Nice! I couldn’t believe it was at a guitar center! I had no intention to buy a classical but felt like I had to save it! At least I can help document it here and show off some pictures. The top crack needs to be cleared and there is some rash on the headstock that looks like a vinyl strap rash and a little odd wear on the back of the neck but is otherwise set up wonderfully and sounds superb.
. Looked really nice.
Yes, it really is very confusing, Ralf. Thanks for the collage of some of the different ones!!The "MK VII" and "Mark VII" are still a confusing topic to me.
The "MK VII" had a CF prefix because they originated from the "MK VI" and the "final" "Mark VII" got a CG prefix as it sounds. But that would mean the CG-101 is not the first Mark VII but one of the last made.
Hans wrote at UMGF:
About CF-147: "It should be a 'MK-VI Artist Special' or a 'MK-VII'."
" At the time of the thread we were all concentrating on the writing on the label, but by doing that we overlooked the fact that the guitar in question had a new label glued on top of the original. I'm pretty sure that the first label had the 'Mark VI - Artist Special' designation written with a typewriter, as was usual with all the high-end classical guitars made by Carlo Greco. Evidently, by the time the guitar left the factory, the 'Mark VI - Artist Special' designation was already changed to 'Mark VII - Artist Special' and that's how # CF-147 ended up with 'Mark VII - Artist Special' written (not machine typed) on the label."
CF-147:
CF-156: "Here’s the label from a regular Mark VI from that period:", using different Kolb tuners.
"...the Mark VI and the Mark VI Artist Special are two different models..."
"The Mark VI Artist Special was the 'Special Order' version of the Mark VI with a longer scale length and the higher quality machineheads, but with the same bridge tie block and peghead overlay as the Mark VI."
"Some time after that the Mark VI Artist Special was replaced by the Mark VII, which became the 'special order' long scale model ( called the 'Custom Artist' in Guild literature) and it did get it's own deluxe tie block and peghead overlay that made it look different from it's predecessor, the Mark VI Artist Special."
CF-176:
"By the end of 1968 a small amount of these Mark VI Artist Specials had been made, but it turned out to be somewhat confusing to use the ‘Mark VI’ and the ‘Mark VI Artist Special’ designation next to each other, because at first glance they seemed to be identical guitars, if you just looked at the cosmetics.
So it was decided that the ‘Mark VI Artist Special’ would be renamed the ‘Mark VII Custom Artist’ and it did get a more deluxe bridge and different headstock overlay, so it would not look the same as the Mark VI."
"it turns out that there was indeed a 'Mark VII - Artist Special' in between the 'Mark VI - Artist Special' and the 'Mark VII - Custom Artist'."
"Now we have proof that within that short period of time, there was a 3rd one in between these two, but again it was the same long scale instrument. The difference is the period during which they were made."
CF-188:
CF-194: (Pictures missing)
CF-210: (Pictures missing)
CF-243:
CF-244:
CG-101:
CG-104: With old label! "Hans said it's more than likely made in 1968."
Ralf
Here is one more label for your collection--rosette is the same as 243 and 244:The "MK VII" and "Mark VII" are still a confusing topic to me.
The "MK VII" had a CF prefix because they originated from the "MK VI" and the "final" "Mark VII" got a CG prefix as it sounds. But that would mean the CG-101 is not the first Mark VII but one of the last made.
Hans wrote at UMGF:
About CF-147: "It should be a 'MK-VI Artist Special' or a 'MK-VII'."
" At the time of the thread we were all concentrating on the writing on the label, but by doing that we overlooked the fact that the guitar in question had a new label glued on top of the original. I'm pretty sure that the first label had the 'Mark VI - Artist Special' designation written with a typewriter, as was usual with all the high-end classical guitars made by Carlo Greco. Evidently, by the time the guitar left the factory, the 'Mark VI - Artist Special' designation was already changed to 'Mark VII - Artist Special' and that's how # CF-147 ended up with 'Mark VII - Artist Special' written (not machine typed) on the label."
CF-147:
CF-156: "Here’s the label from a regular Mark VI from that period:", using different Kolb tuners.
"...the Mark VI and the Mark VI Artist Special are two different models..."
"The Mark VI Artist Special was the 'Special Order' version of the Mark VI with a longer scale length and the higher quality machineheads, but with the same bridge tie block and peghead overlay as the Mark VI."
"Some time after that the Mark VI Artist Special was replaced by the Mark VII, which became the 'special order' long scale model ( called the 'Custom Artist' in Guild literature) and it did get it's own deluxe tie block and peghead overlay that made it look different from it's predecessor, the Mark VI Artist Special."
CF-176:
"By the end of 1968 a small amount of these Mark VI Artist Specials had been made, but it turned out to be somewhat confusing to use the ‘Mark VI’ and the ‘Mark VI Artist Special’ designation next to each other, because at first glance they seemed to be identical guitars, if you just looked at the cosmetics.
So it was decided that the ‘Mark VI Artist Special’ would be renamed the ‘Mark VII Custom Artist’ and it did get a more deluxe bridge and different headstock overlay, so it would not look the same as the Mark VI."
"it turns out that there was indeed a 'Mark VII - Artist Special' in between the 'Mark VI - Artist Special' and the 'Mark VII - Custom Artist'."
"Now we have proof that within that short period of time, there was a 3rd one in between these two, but again it was the same long scale instrument. The difference is the period during which they were made."
CF-188:
CF-194: (Pictures missing)
CF-210: (Pictures missing)
CF-243:
CF-244:
CG-101:
CG-104: With old label! "Hans said it's more than likely made in 1968."
Ralf
Knavel, do you have any pix of the soundboard/rosette?Here is one more label for your collection--rosette is the same as 243 and 244:
That is one beautiful guitar! Welcome.
I do but they are ugly ones from the seller. The guitar is also needing of work, cracks, hole at the base, bridge is off (but thankfully not lost--particularly for this model), bracing detached, etc. It will be a fairly long time before (i) I get it over to me in the UK; and (ii) it gets repaired by my favorite luthier. I only put this one pic up because this thread is relatively recent and I thought it would be good to have as many labels as are accounted for in the wild from the supposed 10 Mark VIIs in same place.
It remains somewhat astounding to me that someone paid 2x more than a D28 at the time only to treat the instrument in this way. Also what is it with people sticking those cruddy quality golpeadors on so many of these in the 60s and 70s!!?!
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