Help decoding JF65-12 serial numbers

[wizard1962]

Can some help me date my Guild jf65-12 BLK....I've been going thru all the online serial number boards and they cut out before my SN comes up. It;s a JF65-12 BLK - Black color. SN is JF650329...Made in USA with the Guild corp Westerly RI sticker containing the info. I've traced the serial numbers close to 2002 via other SN tables but they stop short of mine. I'm thinking based upon conversation above that mentioned westerly kept shipping up to November of 2001. In the case is the Guild manual with a date of Fender 2002. I'm wondering if the remaining stock of Westerly got moved to Coruna and they popped in a newer manual before shipping out? does that make sense? Anyway any help would be appreciated.

Update - found Feb 24 1987 date on neck block....but 2002 manual mystifies me. Could the neck be super old compared to the final guitar?

Update 2 - found another site where a tech was fixing a 1987. He showed the inside sticker and it was the same as mine with the SN the same format, 108 lower than mine. So I definitely have a 1987 but very strange I have a Guild manual copyright Fender 2002 in the case candy.

 

[hansmoust]

Can some help me date my Guild jf65-12 BLK....I've been going thru all the online serial number boards and they cut out before my SN comes up. It;s a JF65-12 BLK - Black color. SN is JF650329...Made in USA with the Guild corp Westerly RI sticker containing the info.

Update - found Feb 24 1987 date on neck block....but 2002 manual mystifies me. Could the neck be super old compared to the final guitar?

Hello wizard1962,

Welcome! That particular JF65-12 BLK was completed during the year 1990. The discrepancy between the neck block date and the final completion date can be explained. Often guitars that had a flaw in the wood, but were otherwise perfectly fine guitars, were set aside to be finished with a solid color, whenever an order would come in. In a lot of cases these would end up as black finished instruments.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[GGJaguar]

In a lot of cases these would end up as black finished instruments.

I know G&L did this in the 1980s.

 

[wizard1962]

Hello wizard1962,

Welcome! That particular JF65-12 BLK was completed during the year 1990. The discrepancy between the neck block date and the final completion date can be explained. Often guitars that had a flaw in the wood, but were otherwise perfectly fine guitars, were set aside to be finished with a solid color, whenever an order would come in. In a lot of cases these would end up as black finished instruments.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Thanks Hans. Appreciated the background knowledge. This does have the fishman system in also with preamp. Didn't think Fishman went that far back. You wouldn't happen to know the wood makeup of this model would you? solid, laminated, etc? - Thanks Jim

 

[West R Lee]

I think that's going to be an arched back/side maple, sitka spruce topped guitar with a "molded/pressed" laminated back Jim. But these guys will tell you I've been wrong before. Ask Ralf. But far (VERY far) be it from me to put words in Hans' mouth, but since Hans lives in the Netherlands, and it's 9 pm Texas time, I assume Hans may be asleep. So you got the "B" team answer........"C" maybe.

West

 

[Cougar]

I think that's going to be an arched back/side maple/sitka spruce topped guitar with a "molded/pressed" laminated back Jim.....

West is right, Wiz. The braceless arched back maple is a laminate, but don't be fooled -- that is a killer, top-of-the-line 12-string. It is akin to (if not simply a renamed) Guild F412, which can sound like this (go out to minute 4:07....)

 

[Cougar]

Oh, and WELCOME TO LTG!