemed ok to my untrained eye, but the soundboard itself wasn't as flat as it should be. It still sounded amazing though.

Sorry to hear of your problems with osteoarthritis. Without sounding like a salesman, have you ever tried using the Newtone Heritage 12 string set? I had some hand problems for a while, and used them and they were a good degree easier on the hands. Not sure how easy it is to find in the States though...

[vintageom]

The Guild 12 strings from the 60's and 70's really were special, in my opinion.

The 212XL, I believe, first came out of Hoboken in 1966. To my ear they were the premier 12-string of the day. They were particularly good with spruce over mahogany. A good friend and songwriter had a 1971 212XL and he and I worked at a gas station and when we were bored mindless at night, we would play it and man did it ever sound great in a service bay in the garage!!!! John Denver played one at that time too. His "Poems, Prayers & Promises" LP has it pictured on the cover. Warm, wooden, balanced.


For me, rosewood is too "busy" (aka tons of conflicting overtones) for an already-busy guitar like a 12 stringer. I have owned three rosewood 12 strings (two of them were Guild F512s), one sapele-backed and one mahogany B/S model. I landed on a sitka topped, mahogany back and sides jumbo body as my grail. Strong fundamental tones, controlled overtones, good balance, great projection, not tinny or metallic.

As Glenn said, pay attention to the neck angle and condition on the old Guild 12s. They require lots of labor to reset and repair. But they do have Mojo and have a sound that lingers in your head for years, like they have for me.

[zombywoof]

Don't hold the fact that John Denver played one against Guild 12 strings. Guild pretty much set the standard for 12 string in the 1960s and 1970s.

I have played them on and off since the late 1960s. My last one was a 1972 F-112 which I had until a few months back when I traded it in on a 1963 Gibson B45-12 which is a much better fit for me. All in all though, I would recommend an F-212 over the F-112.

The neck on this last Guild (which had the double truss rod) was fine but the bellying was out of control. If I had kept it I was planning to install a Bridge Doctor.

[Brucebubs]

You should also try the Guild F-412 (Maple) and F-512 (Rosewood) if you get the chance, these are the top 2 jumbo 12-strings in the Guild range, both are brilliant and excellent value for the money.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by ewh2

Thanks for the reply Glenn,

... Sorry to hear of your problems with osteoarthritis. Without sounding like a salesman, have you ever tried using the Newtone Heritage 12 string set? I had some hand problems for a while, and used them and they were a good degree easier on the hands. Not sure how easy it is to find in the States though...

Thanks for the suggestion EWH!

I will try a set of those Newtone strings. I have D'Addario EXP strings on it now that are not too bad. The work done to improve playability was nothing short of amazing, so actually, I am doing okay playing the Guild F212 now.

I actually really liked John Denver's early albums with the Guild 12-string, but I was drawn toward the F212 because that's what Paul Simon used for "Hazy Shade of Winter" and "For Emily." I couldn't help myself for thinking that was the perfect 12-string sound.

I am sorry to hear that an F212 costs so much over in the UK. I'm glad you have had some good comments on this thread.

- Glenn

[Misty44]

Before this current discussion of Guild 12's slips into the archives, I want to sing the praises of the Westerly-made D-212s made between 1981 and 1983. There were less than 1500 produced, and, although not as large as the F's, they produce a grand sound in a dreadnought body. Mine is from 1983:




Several other players sport them, including Tom Petty, John Doe of the Knitters, and Tom Rush:






The D212's are becoming increasing rare (Guild produced a later model called the D25-12, but it wasn't quite the same...), and if one appreciates the D size, these are fantastic instruments.

[devellis]

While there's no doubt that the earlier Guild 12-strings are wonderful instruments, don't overlook the ones being made these days in New Hartford, Connecticut. They're great instruments with the classic 12-string tone and excellent playability. It seems that more of them are getting out there into shops, too, which is a good thing. They're not inexpensive but the quality is top-notch.

[MancJonny]

My 1975 Guild G212:

[MrErikJ]

I was once told "many guitar companies make guitars with 12-strings but only Guild makes 12-string guitars."

Surely, that's hyperbole but I believe they set the standard for 12-strings long ago. Guitar Player magazine (I think) had an article on the most "iconic" guitars ever, such as the Gibson J-45 and the Martin D-28 an so on. On the list was the Taylor 12-string, which was odd to me. I would've thought the Taylor Grand Auditorium would've made the list as I really don't think "12-strings" when I think Taylor, but I could be wrong.

I've been considering a 12-string and I don't want to spend much since it'll be a "sometimes" guitar but I'm eyeing the Guild F-2512E as a candidate. I have a GAD-50 and know I can expect quality from Guild.

[1Charlie]

Also, don't overlook the 1970's Guild 12-string dreadnoughts, very powerful.

A neck reset is no more expensive on a 12-string than on a 6-string. $500 should do the trick.

[MancJonny]

My Guild G212 (pic above) is now up for sale here in the UK as I recently acquired a 1974 Martin D-12-35.