Why does my D-55 have a sticker over the original serial number?

Hi All!

I was cruising through some You Tube videos one night and happened upon some videos of the Guild D-55 in action and was in awe at it's sound quality.

A used one slipped through my hands on the Guitar Center site and I regretted not buying it the next day.

A month later, another showed up in excellent condition and this time I didn't hesitate.

So now I am a proud owner, but I am trying to get some clues on it's age and where it was made as I understand there are differences in the builds.

My confusion is, there is a sticker of the original round Guild sticker inside the body, with just numbers on it.

From what I understand, the original Guild serial number is a combination of numbers and letters that would help me look up what I want to know.

Anyone have any idea what this sticker is and why it is there?

Thanks in advance...

Don

williawd1955 said:

Hi All!

I was cruising through some You Tube videos one night and happened upon some videos of the Guild D-55 in action and was in awe at it's sound quality.

A used one slipped through my hands on the Guitar Center site and I regretted not buying it the next day.

A month later, another showed up in excellent condition and this time I didn't hesitate.

So now I am a proud owner, but I am trying to get some clues on it's age and where it was made as I understand there are differences in the builds.

My confusion is, there is a sticker of the original round Guild sticker inside the body, with just numbers on it.

From what I understand, the original Guild serial number is a combination of numbers and letters that would help me look up what I want to know.

Anyone have any idea what this sticker is and why it is there?

Thanks in advance...

Don

Click to expand...

Welcome. It depends upon the age of the instrument. The serial number scheme has varied over the decades so some years had a couple of letters followed by numbers and other years were just numbers. For the twentieth century and some of the twenty first, the serial number was also stamped on the back of the headstock which sometimes clarifies things. So I think you are just describing a "regular" production label.

Of course, we'd love to see pictures to confirm that

Pictures how to, just in case.

Williawd1955, welcome.

If there is a sticker over the original label 'with just numbers on it', could that be a remaindered guitar, say from when they closed the Tacoma plant?

If the op is describing a sticker over the original number, it may be that the guitar has been refurbished or repaired by other than the factory.

Not necessarily a reason for doom or gloom if the guitar does not appear to have issues.

Welcome, Williawd1955! Love to see some pix of what you are describing - and your guitar!

walrus

Is the serial number also stamped on the back of the headstock? Or is there a "Used" stamp there?

On older (pre-2002), the serial # was stamped on the back of the headstock, but some factory seconds were sold "as is" with a Used stamp on the back of the headstock.

Newer Guilds are not stamped on the back of the headstock. And "B" stock is usually designated by a small "B" stamped on the sound hole sticker.

Does the sticker in the sound hole show where the guitar was made? Westerly, RI? Corona, CA? Tacoma, WA? New Hartford, CT?

williawd1955 said:

My confusion is, there is a sticker of the original round Guild sticker inside the body, with just numbers on it.

Click to expand...

In the above sentence, I believe you meant to say "sticker OVER the original round Guild sticker" as in the title of your thread. That being the case, I'd guess the following:

- The original round label most likely means you've got a fairly recent instrument from either Corona, Tacoma, or New Hartford).

- The stickered label probably is an indication of the guitar having been refurbished by an outsourced factory.

A picture should make it pretty easy to nail down.

Congrats & enjoy your new guitar!

bobouz said:

In the above sentence, I believe you meant to say "sticker OVER the original round Guild sticker" as in the title of your thread. That being the case, I'd guess the following:

- The original round label most likely means you've got a fairly recent instrument from either Corona, Tacoma, or New Hartford).

- The stickered label probably is an indication of the guitar having been refurbished by an outsourced factory.

A picture should make it pretty easy to nail down.

Congrats & enjoy your new guitar!

Click to expand...

