How long have you owned the JF-55: 4 years
Year & specific model: 1992/1993 JF55-NT (serial number dates it 1993, neck block stamped 1992). Westerly, RI of course, pre-Fender.
Purchased new or used: used
Price paid: $1600
Owners rate 1 (least appreciated) to 10 (most appreciated) in following categories with comments as desired:
Build quality: 7 (IMO, it's not quite up there with what Taylor, Martin, and others were doing at the same time. Top quality woods used, for sure.)
Looks: 10 (I have always thought this model was one of the best looking guitars ever.)
Projection: 8 (Despite its enormous size, it may seem a little bit subdued in the volume department - to the player. Get in front of it, though, and you get a different perception. I have accompanied an entire choir (~40 voices) with it, unamplified! It fills a room if you play it with authority.)
Bass: 8 (It's a dark-sounding guitar.)
Mids: 6
Highs: 4
Sustain: 9 (This guitar has incredible sustain, in keeping with its extreme mass.)
Playability/comfort: 7 (Playability was greatly improved by a complete setup a couple years ago. Comfort is fine for me, since I'm a big guy. Not everybody can comfortably play a guitar this big.)
Dependability: 9 (This thing is so massive, what's going to happen to it?)
Fingerstyle: 6 (Not a "fast" responsive fingerstyle guitar, but more than adequate for fingerpicking vocal accompaniment.)
Flatpick: 4 (Not really what you want for flatpicking.)
Strum: 8 (Combination of sustain and deep sound make this an excellent strummer. This is where it excels.)
Condition (Mint/Excellent/Good/Fair/Poor): VG++. There are some finish issues, a few very minor checks in the top and some finish weirdness on the neck. I had some finish chips on the neck binding filled by a luthier, but there are still a few divots in the neck finish. Considering its age, it's in remarkable condition.
Favorite Strings (one selection only): Elixir Phosphor Bronze Nanoweb Medium 13-56
Would you buy another if lost/sold: I never thought it about it much. Upon reflection, I don't think I would buy another one just like this, to be honest. For years, this was my dream guitar, and I finally got one. I have no plans to sell this one. However, if it were destroyed/stolen, I think I would prefer to get a New Hartford F50-R, which I probably couldn't afford. I have never played or even seen one, but my impression is that they have a lighter, more modern build which appeals to me.
Overall Assessment: A wonderful, beautiful guitar. Very rare, in my circles anyway. Love the art-deco styling.
Most Appreciated Characteristic: Looks. Every time I take it out of the case, it puts a smile on my face.
Least Appreciated: Hard to say. I guess the finish. The nitro finish is just too thick, and it was definitely a bad idea to finish the guitar after the neck was attached and to finish over the pickguard, but that's the way Guild did it in those days.
Favorite JF-55 Story/Moment: Not sure I have a favorite specific moment, but every time I'm around other guitar players with this thing, it draws considerable interest. In my neck of the woods (Arkansas), there have never been that many Guilds around, and you almost never see an upper-end model like this one. The fancy Guilds I have come across are usually 12 strings, F-512s mostly. I have yet to meet another player in person that has a JF55 or F50-R.
Other observations/comments: