small bodied acoustics?

[gregsguitars]

I have ran across a very small Guild acoustic ,I am going to guess at at 1950 era as far as dates go it is ,smaller than the L-OO sized guitar from Gibson, I will try to secure it long enough for pictures to post, just looking for any information or web sites on the smaller Guilds from a few experts here.Greg.

 

[Graham]

M-20, F-20?

There are a few owners here of those.

 

[Russell Letson]

Sounds like an F-20, unless it's all mahogany, in which case it's an M-20. Date is easily established via serial number (lists are available in books by Hans Moust or George Gruhn & Walter Carter) or, if the number is illegible, estimated from headstock or label style.

 

[Jeff]

The smallest Guilds I know of are the F20 Troubador & Economy M20 models. They're little bitty buggers, my F20 is a "57...nominal vital measurements as follows; 10 1/8 or so across the upper bout, 13 5/8 " across the Lower bout, body depth 3 3/8 up by the neck & about 4" down by the end pin, 38 1/2 " overall length.

F20's are solid spruce topped, solid mahogany body except for the first few years. F20's built in like 55 thru 58 were maple laminate bodies.

M20's are virtually the same guitar with Mahogany tops.

Here's a pic of mine next to a D25 & a CO1. LTG membership collectively owns quite a few of these little guitars & don't often sell them.

 

[jgmaute]

here's a picture of my 1965 M-20 (on the right) next to my 2008 30R. The older M-20s have a different shaped pick guard and Guild is painted in script on the headstock.

 

[coastie99]

1963 F20, left.

Headstock shape changed in 1964

 

[Ian]

Hey Coastie, you didnt want to part with that F20 perchance ? I'm finding Dreads pretty difficult to play and I'm after a small bodied guitar. I may have found one through the FS pages in the States, but postage might be a killer....

If you dont want to sell, any chance I could stop by for a look ?

 

[coastie99]

Hey Coastie, you didnt want to part with that F20 perchance ? I'm finding Dreads pretty difficult to play and I'm after a small bodied guitar. I may have found one through the FS pages in the States, but postage might be a killer....

If you dont want to sell, any chance I could stop by for a look ?

Sorry GD, no chance of my selling the F20.

Ah ....... where-abouts are you ??

 

[Ian]

Hey Coastie, you didnt want to part with that F20 perchance ? I'm finding Dreads pretty difficult to play and I'm after a small bodied guitar. I may have found one through the FS pages in the States, but postage might be a killer....

If you dont want to sell, any chance I could stop by for a look ?

Sorry GD, no chance of my selling the F20.

Ah ....... where-abouts are you ??

I'm in Nelson, but I travel down the coast pretty regularly, usually spending the night in Hoki. Are you in Greymouth ? I'd love to have a look at your F20, never having seen one in the flesh...

Cheers, Ian

 

[cuthbert]

1963 F20, left.

Headstock shape changed in 1964

The bridge as well, for what I see...

Much better after 1964.

 

[coastie99]

Cuthbert, I think you may have assumed that the guitar to the right is also an F20.

It isn't ...... it's a 1995 A25.

 

[Graham]

I had forgotten about your F20 Gary, it's a beauty!

 

[jp]

I have a bad case of little Guild guitar envy!

 

[jte]

I bought this A-50 SB on December 13, 1995. I'd wanted a small, rosewood Guild since I played a used F30-R in a guitar store around 1975. It took 20 years, but this is the one! I noticed a Guild logo on the pickguard of coastie's A-25, which my A-50 doesn't have, and I've never seen one on any other either.



jte

 

[hansmoust]

I noticed a Guild logo on the pickguard of coastie's A-25, which my A-50 doesn't have, and I've never seen one on any other either.

That's because he put it there himself!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[cuthbert]

Cuthbert, I think you may have assumed that the guitar to the right is also an F20.

It isn't ...... it's a 1995 A25.

Forgive me, coastie, for I have sinned. :mrgreen:

Out of curiousity, when did they change the design of the bridge to the "actual" Guild shape?

 

[coastie99]

Forgive me, coastie, for I have sinned. :mrgreen:

Out of curiousity, when did they change the design of the bridge to the "actual" Guild shape?

You're in good company Cuthbert, and a bit of sin every so often isn't altogether a bad thing ! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Can't answer your question about the bridge design.

 

[coastie99]

I'm in Nelson, but I travel down the coast pretty regularly, usually spending the night in Hoki. Are you in Greymouth ? I'd love to have a look at your F20, never having seen one in the flesh...

Cheers, Ian

PM sent Ian.

 

[hansmoust]

Out of curiousity, when did they change the design of the bridge to the "actual" Guild shape?

Hello cuthbert,

There is not really one 'actual' Guild bridge shape. There are various different Guild bridge shapes and each one belongs to a specific period and often to a specific style of guitar.
However I'm assuming that you're referring to the bridge change on the F-20 and I can tell you that the F-20 did get the typical Guild bridge (for that specific period) around 1970, shortly after the move to Westerly.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[cuthbert]

Out of curiousity, when did they change the design of the bridge to the "actual" Guild shape?

Hello cuthbert,

There is not really one 'actual' Guild bridge shape. There are various different Guild bridge shapes and each one belongs to a specific period and often to a specific style of guitar.
However I'm assuming that you're referring to the bridge change on the F-20 and I can tell you that the F-20 did get the typical Guild bridge (for that specific period) around 1970, shortly after the move to Westerly.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Thanks, Hans, I was referring to the design with two points and the moustache in the middle, I can see that they changed a little but I always saw this configuration, so this F-20 is the first to have a "martin like" bridge...