Westerly '73 M20 -- approx value?

davismanLV

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By 1999 in Westerly they'd been making guitars at that particular location 30 years or more. I'm sure they had a pretty good idea what they were doing. This may have been non-traditional but I have faith in their abilities to build a decent little M-20. Y'all are making this sweet little guitar out to be the Anti-Christ or something!!! How DARE that evil little guitar try to sneak in and fool us like that!!! You guys are funny...... :LOL::ROFLMAO::sneaky:
 

AcornHouse

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By 1999 in Westerly they'd been making guitars at that particular location 30 years or more. I'm sure they had a pretty good idea what they were doing. This may have been non-traditional but I have faith in their abilities to build a decent little M-20. Y'all are making this sweet little guitar out to be the Anti-Christ or something!!! How DARE that evil little guitar try to sneak in and fool us like that!!! You guys are funny...... :LOL::ROFLMAO::sneaky:
Not the Anti-Christ, just a minor Daemon.
Have you ever seen a top like this on a Guild acoustic, Tom? Ever? ALL of them have straight grain. Same goes for all of the other big builders (and small). This is an anomaly.
I’d like to hear from some of the former workers. This is also around the time when they are getting ready to move.
And when I say it will cause problems, I’m not talking about spectacular destruction, I’m talking about loose braces and other glue failures caused by minute movements.

Do we know who was in charge of quality control at the time? Would this have passed muster? (Most builders would reject this top at first glance.) Remember, this was still at a time when bearclaw tops were routinely rejected. Even the pic from the ‘99 ad shows straight quartersawn grain.
 

davismanLV

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Chris, are you saying you'd like to speak with a manager?? Because if you do, I have a Karen wig that'll get you attention IMMEDIATELY!!!

Speak to a mgr 2.jpg
 

Sal

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I remember things that didn't happen. But I remember a story on LTG about an instrument that spontaneously "exploded". Something like it had been in a case in a closet, the case was removed, opened and there were sounds and case full of guitar pieces. I think it was a '60's era -20 sized Guild.
I remember that story too. I remember it because it was a rare M-30. But I'm not certain of the owner, was it "L.A. ... something ..."
 

SFIV1967

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This is also around the time when they are getting ready to move.
Not really...Guild moved end of 2001. So that guitar was made at least 2 years earlier.

So what about that Gibson L-5? Bad guitar due to flat sawn wood used?

1599566603717.png


Ralf
 
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AcornHouse

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Not really...Guild moved end of 2001. So that guitar was made at least 2 years earlier.

So what about that Gibson L-5? Bad guitar due to flat sawn wood used?

1599566603717.png


Ralf
Is that a solid carved back, or a laminate? I’d guess laminate, in which case it doesn’t matter.

Also, in the case of a carved archtop back, there’s no bracing to come loose. But, that looks like a veneer. Rare to find a one piece solid back that size.
 
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Antney

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Apparently Rickenbacker was engaging in the same rebellious wood movement practices in the late 60s...no wonder the Beatles used them
D7C7E5C9-2555-4C78-A2F5-48AC436847FA.jpeg
BACA3F58-4448-40B8-A34D-296BC199BDAF.jpeg
 

SFIV1967

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Is that a solid carved back, or a laminate? I’d guess laminate, in which case it doesn’t matter. Also, in the case of a carved archtop back, there’s no bracing to come loose. But, that looks like a veneer. Rare to find a one piece solid back that size.
Agreed on the stability if laminated. That Gibson L-5 CES with S/N: 82973003, dating to October 24 1983, is one of the last Gibson guitars built in Kalamazoo. It has a carved spruce top and a carved maple back according to the seller: https://www.12fret.com/sold/1983-gibson-l-5-ces-archtop/ But yes, no bracing to come loose.
Ralf
 

Antney

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Again, that’s a laminate.
Again, it’s not. I ought to know, I’ve been the only owner of this rare bird for over 50 years. Some luthiers use different techniques to reach different goals. Read below...it’s solid maple, and plays and sounds like one. Great guitar to lay down acoustic backing or a scratch track unplugged.
DADF1350-6A46-409E-9709-3007FBBC670E.jpeg
 

AcornHouse

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Again, it’s not. I ought to know, I’ve been the only owner of this rare bird for over 50 years. Some luthiers use different techniques to reach different goals. Read below...it’s solid maple, and plays and sounds like one. Great guitar to lay down acoustic backing or a scratch track unplugged.
DADF1350-6A46-409E-9709-3007FBBC670E.jpeg
Then it still follows my original point, since there are no braces to come unstuck due to wood movement.

I‘m not agueing aesthetics or accepted tradition to “rebel” against, I’m just stating basic wood movement grounded in the nature of the material. And the fact that no other Guild acoustic is built with that type of wood orientation. I’m not talking about electrics or archtops or anything else, just the way acoustics aren’t braced and what wood movement does to glue joint that don’t respect that movement. Which makes the original example a curious conundrum.
 

Guildedagain

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It's extremely unusual to the point of bizarre, should be bought as a conservation piece. The there's the whole Rorschach thing what the hell is it, does it remind you of Dolly Parton oops did I just go too far but anyway, it is very visual as well as unique.

It is bookmatched, there's no doubt about that.

The Cathedral effect is often used to denote a one piece body, like on a Swamp Ash Tele, and I'm a big fan. But a bookmatched flatsawn top is maybe a little too much of a good thing.
 
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