No label on a used Guild

[fuman]

I'm interested in a used Guild, but it has no label. It's a later model, so there's no serial number on the headstock. I'm not so concerned about knowing the year or the decrease in value. But I am kind of worried that it might have been stolen. Not due to any circumstances except the missing label. Are there other reasons why there might not be a label? Is this how New Hartford/Tacoma dealt with seconds? Thanks.

 

[fronobulax]

Welcome.

A New Hartford instrument would normally have a label and no stamped serial number. New Hartford seconds and/or "B Stock" typically have had a label with a "B" or some other mark on it. So if a NH instrument lacked a label I would guess one of three things: the label fell out; the label was removed; or the instrument never had a label, perhaps because it was an "employee project".

I'd look for evidence that there was a label but I think you are going to have to trust the seller as to the origin. IMO.

 

[Westerly Wood]

manually deleted...

 

[killdeer43]

WELCOME TO LTG, fuman!
As frono alluded, trusting the seller is a big part of the deal. I bought a nice Epiphone a while back that had the serial number inked out on the label and rudely gouged out on the headstock, but I trusted the seller enough to buy it.

Do you have an idea which model Guild we're talking about?

Joe

 

[fuman]

WELCOME TO LTG, fuman!
As frono alluded, trusting the seller is a big part of the deal. I bought a nice Epiphone a while back that had the serial number inked out on the label and rudely gouged out on the headstock, but I trusted the seller enough to buy it.

Do you have an idea which model Guild we're talking about?

Joe

It's an F-50 Standard.

 

[fronobulax]

It's the serial # not being on the back of the headstock.

A New Hartford instrument would normally have a label and no stamped serial number.

Are you disputing my statement or admitting you post without reading what has gone before or is there some question as to whether the guitar under discussion is New Hartford made?

 

[Westerly Wood]

Are you disputing my statement or admitting you post without reading what has gone before or is there some question as to whether the guitar under discussion is New Hartford made?

I never saw your post before I posted, else I would have not posted. Wish there was a way to delete posts on this forum, I mean my own.

 

[Neal]

For what it's worth, neither New Hartford nor Tacoma Guilds had the serial number stamped on the headstock.

The F-50 Standard was only made at New Hartford, and only between late 2010 and 2014.

The label in my '12 F-50 STD is just to the left of center inside the sound hole (treble side). If it had ever been there, there would still be a round area of glue residue about 2 1/2 inches in diameter where it had been applied. I can't imagine anyone removing it for cosmetic reasons (although there may be some players out there that consider them unsightly and remove them intentionally). And the chances of one that recently applied just falling off are remote, unless the guitar were subjected to high heat/humidity.

I have an '81 D-212 with an arch back that is missing its label (of course, it has the serial number stamped on the back of the headstock, so it can still be identified). Not sure if the laminated back contributes to a label peeling off.

By the way, My F-50 STD is just a wonderful instrument. It has a bass note that you can feel in your chest. Strongly recommended, if you can get some assurance that the one you are looking at is not hot.

Neal

 

[adorshki]

Not sure if the laminated back contributes to a label peeling off.

Nah just a sub-par batch of glue losing all adhesion after drying/crystallizing.
I agree it's hard to conceive of a modern label having just fallen off after such a short time, the glue technology is better these days too.

 

[fretless]

did they stamp any info on the neck block on these?

 

[fronobulax]

did they stamp any info on the neck block on these?

Dunno. But it would be hard to relate to the serial number because in New Hartford they did not assign the serial number until the finished guitar was in final assembly. The ledger records the serial and model information but the ledger I saw had no place to record any number from some other part of the guitar and the person I watched creating the label never looked at any secret or hidden part of the instrument.

 

[fronobulax]

I never saw your post before I posted, else I would have not posted. Wish there was a way to delete posts on this forum, I mean my own.

Users are not allowed to delete their posts, primarily because if the post started a thread there is the question of what to do about the thread. Folks have gone back and edited their posts although I don't advise that. There were a couple of folks who got real angry at LTG and went through and deleted the content of some or all of their posts and when I saw the results I felt like LTG had been vandalized.

I tend to forget when things change. So there is a version of the vBulletin software that tells you if any new posts have been added to a thread before it posts your reply. It lets you review the new material before you submit your post. The convention in several places is that when you realize your post has the same content as one from someone who typed faster you just add "ninja'd" to your text. That means "I know I am repeating what a previous poster said but I am going to post anyway rather than delete the post I just painstakingly crafted". This is a good thing because people who think their posts are being ignored start acting pi$$ed off or angry.

That said, I am not entirely certain this version of vBulletin supports the new material feature. Worth exploring.

For the record, your post repeating what was said came a minute later. There are other posts from three or four hours later that don't seem to acknowledge the difference between providing new information and agreeing with something already posted. Making that distinction is a matter of etiquette but it also enhances the community. There are folks who have a reputation for not reading what other people post and stirring up trouble unnecessarily, as a result.

 

[Westerly Wood]

For the record, your post repeating what was said came a minute later. There are other posts from three or four hours later that don't seem to acknowledge the difference between providing new information and agreeing with something already posted. Making that distinction is a matter of etiquette but it also enhances the community. There are folks who have a reputation for not reading what other people post and stirring up trouble unnecessarily, as a result.

I will make sure to really read everything before I post. I believe that best practice is the best option vs opting for a whole new vbulletin. For the most part, I can self-moderate.

 

[mavuser]

I've seen a NH Guild for sale by a former NH employee that was brand new, it had no sticker and no serial number. Just said Guild on the headstock. Absolutely nothing else anywhere. It was a B54CE Blonde bass and other than lacking a sticker/label and a serial number it was no different than any other B54CE Blonde. I was told this was a B-stock instrument due to a (barely noticeable/essentially non existent ) cosmetic imperfection. It turned into an "employee bonus" when NH closed. They also had a GSR M-85 bass, with more noticeable but still very insignificant cosmetic flaw-which did have a serial number, which I purchased.