1968 Guild® MARK III Very Good, Original Soft, $695.00
According to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, the Guild Mark III classical guitar was manufactured from 1961 to 1986. Gruhn’s Guide and Vintage Guitar Price Guide basically agree, although there is some disagreement as to specific features. Like most classical guitars, it’s smaller than the dreadnought or jumbo series, measuring 14 ½” at the lower bout, with a scale of 25 ½.” Like its rival, the Gibson C-100, it may have been designed more for the coffee house of the 1960s folk music scene or classical performance than for the blue grass stage. However, it still has enough carrying power for anybody and is a beautiful example of Guild craftsmanship.
The Mark III features a solid spruce top with mahogany back, sides, and three-piece neck in a polished gloss natural finish, a rosewood wrap-around bridge, and a 12/19-fret rosewood finger board. It has an ornate patterned rosette and full three-ply binding on both the top and the back. The slotted classical headstock has no logo, but its rosewood overlay is set off beautifully by the pearloid buttons on the open nickel tuners. The serial number (CC 1158), displayed clearly on the label, dates this example as 1968.
After 49 years of making music, there are remarkably few cosmetic and structural concerns: there is a bit of crazing or cracking in the finish of the top, but no visible cracks anywhere. There are a couple of dings, one on the corner of the headstock and another in the bottom side, but it still looks and plays like a well cared-for guitar of about a quarter of its age.
The action is fine, there is virtually no wear at the frets (presumably due to its nylon strings), the neck is straight, the top is flat, and of course playing music for 49 years has made that Guild sound even better, more resonant, and more powerful. Despite its beautiful condition, this guitar is not for a collector to put in a museum; this is a player’s guitar, and I sincerely hope that its next owner is someone who will play it well and often.
The case appears to be the original chip board case, which fits this guitar’s dimensions perfectly. It is of course in solid shape, inside and out (except for what looks like some chewing on the top edge), with a nice gold plush interior and hardware which functions perfectly. The handle is solid, and it affords authentic vintage protection for this fine vintage guitar.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower forty-eight 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 vintage 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 offering to buy it.
Thank you for your interest in this fine vintage Guild 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.