Guild F-20 Troubadour Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1966), made in Hoboken, NJ, sunburst top, dark stained back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck; spruce top, rosewood fingerboard.
The often very fine sounding Guild flattops of the 1960's are surprisingly hard to find these days; examples this well preserved are far from common! This is a 1966 sunburst-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 with a spruce top. This is a smooth little finger-or-flatpicking guitar, with a vibrant midrangey sound, and also works very well as a strummed chord machine.
The bright and unfaded dark reddish-orange sunburst finish seen on this guitar is a standard option but less often seen than a plain natural top. 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. This guitar has survived with no significant damage, repairs or alterations, just light play wear. An extremely nice recording or gigging guitar, a nice example of one of the nicer small body flat tops of the 1960's
Overall length is 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm.), 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/8 in. (10.5 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.). All original and very well preserved; no repairs or alterations except the bridge top appears to have been slightly lowered (very clean job if so) and the saddle is lowered from below. An exceptionally fine player with a very good neck set (not always the case with older Guild flat tops) and an effortless action. Excellent Condition.
