Thoughts on this size/model?
Welcome GulfCoaster! Great question.
F47 was introduced as the "Bluegrass F47" in '63 (Martin players take note, there's a bunch of new Guilds in town).
Some guy named McCartney with an F47:
It replaced Guild's first 16" lower bout F-body model, the F40, which was defined by its arched maple back and sides. F47 was a flat-back 'hog body version of that outline, variously known as "Grand Auditorium" or "Grand Orchestra" and "Traditional", for that outline specifically, in late '80's-early '90's.
It did evolve into a slightly more rounded form ca '73 when the F40 was revived:
Sometimes called the "Mini-jumbo" shape.
I have an F65ce, maple archback
cutaway
electric with that outline, but only 3-1/2" deep. It's my go-to for playing comfort and that's a common comment about that body even at standard depths. The narrow waist makes it sit lower, easier on the shoulders. And it puts out damn near as much sound as my '96 D25.
So I love the "family" based on that outline. Guild actually built more combinations of scale length, nut width, and body woods and back configurations with it than any other platform in the (flattop) line-up. I like to say "Read between those lines". It also means you can visualize virtually any combination of specs for that outline and find a factory version of it. (One exception: I've never seen a 1-11/16 nut on the 24-3/4"/24-fret neck that was introduced on the '84 F47ce
The "Fxx"'series was replaced with the Traditional series in '87:
That's where things started getting juicy with body wood variations.
And finally a new family of "Fxxce" models in '92:
And finally, the F47 was revived in '98:
I could go on, but you get the idea.
( Further catalogs and price lists available at a site hosted by the same guy who runs this place:
https://www.gad.net/Blog/guild-guitar-price-lists/ )
"The F40 body" was in the line continuously from introduction ('54) until close of New Hartford in '14. 60 years. Only 17" jumbos (F50's) can make that same claim, dreadnoughts being a close second being introduced in '63 and only now at 60 years.
For some reason Cordoba Music Group, who acquired Guild in 2014, haven't seen fit to continue the platform. It vexes many of us greatly. Indeed, they even put the sacred F40 name on a 17" jumbo all while acknowledging it was based on the original F48..but a corpse plant by any other name would still stink as foul........
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Oops, sorry, my AI bot's gettin' uppity again.
