Good price for a Guild D50?

[flappertap]

A local man on craigslist has a 1990 Westerly-made Guild D50 for $800. Originally I thought this was a really good deal, however after asking some questions I'm starting to second-guess myself. He's not the original owner, and he stated there are no scratches or dings and everything was fine, however there are some small cracks around the soundhole that a local luthier thought were created by the original owner installing his own under saddle pick-ups on it. I asked for pictures but he said he took 8, but couldn't get any to capture that cracks. I'm going to play it this weekend, but until then any opinions?

I'm a beginner (about a year played), I've heard mixed reviews about easeness of playing what do ya think? I really don't need another guitar as I like my seagull s-6, however reading reviews and having some extra cash really urges me to get one... plus it was made on my birth year, so the guitar will always be as old as me which is pretty cool

Here's the craigslist ad in question, wih pictures. http://syracuse.craigslist.org/msg/2126179123.html I'm hoping the pictures don't give it justice (primarily the headstock one)

 

[killdeer43]

The ad says, "Am 61 years old and honest." Didn't know that age was a qualifier. :lol:

Anyway, welcome to the forum, flapper.
As an owner of a Westerly D50, I can attest to what great guitars they are, so it might be worth a closer look or even a hands-on if you can swing it.

I'm 67 and I'm really honest, :wink:
Joe

 

[taabru45]

He (Joe) is really honest.......honest! Up here we think of him as Honest Ehb..... :lol: That could be an excellent price. a well repaired crack makes little difference in the playability/sound of a good guitar, and these guitars are GREAT. especially at that price...Steffan

 

[flappertap]

lol, thanks for the input.. so you don't think it would be a hard fix?

 

[evenkeel]

Welcome to LTG land. Assuming everything is structurally solid, $800 is a pretty good deal. W/O pics it's pretty hard to tell what's going with the soundhole cracks. Likely however, not a big deal at all. A luthier may glue and cleat, or possibly a bit of glue and cloth to reinforce.
FWIW I have a hard time figuring out how installing a UST can produce a crack around the sound hole :?: :shock: :?:

 

[GardMan]

Welcome to LTG!
$800 is a really good price for a D-50. I paid a shade over $1K for mine, even with a hailrline crack between the bridge pins (<$10 to repair to "invisibility").

Without seeing the "cracks" it's hard to evaluate their effect on value and/or cost to repair. They might even just be in the finish? A simple soundboard crack is a relatively simple/inexpensive fix, and would have little/no effect on tone or structural integrity.

The top cracks I worry most about are the those that run along the fretboard and extend to the sound hole... and these are often a pretty easy fix IF they haven't started to slip. However, a noticeable "jag" or "scarp" where the crack meets the soundhole is evidence that the tension of the strings is pulling the neck into the body of the guitar... that makes for a bit more involved repair (and is a deal breaker for me).

Good luck...
Dave

 

[poser]

Flappertap -

It would be a good idea to arrange a time to look over the guitar. Here are some other things to look for - check the height of the saddle. In the photo in the ad it looked a little low. That might mean that the neck angle is a bit off. Another way to check that is to put a straightedge (ruler works well, but in a pinch you could use the side of an envelope) along the fretboard and slide it down until it touches the bridge.It should just graze the top of the bridge. If it hits significantly below the top of the bridge (say 1/4 inch) then the neck angle may be off. That would require a neck resent (a costly repair) sometime in the future.

If, as gardman mentioned, the crack is along the side of the fretboard, it's another cause of concern. You can look for a "scarp" along the edge of the sound hole or an offset of the rings in the rosette around the soundhole.

$800 is a pretty good price. If you find some problems with it you might use them as opportunities to try to negotiate a lower price.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.