1996 Guild JF-30AB Antique Sunburst
This great jumbo guitar was made in the Westerly, Rhode Island, plant in early 1996, confirmed by its serial number (AJ301126) and the Guild website. It was a substantial upgrade from the more common dreadnought D-25, with an MSRP of about $1800--$600 more than the D-25--when it was discontinued in 2003. This particular guitar has been dominating lesser instruments for almost 25 years, and the resonance of its seasoned woods will only improve with each new generation of players. Its classic good looks make it stand out in a crowd, but it’s the huge sound that will make other musicians turn around to check it out.
The Guild JF-30AB (Antique Burst) has a solid spruce top, solid curly maple sides, and a three-piece curly maple neck, while the beautiful flamed maple back is arched for greater projection. The body is fully bound in white, (top and back), and it has a large tortoise pick guard, a rosewood bridge with white black-dot pins, and a multi-stripe inlaid rosette. The 14/20-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlay ends in a contrasting black headstock veneer with three-per-side gold Grover tuners and the pearl inlaid Guild Chesterfield and logo.
As one might expect with a jumbo guitar, this is a large and rather heavy instrument, with a full 17” lower bout and a full body. The sound, however, is not muddy or too heavily weighted toward the bass register; it is extremely well balanced, with a warm, full sound from all the strings, whether strummed in open chords or isolated in lead lines. I have it set up rather low at just under 3/32” at the 12th fret low E to accommodate my amateurish finger-picking, and the action is very fast and comfortable. I suspect it would be even more responsive with heavier strings and a medium pick, and the truss rod works well if you want to tweak it. In addition, it has an end pin jack for a pickup, although I don’t believe that it’s currently hooked up.
HOWEVER, there are a number of cosmetic and structural items to report, as apparently at one time this guitar was “rode hard and put away wet,” as my horsey friends would say. To start with, there is a worn seam in the finish on the back of the neck which could use some light sanding; there is also some finish checking or crazing, and lotsa dings, chips, scratches, and bruises. There is a little visible fret wear in the first few frets, but no buzzing or other issues.
There are also a number of visible glued cracks and other repairs from some time over the last couple of decades, and some of them are not very tidy. The easy one is that the bridge has been re-glued; the funky one is what looks like a neck re-set, including the gluing of several cracks from the end binding to the sound hole. Everything seems solid, and the action is so perfect that I guess they did something right, but at close range the cosmetics of the repair are kinda homely.
Thus, while this is a truly attractive instrument from a few feet away, it is a real Guild, “Made to be Played”, and it has been making music and turning heads for over two decades. I guess we could just call it “player grade” cosmetically, but it certainly plays too powerfully to be dismissed as a “beater.” 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 decades to come.
The included original hard shell case, arched to conform to the guitar it protects, has its share of dents and dings as well. However, the latches still work perfectly, the plush lining is still intact, and structurally it is still solid as a rock. With the Guild logo discreetly displayed on the top, it is the ideal vintage complement for this vintage guitar—and of course offers outstanding protection.
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 made every effort to describe and illustrate this guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy, but I am not a luthier. 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 offering to buy it.
Thank you for your interest in this beautiful vintage Guild guitar.
ALUMPSTER'S GUITARS
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.