Help!!!

bluevoodo

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Hello All!

I sure would appreciate any thoughts on what might be my next guitar.

I'm seriously considering an F47 MCE, appears to be in remarkably excellent condition,
especially since it's a 2002 model from the last of the Westerly days.

Does anybody have experience with these, and might know the difference between the
F47MCE and the F47R's? I'm thinking Mahogany vs Rosewood somewhere.

I have a Westerly Bluesbird that I wouldn't trade for any LP on the planet. This would
be my first Guild acoustic electric, and I'm selling my Takamine Sant Fe to get it.

Great site and great people here!

Thanks!
Jerry
Central NC
 
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Cougar

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....it's a 2002 model from the last of the Westerly days.

In 2002 Guild was in Corona. Not that there's anything wrong with that. My Corona-built JF30-12 is spectacular.
 
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dapmdave

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In my opinion, the F-47 is one of the best 6-string guitars ever made by Guild. As far as the maple vs. rosewood thing is concerned, it's a question of your personal preference for tone. Maple (F-47 M or MCE) is going to be somewhat brighter and maybe a bit more focused, while rosewood (F-47 R or RCE) will be richer and more laden with overtones.

But either one would be a great guitar and I wouldn't worry too much about which factory made it. If it's clean and undamaged, and it suits you then give it a go.

I don't own one, but my DD-6 is very closely based on the F-47.
 

swiveltung

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Do some research on nut widths, Guilds vary a lot and certain years are quite narrow.
 

adorshki

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Do some research on nut widths, Guilds vary a lot and certain years are quite narrow.

I think that's going to be more according to model than year of manufacture.
In any given year there were always at least the 1-11/16 and 1-5/8 depending on what guitar and scale length neck was on it.**
What throws us off is when we find guitars with a width that wasn't standard for that instrument.
Like G37's with a 1-5/8" nut.
Or DV-types from '93-94 with 1-3/4 nuts.
Fender era (post '95) nuts were pretty consistently on spec, and a 2002 F47MCE should have a 1-11/16 nut:
http://www.westerlyguildguitars.com/guitars/f47mce.html
Actually, as Cougar said, a 2002 would be a Corona, but I'm not sure they actually made the maple body F47Mce's in Corona although I know for sure they did the rosewood F47RCE's. (Plain" F47" was the 'hog body)
The s/n will be a tell, they used a Corona-specific prefix, also, a Corona will have a made in Corona label.
A Westerly built will have a Westerly label.
Westerly stopped new production in late summer '01 and just finished up what was in process while Corona was ramping up, and first "official model year" for Corona acoustics was 2002.
And like others said, don't let a Corona build hold you back.
They didn't get no resect for a L-o-o-ong time, but they just needed to age a little to really open up, if my D40's any indicator.
I've recently acquired F40-based GAS myself, because my F65ce's based on the same outline, but it's one of those models with the narrow 1-5/8 nut Swiveltung was warning about.

**And allowing for variation that may have occurred due to Westerly's practice of giving every neck its final shaping by hand.
 
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Rich Cohen

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I owned a 2012 New Hartford F-47MCE. I traded it for a 1975 F212XL, and have always regretted doing so. Not that I didn't enjoy the F-212XL (though it's now sold also). IT had the DTAR sound pickup. I'm back in business with a 2012 New Hartford GSR F-47KCE also with DTAR and really like it a lot. Koa is somewhere between rosewood and maple. I agree with dapmdave that the F-47 (grand orchestra size) is one of the most versatile acoustic models Guild has made.

RC
 

bluevoodo

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Cougar-
The label in the soundhole on this guitar says it was made in Washington.
 

txbumper57

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Cougar-
The label in the soundhole on this guitar says it was made in Washington.

That would make it a 2005-2008 model made in Tacoma Washington. Those are great Guitars. The year of manufacture will coincide with the second letter in the serial number. The first letter should be "T" for the Tacoma Washington Plant. The second letter is the year as follows.

I=2005
J=2006
K=2007
L=2008

The next 3 digits are the day of the year according to the Julian calendar for the year that the guitar was made and the last 3 digits tells the number of the guitar finished that day.

For example a serial number such as "TL023001" would mean that the guitar was built in Tacoma Washington on January 23, 2008 and was the first guitar produced that day.

Hope you enjoy it as the Tacoma Guilds are some special instruments much like the New Hartford made Guilds that followed between 2009-2014.

TX
 

bluevoodo

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Thanks for all the help from you guys!
I ended up getting the '02 F47mce made in Corona, and I think
I made the right call. Beautiful condition.
 

adorshki

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Thanks for all the help from you guys!
I ended up getting the '02 F47mce made in Corona, and I think
I made the right call. Beautiful condition.

Congrats!
But I thought the label said "Washington" which makes it a Tacoma build?
Were there actually 2 different guitars under consideration or was "Corona" just a typo?
Also nobody here will believe it happened until we see pics.
Even me and usually I'm kinda indifferent, but I recently converted to F40 acolyte.
:biggrin-new:
 

gjmalcyon

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I have two Tacoma-built Guilds: A DV-6 rosewood dreadnought, and an F-47R rosewood and they are both very well built and wonderful-sounding instruments. If that's what you ended up with, you did good.
 

bluevoodo

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You're right, I think I may have forgotten to mention that I was considering
2 of them. One was Tacoma and the other was Corolla. '06 vs '02. Went for
the older one. I've got an older Bluesbird, and it's a great guitar. I'll never let it go.
 

adorshki

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You're right, I think I may have forgotten to mention that I was considering
2 of them. One was Tacoma and the other was Corolla. '06 vs '02. Went for
the older one. I've got an older Bluesbird, and it's a great guitar. I'll never let it go.

Ya gotta turn off that pesky ol' auto-correct, buddy.
:glee:
I got a Corona D40 myself, and although it took a l-o-o-ng time to find its voice, I always said the build quality was at least equal to my 2 Westerlys and the finish was actually better.
They're only finally starting to get some respect in the last couple of years around here, but I think there's still a general perception in the market that Coronas are sub-par quality.
BAsed on Fender liquidating a bunch without warranty at close of Corona.
And I would love to see pics of a Corona F47Mce.
It'd be like the first cousin to my F65ce.
 
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