Guild F-20-NT Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1964), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # 29830, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top; laminated mahogany neck, black tolex hard shell case.
The often very fine sounding Guild flattops of the 1960's can be surprisingly hard to find these days; examples this well preserved are far from common! This guitar is a 1964 natural-top F-20, the smallest body size in the company's line up. The F-20 was the next model up from the all mahogany M-20 (famously regarded as the "Nick Drake" guitar) and is the same size and shape but with a spruce top. This one has the older style "open book" headstock shape with Waverly strip tuners, features which would shortly change in 1965. It is a smooth little finger-or-flatpicking guitar, with a vibrant midrangey sound, and also works very well as a strummed chord machine.
This is an extremely well-built little guitar, much lighter in construction than 1970's Guilds and easily a match in sound for similar Martin offerings from the same era. The guitar has survived with just some light play wear. This is an extremely nice recording or gigging guitar, a good example of one of the nicer small body flat tops of the 1960's
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/16 in. (10.3 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.). This guitar is all original and well preserved overall; there are no repairs or alterations except the bridge has been neatly lowered and there is a small very tightly repaired old pickguard crack in the typical spot under the B string. There are small nicks and dings overall but no large areas of wear. An fine player with a very warm sound, a really nice example of this model. Excellent - Condition.
