MrBoZiffer
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- Jan 24, 2009
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Even though I haven't been around LTG much lately, I've mentioned this M20 a few times and thought I would make a thread about it.
Here's the story... In the beginning of the fall I decided to go on a major hunt to pick up at least one or two new acoustics to go along with my '58 F20. In doing so I found this obscure listing on ebay for a "Guild Guitar." It had three really crappy pics, no mention of the model name, and very little about condition. All I could derive from the listing was that the seller had this guitar laying around for a while and didn't seem to know much about it. However it was undeniable to me that the guitar in the pictures was an early 60's M20. I could only barely make out the peghead shape and the oval label. It had a really low BIN at around $500.
I knew I should really ask the seller questions, but I also knew that it might not last long. So I did the stupid/risky thing and simply hit BIN. The seller had a good feedback score (although it was mostly video games) so I thought that worst case scenario it might have some problems that could be repaired. At $500 I figured it was worth it.
Soon after I paid the seller emailed me and told me there was a big problem with the guitar. He had failed to mention in the listing that the bridge had separated from the top and the bridge pins actually broke through the top. The saddle had fallen out and there were some stickers on it that were not visible in the pics. I really wish I had saved the listing pics to show how blurry they were. If any of this detail was apparent in the pics I couldn't see it. I just saw a mahogany Guild. :mrgreen:
Anyway, he was very forthright and apologetic, and said he understood if I didn't still want it. I got the impression that he didn't know much about the guitar. He said he would refund my money or do a partial refund so I could have it repaired.
At this point he actually began receiving emails from other M20 hunters (LTGers! :mrgreen: ) who apparently offered him some more money, so he figured it must be somewhat valuable. So I actually told him more about the guitar and it's possible worth, as well as what I thought it might cost to repair... $200 or more. He offered me $100 back if I still wanted it. Since I was already getting a good deal I accepted.
Two or three days later it arrived. It was in the exact condition he had said. The bridge was fine, but was separated from the top. The bridge pins had busted through. It was as if someone had tried to tune up until the strings pulled the bridge up. It was weird... I would have thought the strings would break first. It also had some old Eldery stickers on it. I wish I had taken before pics! I was so busy with work that I just didn't think about it.
I took it to a local luthier. We talked a while about it and even he thought it looked like a strange scenario. After a few weeks with it, he was able to repair it for $175. He found that the bridge plate was broken, so he replaced it with a new one. He said the braces were all fine, which was good news. He sealed up the top cracks and did some minor refinishing to blend everything together. He was able to reuse the original bridge, but cut a new saddle. He got rid of the stickers and dressed the frets a bit. He inserted new pins. The frets could still use a bit of work, but are pretty good overall.
As of now it plays and sounds great. If you know what you're looking for then you can tell it was repaired. He tried to buff the finish a bit so it wasn't so glossy looking and it turned out well. Really he did a wonderful job on it.
While the luthier had it I contemplated what to do with it. I hadn't had a chance to play it yet and figured I wouldn't like it as much as my F20. I figured I'd surely sell it.
Surprisingly, when I got it back I loved it immediately. It really compliments my F20. They almost have counterintuitive properties... the F20 is rich and warm and the M20 is crisp and detailed. But they both have the same great size. :wink:
As of now I'll probably keep it for a while. Maybe I'll sell it down the road, but I'm really enjoying it. It's kind of a double-edged sword though. On one hand, I don't have much money in it so I could possibly sell it for a profit. It's definitely not as desirable as one that has never been repaired, but old M20s are still wanted. On the other hand, I don't have much money in it so I can keep it and not worry about it too much. Not that I would abuse it, but I kind of think to myself that it didn't cost much so why bother selling it if I'm enjoying it this much?
Anyway, that's about it. A link to some pictures is below. Check out the rosewood fretboard. It looks as if that was a discarded piece of RW that they stuck on a budget model. :lol: It's pretty wild looking.
