1969 Guild F-312 Very Good, Original Hard, $2,195.00
The Guild F-312 has a solid spruce top and solid rosewood back, sides, and neck. This wonderful F-312 guitar was made in the fabled Hoboken plant in 1969, judging from its serial number (AS443) and the Guild website. The 1969 date is significant, because according to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars from 1964 to 1969 the F-312 back and sides were solid Brazilian Rosewood! This particular guitar has dominated lesser instruments for 48 years now, and its resonance will only improve with its new generation of players. Its classic mojo and gorgeous woods make it stand out in any crowd, but it’s the huge sound that will make other players turn around to check it out.
While this guitar’s Brazilian Rosewood body is not highly figured, lots of dramatic figuring usually suggests knottier wood, which is subject to cracking along the curving grains. It is fully bound, top and back, with multi-stripe binding on top, and it has a large tortoise pick guard, a rosewood bridge, and a multi-stripe inlaid rosette. The three-piece mahogany/maple neck supports a 14/20 fret ebony fingerboard with no dot inlays which ends in a blackface headstock with six-per-side chrome tuners and the pearl inlaid Guild name and Chesterfield logo. It is a full-sized dreadnought in a jumbo shape, with a 15 7/8” lower bout width, 5” body depth, and a 25 1/2” scale.
There are some structural and cosmetic issues to report. There is relatively little pick wear or fret wear for a hard-playing 48-year-old guitar, but there are some visible dings and bruises, including some finish chips on the back of the neck. More obviously, there are a number of professionally glued and cleated cracks in the top, one hairline crack in the back, an obvious splice of spruce in the top lower bout, and the bridge is probably a replacement, but none of these expert repairs affect the sound, the structural integrity, or the playability of the guitar. The 6-on-a-strip open tuners are original (as far as I know) and work perfectly, and the action is reasonably low—especially for a 12-string—at 4/32” at the 12th fret low E. All in all, this gorgeous tone monster is ready to rule the world—or at least your local jam.
This is a truly classic instrument, a real Guild, “Made to be Played”, and it has worked hard making music and beating up on banjo and fiddle players for forty-eight years. Its mojo was honestly earned, and its beauty and great sound will make anyone forget a ding or two. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, it will pass into the hands of a player able to make music and turn heads for a generation or two to come.
The included arched-top Guild hard shell case is probably original to this guitar; it is in very good structural condition and fits the F-312 shape perfectly. The hinges and the four latches work well, the plush lining is soft and intact, and it is still solid as a rock. It fits like a glove and is an excellent vintage complement to protect this wonderful vintage guitar.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before bidding.
Thank you for your interest in this excellent and rather rare guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.