SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Greg, so that's your wifes's 1972 F-312 in the two pictures? Just curious what year it is. Lovely guitar!
Ralf
Ralf
New member intro and F-612 information
- Thread starter Greg1233
- Start date
?? That looks like a 512 to me, Ralf.
12 string
Senior Member
Chazmo said:
It's a 312, Charlie. Probably a unique custom combination of 16" rosewood jumbo, Chesterfield(!), and whatever you call that fingerboard inlay pattern. (Does it have a name?). Could also be Braz. A very rare bird, indeed!!
' Strang
I guess you guys are right. Greg said his wife had an F-312 with the curly inlays. I have trouble judging size from the pictures.
bdeclee
Member
Hey Chazmo,
It's his wife's 1972 F-312 with the custom Florentine inlays. Note the Chesterfield headstock with chrome tuners. I bet the lower bout is 16" or whatever the 312 measured (maybe 16 1/2? I'm not sure). Very unique guitar!
Barbara
It's his wife's 1972 F-312 with the custom Florentine inlays. Note the Chesterfield headstock with chrome tuners. I bet the lower bout is 16" or whatever the 312 measured (maybe 16 1/2? I'm not sure). Very unique guitar!
Barbara
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
bdeclee said:
Hello Barbara,
Those tuners didn't come on the guitar originally. I would think that the original tuners were the regular Japanese 6-on-a-strip jobs.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
Hi all,
Yes, this is my wife's 1972 F-312NT, standard 1972 specs - 16" EIR body, ebony fingerboard and bridge, Chesterfield head inlay, 3 piece neck. The curly inlays were either special ordered from Guild or were done by someone after the guitar left the factory (they were there when we bought it new). Hans is right about the tuners, the guitar originally had the open back six-on-a-strip chrome tuners that were standard at the time, I installed the mini Schallers after filling the holes and doing some touch up to the back of the peghead.
The older I get, the more I like the smaller body compared to the F512's (amazing how 1" less can make such a difference). Sound isn't as big or loud as a 17" but still real nice.
Thanks for the comments, someday when it's warm outside I'll get a photo of the three Guild twelves all together.
Greg
Yes, this is my wife's 1972 F-312NT, standard 1972 specs - 16" EIR body, ebony fingerboard and bridge, Chesterfield head inlay, 3 piece neck. The curly inlays were either special ordered from Guild or were done by someone after the guitar left the factory (they were there when we bought it new). Hans is right about the tuners, the guitar originally had the open back six-on-a-strip chrome tuners that were standard at the time, I installed the mini Schallers after filling the holes and doing some touch up to the back of the peghead.
The older I get, the more I like the smaller body compared to the F512's (amazing how 1" less can make such a difference). Sound isn't as big or loud as a 17" but still real nice.
Thanks for the comments, someday when it's warm outside I'll get a photo of the three Guild twelves all together.
Greg
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
Greg1233 said:
Hello Greg,
Don't have doubts about those inlays being original.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
6L6
Senior Member
Welcome!
Bill
Bill
idealassets
Senior Member
Your guitar must have been a great find at the time. It leads me to wonder: how many might have possibly been in existence about that time?
I see that in 1972 Guild was still blending, or applying a burst finish, to the back of the neck at the body. My 1965 F312 has the same application on the neck. I am curious as to when Guild changed the finish procedure on these necks. Were the neck woods padouk, with a pearwood strip?
Craig
idealassets
Senior Member
I think that I can see a difference in the contour of the guitar top and body between 1965 and 1972. It leads me to wonder if a change was made in the cut of the wood, and the guitar construction in the early 1970's?
I never noticed this before.
-Craig
I never noticed this before.
-Craig
Boy, I'm seriously having trouble seeing what other folks are seeing today... Craig, do you see a burst on Greg's F-312 neck? I see what you mean on yours, but not his. I think I'm just having a bunch of senior moments today.
idealassets
Senior Member
Its easier to see on my guitar image because the guitar is 17 years older, and the darker stain was not applied with as much artistry as in later years. On the back of the neck of the 1972 guitar, starting at the headstock, you can see a red-brown color; which turns darker until its almost black at the neck joint. Then the center strip of wood is brighter at the headstock, until its about 2/3 the way down. Then it nearly disappears by being covered by the dark stain at the body joint.
I have pulled 1960's Guild guitars off of salesroom walls, and showed this to the shop luthier(s), and they couldn't see it even with me pointing at it, and explaining it. Perhaps they had not yet worked on a Guild guitar from the 1960's with a mahogany neck to know about it. Apparently maple neck wood grain did not need to be covered up with stain. For the mahogany wood it was (at least in the 1960's) difficult to get a smooth finish where the wood is cut through the grain at the heel of the neck, as compared to at the straight area of the neck.
I am still hoping that someone might weigh in as to when the cosmetic changes took place in guitar production. I'm still thinking it must have been in the early 1970's.
idealassets
Senior Member
OK- "3 piece mahogany neck" per the bible, page 28.
OK, Craig, I see what you mean, although I wouldn't call that a burst, but a darkening of shade as you approach the heel of the neck. Yours is more properly a burst because darker shading on either end.
Interesting. I wonder what the cause of that is.
Interesting. I wonder what the cause of that is.
idealassets
Senior Member
Hans' writing, "The Guild Guitar Book" has some excellent history and photos. I have not found much detailed data about the assembly methods on any makes of guitars anywhere.
I have worked on re-finishing a few necks at a local luthier shop. My finding is that on older guitar wood cuts, apparently mahogany wood was difficult to get a smooth finish where the wood is cut through the grain at the heel of the neck, and at the top of the headstock; as compared to at the straight area of the neck. My own experience is that even after filling in the voids in the grain with matching wood puddy, it still renders a rough, and porous surface. If finished as-is it would not look very pleasing, so the darker blend of stain covers the minute flaws, and looks nicer.
Whereas my 2010 Guild F412 had a very nice looking natural mahogany neck, it leads me to believe that perhaps the wood was cut differently (quarter-sawn?) in later years, maybe starting in the late 1970's. In the mid 1970's many Guild guitar models with mahogany necks were then produced with 3 piece padouk necks, which may have been to resolve the "rough finish mahogany" situation. However (from Hans' book), the padouk was heavier and had more oil than prior mahogany necks, and around 1977 these models of guitars returned to mahogany wood on the necks.
Craig