There were unusual circumstances surrounding this guitar, my ’76 F-512. It holds sentimental value to me, and decades of playing had taken their toll. It was in desperate need of a neck reset, and I had done all I could do to stave that off. For some strange reason(s), I was always averse to altering my own Guilds. For my own builds, or someone else's guitars, I have happily re-engineered them...But not my Guilds, they were some sacrosanct artifact. Silly, I know. That has changed in the last several years, and I have have rebuilt or dolled up more than one of my precious babies. But that is another story.
About seven years ago I was playing and traveling constantly. I had dropped it off for a setup at a (former) local repair shop. The repairman I had known for several years had sold his business to a former employee. Though I didn't know the fellow, I made the fateful error of leaving the guitar with him. He had told me he wanted to humidify the guitar, as the top looked dry to him. Months went by, and I was busy. During the elapsed time, he or one of his employees opted to hand sand (portions of) the top paper-thin in places, and re-spray it with a mustardy-yellow tinted lacquer. Visually, it was horrifying. Soundwise, it was ruined.
Fast forward: With the guitar back in my possession, I contacted Fender's now defunct Custom Shop in Nashville. We agreed to terms, I shipped the guitar to them, and they verified how horrifying the condition of the instrument actually was, asking if psychedelic drugs were involved. It had to get a new top (which meant the neck was coming off, anyway). After several phone conversations with the guys at the shop, I decided to have them do the work, and they agreed to do it the way I wanted it. In addition to a AAAA Sitka board, I wanted Paua!
Once completed, all that was left of my original guitar was the back and sides and the neck, itself. New top (with inlays), bridge, pickguard, new fingerboard (with inlays and frets), new headplate (with inlays) and new binding.
In an interesting twist, Fender closed down the Custom Shop with my guitar still there! In a mad scramble, it was the last guitar out the door. Marking another end of an era, all the guys dispersed. A few years later I happened to be in Connecticut. I contacted Kim Keller and asked if I could come visit the new plant. He gave me the tour and I met, among others, Chris Seeger. We discovered he was the one who had rebuilt my 12 string in Nashville. He did a spectacular job!
After I got it back, I modified the fretboard radius, refretted it with Gold EVO wire and installed a Baggs Anthem. [Edit: And I added the
armrest - whew! Almost forgot what we were talking about. lol] But the credit for the rebuild goes to Chris. She's a beauty, for sure!
