Looking for info on two old Guilds. D4 / D35 1969

Hello, I am looking for a little info on two Guild guitars.

I own this True American Guild: D4 NT HR Serial# AD404642
Can anyone tell me the year this guitar was made?

I found this 1969? D35 NT Serial # oj1836
Can anyone confirm this date?
Also looking for a street value of this guitar. It has a pro repaired crack on the top about 3 inches long. Guitar has been gone over and given a 100% structural guarantee. Grover tuners (upgrade?) Neck feels great, plays GREAT! Lots of nicks/scrapes/scratches all over this guitar. This thing has been played hard and abused, hopefully in a good way. The thing sounds amazing, I mean just amazing. Its a favorite on the wall of many players I know that have played it. I about fell off the chair when I played it. It said take me home! I Liked it better than many guitars over 2,000.

This guitar dates back before the Westerly shop, how is the reputation for this old Guilds? Does anyone know what type of material was used for bridge and nut on this model? This is a solid wood guitar correct?

Sorry for so many questions. Thanks to all who reply.

rellekmando said:

Hello, I am looking for a little info on two Guild guitars.

I own this True American Guild: D4 NT HR Serial# AD404642
Can anyone tell me the year this guitar was made?

I found this 1969? D35 NT Serial # oj1836
Can anyone confirm this date?
Also looking for a street value of this guitar. It has a pro repaired crack on the top about 3 inches long. Guitar has been gone over and given a 100% structural guarantee. Grover tuners (upgrade?) Neck feels great, plays GREAT! Lots of nicks/scrapes/scratches all over this guitar. This thing has been played hard and abused, hopefully in a good way. The thing sounds amazing, I mean just amazing. Its a favorite on the wall of many players I know that have played it. I about fell off the chair when I played it. It said take me home! I Liked it better than many guitars over 2,000.

This guitar dates back before the Westerly shop, how is the reputation for this old Guilds? Does anyone know what type of material was used for bridge and nut on this model? This is a solid wood guitar correct?

Sorry for so many questions. Thanks to all who reply.

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Welcome.

Maybe 1970 on the D-35 but we really need Hans Moust to comment since his information is better than the online resources. He can also clarify factory since some models were made in Westerly in the late 1960's while others were being made in Hoboken.

"True American" was circa 1996 and if you have a typo in the serial it could be 1996, but again, I'd wait for Hans.

Frono's put you on the right track so allow me to slip in here and offer another WELCOME TO LTG!

Stick around and enjoy all this forum has to offer! :shock: :wink:

Joe

Thanks for the reply. I have been using and searching this forum for years just finally joined. I have not been able to get that D35 out of my head, I think I need to go bring it home. I am really looking for some info on value. I know it was made in the Hoboken according to the label.

eBay has sold a dozen D35 guitars in the last 2 months between 450$ and 850$. With most Made in the 70's going right about 650$-700$. Does this sound correct? The value seems to be rising slightly.

Thanks again.

Welcome. I have a 1970 D35 NT in excellent condition, purchased off craigslist several years ago. See my avatar. Literally no issues at all, still has plenty of saddle and little fretwear, cosmetically just a few dings. I wouldn't think of selling it for anywhere close to $1000, but bought it for half that. Market price is probably somewhere in between. This era is undervalued by the market IMHO. Enjoy it!

How much does cosmetic flaws effect the price, and pro replaired top crack. What if this is the best sounding D35 out there, and has a great neck and playability what does that do to value?

I can't stop thinking about that guitar, it had the sound for me, just don't want to over pay.

Thanks again,

Street value of a guitar is always ballpark and depends on many factors. This is not a good time of year for sellers of used acoustics, in my experience. A pro repaired crack is a negative just because you have to mention it if you ever sell it. Non-original tuners are almost never a plus. Lots of nicks/scrapes/scratches, well, to some extent that’s expected. Depends on whether they go through to the wood, exactly where they are located, etc. A replaced nut and saddle will not affect the value. The label may say Hoboken but it probably was made in Westerly. Yes, solid wood. Mine sounds amazing too. These old Guilds are not just another mass-produced soulless acoustic from GC. They have craftsmanship, quality aged woods, character, history. The soundboard and bridge on mine has very pretty and distinctive rosewood.

Sounds like this has high value to you, but not necessarily to many/most largely uninformed acoustic players. If you are in a major metropolitan area, you can score some great deals on old Guilds. How long are you willing to check craigslist looking for a deal? Buying from a shop, the price will likely be considerably higher, but it’s been checked out. If you want it now, and it has a structural guarantee, and it sounds that good to you, well, a bird in hand. Understand, there is more to it that you can learn in a short period of time, so it’s going to be something of a gamble and leap of faith. Have you measured the action and the saddle and the length from the top of the soundboard to the bottom of the strings? OTOH, if you trust the seller to give you the straight scoop and a reasonable price, don’t think about it, just do it.

rellekmando said:

How much does cosmetic flaws effect the price, and pro replaired top crack. What if this is the best sounding D35 out there, and has a great neck and playability what does that do to value?
I can't stop thinking about that guitar, it had the sound for me, just don't want to over pay.
Thanks again,

Click to expand...

FWIW the Vintage Price Guide list a value of $775 to $975. It's always good to remember that the sample data for Guild sales is relatively small. So, just a couple of D-35's that are sold for top dollar can have a big influence on price. The inverse is also true. It's not the same as a Martin D-18 where hundreds or maybe thousands are sold each year. The outliers have less of an effect.

A guitar with cosmetic flaws, no matter how good it sounds, is going to command less of a price. Sad but true. A crack, even one professionally repaired will also have a negative effect on value.

Re: sound. I own a 1975 D-35. Cosmetically it's a mess, repaired cracks, nicks, dings, lots of assorted indignities. I think it sounds great. But that's just my opinion which, unfortunately, has no effect on value. FWIW my guess is my D-35 would command less than $500.

Thanks again for the reply. As much as I want the guitar, I need to justify it as a good financial decision as well. The asking price is fair, I would feel better if hey would go down about 10-15%. He guitar is on consignment.

I have my D4 listed for sale locally, see if I get any bites.

Who knows mabe ill be posting some pics of the new guitar in a few days.

rellekmando said:

I know it was made in the Hoboken according to the label.

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The place on the label doesn't always correspond to the factory although I can't recall whether some Hoboken labels were used in Westerly, some Hoboken builds had no location on the label or whether it depends on make and model. I should really carry Hans' book around and not rely on memory, shouldn't I?

rellekmando said:

I own this True American Guild: D4 NT HR Serial# AD404642
Can anyone tell me the year this guitar was made?

I found this 1969? D35 NT Serial # oj1836
Can anyone confirm this date?

Click to expand...

Hello rellekmando,

Your D4 NT HR was made during 1999 and your D-35NT during 1970.

Both guitars were made in Westerly, RI in spite of the Hoboken location that's mentioned on the label of the D-35.

Have a question for you! Since you mentioned the guitar being a D-35NT I'm assuming that the NT designation is mentioned on the label. Can you confirm if it is?

Would love to see a photo of the D-35.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

hansmoust said:

rellekmando said:

Your D4 NT HR was made during 1999 and your D-35NT during 1970.

Both guitars were made in Westerly, RI in spite of the Hoboken location that's mentioned on the label of the D-35.

Have a question for you! Since you mentioned the guitar being a D-35NT I'm assuming that the NT designation is mentioned on the label. Can you confirm if it is?

Would love to see a photo of the D-35.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Yes the label says D-35NT. Is that not normal for these to say NT? I would post a picture if it was mine. I'm still waiting to go back into town. Thanks so much for the information.

rellekmando said:

Yes the label says D-35NT. Is that not normal for these to say NT?

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Nothing to worry about! The answer is yes and no. You will see them both and one of the many things I'm trying to figure out is when the practice of mentioning the NT designation started on the D-35, hence my question.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl