1999 d55 w/ 200 yr old rosewood???

[gilded]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... otohosting

Subject line tells the story.
Can somebody look at this auction and tell me what is going on?
Is this a kickin' guitar? Should I buy it?? Should one of you folks??

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Harry: I saw this guitar this morning. IMO, the auction text is nearly all puff. It is very straight-grained RW but probably isn't Braz. It still might be a killer guitar.

Quoting the auction text: "...From all that I could gather from Fender (now owns Guild) this guitar is one of only four manufactured from some very old (200 years old) old Rosewood." The subject of what is/isn't Braz has been extensively threaded here and the credible record indicates no Guild Braz after 1968. If that's correct, then the material to make this/these instruments had to have survived the move to Westerly and employee/officer theft for nearly 30 years sitting in a safe somewhere. The seller is a pawn shop and that shouldn't be overlooked and just for the sake of the argument, is there any reason to think that anyone at Fender answering the phone / email - assuming someone answered it - would have any idea whatsover about (per seller) pre-Fender Guild Braz instruments much less the age of the Braz used? Pretty guitar but the rest of it is hype. cj

 

[chazmo]

The confusion here is probably with the 50th anniversary D-55, which I believe used Brazilian. These were very expensive, and were *not* the model shown in the auction.

ANyway, just a guess.

 

[capnjuan]

The confusion here is probably with the 50th anniversary D-55, which I believe used Brazilian. These were very expensive, and were *not* the model shown in the auction. ANyway, just a guess.

Hi Chazmo: not sure why these 'accidentally-on-purpose' eBay auctions bother me so much. The seller's "...I checked w/ Fender..." language, true or not, provides the sheen of credibility and, at the same time, room to 'fess up if he gets called out: 'FMIC got it wrong', 'I musta misunderstood' whatever.

My impression is that the EIR 'F' models have been running $1,800 - $2,200. If so, then the seller with his $1,500 BIN and large scoop of BS is acting more like he really doesn't know what he has. If this guitar really is a small-batch celebration Braz and, since the seller checked w/ FMIC, why isn't the BIN substantially higher? Strikes me that it could be the real deal but he doesn't know it or, it isn't and he knows that too. 200 year-old wood ............... really? cj

 

[chazmo]

Oh, I totally agree, CJ. The seller has his facts all flubbucked up, and he should be spanked. Unless, of course, he likes that...

 

[capnjuan]

Chances are he does :lol: Coulda been such a straight-forward deal; still might get to $2,500 - can't recall having seen grain that straight on a late-model Guild. Cheers! cj

 

[leinad]

Is this Westerly-built?

 

[capnjuan]

Is this Westerly-built?

Hi Leinad - it is if it's really a 1999. cj

 

[dreadnut]

Interestingly, it is a J-55, not a JF-55, according to the inside label. I don't find the J-55 on the serial number logs.

Hans? Hideglue? Can you shed some light?

(Only one of four built from 200 year old rosewood sounds like a bunch of huckey-puckey to me, not sure where he got his info from...) :?

 

[Graham]

(Only one of four built from 200 year old rosewood sounds like a bunch of huckey-puckey to me, not sure where he got his info from...) :?

Probably one of the questions that can't be confirmed or denied. :shock:

 

[Geeman28]

I don't know where he got his information, it's not brazilian amost certainly. He is using a trick of words - almost all the spruce and EIR used in guitar making is from trees 200 yrs old or more (I beleive it takes that long to grow a descent sized guitar wood tree). The trees maybe be old, but the wood itself is probably EIR, cut who knows when, but probably not too long ago.

 

[West R Lee]

I'll bet it's a plain ol' JF55 Dread. I piddled with a Guild D130 a couple of years ago that was clearly marked D13. I think they occasionally made mistakes on the labels.

West

 

[leinad]

Looks like a Westerly label though you cannot really see what it says

 

[capnjuan]

I'll bet it's a plain ol' JF55 Dread. I piddled with a Guild D130 a couple of years ago that was clearly marked D13. I think they occasionally made mistakes on the labels. West

Hi West; here's a pic from the auction:

Pic of the label - couldn't get it any clearer:

You're right; the guitar generally matches the description of the JF 55 found at page 255 of the Blue Book (2005 ed.); RW / bound neck / abalone but label indicates J55. Could be just a screw-up on the label or, with the very straight-grained back, could even be a one-off/special-order but, whatever .... it's a very pretty guitar ... in spite of the sales hype.

 

[Guilded]

Why can't the wood be from a EIR tree thats 200 years old, Also I don't see where he says its BR.

 

[hansmoust]

Interestingly, it is a J-55, not a JF-55, according to the inside label. I don't find the J-55 on the serial number logs.

Hans? Hideglue? Can you shed some light?

Hello everybody,

It's a regular JF-55 with a sunburst finish from 1998, not 1999. All the 'special wood' talk is B...S...!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[capnjuan]

Why can't the wood be from a EIR tree thats 200 years old, Also I don't see where he says its BR.

Hi Guilded; of course the wood could be from a 200 y/o tree; in fact, there's no reason why it couldn't be from a 300 y/o tree or 400 y/o tree for that matter. The question would be how anybody - Guild, FMIC, or the seller - would really know for a fact how old the wood/tree was? You're right about the Braz; based on the straight-grain, that's something I read into the text.

As ever, thank you Hans;

cj

 

[danerectal]

The question would be how anybody - Guild, FMIC, or the seller - would really know for a fact how old the wood/tree was?

Don't the rings of a tree tell you approximately how old the tree was?

 

[capnjuan]

The question would be how anybody - Guild, FMIC, or the seller - would really know for a fact how old the wood/tree was?

Don't the rings of a tree tell you approximately how old the tree was?

Hi Dane - yes; however counting striations in the grain of guitar woods won't lead to the age of the tree from which the materials were cut. cj

 

[dreadnut]

I doubt many 200+ year old trees have been used to make any recent guitars :lol: