Hoboken F30 - Worth it?

[jciampa]

Hi Folks,

I am in the process of picking up an F30 for sale locally. This was originally listed for $75, believe it or not, and the seller was open to offers. Someone initially offered $150 and I pushed it to $200 because it needs some work. After sending payment, the seller contacted me in a bit of a panic. I guess that offers were coming in upwards of $1000, which seemed quite high to me, but then again I'm no appraiser. This young woman was a sweetheart and I guess her husband was a bit upset because the guitar was originally purchased by his mother. Feeling bad, she asked if I would be willing to pay a bit more and we settled on $500, which I'm hoping is still a good deal.

Serial number checks out to 1965 and I was told it's been sitting in a closet for many years.

I had her send some additional photos to make sure the neck looked OK. From the pics it looks straight, the action seems good, and there's plenty of saddle height - all good signs. There's about a five inch crack on the back that was poorly repaired (even taped!), and a headstock repair that looks stable. I know I'll have to put some money into it, but I was wondering what some of you might think in terms of anything else it might need. I've attached some photos.

I'm hoping this will be worth restoring to its former glory, as I'd like to give it to my daughter someday when she's old enough.

 

[walrus]

I love it! I think you did nicely for $500! You will need to put some money into but how much is up to you. Others will know more about that than me.

I love the scotch tape over the crack in the back, that is the greatest!

walrus

 

[donnylang]

I’d say that guitar is worth $1000 easily.

 

[HeyMikey]

Send it to Tom Jacobs. He will tell you honestly what it needs and what it does not to play at it's best. And if it needs any work to that headstock repair he is the one you want to fix it right.

 

[jedzep]

That's a nice find, and Hoboken F30s are high on my list of great guitars for a thousand bucks, which is close to what you'll have into it when it's repaired. It may be a tough sell to your daughter, as kids aren't always so appreciative of vintage mojo, and more need an instrument that has EZ playability/action, but you never know about how she may connect to it. Maybe her first guitar can be something new, and one she tries out and picks herself to wet her whistle.

Sorry to see that the Waverly(?) tuners were swapped out, but maybe the seller has them somewhere in the back of a drawer. Original style are fortunately still out there in the vintage market. They should look like the ones below. Also, a photo of the orig ones on my '63.

All the needed repairs I see are within the grasp of experts.

 

[jciampa]

Thanks for the insights. The tuners I'm finding online for this year appear to mostly be this style. Would these be similar?

 

[jedzep]

Guild uses plenty of different ones, so I believe these could be correct for your year. Certainly would line up to that one hole we can see in the peghead. There may even be a matching footprint embedded in the finish.

If you PM me, perhaps I can send you some leads on finding correct ones, and likely some here can offer to turn you on to a set. StewMac sells a version of them in their 'Restoration' line.

 

[Guildedagain]

I usually pass when people turn a sale into an auction, too weird.

I called a guy about a a guitar listed for $375, and he says "I'm up to this much now, how much are you willing to go". Me; Click.

The way I look at it is if you have something listed for $375, and you still have it yet, no one's been willing to shell out $375 to take it off your hands yet, so why in the f would I want to pay more, all sight unseen over the phone.

To me "open to offers means less", not more.

Anytime I start feeling unpleasant about a transaction, I walk away.

Looks like a very well done neck repair, only a madman after your money would try to redo it.

Imagine, the idiocy of removing cheap American tuners to slap on a set of cheap Japan tuners... I believe these are the same ones reviewed by GAD in the SFIII reviews.

At this point the Stew Mac Golden Age tuners are the best bet, and light.

Did it have the original case?

 

[jciampa]

No original case or sign of the original tuners. Thanks for the tip about the Stew Mac replacements; I'll consider those. I do wonder why the originals were replaced for what seem to be inferior ones that are perhaps period-correct.

I understand and agree with your thoughts on the turning of sales-into-auctions. This felt different, though. Clearly she had no knowledge of the value of what she was selling and made an honest mistake ($75). She told me she felt sick once she started getting offers for hundreds more than my offer and I believed her. Offering more felt like the right thing to do and she was willing to take considerably less than what others offered her.

 

[jedzep]

In the field of old guitars in the hands of novice heirs, selective soft-hearted bending of book value negotiations is a good turn that could make the guitar feel better in your arms.

Been there.

 

[Grassdog]

I think you got a fair deal at $500. I second that recommendation to send it to Tom Jacobs. When I see an F-30 of that ilk, I think of Paul Simon.

 

[walrus]

You did the right thing, jc, and still ended up with great deal...

walrus

 

[wileypickett]

This felt different, though. Clearly she had no knowledge of the value of what she was selling and made an honest mistake ($75). She told me she felt sick once she started getting offers for hundreds more than my offer and I believed her. Offering more felt like the right thing to do and she was willing to take considerably less than what others offered her.

I'm with Walrus!

While it's great to stumble upon a stupid crazy deal, it never feels good (or it shouldn't anyway) to take advantage of someone's innocence.

Golden rule, and all.

Kudos to you for doing the right thing.

 

[jciampa]

Thanks everyone. I'll be picking this up tomorrow and will report back. The first order of business is a good cleaning, making sure the existing tuners are proper affixed, and checking for any glaring structural issues (especially that back crack). If all goes well, I'll plan on restringing with some light gauge bronzes to see how it feels and plays.

Thanks for the tips on Mr. Jacobs. I will look into that option. I also have some talented repair experts in my area, so I may head in that direction to avoid shipping.

More soon - John

 

[rampside]

Looks like that was a nice compromise on a fair price for both of you, John. It should be a very satisfying project for you.

 

[mavuser]

looks like a nice F-30 Aragon. i also once paid above asking for a Guild...usually that's a good sign. congrats!