Sorry I'm so verbose, but I've been meaning to post this for a while. I've been busy getting ready to return to school. As evident by the length of this text I'm going back for English. :lol:
http://s563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/mrboziffer/M20/
Here's the story... In the beginning of the fall I decided to go on a major hunt to pick up at least one or two new acoustics to go along with my '58 F20. In doing so I found this obscure listing on ebay for a "Guild Guitar." It had three really crappy pics, no mention of the model name, and very little about condition. All I could derive from the listing was that the seller had this guitar laying around for a while and didn't seem to know much about it. However it was undeniable to me that the guitar in the pictures was an early 60's M20. I could only barely make out the peghead shape and the oval label. It had a really low BIN at around $500.
I knew I should really ask the seller questions, but I also knew that it might not last long. So I did the stupid/risky thing and simply hit BIN. The seller had a good feedback score (although it was mostly video games) so I thought that worst case scenario it might have some problems that could be repaired. At $500 I figured it was worth it.
Soon after I paid the seller emailed me and told me there was a big problem with the guitar. He had failed to mention in the listing that the bridge had separated from the top and the bridge pins actually broke through the top. The saddle had fallen out and there were some stickers on it that were not visible in the pics. I really wish I had saved the listing pics to show how blurry they were. If any of this detail was apparent in the pics I couldn't see it. I just saw a mahogany Guild. :mrgreen:
Anyway, he was very forthright and apologetic, and said he understood if I didn't still want it. I got the impression that he didn't know much about the guitar. He said he would refund my money or do a partial refund so I could have it repaired.
At this point he actually began receiving emails from other M20 hunters (LTGers! :mrgreen: ) who apparently offered him some more money, so he figured it must be somewhat valuable. So I actually told him more about the guitar and it's possible worth, as well as what I thought it might cost to repair... $200 or more. He offered me $100 back if I still wanted it. Since I was already getting a good deal I accepted.
Two or three days later it arrived. It was in the exact condition he had said. The bridge was fine, but was separated from the top. The bridge pins had busted through. It was as if someone had tried to tune up until the strings pulled the bridge up. It was weird... I would have thought the strings would break first. It also had some old Eldery stickers on it. I wish I had taken before pics! I was so busy with work that I just didn't think about it.
I took it to a local luthier. We talked a while about it and even he thought it looked like a strange scenario. After a few weeks with it, he was able to repair it for $175. He found that the bridge plate was broken, so he replaced it with a new one. He said the braces were all fine, which was good news. He sealed up the top cracks and did some minor refinishing to blend everything together. He was able to reuse the original bridge, but cut a new saddle. He got rid of the stickers and dressed the frets a bit. He inserted new pins. The frets could still use a bit of work, but are pretty good overall.
As of now it plays and sounds great. If you know what you're looking for then you can tell it was repaired. He tried to buff the finish a bit so it wasn't so glossy looking and it turned out well. Really he did a wonderful job on it.
While the luthier had it I contemplated what to do with it. I hadn't had a chance to play it yet and figured I wouldn't like it as much as my F20. I figured I'd surely sell it.
Surprisingly, when I got it back I loved it immediately. It really compliments my F20. They almost have counterintuitive properties... the F20 is rich and warm and the M20 is crisp and detailed. But they both have the same great size. :wink:
As of now I'll probably keep it for a while. Maybe I'll sell it down the road, but I'm really enjoying it. It's kind of a double-edged sword though. On one hand, I don't have much money in it so I could possibly sell it for a profit. It's definitely not as desirable as one that has never been repaired, but old M20s are still wanted. On the other hand, I don't have much money in it so I can keep it and not worry about it too much. Not that I would abuse it, but I kind of think to myself that it didn't cost much so why bother selling it if I'm enjoying it this much?
Anyway, that's about it. A link to some pictures is below. Check out the rosewood fretboard. It looks as if that was a discarded piece of RW that they stuck on a budget model. :lol: It's pretty wild looking.
Sorry I'm so verbose, but I've been meaning to post this for a while. I've been busy getting ready to return to school. As evident by the length of this text I'm going back for English. :lol:
http://s563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/mrboziffer/M20/
