1994 Guild F65CE

[Strumminking]

Hello fellow Guild fans, owners and players.

I just picked up a 1994 Guild F65CE guitar. I love it. It plays, sounds great and has great tone. The dip/bend/curve of the fret board at the 15th fret towards the sound hole is what's weird. It appears to be original, stock and built that way but out of the 30+ guitars I've owned, I have never seen a fret board designed like that. I bought it from a very reputable vintage guitar shop that has been around forever and was told that's the way they were made and I have no reason to doubt them. When you look at it, the way it lays perfectly on the guitar top, down to where it meets up with the oval sound hole and the way the bindings aren't stretched or showing gaps, no separation of seams, etc., etc. I'm thinking it must be the way they were made. Does anyone know about this fret board design on the F65CE? I would greatly appreciate any input. Just to be clear. . .when I say curved or bended or dipped, what I mean is - at the 15th fret, where the action is low and perfect, from there towards the sound hole, the action gets higher and higher and gradually has a string fretboard clearance of 5/16" + -

Thanks!

 

[wileypickett]

Can't be sure without seeing the guitar in person, but the top appears to be collapsing (the guitar was definitely not built this way!) which is something you occasionally see on guitars with cutaways, which have somewhat less structural strength where the neck and body join.

It also looks like the guitar has had a neck reset and the fingerboard extension has had a ramp put under it to maintain the proper neck geometry. And though I can't see the saddle height, I suspect the guitar is on its way to needing another reset, judging by the string height.

I'd take it to a luthier and have it checked out to be sure.

 

[HeyMikey]

What Wileypickett said. That neck decline is not correct.

 

[Strumminking]

Thanks Wileypickett and Hey Mikey for your replies. Damn, this thing plays like butter and stays in tune and then electronics work perfectly but so many unknowns. . . Certainly not my first rodeo buying a vintage Guild but it is my first time buying, holding, playing an F65CE which is one I always wanted to get.