Came across a Westerly JF-65 today

devellis

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I dropped into my local music store (Music Loft in Carrboro, NC) this afternoon after lunch and, lo and behold, there on the wall was this big ol' Guild jumbo. I took it down and played it a bit. My hands were freezing cold from being outside but despite that, it sounded very nice. It had electronics and a sunburst, and a Westerly label inside. (I'm a Guild novice, so excuse me if all that information is redundant with the model designation). It had normal wear but was otherwise in good condition, as far as a quick encounter could reveal.

I'm not in the market at present so I have no interest in buying it but thought I'd put the word out here in case anyone else wanted to check it out. It was on consignment with a price tag of $1999, original case included. No idea whether that's a good, bad, or indifferent deal for this particular instrument.

I'm glad I had the chance to play it. In addition to the obvious reason of really enjoying playing a very nice guitar, I've also wanted to get more of a sense for how Guild jumbos feel on the knee. I've been contemplating a jumbo 12-string down the road (I'll have a better idea in April of whether or not I can swing it) and my sense is that this body size would work for me. The neck would take some getting used to -- very thick from back to fingerboard -- but I assume that might be different on (a) a New Hartford model and (b) a 12-string. I have instruments with different neck widths and profiles now, and play mandolin as well as guitar, so I'm fairly accustomed to adapting to different necks. the body size was more of an issue. I only sat with the guitar for about 10 minutes, which isn't very long, but my sense was that the jumbo body was manageable.
 

adorshki

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devellis said:
(I'm a Guild novice, so excuse me if all that information is redundant with the model designation). It had normal wear but was otherwise in good condition, as far as a quick encounter could reveal.
It was on consignment with a price tag of $1999, original case included. No idea whether that's a good, bad, or indifferent deal for this particular instrument.
The neck would take some getting used to -- very thick from back to fingerboard -- but I assume that might be different on (a) a New Hartford model and (b) a 12-string.
Hi Dev: As you read more posts I think you'll pick up a pretty definite favoritism here towards the Westerly vintage guitars. I'm certainly no expert, but the more I read about Westerly the more it appears that production period plays a big role in specs, ie, the specs on a given model could change over the course of production. Lots of Westerlys have a date stamp on the neck block which really helps narrow down the production date at a quick glance. There are online databases of serial numbers but even Guild's official website list is both incomplete and has inaccuracies, just FYI. What I'm leading up to is that the neck thickness target may have changed over time, and absolutely no two are identical like a cnc-turned piece of wood would be, they were all finished by hand. THAT's the big thing about Westerlys, lots of hand-finishing on individual pieces. A level of pride in craftsmanship is pretty evident to the knowledgeable player. It was also the place of the longest continuous production. That little label means a lot, it's pretty much a guarantee of quality. This isn't meant to belittle other production locations, only to give a little insight as to why Westerlys are so widely esteemed here.
As far as price it seems a bit high compared to something we saw listed recently, but I would expect any seller to start high and see what gets offered, especially on consignment.
There are LOTS of folks here who REALLY appreciate these kinds of heads-ups, especially on the "ebay/craigslist...." section since it's not for sale by a member (as far as we know! :lol: )
 

adorshki

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devellis said:
Woops! Apologies if I posted this in the wrong place.
Yeah the posting police are liable to get all over you! :lol: :lol: Really, no harm, I just wanted to point out where that tip would get the most exposure if you hadn't noticed the forum yet. You've probably noticed there's so much veering here that in some cases it might be hard to know WHERE to post! :wink: .
 
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