Rick Danko on a Guild F-50
- Thread starter Rambozo96
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Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
He's a man of many notes.
Just watching that was highly instructional.
Just watching that was highly instructional.
jedzep
Senior Member
Yep. He couldn't have found a harder way to play it.
The Band was my first concert ever, 1969, Wollman Rink, Central Park, 2nd row, 2 bucks. Changed my life...and my poor parent's life too.
The Band was my first concert ever, 1969, Wollman Rink, Central Park, 2nd row, 2 bucks. Changed my life...and my poor parent's life too.
musicofanatic
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Seeing that video informed me that I wanted a Guild guitar; more accurately, that I wanted THAT Guild guitar! So, this is my current obsession: an old, drunk-thrashed, sunburst Guild F-body guitar. A Hoboken-made model 50 would be the ideal, but I would accept a model 40 or even the "right" model 30, and even perhaps a Westerly guitar if it met the other criteria. My initial search produced a clean-as-a-cat's-whisker '65 F-30 with a natural top (two strikes against it: too clean and no sunburst) but too good of a deal to pass up, so I have it as trading fodder. I would buy Blake's old '59 F-50 if it wasn't so clean! So if you come across Danko's old scratch box or one like it, I'd be much obliged to get hipped to it!
Guildedagain
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Clean guitars are such a pain.
musicofanatic
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They are if you're like me. Do not loan me your nice, shiny guitars. I can put pick scratches on the top before it's even out of the case. I don't even like having "pristine" guitars in the house. Sometimes I can inflict wear on a guitar just thinking about it.
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It's a '67 F-50Sb that is located on page 105 of Han's book. The picture credit is from Mandolin Brothers, so I assume that it was purchased there by Rick. I've also seen Rick with other Guild flat-tops.
I love those guys. I used to sing Up On Cripple Creek with some guys in the '90s. Trying to match Rick's vocal phrasing and play his bass-lines at the same time was a humbling experience. I finally settled for as close as I could get....
I love those guys. I used to sing Up On Cripple Creek with some guys in the '90s. Trying to match Rick's vocal phrasing and play his bass-lines at the same time was a humbling experience. I finally settled for as close as I could get....
musicofanatic
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I do not have this book, or I would look it up. I wonder if it was clean at the time of Danko's purchase? Those guys debauched SO hard, and the front of that guitar shows it. I figured it was a mid-1960s sunburst f-50 I'm after. Now, to turn one up...!
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Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
Thrill of the chase is half the fun.
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
The photo was taken by me upstairs from the Mandolin Brothers in their photo-booth; the guitar was not for sale there. Rick had that F-50 since it was new or almost new. It is visible in some of the photos that were taken during the recording of 'Music from Big Pink'. (Edit: it was the second album in 1969).
I've seen many photos in which Rick is playing that guitar with a little more wear in each consecutive year.
I took the photo during the first half of the '90s and I believe that video was taken a couple of years after that, not long before Rick died.
Here's a close-up showing some of the wear:
By the way, I played the guitar for a couple of hours. It was a great guitar!
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
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sailingshoes72
Senior Member
Here's one at Mandolin World Headquarters. It appears to be in the type of condition that you prefer.
1967 Guild Navarre F50 SB Guitar
Mandolin World Headquarters...and Guitars! buys, sells, and trades vintage and used Gibson mandolins, Martin, Gibson, Fender, and Gretsch guitars, and other fine stringed instruments.
www.vintagemandolin.com
hansmoust
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sailingshoes72
Senior Member
Thanks Hans. You're right! This F-50 SB has been listed on Charles Johnson's website for a while now. I'm not sure how current the listing is. It does appear that he moved his business to Brandon, Florida since the last time I visited his site.
Westerly Wood
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if you read the color copy on that F50 ad, here is a quote: "Unfortunately, the Westerly Guild's never quite achieved the favored status of those made in Hoboken. "
Well, I might disagree with that dude a bit...
Well, I might disagree with that dude a bit...
fronobulax
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if you read the color copy on that F50 ad, here is a quote: "Unfortunately, the Westerly Guild's never quite achieved the favored status of those made in Hoboken. "
Well, I might disagree with that dude a bit...
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that was maybe written a while ago, perhaps the 1990's?
My observation is that the legendary status of a factory correlates well with how long it operated, with a fudge factor related to specific models since not all factories produced all models.
Rambozo96
Senior Member
I remembered seeing a old pic of Rick with what I presumed to be this very F-50 when it was new.The photo was taken by me upstairs from the Mandolin Brothers in their photo-booth; the guitar was not for sale there. Rick had that F-50 since it was new or almost new. It is visible in some of the photos that were taken during the recording of 'Music from Big Pink'.
I've seen many photos in which Rick is playing that guitar with a little more wear in each consecutive year.
I took the photo during the first half of the '90s and I believe that video was taken a couple of years after that, not long before Rick died.
Here's a close-up showing some of the wear:
By the way, I played the guitar for a couple of hours. It was a great guitar!
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
Rambozo96
Senior Member
I love my Westerly’s. Unfortunately the only Hoboken era Guild I ever had in my hands was a bombed out auditorium sized one with the open book headstock that needed an entire overhaul. This was when I was deciding on if I should retire my Yamaha so I asked the luthier if he had any old Guilds. Went out back and digs out this cracked and beaten late 50’s Guild. Offered it to me for $2500 and he’d fix it up, me being a broke dude in my 20’s there’s no legal way I could swing that kinda cash on a guitar so I passed. I imagine Hoboken era would be nice guitars, just never had one.
sailingshoes72
Senior Member
if you read the color copy on that F50 ad, here is a quote: "Unfortunately, the Westerly Guild's never quite achieved the favored status of those made in Hoboken. "
Well, I might disagree with that dude a bit...
I think that Charles Johnson was referring to the fact that acoustic guitars from the Hoboken factory are generally considered to have a lighter build than ones from the Westerly factory, especially the late 70’s and into the 1980’s.
He is also trying to sell guitars, so it serves his purpose to hype the listed instrument.
musicofanatic
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Yes, I saw that, and it does have a good start on some Danko-wear! As regards the comment, "Unfortunately, the Westerly Guild's never quite achieved the favored status of those made in Hoboken.", I believe he points to the generally lighter build of the 1960s Guilds. Bridges, f'rinstance, on many post '69 Guilds seem to be of twice the mass of 50s/60s issue.
musicofanatic
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More Danko with the F-50. The video is not all Danko, but does feature plenty of footage of him with the guitar.
In other news, I have made inquiries with Charles Johnson about the '67 F-50 he lists. I believe his website is indeed up to date, but I will find out. My main objection to the guitar is the Grovers. I'm not a fan of big ol' clunky looking enclosed tuners. Would they have been original on this guitar? No evidence of it having other tuners in the photos, and I sure have seen a wide variety of tuners on 1960s Guilds.
In other news, I have made inquiries with Charles Johnson about the '67 F-50 he lists. I believe his website is indeed up to date, but I will find out. My main objection to the guitar is the Grovers. I'm not a fan of big ol' clunky looking enclosed tuners. Would they have been original on this guitar? No evidence of it having other tuners in the photos, and I sure have seen a wide variety of tuners on 1960s Guilds.
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