1969 Guild F512 Custom Brazilian-ANGELIC! PICS/sound clips

[taabru45]

Now that's really sweet!

 

[JohnW63]

Serious 12 string Eye Candy.

 

[mcduffnw]

Re: 1969 Guild F512 Custom Brazilian - ANGELIC! (sound clips)

Hi again everyone...

I have sent the pictures of my guitar to Mike...dadthrash...so you should be able to put a "face to the voice" at some point in the very near future...

Thank you for the warm welcome and all of the nice comments about the guitar and the sound clips!!! Very much appreciated!!!

I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the chance the become the owner of this amazing guitar...and as you will find out in my "story"...I really was incredibly lucky in a myriad of ways.

I also wanted to tell all of you how delighted I am to be a new member of this fantastic forum. The one thing that has always impressed me over and over again...about all of you, and this little community you have created...is the true love of all things guitar and music and each other...and NOT just about Guild. People on this forum are always happy and proud for members on NGD...even if it is not a Guild guitar...AND truly interested in the instruments that each and everyone has, and the music that they make with them. There is no brand snobbery here, nor tonewood snobbery either...both things that you can definitely run into on a number of the other forums. Here at LTG...everyone just likes guitars...especially Guild of course...but there is plenty of love and respect for any brand of guitar...and that is a really special trait that you all bring to this forum...and I really admire it, and really want to be a part of it!!!

Just for the heck of it...My name is Duffy Callaway, I am 52, and live in Portland Oregon, and I am married to my soul mate...of this I AM sure...Tammy. I work at Guitar Center #243 here is Portland, in the operations department, doing warehouse/freight and front door meet and greet security.

My guitars are the mighty Guild, and I am best friends with famed luthier John Greven, who lives 5 minutes from me here, and I own a 2010 Greven Prairie State acoustic, which is Lutz Spruce and Australian Lacewood...and is also a truly remarkable, deep, powerful and resonant instrument.

My favorite musicans are John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Don McLean, Cat Stevens, Bill Evans, and fingerstyle guitar master Ed Gerhard.

So...there you have it...a little idea of who I am...and I am so looking forward to getting to know all of you better!!!

Thanks for all your kindness...
Kind Regards
Duff

PS...Barbara, my serial number is OC-216...and I am glad you decided to keep your 512. Yours is ever so special too!!!

 

[JohnW63]

mcduffnw,

Did you do the whole " Drop down a full step " tuning on that, or just play it in F ? The chords for it in G are easier , but I wouldn't want to have to drop tune 12 strings all the time !

 

[Zelja]

Re: 1969 Guild F512 Custom Brazilian - ANGELIC! (sound clips)

I think some of what we heard was a well PLAYED 12 string. They can't sing by themselves, you know !

Too true! What's that story, about Chet Atkins, I think, where a guitar geek comes up to him after the show & raves how great the tone on his guitar was, what a great sounding instrument it was etc. Chet points to the guitar on the stand & says "How's she sounding now son"

Welcome Duffy - sweet playing & sweet guitar!

 

[mcduffnw]

Hi John...

I played it in G, capo up two, though normally, I would play it with the capo up one, which is where John recorded it on the original Greatest Hits album, as least as far as I can tell when I play along with it on that song. I always keep the old boy tuned down to D...no need to risk the neck, a capo is so easy to use.

The neck/body/bridge geometry on this guitar is just amazingly good, and original, no resets ever, and the action is super, super, and I mean super low, and even, set up for fingerstyle and easy gently play. In fact, I may have it set up a tad bit to low...but...better lower than higher on a 12 string if you are going to fingerpick and move around on the fingerboard...at least IMO!

Kind Regards
duff

 

[southernGuild]

:shock: Wow.......What a thread. Beautiful music, wonderfully played on a rare and stunning Guild 12er, Great stories, great guitar photos, a talented new enthusiastic LTG member introducing himself, and Michael 'Dadthrash' here too!

Guys this is all a real treat! Duff, Thanks for the beautiful music, please keep it coming. And a Big welcome to LTG.

 

[dadthrash]

Here's a couple more Great Shots Folks......

And Finally....Introducing LTG member "mcduffnw" Duffy Callaway. Nice smile Duffy! (Hey, I'd be smilin' too if that was my Guitar!)

 

[chazmo]

Nice entrance, Duffy! Boy that guitar sure looks fabulous.

Welcome to LTG!!

 

[bdeclee]

Hey Duffy,

I think we talked about this also - it looks like your back and mine were cut from the same stock:

What great condition your guitar is in! That's incredible! You are a lucky guy.

Best to you this holiday season.

Barbara

 

[marcellis]

Beautiful playing, absolutely pristine recordings.

What mic's did you use?

 

[SouthernSounds]

Welcome Duffy!

Welcome and thanks for the photos (thanks for uploading them, Mike!), the sound clips and your story: a great introduction!

Have a Happy Holidays!

All the best,
B.

 

[dadthrash]

What mic's did you use?

I used my little (2/3 year old) Zoom H2.
All default settings, except to adjust the mic gain.
Front Mics - x/y
No Effects
No eq.
Position: Between the 14th fret and the soundhole - about a foot or so away.

Best,
Michael

 

[mcduffnw]

Hey Duffy,

I think we talked about this also - it looks like your back and mine were cut from the same stock:

What great condition your guitar is in! That's incredible! You are a lucky guy.

Best to you this holiday season.

Barbara

Hi Barbara...

Yes...absolutely...I suspect that the tops and back and sides sets for these F-512 Customs may well have all come from select piles of consecutively cut woods. You top and your back and sides are both obviously slices from the same boards relative to mine...and again...I would bet that if we could see all of the guitars...all 24 of them I believe...we would find the same on all of them. I reckon that Carlo had picked out a stack of tops and a stack of backs and sides that were dedicated to this run of instruments...though I also believe that some of these F-512's were also made with Indian Rosewood backs/sides, I don't think that they were all Brazilian, but of course, Hans would likely know the truth about that.

