Dondoh
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- Mar 12, 2017
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Congrats!
Forgive me for jumping right to business:
I got a sneaking suspicion it's actually gonna be from very late '80'sor early '90's, maybe even around '93-'94 when they went to "AJ55" s/n prefixes for the 6's and "AJ52" for the 12-ers.
Another thing that makes me think that is that labeling errors were much more common then, although most common in mid-to late '80's.
To be fair there was a lot of model-number juggling during that time and sure enough the JF55 was one of those most affected in the transition from the "F50R/F512" nomenclature.
Guild's official list is known to have "glitches", but it might confirm or correct your guess while waiting for Hans's verdict.:
http://guildguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/history_of_your_guild.pdf
Like Sandy said Hans is best source although it's safe to post s/n's here, BUT: I'll bet there's a date stamp visible on the heel block, maybe on one of the beveled edges, so it can be easy to miss unless you look through the soundhole at just the right angle.
Be aware that's just the date the "superstructure' was completed. Typically the guitar itself wasn't completely finished for an where from a couple of weeks to a couple of months after that.
And they dropped the date stamp in '99s or even later, just can't remember for sure at the moment.
The oxidation on the tuning pegs is another thing that makes me suspect older than '00 or '01.
The case does look like a real TKL construction (Guild's OEM maker, and that yellow stitching is very familiar), and the pull tab for the "glovebox" cover is stamped TKL on my Westerly cases, so that'll be a good clue.
The Guild logo was silk-screened on the case in gold ink. On a high-ender like that it would have been the roof-top logo over a G-shield somewhere on the treble side of the lower bout.
It may well have been eradicated from wear over the years, not sure if it's actually easily removed (I'm more concerned with preserving it on mine, LOL!).
Those 12-ers are pretty hard to fit correctly (headstock length) so even if it's not a factory original, if it's an actual TKL that's as close as you're likely to easily get these days.
Cracking around the heel?
Again like Sandy said, a reset's not necessarily a bad thing, but it could simply be a result of finish shrinkage over the years. I think we saw another example of that recently on another member's vintage 12-er.
Apologies I can't remember who it was or if that was actually confirmed, but it looks too "clean" to be the cut needed during a neck removal.
Could be an explanation for the separation at the fretboard binding, too.
The binding cracks could have happened during a re-fret. Can't see too much but the frets look exceptionally clean. On the other hand they also look like Guild's typical immaculate finishing along the edges.
Overall my initial gut reaction to a not-too critical look-over of the pics is that it appears to be in pretty darn good shape for what I suspect is actually a plus-20-year-old guitar.
Did somebody mention taking it in to a reputable shop for an assessment yet? (don't recall if you've mentioned already having a "favorite guy")
Assuming a good bill of health from them and a genuine love of the sound on your part, then price is probably justified..... (I know you didn't mention it, and that's entirely up to you)
:friendly_wink:
You are brilliant!
Even though the serial number is higher than any on the lists (which would make it a 2000 or 2001) I checked the bevel on the heel and it is stamped Nov. 25 1997.
As it happens this it the year I got married so the missus is liking this guitar more!
As for the case, it does have a rubbery pull tab on the accessory door, but it only says "Made in Canada". If there ever was a guild stencil on the top it was expertly removed...
Your comment on the frets reminded me that the first GC guy I talked to said it had been refretted. So again, you're playing at genius level.
I'd love to take it to someone but the person who I'd like to take it to is 3 hours away and very busy. Does anyone know a great acoustic tech near Winston-Salem, NC?