Ngd: 1973 d44

Tico

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Well not today actually, I inherited this a couple months ago but finally got around to taking pics.
It's chock full of sentimental value as it belonged to my best friend.
She and I played and sang together in high school.
I helped her pick it out in 1973.
We both got cancer recently, but she didn't make it.

It sounds exceptional, even for a 70s Guild.
It has a really crystal-clear voice.
For some recordings I even prefer it to my D-55 and my Martin D-28 Authentic.
It lives with two Guild siblings, a D-55 and an F-212 XL, both 1977.
Tico's "Westerly Collection"!





There's a date stamped on a brace next to the sound hole.
Does anyone know what that C means?
Perhaps it's the initial of a Quality Control inspector.

The below pic was taken with a mirror inside the guitar.
I suspect the date is not when the guitar was completed.
Does anyone know at what stage of the build they got date stamped?



I'm surprised the bridge & fingerboard of a D44 are ebony.
Wasn't ebony reserved for D-50 and up?



The tone of this guitar really sparkles and shimmers ... as does its spruce visually.

I the pic below I counted 44 age rings per inch, for a D-44, I got when it was 44 years old ... actually 45, but who's counting?
Also the spruce has some nice figuring that may not show up on these forum pics.
The ruler is in inches.
The numbers 1 through 9 are tenths of an inch.
So the pic shows 2.1".



I'm sure it's 1973 so it must be from Guild's Westerly RI factory.
Didn't Guild continued to use some old labels till they ran out?
That would explain why this label does not say Westerly, as does my D-55's 1977 label.
But then why doesn't the label say Hoboken, the former factory location?
I cover the last 2 SN digits for privacy.

 
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Tico

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I love Guild's Chesterfield head logo, especially over black.
It has Schaller tuners with Guild's name.



Here's the whole baby.



 
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Tico

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I didn't want the executor to ship it so I made an all-day (each way) road trip to pick it up.
On the way back I stopped at rest areas and parking lots and pulled it out to put it through its paces.
I sat on a curb and played the songs that we both sang or wrote in high school.

Oh no.
Now there's something in my eyes again.

I'll try to post pics of some unusual case candy and associated stories.
 

Rich Cohen

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I have a 1973 F-512 recently acquired. I'll post pics after I get it back from Tom at Jacob's Custom Guitars. He's doing a neck reset, new bridge, refret and fret board radius check, plus cosmetic once over. I'm hoping it will play "like new."
 

Stuball48

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TICO:
Beautiful guitar topped, only, by the friendship you lived with its owner.
Pulling for your cancer to stay under control.
 

richardp69

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I have a 1973 F-512 recently acquired. I'll post pics after I get it back from Tom at Jacob's Custom Guitars. He's doing a neck reset, new bridge, refret and fret board radius check, plus cosmetic once over. I'm hoping it will play "like new."

That geetar sounds a bit familiar Rich. I have a feeling it's going to be quite impressive.
 

walrus

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Great guitar! Wishing you well in your battle, my condolences for losing your friend.

walrus
 

fronobulax

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Nice story. Let me wipe the dust out of my eyes.

1973 and that SN are Westerly. I am going from memory and not Hans' book but 1973 might be late enough that the Westerly labels just said made in USA. Someone with the book at hand will be along to correct me and illuminate you.
 

Cougar

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Beautiful guitar. Thanks for sharing the pics and the story behind it.
 

bobouz

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Yes, that is the correct label for '73.

Beautiful guitar!
 

GardMan

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Beautiful old Guild, with a great story...

A couple things...
First, to my eye, that looks like maple back and sides... the pear wood version of the D-44 was discontinued in '72 or early '73.

Next, in the sound hole pic, under a blurred image of a string, there appears to be an "02" stamped on the label, indicating that the guitar was a second. Likely, it has some very small cosmetic imperfection that required the second label when new, but would be of no consequence in a 45 year old guitar with the bumps and bruises attending nearly half a century of music making.

I have no idea what the "C" before the brace date stamp means... but my D-35 appears to have a "P" just before the Jul 1971 date stamped on its sound hole brace, and my (now departed) D-44 appeared to have an "N" before its Mar 27 1071 date stamped on the sound hole brace. I think I asked Hans Moust about it once, and he did not know the significance.

Lastly... the label in your D-44 was written by the same person who wrote the one in my D-35... same handwriting. Hans might even be able to tell you who it was!

Added: according to Hans' book, ebony bridges were introduced in '73 (prior to that, D-44s had rosewood bridges. Fretboards were ebony...
 
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Tico

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Next, in the sound hole pic, under a blurred image of a string, there appears to be an "02" stamped on the label, indicating that the guitar was a second. Likely, it has some very small cosmetic imperfection that required the second label when new, but would be of no consequence in a 45 year old guitar with the bumps and bruises attending nearly half a century of music making.

I took a close up of the 02 stamped onto the label:



I never noticed that, very observant of you.
You're right, there are two little cosmetic blemishes on the back.
Now I realize those spots were from the factory (not damage after the sale) and the guitar must have been sold as a second.
I hope she got a few bucks off; I don't recall.
We weren't savvy buyers, just two unsupervised teenagers spending her mommy's & daddy's money.

You might not notice them if you didn't look closely but here are macro pics of the blemishes.
I taped a penny to the guitar for scale.
I suspect the first is spilled red stain that they didn't notice till it was dry, but the second one looks like something natural in the wood itself.



 
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Stuball48

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TICO:
I notice your penny is a 1974. I save all my pennies that are made before 1982 as they have a fraction of value over a penny in copper if Treasury Department ever decides to do away with the 1 cent coin. Now, how will I ever recoup the value, I have no idea but I am sure I will profit $1 or $2 for years of saving. Ha
 
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