bdeclee
Member
I brought my F-512 to Carlo Greco for a lookover/tuneup. What a great experience that was! For all the years I've lived right outside Manhattan, I've never been to "Music Row" on 48th street. Carlo's workshop is above Alex Music, up a steep flight of stairs, and adjacent to a very cool accordion store with loads of Italian accordions and concertinas.
Carlo had some very interesting things to say about my instrument. Hans, if you're reading this, take note: Despite my serial number's placing the date of my guitar as 1970 (it's OC-247), Carlo said it was actually made in 1968. After looking it over carefully, he put my guitar down and said, "I made this guitar. I only made 16 of them. One for John Denver, one for the Grateful Dead, one for somebody in Tennessee, I forget..." I allowed as how I thought John Denver had an F-612. "Yes," Carlo said. "I also made him a 512 with the Florentine inlays."
That last statement blew my mind, because when I found my guitar in a pawn shop, the owner of that pawn shop told me he thought the guitar had been John Denver's. I wonder if it's possible to somehow trace the serial number to him?
Anyway, I also thought it was incredible that he only made 16 of those. He said that the F-612 was rosewood veneer over the maple arched back.
It was a pleasure to meet Carlo and talk with him, a little about guitars and a little in Italian. I didn't talk with him about new Guilds -- in fact, when I told him originally that my guitar dated to 1970 (or so I thought), he waved his hand dismissively and said, "Westerly." Almost as if it anything after Hoboken might well as not exist. That's my own personal take on it, obviously. But I can't deny that he handled my guitar very carefully and had pertinent things to say about it (the frets need polishing & dressing, the truss rods need to be adjusted only on the treble side, etc.) In fact, I have two "stripes" on the back of the neck, toward the head, where the finish is off the wood. I thought they were scrapes from a capo, but he told me that when the truss rods were overtightened in the past, the lacquer's cracking off was the result. Interesting, eh?
I pick my guitar up in another week or so. For dressing the frets, adjusting the truss rods, checking out the previous repairs, restringing, and generally giving it a once-over, his price was reasonable, I thought - $200.
Barbara
Carlo had some very interesting things to say about my instrument. Hans, if you're reading this, take note: Despite my serial number's placing the date of my guitar as 1970 (it's OC-247), Carlo said it was actually made in 1968. After looking it over carefully, he put my guitar down and said, "I made this guitar. I only made 16 of them. One for John Denver, one for the Grateful Dead, one for somebody in Tennessee, I forget..." I allowed as how I thought John Denver had an F-612. "Yes," Carlo said. "I also made him a 512 with the Florentine inlays."
That last statement blew my mind, because when I found my guitar in a pawn shop, the owner of that pawn shop told me he thought the guitar had been John Denver's. I wonder if it's possible to somehow trace the serial number to him?
Anyway, I also thought it was incredible that he only made 16 of those. He said that the F-612 was rosewood veneer over the maple arched back.
It was a pleasure to meet Carlo and talk with him, a little about guitars and a little in Italian. I didn't talk with him about new Guilds -- in fact, when I told him originally that my guitar dated to 1970 (or so I thought), he waved his hand dismissively and said, "Westerly." Almost as if it anything after Hoboken might well as not exist. That's my own personal take on it, obviously. But I can't deny that he handled my guitar very carefully and had pertinent things to say about it (the frets need polishing & dressing, the truss rods need to be adjusted only on the treble side, etc.) In fact, I have two "stripes" on the back of the neck, toward the head, where the finish is off the wood. I thought they were scrapes from a capo, but he told me that when the truss rods were overtightened in the past, the lacquer's cracking off was the result. Interesting, eh?
I pick my guitar up in another week or so. For dressing the frets, adjusting the truss rods, checking out the previous repairs, restringing, and generally giving it a once-over, his price was reasonable, I thought - $200.
Barbara
