robbysiegel
Junior Member
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2013
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 21
2000 Westerly-Built F30R Sunburst
Good to Very Good Player Condition
$1200
Hey, folks, I've got a Westerly-built F30R sunburst, serial number AF301098. The build date on the end of the neck is August 18th 2000. I don't need to tell you about the differences between the F30 and the F30R, how uncommon F30R sunbursts are, and how doubly-uncommon Westerly-built F30R sunbursts are (I've searched online and haven't found another one).
I bought it about two years ago, right before the pandemic rolled in. Like many of us, with time to kill and nowhere to go during the pandemic, I went a little overboard buying guitars, and am now making some choices regarding what to keep. When I bought it, it was in rough shape (see below), but I picked it up because I'm a diehard Guild guy, I loved the look and feel, and I thought that, as I'm getting older, I'd transition to a smaller instruments, but I still find myself playing larger resonant guitars (two of the other guitars I bought during the pandemic are a Goodall RS and a beat-up sunburst '74 D55), so I'm considering selling the F30R.
It is a lovely instrument. The rosewood sides and back give the guitar a wonderfully resonant and balanced tone with lots of midrange snap. It sounds great and plays beautifully with no fret buzzing. The neck appears straight, the top appears flat, the bridge isn't lifting, and the intonation is excellent.
The guitar is in good to very good player condition, and with that sunburst top and rosewood sides and back, it's very pretty, but it does have some condition issues.
When I bought it, it needed immediate attention in three main areas. The first was that it had a Bridge Doctor installed in it due to a bowed top. This killed the tone and resonance of the guitar. Second, the neck block had slipped, causing two small cracks on either side of the sound hole where the neck joins the top. Third, due to the first two, the intonation and playability were just awful. Bob ("Yukon") Stubblebine at Stubblebine Lutherie in Somerville MA removed the Bridge Doctor, flattened the top, re-glued and reinforced the neck block, and repaired the cracks, but they're still visible. Stubblebine also installed a compensated bone saddle. The playability and intonation of the guitar are now both excellent, and the saddle has plenty of room for future adjustment.
Prior to my ownership, the guitar developed a crack behind the bridge. The guy I bought it from said that a previous owner stated that it had been professionally repaired. I don't believe that it is cleated underneath. I regard it as superficial, meaning that I don't see it penetrating through or yawning open.
The original individual gold sealed Grover tuners appear to have been replaced with a different set, as you can see the different screw holes on the back of the headstock.
The guitar must have had electronics at some point (it has none now), as two holes on the up-facing part of the side have been professionally filled with ebony plugs. If you look carefully at the strap end pin, you can see that a larger hole for the pickup jack was filled as well.
There's a tiny bit of chipping of the finish in some areas where the binding meets the back of the guitar, but there's absolutely no separation of the binding.
There are assorted scratches on the back if you look carefully.
It comes with what I believe to be the original Guild hardshell case.
I'm thinking $1200 feels like the right number. Yes it has some condition issues, but it looks and plays great. Besides, show me another Westerly-built F30R sunburst. I haven't been able to find one. You can message me, but my LTG account is tied to an ancient email that I rarely look at. If you're interested, the best thing to do is email me at robsiegelmusic@gmail.com. I'll give a 3-day evaluation period and will refund your money if the guitar isn't what you think it should be (you pay return shipping).
I have the guitar advertised locally in Boston (Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace), but obviously you folks know the model better than anyone else. The last time I shipped a guitar (a beautiful 1989 Martin D-18 Special Guitar of the Month I'd owned for nearly 30 years), it got damaged, I got the shaft from the Post Office even though the guitar was fully insured, and I'm still skittish about doing it again, but if someone wants it, I'm sure we can work something out.
Thanks.
--Rob Siegel
(click here for the song about my departed D40)
Good to Very Good Player Condition
$1200
Hey, folks, I've got a Westerly-built F30R sunburst, serial number AF301098. The build date on the end of the neck is August 18th 2000. I don't need to tell you about the differences between the F30 and the F30R, how uncommon F30R sunbursts are, and how doubly-uncommon Westerly-built F30R sunbursts are (I've searched online and haven't found another one).
I bought it about two years ago, right before the pandemic rolled in. Like many of us, with time to kill and nowhere to go during the pandemic, I went a little overboard buying guitars, and am now making some choices regarding what to keep. When I bought it, it was in rough shape (see below), but I picked it up because I'm a diehard Guild guy, I loved the look and feel, and I thought that, as I'm getting older, I'd transition to a smaller instruments, but I still find myself playing larger resonant guitars (two of the other guitars I bought during the pandemic are a Goodall RS and a beat-up sunburst '74 D55), so I'm considering selling the F30R.
It is a lovely instrument. The rosewood sides and back give the guitar a wonderfully resonant and balanced tone with lots of midrange snap. It sounds great and plays beautifully with no fret buzzing. The neck appears straight, the top appears flat, the bridge isn't lifting, and the intonation is excellent.
The guitar is in good to very good player condition, and with that sunburst top and rosewood sides and back, it's very pretty, but it does have some condition issues.
When I bought it, it needed immediate attention in three main areas. The first was that it had a Bridge Doctor installed in it due to a bowed top. This killed the tone and resonance of the guitar. Second, the neck block had slipped, causing two small cracks on either side of the sound hole where the neck joins the top. Third, due to the first two, the intonation and playability were just awful. Bob ("Yukon") Stubblebine at Stubblebine Lutherie in Somerville MA removed the Bridge Doctor, flattened the top, re-glued and reinforced the neck block, and repaired the cracks, but they're still visible. Stubblebine also installed a compensated bone saddle. The playability and intonation of the guitar are now both excellent, and the saddle has plenty of room for future adjustment.
Prior to my ownership, the guitar developed a crack behind the bridge. The guy I bought it from said that a previous owner stated that it had been professionally repaired. I don't believe that it is cleated underneath. I regard it as superficial, meaning that I don't see it penetrating through or yawning open.
The original individual gold sealed Grover tuners appear to have been replaced with a different set, as you can see the different screw holes on the back of the headstock.
The guitar must have had electronics at some point (it has none now), as two holes on the up-facing part of the side have been professionally filled with ebony plugs. If you look carefully at the strap end pin, you can see that a larger hole for the pickup jack was filled as well.
There's a tiny bit of chipping of the finish in some areas where the binding meets the back of the guitar, but there's absolutely no separation of the binding.
There are assorted scratches on the back if you look carefully.
It comes with what I believe to be the original Guild hardshell case.
I'm thinking $1200 feels like the right number. Yes it has some condition issues, but it looks and plays great. Besides, show me another Westerly-built F30R sunburst. I haven't been able to find one. You can message me, but my LTG account is tied to an ancient email that I rarely look at. If you're interested, the best thing to do is email me at robsiegelmusic@gmail.com. I'll give a 3-day evaluation period and will refund your money if the guitar isn't what you think it should be (you pay return shipping).
I have the guitar advertised locally in Boston (Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace), but obviously you folks know the model better than anyone else. The last time I shipped a guitar (a beautiful 1989 Martin D-18 Special Guitar of the Month I'd owned for nearly 30 years), it got damaged, I got the shaft from the Post Office even though the guitar was fully insured, and I'm still skittish about doing it again, but if someone wants it, I'm sure we can work something out.
Thanks.
--Rob Siegel
(click here for the song about my departed D40)
Last edited:
