1985 F-20 (was 1974)

nightserpent

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Hello!

First time poster here... it looks like I am about to adopt a '74 F-20. I am quite excited, to say the least!

I am new to Guilds and acoustics in general (I've played electrics up to this point). I've read a few online reviews (sounds quite promising), but not enough to give me a solid sense of what this guitar is all about. Is there anything I should know about this guitar? Any advice/tips/concerns?

Thanks in advance!

~Paul
 

nightserpent

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Hello!

First time poster here... it looks like I am about to adopt a '74 F-20. I am quite excited, to say the least!

I am new to Guilds and acoustics in general (I've played electrics up to this point). I've read a few online reviews (sounds quite promising), but not enough to give me a solid sense of what this guitar is all about. Is there anything I should know about this guitar? Any advice/tips/concerns?

Thanks in advance!

~Paul
 

West R Lee

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Hello Paul,

Welcome to the site. I don't own an F model, but I know the guys that do are quite crazy about them. I really don't feel qualified to answer. I do know that the F stands for folk if I'm not mistaken, based on the fact that I do have a JF-30....which stands for jumbo folk. Mine's a maple 12 and I can't say enough about it. It is a beautiful and very loud guitar with unbelievable resonance and sustain.

One of the real acoustic guys will be around shortly to comment I'm sure. Several F-20 owners here.

Again welcome.

West
 

West R Lee

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Hello Paul,

Welcome to the site. I don't own an F model, but I know the guys that do are quite crazy about them. I really don't feel qualified to answer. I do know that the F stands for folk if I'm not mistaken, based on the fact that I do have a JF-30....which stands for jumbo folk. Mine's a maple 12 and I can't say enough about it. It is a beautiful and very loud guitar with unbelievable resonance and sustain.

One of the real acoustic guys will be around shortly to comment I'm sure. Several F-20 owners here.

Again welcome.

West
 

nightserpent

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thanks for the kind welcome, West!

F = folk makes sense, as I read that the f-20 is nicknamed "the troubadour", meaning a singer of folk songs.

I'll reveal a little more of my ignorance with this question... what makes a folk guitar a folk guitar? Is it the sound? the shape??

~Paul
 

nightserpent

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thanks for the kind welcome, West!

F = folk makes sense, as I read that the f-20 is nicknamed "the troubadour", meaning a singer of folk songs.

I'll reveal a little more of my ignorance with this question... what makes a folk guitar a folk guitar? Is it the sound? the shape??

~Paul
 

dklsplace

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Welcome aboard Paul!

One of my students has an F-20 from the early 70's. I know there was a change in scale length at least once & this one is a 25.5" scale. Other than that, I can only say it's a nice piece & I may try to talk her out of it sometime. :wink:

I'm sure there's a "real" explanation of what makes a guitar a folk guitar. In my experience, the "folk" guitars have a pronounced midrange...some say honk...some say sparkle. They seem to project that through a mix better without the assistance of installed pickups.
 

dklsplace

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Welcome aboard Paul!

One of my students has an F-20 from the early 70's. I know there was a change in scale length at least once & this one is a 25.5" scale. Other than that, I can only say it's a nice piece & I may try to talk her out of it sometime. :wink:

I'm sure there's a "real" explanation of what makes a guitar a folk guitar. In my experience, the "folk" guitars have a pronounced midrange...some say honk...some say sparkle. They seem to project that through a mix better without the assistance of installed pickups.
 

nightserpent

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Thanks for your reply, dklsplace!

is honk/sparkle the same thing as 'bright'?

Any theories what the '20' means? It's supposed to be a small guitar, and I haven't noticed any with a lower number. Does it indicate size?

~Paul
 

nightserpent

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Thanks for your reply, dklsplace!

is honk/sparkle the same thing as 'bright'?

Any theories what the '20' means? It's supposed to be a small guitar, and I haven't noticed any with a lower number. Does it indicate size?

~Paul
 

nightserpent

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a slight update....

