About my f55e all koa

[richt54]

Furst ever pist.

i would be too. But it wouldn’t be the “furst”time. But for only $500 and you seem to like it. So I wouldn’t be too pist.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.

 

[Mark Hollowell]

Ha. Just caught those typos. Was supposed to be first ever post. Ha. I have had 9 recent strokes in my eyes. Had to read black letters on white. Hard to see my keyboard. Do my best to keep typos down.

 

[chazmo]

In any case, welcome aboard, Mark. I hope your eyes get better soon.

If you ever choose to sell that guitar, please don't feed the next person a line of bull like the person that sold it to you. Now that you're an LTG member, you know better. Best answer is to keep it and enjoy it.

When you have an opportunity, make sure to take it and play a real Guild jumbo. They're worth every penny.

As a matter of fact, Mark, take a look at RichardP's listing for an AF-412 here:

FS - Guild AF 412

$600 shipped to anywhere East of the Mississippi. Add $50 shipping premium if West. I'd prefer Personal Check or Postal Money Order but can accept PayPal on this one if needed. If you go the PayPal route add another 3% for PayPal fees. This is a MIM Guild It's actually a pretty nice guitar and...

letstalkguild.com

This is a real Guild, extremely rare since it was built in Mexico under Fender, and follows the template of Guild's iconic F-412.

 

[Seiki Yoshida]

changing a subject a bit.
i know a chinese guy who belongs to NIKE factory in china. the guy makes NIKE shoes in official his work times.
but he and his colleagues make very same NIKE after their work time.

during their own task, they make official NIKE shoes. but also after non-official time, they make same NIKE shoes and sell them as NIKE on internet because quality is same.

guild has china factory or other countries. wherever the guitar created, quality is same as long as the craft man is same....
hope this infor helps you.

 

[Cougar]

If I keep it in this absolutely like new condition, were I to sell it, I’ll likely get my money back and then some.

I expect so. Nothing wrong with selling it as a "Guild copy" -- a really good one in excellent condition, etc.

 

[Cougar]

...I have had 9 recent strokes in my eyes....

Nine! Jeez! As "luck" would have it, I fairly recently had an "eye stroke." So about a quarter of the vision in my right eye is "blind spot." Kinda sucks, but there's nothing to be done about it. Fortunately there are lots of things that partial blindness doesn't really hinder, like playing guitar!

 

[Mark Hollowell]

Hello Mark,
I describe it? I was told Guild buil

Nine! Jeez! As "luck" would have it, I fairly recently had an "eye stroke." So about a quarter of the vision in my right eye is "blind spot." Kinda sucks, but there's nothing to be done about it. Fortunately there are lots of things that partial blindness doesn't really hinder, like playing guitar!

My strokes have been diagnosed as non-artetic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Many vision issues with it. But still wrote songs and play guitar.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

guild has china factory or other countries. wherever the guitar created, quality is same as long as the craft man is same....
hope this infor helps you.

Probably not the situation as this doesn't look like a China Guild.

 

[fronobulax]

Probably not the situation as this doesn't look like a China Guild.

To elaborate, we make a distinction between instruments that legally used logos, trademarks and other intellectual property belonging to what I will call "Guild USA" and instruments that use the intellectual property without permission from Guild USA. The easy question is who gets the money when it is sold as new?

The instruments under discussion do not have enough similarities to the instruments made under contract to Guild to support a hypothesis of an "employee build".

We are definitely in an area where international laws differ, because I am sure the company that made the "Koa Guild" was not breaking any Chinese laws or violating any treaties. The Nike employee would probably be accused of counterfeiting or theft if they did that in the US.

 

[Mark Hollowell]

To elaborate, we make a distinction between instruments that legally used logos, trademarks and other intellectual property belonging to what I will call "Guild USA" and instruments that use the intellectual property without permission from Guild USA. The easy question is who gets the money when it is sold as new?

The instruments under discussion do not have enough similarities to the instruments made under contract to Guild to support a hypothesis of an "employee build".

