Guild F-30 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1965), made in Hoboken, NJ, sunburst top, natural back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck; spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, original brown chipboard case.
The often very fine sounding Guild flattops of the 1960's are surprisingly hard to find these days, despite being a popular choice in their day. This is a 1965 sunburst-top F-30, the midline, mid-size model in Guild's line, above the all mahogany M-20 (famously regarded as the "Nick Drake" guitar) and F-20, the same size and shape with a spruce top. The larger F-30 is more similar to a Martin 000, and is a smooth finger-or-flatpicking guitar with a vibrant midrange sound which works equally well as a strummed chord machine.
The dark reddish-orange sunburst top is a standard catalog finish but in practice less often seen than a plain natural top. The original tuners are openback strip Dutch-made VanGhents of a type rarely seen on American guitars. The instrument dates to early 1965, the peak year of the guitar boom, and shortages at Guild's Hoboken plant may well have been the cause of this hardware choice. Regardless, this is an extremely well-built guitar, much lighter than 1970's Guilds and easily on par with similar size Martin or Gibson offerings from the same era. This example excellently preserved overall, a light and responsive guitar with a fine sound.
Overall length is 40 7/8 in. (103.8 cm.), 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 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.). Very fine overall; some general signs of wear, mostly pick marks at the back end of the (rather short!) pickguard. There are 3 old repaired back cracks and the finish has been polished out a bit over the longer ones; no other visible repairs. The original bridge has been lowered a bit, but still has good height. An excellent player with a strong, crisp sound. Excellent + Condition.