I suspect you're right, that it is in fact one of the MIRC refurbs from either Corona or Tacoma.
I don't think New Hartford used them in any volume, I can only recall one reference, I think Chazmo mentioned overhearing it from one of the New Hartford folks.
Welcome aboard Willie!
Is there also a barcode on that sticker? (it's actually the barcode for the number)
That was another giveaway of an MIRC refurbished guitar.
They also obliterated the s/n on the back of the headstock in some way.
If the s/n on the headstock is intact, it's definitely NOT an MIRC guitar.
If it is, we'll give you the background, but like others mentioned, it's not a necessarily a "bad" thing.
MIRC's website:
http://mircweb.com/
While I was looking for their address, I found this highly informative post on eBay, first time I've seen it but sums it up very well:
http://www.ebay.com/gds/Guitar-Won-is-Stamped-USED-Serial-Number-Removed-/10000000010711745/g.html
In Guild's case, when Fender closed down the Corona and Tacoma plants, it looks like MIRC also served as their liquidating agent for unsold inventory and many of those guitars actually had no flaws, they just needed to be marked to prevent unauthorized warranty claims later on, due to the price at which they were sold..

Ah, so much speculation! Give us a picture of it already! :tongue-new:

walrus

Welcome to LTG, Don.

We'll probably need a picture to confirm these theories, but if you do find "USED" branded into the back of the headstock, that's sufficient to prove it's a guitar that was sold through MIRC (without manufacturer's warrantee). Neal mentions other possibilities as well.

Welcome Don!

I'm guessing that the first 3 numbers are 311. That would indicate an MIRC refurbished or overstock/liquidation unit. Also, a close look at the serial number on the back of the head-stock would reveal that the last 3 numbers have been punched over. May or may not be stamped "Used" on the back of the head-stock.

As stated previously. not necessarily a bad thing, especially for a guitar that is in otherwise good shape, IF the price you paid was fair. I believe that retailers should disclose altered serial number information to all prospective customers previous to the sale. And the units should be priced accordingly.

If it's a great sounding and playing guitar, and you got it for a DEEP discount over what fair-market value is for a comparable, non-altered-serial-number unit, I'd say you scored! The $ value of your guitar doesn't affect the playability or tone. However, when you go to sell it someday, it may or may not matter to the next buyer.

Post pics and we can be more helpful!

Retro, I will say that the observed discounts of MIRC-refurbished Guilds gets less and less over time. The discount may not be that steep is all I'm saying, and that's par for the course in the used Guild market.

Yes.. you are correct. OVER the original sticker.

Sorry... Been too busy at work.

I will post a picture of the sticker after work this evening and also look for a serial number on the head stock.

.. and thanks for all the great replies!!!!

The Retro Rocker said:

Welcome Don!

I'm guessing that the first 3 numbers are 311. That would indicate an MIRC refurbished or overstock/liquidation unit. Also, a close look at the serial number on the back of the head-stock would reveal that the last 3 numbers have been punched over. May or may not be stamped "Used" on the back of the head-stock.

As stated previously. not necessarily a bad thing, especially for a guitar that is in otherwise good shape, IF the price you paid was fair. I believe that retailers should disclose altered serial number information to all prospective customers previous to the sale. And the units should be priced accordingly.

If it's a great sounding and playing guitar, and you got it for a DEEP discount over what fair-market value is for a comparable, non-altered-serial-number unit, I'd say you scored! The $ value of your guitar doesn't affect the playability or tone. However, when you go to sell it someday, it may or may not matter to the next buyer.

Post pics and we can be more helpful!

Click to expand...

We are all entitled to our opinions Mine is that the longer the time between the original retail sale and "now" the less a refurbished, second, etc. designation matters to current value. Anecdotes seem to bear that out. I am amused by potential buyers who are agonizing over a "second" that might have a finish flaw, but no one has found it, but ignore the buckle rash and other mojo that keep the instrument from being anywhere near factory condition, cosmetically.

