Does anyone have any idea what a 1959-60 Guild M-30 is worth? It looks to be all original except for some overspray on the top and a reglued bridge. It has a Hoboken ghost label. There are no cracks and the braces are all tight. Tuners are stiff but hold well and the frets must have been replaced somewhere down the road. The bridge and fretboard are Brazilian rosewood and are in excellent shape (very little wear on the board). The neck is straight and very smooth (sanded?), and the action at the 12th fret is 3/32" with plenty of saddle left- no buzzing anywhere. It plays great- very fast neck. It is a cool vintage punchy blues box that seems to be pretty rare. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Guild M-30
- Thread starter Mobyhog
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killdeer43
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I and/or others will dig into our various blue books, etc., and get back to you.
Pics would be nice if you have them.
In the meantime, a first post WELCOME TO LTG! Great way to start a new year. :eagerness:
*Would that be the Del Rio M-30 on page 110 in 'the Book' we all have?
Joe
Pics would be nice if you have them.
In the meantime, a first post WELCOME TO LTG! Great way to start a new year. :eagerness:
*Would that be the Del Rio M-30 on page 110 in 'the Book' we all have?
Joe
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keith7940236
Member
There is a 1959 M30 for sale on Ebay right now. I believe that it was listed at $900.00 previously.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guild-M30-V...e-/350964268357?pt=Guitar&hash=item51b719bd45
You could watch that one for an idea of what yours is worth.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guild-M30-V...e-/350964268357?pt=Guitar&hash=item51b719bd45
You could watch that one for an idea of what yours is worth.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
The '12 Vintage guide gives a range of $1100-1350 for one in excellent condition. You'd have to deduct some for the respray and reglued bridge, so I would think $900-1000 would be a good range to go from.
of course, if you must have one...
of course, if you must have one...
killdeer43
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The seller is in Spokane so I just had to send a cross-state inquiry.
I might enjoy this little jewel. Who knows? :smile-new:
Joe
I might enjoy this little jewel. Who knows? :smile-new:
Joe
Neal
Senior Member
I have decided that you are a bad influence, Joe...
The seller description of the ebay F30M really downplays the tone, likening it to a "shi**y old Harmony or Silvertone" of that period.
Interesting way of marketing his instrument.
Neal
The seller description of the ebay F30M really downplays the tone, likening it to a "shi**y old Harmony or Silvertone" of that period.
Interesting way of marketing his instrument.
Neal
killdeer43
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I had an old Harmony that was all mahogany and looked very similar to this M30. I enjoyed it a lot and never pretended that it was anything other than what it was. I reshaped the head and put a set of Grover Rotomatics on it and it was a real attention grabber.
As to the 'bad influence' label....guilty? I've been called worse! :eagerness:
Joe
Neal
Senior Member
Bad influence only to the extent that your enthusiasm for these beautiful wooden things is infectious.
Neal
Neal
killdeer43
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That's the way I took it, and I can live with that kind of label.
In first and second grades, BTW, my teachers told my Mom that I was a tad "over enthusiastic" so I've heard it before, in a number of venues. :eagerness:
Joe
Russell Letson
Member
The trouble with pricing a model like this is that so few of them come on up for sale, which makes it hard to get a sense of a market range (unlike, say, the rather overpriced M-20). I suppose if somebody offered my $1200 for mine (a '59 in pretty decent cosmetic and very good playing condition) I might think about it--but then where would I find another one?
That eBay seller's approach is an interesting combination of up-front honesty (lots of photos and description of condition) and off-hand hipster evaluation. I wouldn't disagree about the comparison with similar Harmony models, except for calling it as "dirty"--it's a mahogany 000 style and those have a characteristic voice. A builder/repairman friend of mine likes to restore and sometimes upgrade old student-level Harmony and Kay models, and he has serious-player customers who buy them. It's not a Martin or even Gibson sound, but it's interesting and worth having access to.
Be interesting to see how the auction plays out. I'd say it's a steal at, say, $700, but that's an entirely subjective, off-the-cuff valuation on my part. (I paid a lot less for mine back in the last century.) If Mobyhog's example is in better cosmetic condition, that figure would still be reasonable. But as I said at the top, it's really hard to nail down a market value for something that rarely comes on the market.
That eBay seller's approach is an interesting combination of up-front honesty (lots of photos and description of condition) and off-hand hipster evaluation. I wouldn't disagree about the comparison with similar Harmony models, except for calling it as "dirty"--it's a mahogany 000 style and those have a characteristic voice. A builder/repairman friend of mine likes to restore and sometimes upgrade old student-level Harmony and Kay models, and he has serious-player customers who buy them. It's not a Martin or even Gibson sound, but it's interesting and worth having access to.
Be interesting to see how the auction plays out. I'd say it's a steal at, say, $700, but that's an entirely subjective, off-the-cuff valuation on my part. (I paid a lot less for mine back in the last century.) If Mobyhog's example is in better cosmetic condition, that figure would still be reasonable. But as I said at the top, it's really hard to nail down a market value for something that rarely comes on the market.
Russell Letson
Member
Addendum: Modest Googling kicked this up:
http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar-50961-Guild-Vintage-M-30-Acoustic-Guitar-Nick-Drake
Note the irrelevant (but market-savvy) reference to Nick Drake, which might explain the $1600 selling price six years ago.
And this auction site's estimated range of $640–960 (along with a date that is more than a decade off).
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10012522
A 2012 eBay auction closed at $710 for one with a replaced bridge and top seam separation.
http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar-50961-Guild-Vintage-M-30-Acoustic-Guitar-Nick-Drake
Note the irrelevant (but market-savvy) reference to Nick Drake, which might explain the $1600 selling price six years ago.
And this auction site's estimated range of $640–960 (along with a date that is more than a decade off).
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10012522
A 2012 eBay auction closed at $710 for one with a replaced bridge and top seam separation.
It is an oddball guitar. Considering the value of late 50s early 60s Ms and Gs I am surprised how reasonable these old Guilds seem to be. Thanks for all the responses. I mistakenly re-posted this morning. I couldn't find the link so I re-did it. Sheesh- what a newbie! Thanks again and I will try to post some pics tonight.