Hi all,
I had a 1965 M-20 a few years ago, sold it due to an unfortunate finance situation, and have been looking for a vintage M-20 since. I bought a 1973 D-25 in the meantime, and while I really like it, it's just not the same as the M-20. I recently came across a beautiful vintage Guild M-20 at my local guitar store. Just jaw dropping. My 1965 was heavily worn when I got it, conversely, the guitar at my local shop appears to have been in a time capsule for the last 60 years. It looks, sounds, and plays like pure magic. Case is original and not worn.
I know that Guild didn't always keep perfect serial number records pre-1960. The serial number on this guitar is 1003 (which the Guild chart indicates that this number was used in 1953) but it has the Ghost Label (which was used in 1959). With that, I have a few questions:
1) Should I be concerned about the seemingly 1953 serial number on a ghost label? Seems like a silly question, but I just want to cover my bases. I assume with the ghost label it has to be a 1959.
2) What was the first year that Guild produced the M-20? I can't seem to find consistent information on this.
3) How do the new US M-20's compare to the old ones? I've played both the new and old M-20's, and really liked them both, but there were months in between playing the old M-20 and the new US one.
It's a beautiful instrument. I shake when I see and play it. However, the price tag is steep: $2500. It really does look like it went from the production line directly into a time capsule; the epitome of "mint" condition. All this does not change the fact that $2500 is a lot of money, especially when the new US made M-20's are $1200ish. I'll for sure end up going for this old M-20 or one of the new ones either way. Any input/advice/feedback is appreciated.
Thanks everyone!
-Jeremy
I had a 1965 M-20 a few years ago, sold it due to an unfortunate finance situation, and have been looking for a vintage M-20 since. I bought a 1973 D-25 in the meantime, and while I really like it, it's just not the same as the M-20. I recently came across a beautiful vintage Guild M-20 at my local guitar store. Just jaw dropping. My 1965 was heavily worn when I got it, conversely, the guitar at my local shop appears to have been in a time capsule for the last 60 years. It looks, sounds, and plays like pure magic. Case is original and not worn.
I know that Guild didn't always keep perfect serial number records pre-1960. The serial number on this guitar is 1003 (which the Guild chart indicates that this number was used in 1953) but it has the Ghost Label (which was used in 1959). With that, I have a few questions:
1) Should I be concerned about the seemingly 1953 serial number on a ghost label? Seems like a silly question, but I just want to cover my bases. I assume with the ghost label it has to be a 1959.
2) What was the first year that Guild produced the M-20? I can't seem to find consistent information on this.
3) How do the new US M-20's compare to the old ones? I've played both the new and old M-20's, and really liked them both, but there were months in between playing the old M-20 and the new US one.
It's a beautiful instrument. I shake when I see and play it. However, the price tag is steep: $2500. It really does look like it went from the production line directly into a time capsule; the epitome of "mint" condition. All this does not change the fact that $2500 is a lot of money, especially when the new US made M-20's are $1200ish. I'll for sure end up going for this old M-20 or one of the new ones either way. Any input/advice/feedback is appreciated.
Thanks everyone!
-Jeremy