Short-scale Guild acoustics?

[Marcus]

Hi there,
I read somewhere that there were some older Guild acoustic guitars made with short-scales. Does anyone knows if Guild ever released an acoustic with a really short scale (24 inches or less)... anything similar to the neck/scale on an M-65 Freshman 3/4 (22 3/4 inch I believe)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Marcus

 

[Scratch]

My F25 and F30 each have short scale necks (Measured 23.50" from bridge side of nut to the middle of the 12th fret X2). Each are thin bout (3") and designed for acoustic-electric performance. The F25 is for sale, if interested.

 

[hansmoust]

Hi there,
I read somewhere that there were some older Guild acoustic guitars made with short-scales. Does anyone knows if Guild ever released an acoustic with a really short scale (24 inches or less)... anything similar to the neck/scale on an M-65 Freshman 3/4 (22 3/4 inch I believe)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Marcus

Hello Marcus,

Yes, at the end of the '60s the F-20 and M-20 were offered in a 3/4 size version but so far I've only seen a few of those and I would think they're pretty rare.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[jp]

My F25 and F30 each have short scale necks (Measured 23.50" from bridge side of nut to the middle of the 12th fret X2). Each are thin bout (3") and designed for acoustic-electric performance. The F25 is for sale, if interested.

Scratch,
What's an F25? Excuse my Guild acoust-ignorance, but I don't know acoustic models so well . Have any pics?

 

[Treem]

my GF30 is short scale and my previous GF25 is short scale too! 8)

 

[plaidseason]

I think we're running into a symantical problem.

There's short scale, i.e. 24 3/4"
and then there's really short scale . . . as in "Does anyone knows if Guild ever released an acoustic with a really short scale (24 inches or less)."

Hans was answering that question.

There are a lot of F30s, F20s, M20s etc in "short" scale, there aren't a lot in "really short scale."

Chris

 

[Scratch]

My F25 and F30 each have short scale necks (Measured 23.50" from bridge side of nut to the middle of the 12th fret X2). Each are thin bout (3") and designed for acoustic-electric performance. The F25 is for sale, if interested.

Scratch,
What's an F25? Excuse my Guild acoust-ignorance, but I don't know acoustic models so well . Have any pics?

Hi JP;

The necks on my F25 and F30 are very simillar to the neck on the M65 shorty I sold to Jay Pilser last summer. This is the F25ce with 23.50" short scale neck:

I also have an F30ce blond with a 24" short scale neck:

 

[jp]

Oh yeah right right right!

Don't know how I didn't make the connection. I know the F25ce. I guess reading in the context of the M20, F20, and F30, I imagined a rare and elusive, slightly more ornate F20. Thanks for pics and setting me straight.

 

[hansmoust]

My F25 and F30 each have short scale necks (Measured 23.50" from bridge side of nut to the middle of the 12th fret X2).

Hello Scratch,

It looks like you need to measure again. Both your guitars should measure about 12-5/16" from the nut to the center of the 12th fret, which will get you a little less than 24-3/4" for the total scale length, but that is not what Marcus was inquiring about. He was interested in knowing about a steel string flat top with a 3/4 scale, which is about 2 inch shorter than the regular short scale.
The only Guild steel string flat tops with a 3/4 scale were the F-20-3/4 and the M-20-3/4, which were done towards the end of the '60s.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Scratch]

Thanks Hans! I measured again, and the F30 comes to 12" at the middle of the 12th fret... I'm confused... Am I measuring correctly from the bridge side of the nut to the middle of the 12th fret, or should I measure from the other side of the nut?

 

[Marcus]

Oops, sorry to cause the confusion but I was after info about very short scale guitars (as Hans and Chris picked up on). At the moment I playing a mini maton, a nicely built Australian made guitar with a 22.75 inch scale... here's a link if you're interested (I've got the Diesel special):
http://www.maton.com.au/acoustics/mini-maton-series.html
It's a great guitar but because the body is really small it lacks volume unless put through an amp (when it sounds sweet and really holds its own)
I was interested to know if there were guilds with slightly larger body sizes (for volume) but a similar scale. Sounds like the 3/4 acoustics from the late 60's fit the bill.
Scratch, thanks for the offer but the F25 doesn't quite suit my needs... your F30 looks beautiful.
Thanks for your responses.
Cheers, Marcus

 

[chazmo]

Thanks Hans! I measured again, and the F30 comes to 12" at the middle of the 12th fret... I'm confused... Am I measuring correctly from the bridge side of the nut to the middle of the 12th fret, or should I measure from the other side of the nut?