Guild almost never let a "second" with a mechanical flaw leave the factory so non-A stock Guilds are more likely to have that designation because of cosmetic issues or because they were sold with limited or no Guild warranty.

fronobulax said:

Guild almost never let a "second" with a mechanical flaw leave the factory so non-A stock Guilds are more likely to have that designation because of cosmetic issues or because they were sold with limited or no Guild warranty.

Click to expand...

Yes, and when you're the second owner a factory warranty is no longer available in any case.

Sticker. Duh. I just noticed it was made in Tacoma, Washington, but I don't know when it was made:




The guitar:



I didn't see any other serial numbers anywhere.

I think you were right, it looks like a MIRC sticker from the searches I did on the internet. For some reason, this kind of bums me out.

But it was advertised as used. Does MIRC do a good job at reconditioning instruments?

williawd1955 said:

Sticker. Duh. I just noticed it was made in Tacoma, Washington, but I don't know when it was made:

The guitar:

I didn't see any other serial numbers anywhere.

I think you were right, it looks like a MIRC sticker from the searches I did on the internet. For some reason, this kind of bums me out.

But it was advertised as used. Does MIRC do a good job at reconditioning instruments?

Click to expand...

I agree MIRC is most likely. I don't think you need to be bummed. No one has ever claimed MIRC does not do a good job of reconditioning Guilds. More importantly we know Guild dumped a lot of A stock from Tacoma for no other reason than they did not want the hassle of selling it through regular channels. So this may be an A stock instrument...

williawd1955 said:

But it was advertised as used. Does MIRC do a good job at reconditioning instruments?

Click to expand...

It should have been advertised as refurbished, and as a result, the price should have been discounted, at least a little. If you're still in contact with the seller, and if you paid the typical full price for a used D55 in excellent condition, you might point this out. If the ad for the guitar said nothing about it being refurbished, I think there's an argument there for false advertising, and you may be able to get the seller to pay you back the discount you should have gotten in the first place (maybe 10%? Hard to say.) If the ad showed the sticker though, you should have known it was refurbished and agreed on a price accordingly.

Nevertheless, it looks like a very nice guitar. Love that abalone rosette. :encouragement: It's hard to say why a particular guitar was sent to MIRC for resale. Often it's just a minor finish flaw. On occasion, even MIRC can't tell why the guitar "didn't pass quality control" at the factory. But regardless, if you ever go to sell the guitar, you'll not be able to get the same price as a non-refurb, theoretically anyway.

I know guys who practially prefer buying refurbs. They typically give you a very good deal, and whatever problem they have is minor, insignificant, and doesn't affect the playability or tone at all. Yeah, MIRC is pretty good at getting a guitar in the best condition they can.

Don, what you have is a Tacoma-era guitar that was sold through MIRC. I think you'll also finded a branded "USED" stamp on the back of the headstock.

There were big issues with these guitars at the end of Tacoma's life in 2008 when Fender sold off the inventory as they closed the doors. The "bad" instruments were, I think, primarily Contemporary Series guitars. I seriously doubt this is one of these.

I'm not sure if we've heard of any "bad" D-55s. Our friend Bill A. on this site got a lemon, but that was fixed under warrantee (i.e., he bought it new from the factory). ACtually it was bandawed and replaced with a New Hartford model. Anyway, I think it's most likely that this guitar had/has a blem somewhere and wasn't worth fixing. If you can spot the blem then you can rest easy because almost certainly that's all it was. I.e., the completed guitar failed QC for visual reasons but was otherwise sound when it left the factory. However, to be fair, there are many possibilities. This may have been put together from parts. That was the major problem with the trainwreck Contemporaries that were sold through MIRC.

In any case, here's the thing... This guitar is 8 years old or more. MIRC's record has been mostly good over the years. If the guitar is solid and meets your expectations, then I wouldn't worry. You can treat it just like any other used guitar.

We would be having a different conversation if this were a "new" guitar, but it's not. Manufacturers warrantee will never apply to this guitar, but that's pretty irrelevant at this stage.