GGJaguar
Reverential Member
I recently got this F-212XL Standard from a fellow LTGer. I had a hard time tracking down info for this model and its sibling, the cutaway version F-212XLCE Standard. It could be that very few were made or people love them and hang on to them or both (probably both). Guild said this about the Standard series upon its introduction in November 2010:
Guild Standard series guitars represent the essence of the Guild acoustic legacy. With their supreme playability, understated elegance, and unmistakable full and balanced sound they are the quintessential Guild acoustic guitar.
Yes, it’s marketing-speak, but it’s mostly true. Anyway, this guitar is a very early build (July 10, 2010) and, so far, I’ve only been able to find one other that has an earlier build date.
The model wasn’t formally introduced until November 2010. Catalog info shows the cutaway and non-cutaway were still available in early 2014. Going by Guild website info, the F-212XLCE was discontinued in December 2013 with the F-212XL leaving in May 2014. However, @chazmo noted in this thread that it was the non-cutaway that was deleted first so it’s all a jumble of confusion.
A little background info - the original F-212XL was introduced in 1966. It had a solid mahogany body that was 17” wide and 5” deep. The 3-piece mahogany neck was topped with an ebony fingerboard. It used straight bracing with three tone bars and the model remained in the Guild catalog until 1985/86.
Here's an example of a 1978 F-212XL.
The reintroduced F-212XL Standard followed the basic dimensions of the original although mine is shallower at 4 3/4”. Appointments are more plain than the original. The only available finish was natural (gloss). It was given a satin finished, 2-piece mahogany neck topped with a rosewood fingerboard. The rosewood headstock veneer has a mother-of-pearl Guild logo, but alas, it does not have a chesterfield inlay. I like how the front of the headstock is finished in gloss to complement the gloss body. Only the back of the neck is satin, though mine is more of a semi-gloss.
It has a slimmer neck profile thanks to the single, dual-action truss rod. In addition, it was revamped with scalloped, red spruce bracing with two tone bars bringing it into a different tone zone compared to the original model.
Guild Standard series guitars represent the essence of the Guild acoustic legacy. With their supreme playability, understated elegance, and unmistakable full and balanced sound they are the quintessential Guild acoustic guitar.
Yes, it’s marketing-speak, but it’s mostly true. Anyway, this guitar is a very early build (July 10, 2010) and, so far, I’ve only been able to find one other that has an earlier build date.
The model wasn’t formally introduced until November 2010. Catalog info shows the cutaway and non-cutaway were still available in early 2014. Going by Guild website info, the F-212XLCE was discontinued in December 2013 with the F-212XL leaving in May 2014. However, @chazmo noted in this thread that it was the non-cutaway that was deleted first so it’s all a jumble of confusion.
A little background info - the original F-212XL was introduced in 1966. It had a solid mahogany body that was 17” wide and 5” deep. The 3-piece mahogany neck was topped with an ebony fingerboard. It used straight bracing with three tone bars and the model remained in the Guild catalog until 1985/86.
Here's an example of a 1978 F-212XL.
The reintroduced F-212XL Standard followed the basic dimensions of the original although mine is shallower at 4 3/4”. Appointments are more plain than the original. The only available finish was natural (gloss). It was given a satin finished, 2-piece mahogany neck topped with a rosewood fingerboard. The rosewood headstock veneer has a mother-of-pearl Guild logo, but alas, it does not have a chesterfield inlay. I like how the front of the headstock is finished in gloss to complement the gloss body. Only the back of the neck is satin, though mine is more of a semi-gloss.
It has a slimmer neck profile thanks to the single, dual-action truss rod. In addition, it was revamped with scalloped, red spruce bracing with two tone bars bringing it into a different tone zone compared to the original model.
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