Guild M-20 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1959)
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Item # 7785
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Guild M-20 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1959), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # 1636, dark mahogany finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, black chipboard case.
The M-20 was Guild's least expensive guitar in the 1950s and '60s, but has become one of the company's most sought-after vintage models in recent years. The highly influential English singer/songwriter Nick Drake is known to have played the M-20, and the model is linked in the popular imagination to his legend, but aside from this attribution, the guitar itself has much to recommend it.
A small body all-mahogany guitar, the M-20 has a different tonal character from any other Guild and excels particularly as a fingerpicking instrument. The neck is a round, slightly shallow C profile and very comfortable, somewhat in between typical Martin and Gibson spec.
This M-20 is from a known batch of late-'50s examples with oddly anomalous serial numbers; the second one we have had recently. The short-lived "Ghost" label was a feature of Guild instruments only in the 1959-60 era, but the 4-digit serial number would otherwise suggest 1954. At any rate, this is still an early model and particularly lightly built, especially for a Guild!
A 1950s gold script Guild logo is stenciled on the plain headstock above the small "teardrop" truss rod cover; the tuners are openback Waverly strips with plastic buttons. With a simple, lightly sprayed finish, no binding, and only the plainest inlay, this model has a very austere look but a typically well-rounded, surprisingly powerful, and expansive sound.
This late '50s M-20 is much rarer than the typical 1960s model. A simply lovely little guitar and one of our most requested instruments.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a moderately well-played guitar, but remains all original with some general wear. There are a finish dings and dents overall but no major play wear or finish loss. The back of the neck is worn down in the lower positions, and the edges of the headstock have some worn-away finish while the peghead face has some checking and old moisture damage. There is one repaired top crack off the top edge of the pickguard under the strings; no other crack repair is evident.
The frets have just some very light wear and the bridge and saddle retain a good height, with the saddle recontoured. Just recently set up, this is an exceptionally fine-playing and sounding example. Not the cleanest, but one of the best "giggers" we have ever had. Includes a more recent hard shell case that is slightly oversized. Excellent - Condition.
The M-20 was Guild's least expensive guitar in the 1950s and '60s, but has become one of the company's most sought-after vintage models in recent years. The highly influential English singer/songwriter Nick Drake is known to have played the M-20, and the model is linked in the popular imagination to his legend, but aside from this attribution, the guitar itself has much to recommend it.
A small body all-mahogany guitar, the M-20 has a different tonal character from any other Guild and excels particularly as a fingerpicking instrument. The neck is a round, slightly shallow C profile and very comfortable, somewhat in between typical Martin and Gibson spec.
This M-20 is from a known batch of late-'50s examples with oddly anomalous serial numbers; the second one we have had recently. The short-lived "Ghost" label was a feature of Guild instruments only in the 1959-60 era, but the 4-digit serial number would otherwise suggest 1954. At any rate, this is still an early model and particularly lightly built, especially for a Guild!
A 1950s gold script Guild logo is stenciled on the plain headstock above the small "teardrop" truss rod cover; the tuners are openback Waverly strips with plastic buttons. With a simple, lightly sprayed finish, no binding, and only the plainest inlay, this model has a very austere look but a typically well-rounded, surprisingly powerful, and expansive sound.
This late '50s M-20 is much rarer than the typical 1960s model. A simply lovely little guitar and one of our most requested instruments.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a moderately well-played guitar, but remains all original with some general wear. There are a finish dings and dents overall but no major play wear or finish loss. The back of the neck is worn down in the lower positions, and the edges of the headstock have some worn-away finish while the peghead face has some checking and old moisture damage. There is one repaired top crack off the top edge of the pickguard under the strings; no other crack repair is evident.
The frets have just some very light wear and the bridge and saddle retain a good height, with the saddle recontoured. Just recently set up, this is an exceptionally fine-playing and sounding example. Not the cleanest, but one of the best "giggers" we have ever had. Includes a more recent hard shell case that is slightly oversized. Excellent - Condition.