Guild F-212 12 String Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1963)
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Guild F-212 Model 12 String Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1963), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # 28049, natural finish, mahogany back, sides and neck; spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a player-grade example of a VERY early Hoboken-built Guild F-212, of the 1960's very best 12-strings. This one is structurally solid but was completely refinished long ago. The back, sides and neck appear to have been stripped before the refin while the top looks to have been sprayed over the original finish. This was a decent job but hardly up to factory standards; the lacquer is thicker than Guild's and has checked heavily over time. The guitar looks a bit scruffy as a result but the good news is it plays well and is not in need of a (difficult and costly) neck reset as many of these are.
This is the earliest example of this model we have seen, with a serial number dating to the end of 1963; the F-212 was not officially introduced until 1964 so this is likely one of the first samples produced. These early F-212's were built with a flat radius fingerboard (like an old Stella!) with no position markers; it does have small side dots. Additionally some of the fittings on this guitar are a variant pattern than the later standard, with a more smoothly shaped rosewood bridge and a tortoise celluloid pickguard in a somewhat different if still distinctively Guild shape. Even the single-layer truss rod cover is subtly different.
The 16" mahogany body and X-braced spruce top combine to produce a warm yet bright sound with a lot of power and plenty of 'ring'. The top and back are triple bound in white/black celluloid; later examples added a couple of more layers. The big wide mahogany neck has a center maple strip lamination, dual truss rods and an unbound rosewood fingerboard. The neck feels somewhat chunkier than later examples but is still quite comfortable.
The F-212 was a world standard acoustic 12-string when new in the 1960s, and still remains so today. It was one of Guild's signature instruments of the decade, associated with many artists of the era and has remained a classic ever since. This very early example is a historically interesting guitar, one of the first ever made and despite the long-ago finish work plays well and has a powerful but still transparent sound.
Overall length is 42 3/4 in. (108.6 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 15/16 in. (49 mm.).
As noted this guitar is completely refinished in an old clear lacquer that was not professionally buffed out. The top appears to have been shot over the original finish while the back, sides, neck and headstock were stripped beforehand, with a slight rounding to some edges. The finish has checked heavily and shows some general wear, mostly dings and dents to the top.
The rosewood bridge appears original, it is a somewhat different shape than the later F-212 style but there is no evidence of that other flanged style ever having been mounted. There are two large Gibson style bolts in the back corners of the bridge; we can't say for sure if these were added later or Guild was taking a page from Gibson's book when first spec'ing out this model. The bolt heads are covered in wood fill on the bridge top, that is almost certainly not original.
The top and sides are crack free, the lower back has a long old grain split that was solidly but sloppily repaired. Internally all is original, the X-bracing is slimmer and the maple bridgeplate is smaller than later examples, the bridgeplate shows pin hole wear in the center. The tortoise celluloid pickguard and Waverly strip tuners remain original, the bridge pins are a mixed lot.
The frets appear either original or a very old period refret and are in excellent playing shape. The guitar plays very well with the typically excellent sound these are known for; despite the refinish this is a livelier sounding example than some. While no longer fully original this guitar makes for a very good gigging example at a much lower price than a clean, original F-212 from this period. It resides in what appears to be the original hard case in solid condition. Overall Very Good Condition.
This is a player-grade example of a VERY early Hoboken-built Guild F-212, of the 1960's very best 12-strings. This one is structurally solid but was completely refinished long ago. The back, sides and neck appear to have been stripped before the refin while the top looks to have been sprayed over the original finish. This was a decent job but hardly up to factory standards; the lacquer is thicker than Guild's and has checked heavily over time. The guitar looks a bit scruffy as a result but the good news is it plays well and is not in need of a (difficult and costly) neck reset as many of these are.
This is the earliest example of this model we have seen, with a serial number dating to the end of 1963; the F-212 was not officially introduced until 1964 so this is likely one of the first samples produced. These early F-212's were built with a flat radius fingerboard (like an old Stella!) with no position markers; it does have small side dots. Additionally some of the fittings on this guitar are a variant pattern than the later standard, with a more smoothly shaped rosewood bridge and a tortoise celluloid pickguard in a somewhat different if still distinctively Guild shape. Even the single-layer truss rod cover is subtly different.
The 16" mahogany body and X-braced spruce top combine to produce a warm yet bright sound with a lot of power and plenty of 'ring'. The top and back are triple bound in white/black celluloid; later examples added a couple of more layers. The big wide mahogany neck has a center maple strip lamination, dual truss rods and an unbound rosewood fingerboard. The neck feels somewhat chunkier than later examples but is still quite comfortable.
The F-212 was a world standard acoustic 12-string when new in the 1960s, and still remains so today. It was one of Guild's signature instruments of the decade, associated with many artists of the era and has remained a classic ever since. This very early example is a historically interesting guitar, one of the first ever made and despite the long-ago finish work plays well and has a powerful but still transparent sound.
Overall length is 42 3/4 in. (108.6 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 15/16 in. (49 mm.).
As noted this guitar is completely refinished in an old clear lacquer that was not professionally buffed out. The top appears to have been shot over the original finish while the back, sides, neck and headstock were stripped beforehand, with a slight rounding to some edges. The finish has checked heavily and shows some general wear, mostly dings and dents to the top.
The rosewood bridge appears original, it is a somewhat different shape than the later F-212 style but there is no evidence of that other flanged style ever having been mounted. There are two large Gibson style bolts in the back corners of the bridge; we can't say for sure if these were added later or Guild was taking a page from Gibson's book when first spec'ing out this model. The bolt heads are covered in wood fill on the bridge top, that is almost certainly not original.
The top and sides are crack free, the lower back has a long old grain split that was solidly but sloppily repaired. Internally all is original, the X-bracing is slimmer and the maple bridgeplate is smaller than later examples, the bridgeplate shows pin hole wear in the center. The tortoise celluloid pickguard and Waverly strip tuners remain original, the bridge pins are a mixed lot.
The frets appear either original or a very old period refret and are in excellent playing shape. The guitar plays very well with the typically excellent sound these are known for; despite the refinish this is a livelier sounding example than some. While no longer fully original this guitar makes for a very good gigging example at a much lower price than a clean, original F-212 from this period. It resides in what appears to be the original hard case in solid condition. Overall Very Good Condition.