NGD Hoboken F50

Curlington

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Well, howdy fellow LTGers. A few years have passed since I was active here. My playing time dropped off and life interfered yada yada. The gits I have are wonderful, and exceed my ability, so I was satisfied. In the back of my mind, the only addition I would consider acquiring would be a Hoboken F50.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, an acquaintance, and friend of a good friend, acquired one by happenstance, and mentioned it. One thing led to another, and I ended up with it.

It is a beauty. Little pickwear and just a few minor dongs, especially considering the age. The neck has some dings that do not affect my playability. The fretboard, frets, bridge, back and sides all look great. It has the full sound one would expect at a minimum, but not a chorus of angels. I am expecting that a neck reset and some playing time will bring back the angels.

The fretboard is diving into the soundhole, and the saddle is low. There are cracks in the top on either side of the fretboard, and they have been cleated/stabilized. How well? I am not sure. The bridge was reglued recently. The three piece neck separated at some point, a long time ago, it appears. No obvious sign of this being due to impact. There is a seemingly old repair for that separation that shows two plugs on either side of the headstock. A through dowel or bolt/nut, I suppose, to close the separation. So, a bit of a gamble, but I went with the feeling it was meant to be.

I will be pming Hans with the serial number, and hoping Tom can fix me up once the seriously hot weather ends.
Photos at:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wrN4jkEEdkuEhJG38
 

Bonneville88

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That is indeed one beautiful F50 - big congrats and great photos too!
I own a Hoboken-era D35, it's a wonderful guitar, completely changed what
I thought I knew about Guilds.
 

twocorgis

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Good to see you around here stranger! The guitar looks like a beauty, and I'm sure any work that you put into it will be well worth it, especially if Tom does it!
 

ClaytonS15

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Wow that’s beautiful! I’m glad to hear you will be giving it the repairs it deserves to be at its best. I’m sure it will be worth it!
 

davismanLV

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Wow! Love the burst! Welcome back! :encouragement:

Soundboard cracks on each side of the fretboard can indicate neck block movement, which can be a bigger deal than the actual crack. But if you're getting a neck reset anyway, I'm sure that will be checked out to your satisfaction. Congrats!!
 

Curlington

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Thank ye kindly. I will let you know how the refurbishment goes, and try to check in more often. Good to see the regulars keeping the forum outstanding and lively. (Hans' pm inbox is overflowing but I will get him the particulars one way or t'other.)
 

Tico

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Awesome old Guild!

I love those wide and flat frets.
My 1977 D-55 has those but probably not as wide and flat as yours.
I'd guess those are more labor-intensive to refret and get right.



Next, do you know why there is a wood plug in the side of the head?

 

chazmo

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Can't imagine why there's a hole in the side of the headstock. Probably someone tried to cover some damage. Nice git, Curl. Congrats.
 

wileypickett

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Dowels installed through the side of the headstock are usually there to strengthen the headstock after a crack repair.
 

Curlington

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Those plugs are equidistant on either side of the headstock. On further reflection, the most likely explanation is the plugs may be covering holes that were used to clamp the neck to repair the separation. One can see glue residue from where the neck had separated and was glued back together. Not sure how original those wide frets are?
 

Curlington

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Good to know, Mr. wileypickett. Thanks. I can't see any signs of any crack, but a dowel to correct a mere separation seems overkill, and, thinking more about it, it seems doubtful a separation of the three piece neck would occur without some accompanying blunt force trauma.

This is serial AD 24*, 1967-68. I would be interested to know if F50s and other acoustics from that time period generally have the wide frets. I recently discovered my tiny powerful led flashlight, which was perfect for interior examinations, died a corroded battery death. So, I have not gotten a good look in the soundhole to, among other things, see the date stamp. The bridgeplate is likely chewed up, shudder.
 

Rich Cohen

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Fantastic 60s Guild. My '73 F-512 will soon be in Tom's capable hands. The frets on it are wide like those in your pics. Tom is goin' do a refret. I wonder if he should stick with the wide frets?
 

Cougar

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Good looking F50! And yes, gotta love the burst! Ought to be great after a reset!
 

adorshki

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On further reflection, the most likely explanation is the plugs may be covering holes that were used to clamp the neck to repair the separation. One can see glue residue from where the neck had separated and was glued back together.
Wondering if there might even be actual screws under 'em?
Can't see why they'd be needed after simple clamping.
Not sure how original those wide frets are?
Frets look "correct" for that period but suspect they've been dressed down and look flatter than they originally were.
In fact when I was a kid some folks did that right off the bat because it gave a more "electric" feel, closer to the fretboard and easier to bend.
 

Nuuska

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. . .Wondering if there might even be actual screws under 'em? . . .

To check if there is ANY metal in there - remove tuners - test with proximity sensor ( YES - I used to work at Turck Multiprox in MN - www.turck.us ) - but suppose a magnetic stud detector would find iron screws.
 

Rayk

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Cool and welcome back . That has mojo !
Is that the famous cloud bridge ?
 
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