Hi,new recruit here,just bought a 1980 F-412 in beautiful condition.There`s a pickup attached to the underside of the top,below/behind the bridge.Hard to get a good view,it`s a thick disc,blue in color,doesn`t sound that great,lol.Would this have been factory installed?Also,I found an exact duplicate of the oval paper serial tag that`s in the guitar,in the storage box in the case,model and serial #`s the same on both.I haven`t been able to find any evidence of any repairs anywhere on the guitar,so this seems odd.Thanks for any info.
New owner,1980 F-412
- Thread starter skydawg
- Start date
ReevesRd
Senior Member
Congratulations! Welcome to LTG.
We would love to see some photos of your F-412.
We would love to see some photos of your F-412.
Doesn't sound like it, skydawg. Probably aftermarket.
Anyway, let's see some pictures! Congrats!!!!!!!
Anyway, let's see some pictures! Congrats!!!!!!!
Cougar
Enlightened Member
Man, major congrats! And welcome to the forum! The F412 is really a top-dog 12-string!
I had a somewhat similar system put into my F512 -- a K&K pure mini. It didn't sound great either. Then I heard it probably needed a pre-amp, so I got a cheap-o external V-tone ADI-21. Sounds great now!
I've never heard of that. Was it a second Guild label or did someone take a photo of the label and print it out and cut it into an oval?
That is odd. Please provide us witha photo spread if/when you get the time, 'dawg.
And, welcome aboard!!!
HeyMikey
Enlightened Member
Welcome skydawg! Yes, pics when you get a chance. As Cougar said, a basic preamp may do the trick and is always worthwhile to have anyway. If the pickup is very old it may be worth changing out as there are plenty of options available now, and acoustic pickups have come a looong way since 1980,
Here it is....the neck has almost no relief,I can pass a folded dollar bill at the 7`th fret w/ the 1`st and12`th fretted. A 24" straightedge between D and G just kisses the top of the bridge in front of the saddle.Action is 7/64 at the 12`th fret,a bit high for some,maybe,but I`m fine w/that.I suspect the saddle isn`t original,there`s a lot there if I wanted to lower the action.A small split from soundhole to fretboard,I got some thin super glue into the crack,will cleat it next.Appears to be re-fretted.All told,pretty nice condition for a 44 yr old gittar.
Attachments
That crack is probably due to a little shift in the neck block, 'dawg. You may be looking at some neck work down the road. However, it looks like there's room on that saddle to go down.
First step is to make sure the neck is straight. You need to make sure that's right (and do the small truss rod adjustments to make it so) before diddling with the saddle etc...
Good luck with your adjustments. Just know this... your F-412 should play like butter and not be significantly harder to fret up and down the board than a 6-string.
First step is to make sure the neck is straight. You need to make sure that's right (and do the small truss rod adjustments to make it so) before diddling with the saddle etc...
Good luck with your adjustments. Just know this... your F-412 should play like butter and not be significantly harder to fret up and down the board than a 6-string.
Yep,a stress crack,the neck is straight,as I said,and right where it should be plane-wise to the bridge.With light strings(10-46) and tuned down a half step,I`m thinking the neck set will outlast me,lol.The action suits me just fine as is...this is my first non cutaway guitar,so that`ll take some getting used to.No "Crossroads" outro solo at the 17`th fret with this big rascal.
HeyMikey
Enlightened Member
As Chasmo indicated, I would be concerned with that crack on the bass side. It would be worth having a luthier take a quick look at it to make sure there isn’t an issue with the neck block. If so, it may require more that a glue and cleat to stabilize it from further shifting. Better safe than sorry. Enjoy the guitar! I bet it sounds heavenly.
Rayk
Enlightened Member
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Seeet ! Welcome aboard
Very weird, Dawg, especially because they're different. They both look legit to me, but the handwriting is unfamiliar. Previous owner probably just made the one that's not attached. Don't know. @hansmoust any ideas?
Rich Cohen
Senior Member
The crack from the sound hole to the end of the fretboard is not a good sign. It suggests that the neck block has shifted and there's more trouble ahead.
Both sides of the crack are level w/ each other,the inner side has not dropped at all.If the neck had shifted,why am I getting a perfect alignment with the top of the bridge with the straight edge? The guitar was sold new to a woman in New Mexico,a desert climate could have been a contributing factor.
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
It looks like the previous owner 'lost' the original label and requested a new label from Guild and consequently received a 'not-period-correct' one.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
That both sides of the crack are level is interesting, but ultimately unimportant. The neck block has moved down towards the bridge. This means that all of the glue joints in the area Have been comprimised to a greater or lesser extent. This includes the neck block joints (top and bottom), the upper transverse brace to the bottom side of the soundboard, and if present, the popsicle brace to the bottom side of the sound board. It doesn't mean that the braces are cracked or broken, what it means is that the glue in those joints has softened enough that the string tension has pulled that side of the neck block down.
I don't think the root cause is humidity, but that the guitar was exposed to high heat at some point. This heat is what softened the glue at the joints mentioned above, and the string tension did the rest. It could have been left in a car in hot weather, or it could have just been left exposed to bright sunshine for a long time; all of this is just a guess. New Mexico is no stranger to bright sunshine and hot weather. What is not a guess is what the end result is: the neck block has moved. I would be surprised if the B and high E strings intonate properly now, and possibly the G string as well.
This needs to got to an experience Luthier who can restore the neck block to its proper position. They would need to correct all the above mentioned glue joints, and cleat the crack.
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I took it to Brothers Music in Wind Gap,PA,great shop,mainly Martin repair.Rich spent 45 min w/ me and my guitar,explaining how the neck block has moved approx1/32".The seller told me it hadn`t changed in the 15 yrs that he owned it,and Rich said you can`t predict how much or when it`ll move more.They don`t do any work on Guilds that involve a neck removal,which would be necessary to fix mine.I could return it to the seller,but I`m gonna keep it,play the snot out of it and keep a close watch on things.If it gets worse,I`ll have to find someone who likes to work on Guilds,a rare breed,evidently.
HeyMikey
Enlightened Member
Glad you had it looked it skydawg. Just be aware that the fix may be quite expensive. Consider that on top of he price you paid. Also on the back end if you ever decide to sell the guitar you may not get the repair cost back out of it. I’m just trying to be objective.
That being said I’ve knowingly bought a couple guitars that needed significant work. However, I bought them knowing it up front and factored the repairs into the price.
Best of luck whatever you decide to do.
That being said I’ve knowingly bought a couple guitars that needed significant work. However, I bought them knowing it up front and factored the repairs into the price.
Best of luck whatever you decide to do.