John Denver’s F50R

txbumper57

Enlightened Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
7,577
Reaction score
58
Location
Texas
I thought the artist Award models had 5 piece necks (or maybe more) where as the F50R had a 3 piece neck traditionally. Just spit balling here but does anyone have a photo of the back of the neck on John Denver's F50R to see if it is 3 piece or 5 piece? Then you would know if John's Guitar neck was actually an entire Artist Award neck made for his guitar or a F50R neck with an Artist award shaped headstock. Would be interesting to know for sure. The AA-82 model appears to have a 3 piece neck from the ad link listed earlier in this thread.

Butch I would love to hear and see some photos of that Engelmann and Cocobolo F50R you had made. I love that wood combo on my GSR D50 Cocobolo and what you had made is pretty much my Dream Jumbo.

TX
 
Last edited:

Butch

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
91
Reaction score
12
Location
St. Petersburg
It truly is a work of art. It is absolutely stunning. I had an Augustino dreadnaught built out of that combination of wood and it is an amazing guitar as well. I have always been a jumbo guitar guy so that was when I decided to have the “F50R” built. I did have it modified slightly in that I had Dave Nichols inlay a tree of life in the finger board and head stock veneer, abalone inlay around the top, sound hole and down the back, a clear pick guard, a J200 bridge, and I had the top braces scalloped.
 

txbumper57

Enlightened Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
7,577
Reaction score
58
Location
Texas
It truly is a work of art. It is absolutely stunning. I had an Augustino dreadnaught built out of that combination of wood and it is an amazing guitar as well. I have always been a jumbo guitar guy so that was when I decided to have the “F50R” built. I did have it modified slightly in that I had Dave Nichols inlay a tree of life in the finger board and head stock veneer, abalone inlay around the top, sound hole and down the back, a clear pick guard, a J200 bridge, and I had the top braces scalloped.

Did Dave do all the inlay work or did your builder do the top, soundhole and back? I know you can send Nichols a fretboard and headstock overlay to have them done separate from the guitar itself. I had a pickguard made by him back in the day where he inlaid one of my Bear Claw tattoos on my arm into the base of a pickguard from a photo. He really does amazing work. If you get a chance to post some pics I would love to see it! Also who was your builder if you don't mind me asking?

TX
 

gjmalcyon

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
4,181
Reaction score
2,419
Location
Gloucester County, NJ
Guild Total
13
Visiting this site yielded the following photo:


Still not high-enough resolution to zoom:

7gGjhwyh.jpg
 

gjmalcyon

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
4,181
Reaction score
2,419
Location
Gloucester County, NJ
Guild Total
13
I can see it clearly enough to see it doesn't have the cross-hatching in the cup, it looks like the star's on the cup and that "Artist Award Model" looks italicized (slanted); overall looks more polished than Hans' example

Agree - this is a different headstock than Denver's F50R: I'm noticing the knobs are different.

I was hoping the old "John Denver Guitar Research Site" would be helpful but it is gone, and accessible only via The Wayback Machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20161003152139/http://jdgrs.com/

The last crawl was in October, 2016.
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,790
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
Agree - this is a different headstock than Denver's F50R: I'm noticing the knobs are different.

I was hoping the old "John Denver Guitar Research Site" would be helpful but it is gone, and accessible only via The Wayback Machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20161003152139/http://jdgrs.com/

The last crawl was in October, 2016.

TX's idea of trying to catch a photo of the back of the neck was great, too, but I couldn't find any shots on an image search I just did while you were answering.
And I think he's right, I think an AA's always had 5-pc necks so that could be definitive.
 

SFIV1967

Venerated Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
18,442
Reaction score
8,956
Location
Bavaria / Germany
Guild Total
8
That is an Artist Award headstock from after the 60ies, not JD's guitar (as already noted). It has the Guild G in the vase and you will also notice it has a plastic TRC whereas JD's had a standard 60's metal TRC with the Guild shield on it.

1975 AA with 5 pcs. neck: https://images.reverb.com/image/upl...0,w_1600/v1508181550/w29vcauyh98piqzjpyvo.jpg

1982 AA-82 with 3 pcs. neck: https://images.reverb.com/image/upl...0,w_1600/v1480316904/tojtmdy8mtvl5mllvswx.jpg

So the Grover Imperial tuners on the 1982 AA-82 were not correct as you see when you compare with below pictures.

