Tom Shipley's 1969 F50 For Sale.

idealassets

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This guitar is advertised for sale on reverb: https://reverb.com/item/6472181-guild-f-50-1969 (Possibly re-listed) I sent a message to the seller and after quite some time I got an answer from the artist himself. He was asking $9,000 + $108 shipping. When I asked the absolute best price, he raised it to $15,000. That must indicate that one of these prices is firm?

I am passing the information on, with the basis that someone else might be interested. It is definately a cool guitar, but I am not an enthusiast in that price range.

This is probably the guitar for sale, and you may remember this song at a time when all that bubble gum music was on the radio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNKL9onYB_8

If anyone on LTG gets this guitar I would just love seeing a few more pic's of it.

-Craig
 
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Westerly Wood

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15k, LOL

imho, that price is more than a toke over the line
 

idealassets

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15k, LOL

imho, that price is more than a toke over the line

Well, yes- the original advertised price of $9K I thought was a few tokes over. So what you are saying is that LOL actually has some real meaning on this one?

Although I am thrilled that I got a personal response from the original artist. But it came after more than a year from when I first emailed about it- if my memory is correct.

Additionally I might add that even when this song first came out I was never even any tokes over the line- after a few crazy driving incidents and other assorted blunders. I'm totally sober and enjoying it today I might add.
 
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walrus

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With marijuana being legalized, there isn't a line to go over any more...

walrus
 

Nuuska

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And to think that Chet Atkins shook hands with me for free . . . :loyal:
 

Westerly Wood

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Although I am thrilled that I got a personal response for free from the original artist. But it came after more than a year from when I first emailed about it- if my memory is correct.

that is cool! again, guitars are worth what you are willing to pay for it, for whatever personal reason. I just have a default response to what I would consider absurdity when it comes to acoustic guitar pricing just cause some artist once played it or owned it. :)
 

HeyMikey

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Maybe the price is so high because it comes with this sexy hand-crocheted green vest, man apron thingy?


 
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idealassets

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I edited out the response about the guitar where his email to me was "for free". I could be found to be sarcastic about that and not necessarily very polite. Really I still think this is a cool guitar, and due to the provenance I respect the owner's original valuation.

No doubt there are not very many extant today with Brazilian RW and the then current technology that went into making them. Still a cool guitar as is.
 
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adorshki

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With marijuana being legalized, there isn't a line to go over any more...

walrus

That tune gagged me from the first time I heard it, anyway.
I think Mr. Shipley's still a few tokes over the line if he thinks it's worth even the $9K, even with provenance that it was the guitar used to make the record.
Now if it was signed maybe that'd be a different story.
And maybe if he threw in a coupla pounds of the weed that was used in the original recording session.
If it hasn't turned to dirt by now.
It just occurred to me, maybe he was stoned (thus the long reply delay) and he thought it was a good joke to bump the counteroffer?
One wonders why he just doesn't auction it off if he thinks it's really gonna pull that much.
 

HeyMikey

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I remember that song. It was a huge hit back in the day and fun as heck to sing. I remember doing it in coffee houses back in college. It would be way cool to have the guitar that recorded it, but not anywhere near that price for me.
 
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idealassets

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That tune gagged me from the first time I heard it, anyway.
I think Mr. Shipley's still a few tokes over the line if he thinks it's worth even the $9K, even with provenance that it was the guitar used to make the record.
Now if it was signed maybe that'd be a different story.
And maybe if he threw in a coupla pounds of the weed that was used in the original recording session.
If it hasn't turned to dirt by now.
It just occurred to me, maybe he was stoned (thus the long reply delay) and he thought it was a good joke to bump the counteroffer?
One wonders why he just doesn't auction it off if he thinks it's really gonna pull that much.
Perhaps the listing on reverb has expired, albeit the date on the email back to me is 08/11/2019. I was just a few days late catching up on about 300 emails. Yes the obvious route to go would be auction it. I can think of no better place than on ebay for that.

However this was all part of the 60's era. What else could you do back then but to place an ad for a listed price? Ah but I also recall buying a perfectly good running VW back then for $75 (with just a little surface rust)..
 
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walrus

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Being in high school and college in the 70's, I remember with fondness when a "toke" meant something sort of sneaky and special. I remember a sort of "fraternity" of people who smoked weed, and the feeling of being somehow dangerous and "criminal" when you did it. So that song was sort of interesting as just using the word "toke" in the chorus meant it was somewhat a subversive song.

Not my favorite song, but I remember it fondly as I thought it was cool that the radio even played it, never mind them performing it on TV!

walrus
 

adorshki

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Perhaps the listing on reverb has expired, albeit the date on the email back to me is 08/11/2019. I was just a few days late catching up on about 300 emails. Yes the obvious route to go would be auction it. I can think of no better place that ebay for that.
Actually I was thinking in terms of one of the higher-end auctions like Bonhams where "celebrity guitars" occasionally surprise us with the selling prices.
One's gotta suspect he investigated that avenue and was unsatisfied with the prospects.
 

adorshki

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Not my favorite song, but I remember it fondly as I thought it was cool that the radio even played it, never mind them performing it on TV!
walrus
Spiro Agnew said the song "...threatens to sap our national strength."
He was right.
But not in the way he intended.
:glee:
 

txbumper57

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This guitar was for sale on Reverb around 2 years ago with the same story and provenance for around $4K IIRC. Not sure why the price jumped to $9-15K since it didn't sell back then at $4k?

TX
 

idealassets

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Well, since we're talking about an F-50 then the only Brazilian rosewood on that guitar would have been in the bridge!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Hans,
OK, you are entirely correct. To be exact I just received another email moments ago from the seller, whom I can only assume is the artist, or is possibly an agent of the artist. He explains that it has maple back and sides. Previuosly I had only seen a frontal view in his sales listing. Additionally every old video I have seen of it showed a "shadowed" view of a darker tone to the sides. But as of today the seller has confirmed that its "maple".

I already told the seller that I would (probably) not be buying, but would gladly share the info amongst my classic Guild enthusiasts.

On a positive note the seller claims that he has been with Jerry Garcia in person, who has recorded songs on this guitar.

Either way on a long shot I emailed the owner hoping to get a best price as a serious buyer for what I assumed was a Braz rosewood guitar. Perhaps he is reading my postings here on LTG, I cannot say for certain.

So my question to LTG today is: what is the coolness factor of this particular guitar now knowing it is a maple F50?

The emails have all stated that it has some nicks, bumps, and wear from many years of playing. Since I have gotten 3 emails in short order the dialogue is apparently still left open for me to make him an offer, however I still do maintain a certain respect of the whole thing since IMO the instrument and history involved is great, and has also come to be iconic apparently by chance and luck alone.

Thank you,
Craig
 
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