Scratchy, I think it has to be measured to the middle of the fret wire, not the fretboard area in between frets. Is that what you were doing?

 

[hansmoust]

Scratchy, I think it has to be measured to the middle of the fret wire, not the fretboard area in between frets. Is that what you were doing?

Yes, he was! We already figured that out!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[chazmo]

Cool, cool....

By the way, Taylor defines "short scale" as 24-7/8" or, at least, that's the way these guitars are spoken of. It really does feel short when you compare it to a standard 25-1/2" scale. Personally, I like it a lot - at least for a 6-string.

As Hans already noted, Marcus was actually asking about 3/4-scale guitar here, (FYI, Taylor uses this in the baby Taylor, at 22-3/4"). Unfortunately, I have no experience to offer with guitars like that. I don't think my fingers would be narrow enough to do chords with such a scale.

 

[Scratch]

Cool, cool....

By the way, Taylor defines "short scale" as 24-7/8" or, at least, that's the way these guitars are spoken of. It really does feel short when you compare it to a standard 25-1/2" scale. Personally, I like it a lot - at least for a 6-string.

As Hans already noted, Marcus was actually asking about 3/4-scale guitar here, (FYI, Taylor uses this in the baby Taylor, at 22-3/4"). Unfortunately, I have no experience to offer with guitars like that. I don't think my fingers would be narrow enough to do chords with such a scale.

Yes, that is my experience, too, Chaz. I love the size of the F25 & F30, however, as a guy who plays mostly cowboy chords, it has been difficult for me to transition from a full size Guild neck. Playing 'A' and going to 'A7', for example, is quite difficult. I need to put my fingers on a diet! :?

 

[dogberry]

This weekend, while killing time at the music store during #2 daughter's drum lessons, I played a Taylor GC5 which has a 24 7/8 scale. It played like a dream, really big sound for a small body guitar. It was the 30th anniversary model, #175/250 or something like that, cedar top/mahogany back and sides. So it got me wondering whether Guild ever made a similar guitar. Found this thread, and it seems as if the answer is the GF25 and the GF30 are the closest to the Taylor -- is that right? Anyone know the scale length on the GF25 and GF30? I haven't been able to find the specs. I know the answer's in Hans' book, just haven't bought it yet.

 

[chazmo]

Dogberry,

Those are really sweet, aren't they? I had #138 in the series of the same guitar you looked at (XXX-MC). I sold it to make room for some more Guilds. Playing it was a dream though. Again, that short scale (as Taylor defines it) is quite nice!

http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc47 ... 000245.jpg

 

[hansmoust]

This weekend, while killing time at the music store during #2 daughter's drum lessons, I played a Taylor GC5 which has a 24 7/8 scale. It played like a dream, really big sound for a small body guitar. It was the 30th anniversary model, #175/250 or something like that, cedar top/mahogany back and sides. So it got me wondering whether Guild ever made a similar guitar. Found this thread, and it seems as if the answer is the GF25 and the GF30 are the closest to the Taylor -- is that right? Anyone know the scale length on the GF25 and GF30?

Hello dogberry,

None of the GF-models will have the shorter scale that you're looking for. If you want a Guild guitar with a short scale you need to look for a '60s F-30 or one of the reissues of the F-30(R) from the late '90s.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[dogberry]

Thanks, Hans. Again.

 

[dogberry]

It appears that a couple of the GAD models have a short scale -- the GAD M20 and GAD F20. Anyone have any experience with these? It seems more likely to run across one of these, affordable or otherwise, than a Westerly F30. Thanks.

BTW, Chazmo, I looked at your pics -- that was a nice looking axe, I would have a hard time letting it go if it were me.