I have only seen four of these F-512 Customs...two in person...mine, and another also here in Portland, for sale at Pioneer Music back in the late 80's, and yours, and one other that was for sale out on ebay, from Germany, about a year ago. I think the one in Germany was Indian Rosewood back and sides.

These are very rare birds indeed, only exceeded in rarity by the almost phantom F-612's.

As to whether yours was originally John Denver's...well..awful hard to say, but some thoughts about that...

First...pawnshop owners have definitely been known to "stretch" the truth about the provenance of their merchandise, when a sale was there to be had, and the customer was "live and wide eyed" with the item before them.

Second...John Denver's Guild 12 strings had those little pearl "pinwheels" on the bridge wings, and yours does not. If that is the original bridge on yours, then it differs from the picture of John's F-512 on the John Denver Guitar Research Site. Now, John was known to be rough on his guitars, so maybe the bridge was re-placed, but again, if that is the original bridge, then I think that suggests that your guitar was not John's.

Third...John did tend to keep most of his "valued" guitars within his family and very close circle of friends, so how it would have wound up in that pawn shop in New York is quite the intriguing mystery...but...hey...you just never know...

Speaking of "pictures and soundclips or it didn't happen", howza bout some newer pic's and a clip or two from your mighty Guild to go along with mine...it would be a blast to hear yours. I sure wish you lived closer to me...we could get them together for a little family reunion...wouldn't that just be AWESOME???...why...yes...yes it would...

Kind Regards
Duff

 

[bdeclee]

Hey Duffy,

I was thinking that tomorrow (since I'm off for the holidays), I'd make a few recordings. I have a Zoom recorder too, so I think I'll get that project going. That'll be fun!

The newest photos of my guitar are actually up here on LTG - I took them when I put her up for sale about 2 months ago.

Cheers,
Barbara

Oh yes, regarding the pinwheels on the bridge - I have known about that for some time. I have two theories: One is that the bridge was replaced, which is the theory I favor. This guitar was *very* beat up when I bought it and required some pretty extensive repair, which Matt Umanov did. The second theory is that the bridge was shaved down so much that the inlays were lost (and the bridge is quite thin at this point). Regarding the pawn shop owner: He had a very large inventory of musical instruments and claimed that he sold to Doc Severenson & other musicians. This was in the west Village of NYC in the mid-80s, so it's not implausible that he crossed paths with well-known musicians. (And I seem to remember that he had some of those signed photos of musicians on the wall... but of course, not JD's...)

 

[chazmo]

Duffy, just wanted to compliment you on your lovely fingerstyle work on the old F-512. Sounds wonderful. While I'm nowhere near your level of accomplishment, that is how I try to make my 12s sound as well... There are a few of us on the board who try to emulate that style. Wonderful accomplishment! If you record more, please let us hear.

Barbara, I seem to remember some wonderful clips like "Give a little bit" from you years ago. Am I right? I think you recorded those on your 512, right?

 

[chazmo]

Oh, hey, by the way, Duffy, do you have any pix of the Greven Prarie State?

 

[RussB]

Welcome aboard Duffy! 8)


Thanks for sharing your great playing and pics of your outstanding Guild. A "Holy Grail" Guild I tell ya!

 

[bdeclee]

Duffy, just wanted to compliment you on your lovely fingerstyle work on the old F-512. Sounds wonderful. While I'm nowhere near your level of accomplishment, that is how I try to make my 12s sound as well... There are a few of us on the board who try to emulate that style. Wonderful accomplishment! If you record more, please let us hear.

Barbara, I seem to remember some wonderful clips like "Give a little bit" from you years ago. Am I right? I think you recorded those on your 512, right?

Hey Chazmo,
Yes - I did have a clip of "Give A Little Bit" and I also recorded "Here Comes the Sun" for David (California) on it. But both of those were recorded from the audio input on my Mac. I now have a nice Tascam digital recorder... as soon as I can, I will upload some newer clips.
Cheers,
Barbara

 

[mcduffnw]

Duffy, just wanted to compliment you on your lovely fingerstyle work on the old F-512. Sounds wonderful. While I'm nowhere near your level of accomplishment, that is how I try to make my 12s sound as well... There are a few of us on the board who try to emulate that style. Wonderful accomplishment! If you record more, please let us hear.

Barbara, I seem to remember some wonderful clips like "Give a little bit" from you years ago. Am I right? I think you recorded those on your 512, right?

Hi Chazmo...

Thank you so very much for the kind words!!!

I was rather pleased with the sound clips, as they were both just "one take" attempts...I was just having fun playing the guitar for Mike, and he went ahead and quickly set up his Zoom recorder and "nabbed" those two noodles...

The guitar IS a remarkable instrument, really unlike any other I have heard in real life...and I do quite happily and humbly feel ever so blessed that it is now mine, and that it does come quite close to the sound that John Denver created with his famed F-612.

I do have some pictures of my mighty Greven Prairie State, and I will upload some of them in the near future. It to is a stellar guitar...it's name is "Toondar", named after heavyweight champion boxer Ingemar Johansson's right fist, which he called "Toondar and Lightning". If you hear this guitar in person, you would understand the name...it is a very powerful, rumbling, resonant guitar. People who hear and/or play it the first time, are most often quite taken aback by the tone and rumbling power.

I will post some further clips of the F-512, and even Toondar, also in the near future. Within the week, I hope to tell my "Homerian Odyssey" tale about the mighty Guild. I think...I hope you all will enjoy it!

Kind Regards
Duff