I grossly misread the serial number chart at Guildsite. :oops: I was looking for 100563 instead of FA100563. That makes it quite a bit younger... 1985! My uncle just looked in the soundhole with a dentist's mirror and saw: "Feb 8, 1985" '85 makes more sense, as he purchased it in the spring of '85.

Not sure if this changes anything... I've heard that like models can vary quite a bit from year to year.
 

nightserpent

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a slight update....

I grossly misread the serial number chart at Guildsite. :oops: I was looking for 100563 instead of FA100563. That makes it quite a bit younger... 1985! My uncle just looked in the soundhole with a dentist's mirror and saw: "Feb 8, 1985" '85 makes more sense, as he purchased it in the spring of '85.

Not sure if this changes anything... I've heard that like models can vary quite a bit from year to year.
 

West R Lee

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Hey Night,

I just thought I'd give you a bit of Guild dating trivia that I would not have known had Hans not have told me. If you're referring to the date stamped in the neck block, that's not the completeion date of the guitar, only a date stamped on the block at some point during assembly.

I know that doesn't help you in precisely dating the finished product, but I thought you might find it interesting.

West
 

West R Lee

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Hey Night,

I just thought I'd give you a bit of Guild dating trivia that I would not have known had Hans not have told me. If you're referring to the date stamped in the neck block, that's not the completeion date of the guitar, only a date stamped on the block at some point during assembly.

I know that doesn't help you in precisely dating the finished product, but I thought you might find it interesting.

West
 
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the "20" in F20

Hans M. may have a better take on the question, but I suspect that the numbers are arbitrary. Starting with the earliest Guild flat-tops through the 1970s (maybe the 80s?), model designations ranged from -20 to -50 according to size and appointments (and price). The letter was a little more meaningful, since the F and D indicated body style and M stood for mahogany. (Though the F covered everything from the 00-style F-20 to the jumbos, so it didn't tell you much without the number.) If anyone can see a correlation of any feature with the numbers, I'd love to hear about it.
 
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the "20" in F20

Hans M. may have a better take on the question, but I suspect that the numbers are arbitrary. Starting with the earliest Guild flat-tops through the 1970s (maybe the 80s?), model designations ranged from -20 to -50 according to size and appointments (and price). The letter was a little more meaningful, since the F and D indicated body style and M stood for mahogany. (Though the F covered everything from the 00-style F-20 to the jumbos, so it didn't tell you much without the number.) If anyone can see a correlation of any feature with the numbers, I'd love to hear about it.
 

nightserpent

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This is quite interesting, thanks for all the input, all!

West- the date my uncle found was somewhere inside the sound hole, it required a mirror for him to see it. Hopefully I will see it first hand within the week and can say exactly where it is affixed. So, now knowing that the date doesn't necessarily pinpoint the day it was made (so I won't have to get it a cake on the exact day), it makes me wonder... roughtly how long do they take to make? Would an '85 be made in Rhode Island?

~Paul
 

nightserpent

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This is quite interesting, thanks for all the input, all!

West- the date my uncle found was somewhere inside the sound hole, it required a mirror for him to see it. Hopefully I will see it first hand within the week and can say exactly where it is affixed. So, now knowing that the date doesn't necessarily pinpoint the day it was made (so I won't have to get it a cake on the exact day), it makes me wonder... roughtly how long do they take to make? Would an '85 be made in Rhode Island?

~Paul
 

West R Lee

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Night,

Yes, an '85 would definitely have been built in Westerly, Rhode Island. When you look inside the sound hole at the tag, you will see Westerly printed on it. A truly great guitar I'm sure. Guild manufactured all guitars in Westerly throughout the 80's and 90's until I think around 2001. I believe production of Guilds began to take place in Westerly in the mid 70's.

West
 

West R Lee

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Night,

Yes, an '85 would definitely have been built in Westerly, Rhode Island. When you look inside the sound hole at the tag, you will see Westerly printed on it. A truly great guitar I'm sure. Guild manufactured all guitars in Westerly throughout the 80's and 90's until I think around 2001. I believe production of Guilds began to take place in Westerly in the mid 70's.

West
 
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