Tim Buckley on Guild 12: What model and year?

idealassets

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A mid- 1960's F312.

I just sold my 1966 Guild F312 for $550 more than I was asking for it on ebay. The buyer, who purchased it privately, said that he wanted to make certain that I "don't sell it to someone else first". Good luck finding one without cracks, they were actually a very inexpensive build of guitar with tape for side bracing.

Craig
 

idealassets

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Also let us not loose site of the fact that it was Tim Buckley playing that with the use of some great studio sound equipment. He apparently specialized in 12 string guitar, and additionally did a lot of jazz using mostly a 12 string acoustic guitar.
 

chazmo

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That guitar looks big for an F-312... Anyone else think so? Almost seems like a full-size jumbo...

You know what I think this might be... an F-212XL? The sides look dark from the outside, but inside it could be mahogany.
 
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SFIV1967

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Darryl, good question. It looks big, so maybe 17", also the inside looks almost light as hog, so maybe a F-212XL? The outside might be dark stained hog, so it looks like rosewood?

12720697.jpg


He obviously had plenty of Guilds.

Page 133 in Hans' book shows him with a late 60's sunburst F-212XL.

musician2.jpg
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This picture shows him with a F-212 or F-212XL with Chesterfield at Fillmore East in 1969. (Chris posted it below as well)

EDIT: Looks like Charlie had the same thoughts!

Ralf
 
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chazmo

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I think that's what it must be, Ralf. Dark-stained mahogany... F-212XL. But I can't find an image or video of this particular guitar that's clear enough to be certain. It appears that Tim stopped using it in his later videos and pictures and, like you said, he had a variety of Guilds later on

I wonder if Hans knows.
 

Brad Little

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Didn't the 212XL have the Chesterfield on the headstock from its first year? Hans's book says ebony fingerboard and it looks to me like a rosewood fingerboard, but I could be wrong. Someone with better eyes check around 1:45 with the closeup of the neck.
Brad
 
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Christopher Cozad

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This guitar appears to me to have the proportions (narrower upper bout when compared to the lower bout) of the F-112, F-212 and F-312, where the F-212XL, F-412 and F-512 have less distinction between bouts. If it were from the smaller bodied series, I am guessing the white binding likely removes the F-112 from the mix, and the rosewood bridge and fingerboard probably remove the F-312. I can't speak to the lack of a Chesterfield inlay, and that second pickguard's asymmetrical placement bothers me. ;~}

But I have seen an early 60's Guild F-512 that had different body measurements than my '76, so what do I know.

This video appears to feature the same 12 string:



I have seen images of him playing a Guild dreadnought 12, and a Guild jumbo 12 with a G-shield inlay. Here is Tim playing yet another Guild 12 string, this one having the Chesterfield inlay (and symmetrical pickguards - lol):

Tim-Buckley.jpg
 
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jcwu

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I watched the video, totally confused - because I thought I was watching Jeff Buckley, and he didn't look quite like Jeff Buckley, and I didn't recall Jeff using a twelve-string too much...
 

SFIV1967

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Didn't the 212XL have the Chesterfield on the headstock from its first year?
That's how it sounds like reading page page 129 in Hans' book. But page 133 shows him with a late 60's sunburst F-212XL. And that one has no Chesterfield. I don't think Hans made a mistake and that would be a F-212.
Ralf
 
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idealassets

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Also interesting is this guitar, suddenly Tim is playing yet another guild 12 string guitar in 1970: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjdK-jUiOI4 So this shows perhaps 3 different guitars in about a 3 year time span. With Han's burst F212XL that makes 4.

Although I remember the name Tim Buckley way back then, I never knew anyone that had his albums, in the way that everyone had Beatles and Jefferson Airplane stuff.

Craig
 

adorshki

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I watched the video, totally confused - because I thought I was watching Jeff Buckley, and he didn't look quite like Jeff Buckley, and I didn't recall Jeff using a twelve-string too much...
You do realize Jeff is (was) Tim's son?
 

wileypickett

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Also interesting is this guitar, suddenly Tim is playing yet another guild 12 string guitar in 1970: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjdK-jUiOI4 So this shows perhaps 3 different guitars in about a 3 year time span. With Han's burst F212XL that makes 4.

Although I remember the name Tim Buckley way back then, I never knew anyone that had his albums, in the way that everyone had Beatles and Jefferson Airplane stuff.

Craig

In my house Tim Buckley gets more play than the Beatles and Jefferson Airplane put together! We have all his albums, except *Hello Goodbye*, which, while it has a few decent songs on it, is ruined (for me) by the awful orchestration.

Saw Buckley him live in Richmond, VA, in 1971 -- fantastic show.

Met his son Jeff while my band was on tour in Memphis, just a few months before he died, and told him how much his dad's music meant (and means) to me. Contrary to rumor, Jeff was happy to talk about his father's music.

I consider both musicians, but especially Tim, to be massive talents. Tim never repeated himself, was always pushing in new directions, even when doing so mystified his fans, many of whom wanted the same formula repeated over and over.

*Starsailor*, the one album Tim produced himself, was in the cutout bins so fast, but is today regarded as one of his finest moments.

The posthumously issued *Dream Letter*, a double LP, is one of the best live albums by anyone, and features Danny Thompson on bass.

*Happy Sad*, *Blue Afternoon*, *Lorca* -- all great records IMO.
 
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