For 12-string Lovers

[johnny3j]

Hi Mick,
My D25-12 is a bit of a conundrum, its a sunburst 12 Dread which I bought on impulse from an aquaintance.
I love my '72 all hog D25, and figured that it would be nice to have a Guild 6 and 12 in Dread format, but the neck doesn't suit my hands as well as my other 12s, so I haven't really played it much.

I'm an ex-roadie and have mates who work for all the major bands, including Tom Petty & the Heartbeakers, so part of it was that I really liked Tom P's 12 string Guild dread, but I guess his D25-12 is 10 or 15 years older than mine and probably cherry picked. Tom seeks out guitars like a bloodhound, and has resources and personnel that I don't have, I'm selling it right now and am putting the money towards something else.
So, to sum up, the D25-12 didn't do it for me, but that's only me, it's obviously great in the right hands.

 

[micklevanon]

Hey Johnny,

Thanks for the quick reply. Sorry to hear the D25-12 doesn't work for you. I love the neck on the one which I'm contemplating. The sound is a bit bright, I may have to try to tune it down a bit, see how she sounds. Other than that I like her. For how much are you selling yours?

cheers
m

 

[johnny3j]

I got what I had in it ($600) back from the guy I originally bought it from this week. He had originally sold it to me to free up some cash and is now over that hump.
I'm spending some of the money on getting the '79 F512 back in shape, its had a hard life and needs a neck reset & refret. Also, the bridge is lifting a tiny bit, so that will need to be reglued.

 

[Christopher Cozad]

...I'm spending some of the money on getting the '79 F512 back in shape, its had a hard life and needs a neck reset & refret. Also, the bridge is lifting a tiny bit, so that will need to be reglued.

Johnny,

For what it's worth, I say, 'Brilliant'!

I have never met a Guild 12-string that did not deserve the new life a skilled luthier could offer.

There are those who will judge the value of a guitar in pure economic terms, and deem the guitar to be a 'good deal' (regardless of age) only if the money, comparatively, is right.

There are others who consider the vintage tonewoods generally to be worth the cost of repair, be it top cracks, neck resets/replacements, fretwork, fingerboard replacements, etc.

I tend to fall into the latter category.

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing and hearing the results of your efforts. (Don't skimp!)

Christopher

 

[Nigel Wickwire]

.....My D25-12 is a bit of a conundrum, its a sunburst 12 Dread which I bought on impulse from an aquaintance.
I love my '72 all hog D25, and figured that it would be nice to have a Guild 6 and 12 in Dread format, but the neck doesn't suit my hands as well as my other 12s, so I haven't really played it much.

If you don't mine me asking j3, in what year was your D25-12 built?

~nw

 

[johnny3j]

Hi Christopher,
The '79 F512 is a guitar I lusted after for a long time, so its a keeper and will be maintained to the best of my abilities, its monetary value is not why I bought it, I did get it at a very reasonable price.
Since the guitar will be refretted, the fretboard will be leveled to smooth out a very slight kink at the 14th fret, that will also bring the ebony and inlays back to their original state.
When its done, I'm toying with the idea of putting heavy gauge Optima Gold strings on it and tuning down a tone and a half, Kottke style, to see what that sounds like with a new nut and saddle.

Nigel, the D25-12 was an '89.

 

[Christopher Cozad]

I run mediums on my F512, tuned down 1 step. I am so used to that particularly deep, rich sound, when I play my F412 with light gauge strings tuned to concert pitch, it almost sounds a bit jingly-jangly for a moment. I have to look at the headstock to remind myself I'm not playing a Taylor. :wink:

I have heard only one Guild 12-string ever played with heavy strings; it happened to be an F212XL. I thought the mahogany lent itself very well to the deep baritone sound, but it made me wonder what an F512 would sound like.

Has anyone here ever set up their F512 with heavy gauge strings?

Christopher