Vintage Guild m20's & m30's

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Metalman

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fungusyoung said:
Not trying to discourage your search for an M20, but if an M30 is what you're after... try a Martin 000-15. The new ones are now made of all sapele, but mine from 2003 is genuine mahogany. Not exactly sure when the change from mahogany to sapele was made, but it must have been recently... nor do I know how different sapele is tone wise... it's said to be in the 'hog family. Anyways, the 000-15 is an amazing guitar, and my pick for best value in the Martin line up... it's also within your range whereas even if an M30 surfaced, I doubt it would be.

Martin000-154.jpg

FYI: Kind of a crummy shot of my 000-15

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Be forewarned about the 15-series from Martin. Every one I have seen, the neck lifts up after a while, raising the action, and making playing very hard. Something about them, I don't know what it is. They sound very good for the price, and seem to be very popular, but like I said, after a while, maybe a year or two, the neck bows up.
A neck reset is in the works for one of my students. The job is equal to what she paid for the instrument.
 
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fungusyoung

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Metalman said:
Be forewarned about the 15-series from Martin. Every one I have seen, the neck lifts up after a while, raising the action, and making playing very hard. Something about them, I don't know what it is. They sound very good for the price, and seem to be very popular, but like I said, after a while, maybe a year or two, the neck bows up.
A neck reset is in the works for one of my students. The job is equal to what she paid for the instrument.
Click to expand...

OUCH. I've never heard this before, and I've done quite a bit of reading about these guitars... the 15 series is a great value, IMO. Hope I never have to confront such an issue. So far so good and I've had her just under five years. Mine's also under warranty, and I'm 15 minutes from the CF Martin factory... not that I want to have any problems, but I should be OK if I do.
 
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fungusyoung said:
Metalman said:
Be forewarned about the 15-series from Martin. Every one I have seen, the neck lifts up after a while, raising the action, and making playing very hard. Something about them, I don't know what it is. They sound very good for the price, and seem to be very popular, but like I said, after a while, maybe a year or two, the neck bows up.
A neck reset is in the works for one of my students. The job is equal to what she paid for the instrument.
Click to expand...

OUCH. I've never heard this before, and I've done quite a bit of reading about these guitars... the 15 series is a great value, IMO. Hope I never have to confront such an issue. So far so good and I've had her just under five years. Mine's also under warranty, and I'm 15 minutes from the CF Martin factory... not that I want to have any problems, but I should be OK if I do.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, it only happens on models from the year 2003!

Just kidding; I said that because of the year of yours . . . :)

BUT, I would keep an eye on it. Being close to the Martin factory is good. At the first sign of lifting, I would at least take it in and show them. Catch it before it spreads . . .
 
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trd-1.jpg


guild1.jpg


poi.jpg


Here is my M-30. It is amazing and as for what is it worth, if you had $5,000 to spend you couldn't find one.... Everything is for sale at the right price... M-20's are great and a lot easier to find. I have a 58 and a 64. Totally different, the 58 is mello and the 64 barks like a dogg.

Good luck on your hunt
 
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capnjuan

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Hi Dave and welcome! A very pretty and rare guitar, what year is it? cj
 
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capnjuan said:
Hi Dave and welcome! A very pretty and rare guitar, what year is it? cj
Click to expand...

guild1-1.jpg


Here is the serial, you guys would know quicker than I would. I looked it up, and I've forgot. I think it is a 1965 about.....
 
The Guilds of Grot

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Well as Hans will tell you, the headstock was stamped in 1964.

It could have been "finished" and sent out the door anytime after that.
 
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capnjuan

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The Guilds of Grot said:
Well as Hans will tell you, the headstock was stamped in 1964. It could have been "finished" and sent out the door anytime after that.
Click to expand...
Yup; it is unless it isn't.... :wink:
 
hansmoust

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The Guilds of Grot said:
Well as Hans will tell you, the headstock was stamped in 1964. It could have been "finished" and sent out the door anytime after that.
Click to expand...

Hello folks,

In 1964 the M-30 was already taken out of the line, so it's kind of surprising to see that Guild made a medium-sized batch of M-30s during 1964 of which Diamondave's M-30 is one. It was finished on June 18, 1964 together with 21 other M-30s of that same batch. During those years it was not unusual for Guild to get orders from the highschool music departments; those were mainly entry level instruments like M-20s, Mark Is and Mark IIs.
While looking at the ledgers of this particular period it looks like Guild was producing the instruments that were ordered for the new school year but one cannot help but notice that 1964 shows a much larger number of these entry level instruments than what was produced during the previous years. It might be speculation on my part but I'm almost convinced that these big orders had something to do with the appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February that year, after which every American kid wanted to play the guitar. Anyway, Guild sold a bunch of them and the fact that a lot of these instruments went to schools might account for the scarcity (compared to the rather big numbers that were produced) of M-20s on the market today. These M-20s were rather lightly built and I guess that most of them didn't survive the treatment they would get from the school kids at the time. The batch of M-30s probably falls into that category of school-orders as well, since the model was already discontinued. Guild was not the kind of company that would say NO, when they could sell an entire batch!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
 
hansmoust

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hansmoust said:
During those years it was not unusual for Guild to get orders from the highschool music departments; those were mainly entry level instruments like M-20s, Mark Is and Mark IIs.
Click to expand...

Now, do any of you have pictures of their high school band or music classes that show any Guild guitars? That would be schools in the north-eastern part of the U.S. ( New York, New Jersey and New England) in particular! Anyone still has his/her Highschool Year Book from that period? Anything in there?

If not, do any of you remember Guild guitars being used in the schools? I know, I know.............. for some of you that must have been before you started to smoke dope, so small chance you remember anything!



Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
 
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Oh, THAT guitar!

I remember now - we used it in playing "El Kabong" with it, you know the "Quick Draw McGraw" cartoon character who was always banging people's heads with it.

Um,m,m,m . . . never mind. Just kidding . . .
 
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capnjuan

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hansmoust said:
... for some of you that must have been before you started to smoke dope .. Hans Moust
Click to expand...
Nope, was after. :wink:
 
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hansmoust said:
The Guilds of Grot said:
Well as Hans will tell you, the headstock was stamped in 1964. It could have been "finished" and sent out the door anytime after that.
Click to expand...

Hello folks,

In 1964 the M-30 was already taken out of the line, so it's kind of surprising to see that Guild made a medium-sized batch of M-30s during 1964 of which Diamondave's M-30 is one. It was finished on June 18, 1964 together with 21 other M-30s of that same batch. During those years it was not unusual for Guild to get orders from the highschool music departments; those were mainly entry level instruments like M-20s, Mark Is and Mark IIs.
While looking at the ledgers of this particular period it looks like Guild was producing the instruments that were ordered for the new school year but one cannot help but notice that 1964 shows a much larger number of these entry level instruments than what was produced during the previous years. It might be speculation on my part but I'm almost convinced that these big orders had something to do with the appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February that year, after which every American kid wanted to play the guitar. Anyway, Guild sold a bunch of them and the fact that a lot of these instruments went to schools might account for the scarcity (compared to the rather big numbers that were produced) of M-20s on the market today. These M-20s were rather lightly built and I guess that most of them didn't survive the treatment they would get from the school kids at the time. The batch of M-30s probably falls into that category of school-orders as well, since the model was already discontinued. Guild was not the kind of company that would say NO, when they could sell an entire batch!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
Click to expand...

Wow Hans, thanks for the info! I sent a few mpre pics your way....
 
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