We are definitely in an area where international laws differ, because I am sure the company that made the "Koa Guild" was not breaking any Chinese laws or violating any treaties. The Nike employee would probably be accused of counterfeiting or theft if they did that in the US.

To any and all following…Would it help at all if I list exactly what it does and does not have and post close up pics? Is it possible the sticker with serial number cane off? You know, the fact that I have not found a twin f55 e all koa MIGHT strengthen the argument that the story passed to me might be plausible. No? I just want to know with a bit more confidence either way. Not at all in denial.

 

[Mark Hollowell]

Probably not the situation as this doesn't look like a China Guild.

What then?

 

[Mark Hollowell]

iCloud

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share.icloud.com

 

[Mark Hollowell]

Here are all details

F55e

All koa

-7.25” lower bout

1 11/16 nut

Bone nut

Bone saddle

Ebony or mahogany fret board?

Same for bridge

Raised letters and logo on head stock

Abalone and MOP vblock inlays.

Abalone fret markers, rosette.

Black and white striped with cream binding.

White pins with black center dots.

Black a d cream this checkered like line down back center.

True gold Grover tuners

Tortoise shell pick guard

Cannot locate a twin anywhere.

Year unknown.

Gloss finish.

Heavy guitar.

The story passed to me is that an artist was rewarded by Guild with two of the original Guild USA prototypes. They had been originally US built and sent to China to see if they could build them en mass for under $2k. Supposedly they built 5-6. They could not build them for that price. This guitar is either one of the US or one of the China builds.

No label

No visible serial number inside or on headstock.

 

[chazmo]

Mark, forgive me, but many of us take this counterfeit business rather seriously.

Please read this thread from beginning to end:

Koa F 512

Even though it's not a "real" Guild, if you got it for $250 and it sounds great and it's got electronics AND it looks great, then what a deal!! It would only be a bad thing if you paid "real Guild" money for it. I like the way it looks!! It doesn't have electronics but I'm planning to adapt...

letstalkguild.com

And, the counterfeit importer appears to be this company, which somehow Guild has not acted against yet. Fender would've shut these guys down right away:

12 String Jumbo Electric Acoustic Guitar-Vintage-Koa Wood-Custom

Jumbo F50 VINTAGE style guitar 12 string model natural koa wood gloss finishing koa wood top, back and side mahogany wood neck rosewood fretboard white pearl /abalone bone nut and saddle package comes with pickguard built-in pickups or 3 knobs eq available ,please contact us for install...

8soundsmusic.com

 

[BradHK]

I am by no means a Guild acoustic expert. However, the construction details and shapes from the photos above do not match a factory Guild to my eye. For example, look at the photo below of a factory Guild F-55 headstock compared to the photo above. One obvious difference is the mitering of the binding on the headstock below.

 

[Westerly Wood]

The knobs look like the Taylor ES ones..

 

[fronobulax]

Since there seems to be some discomfort in accepting the claim that this is not a licensed use of USA Guild's intellectual property, why not ask Guild? Play dumb and ask to register the warranty. Or say there are some concerns about provenance and ask if Guild will recommend someone who can confirm it was made in the US and then shipped overseas to see whether the instrument could be affordably produced in China. Or just ask if any artists were "rewarded" with koa instruments?

 

[beecee]

For $500 play the heck out of it. If it sounds good to you that is 90% of the battle. I've played guitars that cost 4-5x that that did not sound good to me.

And count your blessings: My first Guild I showed off here and someone mentioned an issue, (wrong color pick guard), that I had no idea about. You've come to the right place to learn.

Now if you had paid $2,500...yikkeees but like Chazmo said, if and when you pass it on be able to look at yourself in the mirror and let the nex buyer know.

 

[Mark Hollowell]

Thank you

 

[Mark Hollowell]

Since there seems to be some discomfort in accepting the claim that this is not a licensed use of USA Guild's intellectual property, why not ask Guild? Play dumb and ask to register the warranty. Or say there are some concerns about provenance and ask if Guild will recommend someone who can confirm it was made in the US and then shipped overseas to see whether the instrument could be affordably produced in China. Or just ask if any artists were "rewarded" with koa instruments?

Thank you.