But here's a pretty good view of the real headstock. You also see the guitar was played well in it's last 15 (?) years. The picture is from the Malibu Club, Young Life Camp in Canada, 1985:

MsPcSHl.jpg

Photo by
Neal Schroeder


10 years before, that one is even better, from Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell (Airdate: September 20, 1975).

show-premiere-airdate-september-20-1975-john-denver-picture-id463674852

Copyright: Photo by Ann Limongello/ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images

And a bit supersized: (Note: The word MODEL is sitting much lower on the inside compared to what Hans posted in post#8, confirming what he said that they were all a bit different)

QLA3jfs.jpg


Another nice one from 1974 or 1975 with Danny Kaye: You even see the label and it looks like AD 418 which would be the last 1969 made one? Well, no, I really can't read the label, just looks like this.

09KAYE3-superJumbo.jpg

Copyright: Everett Collection


I thought the artist Award models had 5 piece necks (or maybe more) where as the F50R had a 3 piece neck traditionally. Just spit balling here but does anyone have a photo of the back of the neck on John Denver's F50R to see if it is 3 piece or 5 piece? Then you would know if John's Guitar neck was actually an entire Artist Award neck made for his guitar or a F50R neck with an Artist award shaped headstock. Would be interesting to know for sure. The AA-82 model appears to have a 3 piece neck from the ad link listed earlier in this thread.
This below picture is from the Tom Jones show (air date January 1, 1971) and shows the F-50 Spec from behind. The guitar was still pretty new at that point. Cleary a 3 pcs. neck.

D4MqvGk.jpg

Source: Getty Images

Same event (with the late Jim Sullivan on the Tom Jones show) from the other side, also here, if you zoom in, enlarge it and play with the light, you see the one strip on the neckheel:
https://media.gettyimages.com/photo...anjohn-denver-picture-id117116387?s=2048x2048

Ralf
 
Last edited:

Butch

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
91
Reaction score
12
Location
St. Petersburg
Wow....Look at the cracks in the top...That probably explains why he stopped touring with it. In retrospect, wouldn’t it have been interesting if a magazine like Guitar Player magazine would have done an interview with him about his guitars and choices of guitars? I don’t know that he was ever given the respect he deserved as a guitarist. I saw an interview with James Burton where he was talking about how good of a guitarist JD actually was.
 

Butch

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
91
Reaction score
12
Location
St. Petersburg
I’ve seen him with an F612 and at least one other Guild 12, but I’m not sure what model it was. It was the one on the cover of Poems and Prayers and Promises.
 

gjmalcyon

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
4,181
Reaction score
2,419
Location
Gloucester County, NJ
Guild Total
13
Last edited:

Seiki Yoshida

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2022
Messages
87
Reaction score
289
Location
japan
Guild Total
12
I m a new member here. Never know this thread existed.
I dont know if anyone still interested in this topic but heres mine.
AA usually has a imperial tuner and 5 pcs neck but mine is 3pcs neck
 

Attachments

  • 20220807_124958.jpg
    20220807_124958.jpg
    242.3 KB · Views: 96
  • 20220807_124925.jpg
    20220807_124925.jpg
    432.1 KB · Views: 106
  • 20220807_124904.jpg
    20220807_124904.jpg
    220.9 KB · Views: 107
  • 20220807_124852.jpg
    20220807_124852.jpg
    306.9 KB · Views: 95

chazmo

Super Moderator
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
25,466
Reaction score
7,126
Location
Central Massachusetts

Seiki Yoshida

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2022
Messages
87
Reaction score
289
Location
japan
Guild Total
12
Seiki, if you look at post: https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/john-denvers-f50r.198896/page-2#post-1839253 You'll see a hi-resolution picture of your guitar's headstock (AA-82). Ralf is saying that those might not be original to the guitar, but I'm just curious when you purchased yours... Anyway, very beautiful guitar, Seiki! Thanks for sharing it with us. And, no, this subject never gets old! :)
Hi Mr. Chazmo.

Forgive me to understand the whole thread flow cuz i m not a native english user😂 takes times to read and understand them.

I purchased this guitar at the local acoustic guitar shop in japan during my road trip of visiting guitar shops and hotsprings.
The master suggested me some brazilian rosewood guitars but i picked up this because i love the bass tone and weight of the old guilds. Not to mention, i fell in love with this head stock logo that i never seen.
The first time i played this guitar, i played major D or major G. The vibration went through my left hand, then the beatles song we can work it out came up in my head and i started think about my future at that time.
If i dont buy this, i surely would be regret.
This is one of the reason my wife doesn't like this guitar
 
Top