Is a 1984 F-30 Heavily Built?

[stevendv]

I have a 1968 Hoboken F-30, so I know first-hand how lightly built they were around those years and I believe into the early '70s (even though the body shape changes to a mini-jumbo), and I seem to recall posts on this site about how the F-30s became more heavily built in the 1980s but I can't find anything on the topic with the Search.

I heard about an '84 F-30 for sale in the area and as I haven't had a chance to actually see it, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with them and--aside from the obvious change form 000-shape to mini-jumbo--how the build compares to the early or at least earlier F-30s.

At what point does the F-30 build start to become heavier?

And does the build only return to having more of a similarity to the older, lighter approach when the 000-style F-30 is reintroduced in (was it?) the '90s?

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[bobouz]

It‘ll probably be rather weighty, but many heavy Guilds from this era can still sound great because tops typically remained thin & resonant. As for changes in construction, my mini-jumbo shaped ’73 F-30R has a popsicle brace north of the soundhole. This may have been changed soon thereafter to the beefier neckblock bracing employed on many Guilds from the ‘70s (including two others I own) & throughout the remainder of operations at the Westerly facility.