George Barnes in F!

[GAD]

Someone on Reddit just posted this pic asking what it is. I've never seen one before!

Relevant catalog page:

 

[GGJaguar]

Wow, I've never seen one in the wild either! Too bad the photo was taken at an odd angle.

 

[matsickma]

One of those were sold on gbase about 10 years ago. I think it was sold at a price of around $2500.
M

 

[SFIV1967]

Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto had S/N 20464 for sale. They didn't have a case for it, just a gig bag. Can't remember the price. Here are the pictures from them, note how the original TRC looked!

Ralf

 

[DThomasC]

Fabulous! I want one. I have a few short scale guitars and they're fun to play sometimes. Usually they're "student grade" but I'll bet that thing is amazing.

 

[walrus]

Cool!

walrus

 

[GGJaguar]

Posted on FB this morning...

 

[HeyMikey]

That’s wild! Strung A to A? You need to get that thing to review it.

 

[SFIV1967]

Strung A to A?

Without having Hans book about the details on hand I can only repeat what Gryphon explained in their add a few years ago: "It's a deep-body version of an M-75 Aristocrat with a short scale, intended to be tuned A-D-G-C-E-A (low to high)....First introduced in Guild's 1963 catalog, not many were made, with the first four being constructed for Barnes' "Guitars Galore" LP. On the back of that album, Barnes explained "The F guitar offers a range pitched four notes higher than the standard guitar, making it possible to play with the trumpets; even up to F above the high C." So if you want to go out and play with trumpets without using a capo, you'll need this guitar."

Also note the special "floating" mounting of the pickups, Hans explained this in this post from 2008. Detailed views are in Hans book.

Stuffing!

Check this out: http://cgi.ebay.com/Guild-X170_W0QQitem ... dZViewItem Custom color X170, evidently stuffed with foam rubber to kill feedback. From his wording "built in" - he seems to imply that it was done at the factory. Anybody seen this before?

letstalkguild.com

Ralf

 

[kakerlak]

Is that thing really that filthy, or did somebody knock the gloss off?

 

[DThomasC]

Hush! We call that mojo.

 

[kakerlak]

"Its neck... is the fastest ever built"

 

[Zelja]

Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto had S/N 20464 for sale. They didn't have a case for it, just a gig bag. Can't remember the price. Here are the pictures from them, note how the original TRC looked!

Ralf

Original thread when it came up a few years back. Super cool looking guitar.

An actual "Guitar in F"!

You don't see these every day! https://shop.gryphonstrings.com/products/1963-guitar-archtop-electric--guild-george-barnes-guitar-in-f-48116?ct=t%28April_15_New_Arrivals4_15_2016%29&mc_cid=918b557491&mc_eid=0219824e16

letstalkguild.com

 

[Nuuska]

That brochure really got me mixed-up. I tried to figure out the tuning A-E-C-G-D-A from low to high - resulting three octaves - then started to think about how to play something like that. Then finally realized it was backwards.

 

[spoox]

6 string ukulele tuning...

 

[mavuser]

I want to say that thing looks awesome...but those knobs on the pick guard like that is where the GBF road ends for me...

conveniently, I also hate capos...and trumpets...

just get an M-75!

 

[GAD]

I want to say that thing looks awesome...but those knobs on the pick guard like that is where the GBF road ends for me...

conveniently, I also hate capos...and trumpets...

just get an M-75!

It's kind of a necessity when you consider the design goal which I presume to be "let the top ring free like an archtop should".

I used to hate capos because my guitar teacher when I was 13 called them "cheaters" without any thought into how they can actually change the timbre of the instrument.

I could get on board with the trumpet hate, though, since in high school band I played the bass clarinet and sat right in front of the entire row of them.

 

[GGJaguar]

I could get on board with the trumpet hate, though, since in high school band I played the bass clarinet and sat right in front of the entire row of them.

Childhood trauma sticks with us for the rest of our lives.

 

[zizala]

I'd love to have a Barnes F.....a "piccolo" guitar sorta....

I once had a Martin Terz 5-18 that was made to be tuned up a minor 3rd and loved the sound...wish I still had it and the prices have gone up since.
...and nothing quite so wonderful as the sound of a decent early 30's small body Epiphone Olympic or Zenith with a capo at the 7th fret.

The Barnes is described as having a carved spruce top to give it some acoustic response.....hence the pickguard knobs and floating pickups.
But love the M-75 (and M-65) for all sorts of reasons.

I used to play the bass clarinet too.....a great instrument with an astounding range if a player is up to it!

 

[DThomasC]

just get an M-75!

Or an M-65 3/4. Same scale length.