NGD: Guild M-20 (1958?)

JethroTech

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About a year ago I bought a 1974 Guild F-20 and I quickly fell in love with that little guitar. The F-20 is extremely resonant with "sustain for days" and a tone that sits somewhere right in that super vague land between mellow and bright.

And now this gem arrived on my doorstep yesterday. I'm told that it's a 1958 Guild M-20. Tone-wise, it's much brighter than the F-20 and I'm actually surprised (in a good way) at the chunkiness of the neck. It's thicker than the F-20 but I find both quite comfortable.

Anyway, I hope to spend a lazy Sunday on my couch switching back and forth between the 2. Happy Sunday to all, and good pickin'. (I need to figure out the picture links.)

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AcornHouse

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About a year ago I bought a 1974 Guild F-20 and I quickly fell in love with that little guitar. The F-20 is extremely resonant with "sustain for days" and a tone that sits somewhere right in that super vague land between mellow and bright.

And now this gem arrived on my doorstep yesterday. I'm told that it's a 1958 Guild M-20. Tone-wise, it's much brighter than the F-20 and I'm actually surprised (in a good way) at the chunkiness of the neck. It's thicker than the F-20 but I find both quite comfortable.
Welcome to the M+F20 club! I’m jealous of your ghost label. Interesting to see the mill marks on the inside of the back; nowadays, a lot of boutique builders are so concerned with finishing inside the box, but I’m still not sold on any sonic benefits.

I think what makes the M20 sound brighter, is the way the mahogany top resonates and which overtones predominate. I hear it as a purer sound, with a very strong fundamental pitch, while the F20’s spruce top allows more of the upper overtones through, giving it a warmer tone.

I should really do some detailed analysis sometime on it. *thinking*
 
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Rayk

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Wow how cool ! Even the saw marks in the wood pure awesomeness! :)
 

walrus

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Love it! A birth year for me, but your guitar is in better condition!

walrus
 

mavuser

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very nice, congrats and enjoy! that ghost label would put it right in 1959. If they left one digit (zero) out of the serial number it would also be 1959 (10098 or 10980 instead of 1098).

is there a serial number on the back of the head?
 

JethroTech

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very nice, congrats and enjoy! that ghost label would put it right in 1959. If they left one digit (zero) out of the serial number it would also be 1959 (10098 or 10980 instead of 1098).

is there a serial number on the back of the head?

Hi, No—no serial on the headstock on this one. Just the 4-digits written on the label.
 

mavuser

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Cool! Surprised a mahogany top is brighter than spruce.

I agree with this comment, any time I see someone say their mahogany top is louder or brighter than their spruce top twin (M-20/F-20, D-25 flat mahogany/D-35&40...), I attribute it to different strings or possibly simply brand new strings.

I have played them all, I'm no professional musician but all things equal, the mahogany top is warmer, mellower, sweeter, just a quieter guitar than the spruce top- seemingly, that is the whole point...and the reason M-20s are in such high demand these days (in conbonation with the M-20s other features such as size, scale etc...).

Mahogany top D-25s are popular too, theres just a lot of them out there, and demand is a touch lower than the M-20. but people jump on those too. D-35s at the same price just sit online, it seems, with little interest.

My guess is that since spruce is a soft wood, and mahogany is a hard wood, that all things equal the spruce top should be a lot louder and brighter (more movement and vibration response from the soundboard, than mahogany). A hardwood would respond less to the same variables than spruce, creating a mellower, warmer tone, *is my guess.
 

mavuser

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and Hans thanks for the info as always!! which particular time period are you referring to? 1959? that serial number is whakked
 

JethroTech

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Thank you for all the comments so far. Hans, your knowledge and wisdom is always appreciated :) Also, Mavuser. Yes--I agree that it could be nothing more than a difference in strings. It just arrived yesterday and I have no idea what strings the previous owner has own it. I was just offering my initial impression. When I have some free time later this week I'm going to re-string both at the same time, same strings and then compare.

In the meantime, The 20s...
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poser

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Oh man, those are two beautiful guitars. I'm very jealous. :love-struck:
 
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