Body dimensions difference between JF-30 and F-50?

naveed211

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What got me into this whole Guild game was playing my friend's father's F-50 years ago. I remember it sounded massive and I loved the big body. That began my love of jumbo acoustics. I own a JF-30, but I haven't played an F-50 in probably at least a decade to remember the difference between them.

Is there any difference in body dimensions between a Westerly JF-30 and a Westerly F-50?
 

adorshki

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What got me into this whole Guild game was playing my friend's father's F-50 years ago. I remember it sounded massive and I loved the big body. That began my love of jumbo acoustics. I own a JF-30, but I haven't played an F-50 in probably at least a decade to remember the difference between them.

Is there any difference in body dimensions between a Westerly JF-30 and a Westerly F-50?
Not according to '87 price list (first year for JF30):
http://westerlyguildguitars.com/files/87PL2.jpg
Typically JF30's are mentioned as "low-bling" alternatives to an F50 when folks are looking for F50's.
They never got fretboard inlays or G-shield headstock.
Also seem to recall at least one reference that JF30's got AA tops while F50's got AAA, that may have varied by year of production in either model.
Grading's supposed to be purely cosmetic in any case.
Ah, here it is, also mentions rosewood fretboard on those vs ebony for F50's:
http://westerlyguildguitars.com/guitars/jf30.html
That one also shows a depth increase from 4-5/8 to 5" but the spec sheet's undated.
F50 spec sheet's undated as well:
http://westerlyguildguitars.com/guitars/f50.html
 
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naveed211

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Very helpful. Thanks! The F-50 is my dream but if it comes down to cosmetics and the sound is all there, maybe I can save myself some cash.

...Or maybe not...
 
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Yeah, I'm thinking "NOT"! LOL!
The other thing is... you can get an F-50 with maple back and sides, or an F-50R with rosewood back and sides. Quite a difference in tone!
The JF 30 was only offered in maple back and sides, as far as I know anyway.
Westerly-made, they are both pretty much the same size, but there ARE other differences besides bling. I had a chance to play both, back-to-back at a local vintage guitar shop. Maple to maple, the JF30 has great tone, projection and volume...but the F-50 is a CANNON!
That's why I own both! LOL!

And don't EVEN get me started on mahogany! :)
 

adorshki

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The other thing is... you can get an F-50 with maple back and sides, or an F-50R with rosewood back and sides. Quite a difference in tone!
The JF 30 was only offered in maple back and sides, as far as I know anyway.
Yes.
Westerly-made, they are both pretty much the same size, but there ARE other differences besides bling. I had a chance to play both, back-to-back at a local vintage guitar shop. Maple to maple, the JF30 has great tone, projection and volume...but the F-50 is a CANNON!
Your F50 is a New Hartford build and they changed the top radius there, and used adi bracing.
Was thinking of mentioning it for our new member's consideration but decided to leave it as a Westerly-to-Westerly comparo as he asked. I'd expect that comparison to be a lot closer.
In fact even over Westerly's history I think they changed the JF30's bracing, it started scalloped (according to price list) but I'm pretty sure it went to shaved for a while at least. Your '92 might be shaved.
But yeah, New Hartford F50's get unanimous raves from guys who've listened to far more guitars than I ever have.
 
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Al, I actually was comparing Westerly to Westerly.
One of the shops here had a vintage JF30 and a well-used F-50. (plus a few J-200s and other cool things. He always has HUNDREDS of cool vintage guitars, amps, etc.).

In fact, it was when I played that very F-50, that I KNEW I had to have one! They were BOTH pretty amazing guitars, but that F-50 just sounded HUGE! The JF30 was the only thing that even came close.

Ultimately, a little while later I traded and got my JF30 from a private party. This JF isn't quite as loud as I remember that other JF was, but it sounds so sweet! And there really aren't any other vintage F-50's around to compare to that one I played. I would have bought it if I could have made a deal. But for what he wanted, and then having to install a pickup, the $ didn't work for me. Later, I got my N.H. F-50, with factory DTAR, from a mid-west retailer for far less than what he was asking for the older F-50...so it all worked out! Couldn't be happier!

The modern-era N.H. F-50 is in a class all by itself. Nothing even comes close.
 

davismanLV

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There's all kinds of discrimination everywhere in the world. Some finger BODY SIZE as an issue.... to other's is SCALE LENGTH. I'm so tired of the discrimination.....

4bjAmx.jpg
 

adorshki

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Al, I actually was comparing Westerly to Westerly.
One of the shops here had a vintage JF30 and a well-used F-50. (plus a few J-200s and other cool things. He always has HUNDREDS of cool vintage guitars, amps, etc.).
The modern-era N.H. F-50 is in a class all by itself. Nothing even comes close.
Ah, got it. Went by the guitar in your sig when I made that comment.
 

NEALLA

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Yes.

Your F50 is a New Hartford build and they changed the top radius there, and used adi bracing.
Was thinking of mentioning it for our new member's consideration but decided to leave it as a Westerly-to-Westerly comparo as he asked. I'd expect that comparison to be a lot closer.
In fact even over Westerly's history I think they changed the JF30's bracing, it started scalloped (according to price list) but I'm pretty sure it went to shaved for a while at least. Your '92 might be shaved.
But yeah, New Hartford F50's get unanimous raves from guys who've listened to far more guitars than I ever have.
Adi bracing actually started in Tacoma, but I thought I read somewhere that some of the tops were adi too, that may have been in New Hartford.
 

GGJaguar

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Yes, red spruce was used for tops on some models built in Tacoma.
 

chazmo

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There were quite a few changes over the years in these models, Nealla. The actual body dimensions of the JF-30 vs. F-50 were very similar, but as of Tacoma I think the body depth of the F-50 changed and got somewhat shallower, which harkened more toward the original specs of the F-50...FYI, that "getting shallower" -- and significantly lighter, by the way -- does not (in my opinion) translate at all to a sonically inferior product. Quite the opposite. In my opinion, the F-50s that came out of Tacoma and New Hartford (followed Tacoma) were the absolute best of breed (including the Standard series F-50s). Again, in my opinion.

Since (I think) the arched backs of these models were all made on the same press, I attribute the awesomeness of these later models to their bracing and soundboards. Tacoma started the use of scalloped, red spruce bracing, I think, and ... well ... just wow!
 
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adorshki

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Adi bracing actually started in Tacoma, but I thought I read somewhere that some of the tops were adi too, that may have been in New Hartford.
Adi was first used for tops in Tacoma on the D40 an D50 "Bluegrass" models as well as the F40 "Valencia" and the CV-2 and CO-2.
https://www.gad.net/Blog/2010/08/23/guild-guitar-catalog-2006/

Since (I think) the arched backs of these models were all made on the same press,
Yes, the same one in Oxnard now was used from mid -'80's Westerly through New Hartford.

I attribute the awesomeness of these later models to their bracing and soundboards. Tacoma started the use of scalloped, red spruce bracing, I think, and ... well ... just wow!
No scalloped bracing on jumbos, besides, the whole point with adi (in Tacoma and later) is that it's strong enough to be able to make bracing of lighter weight but equal strength to sitka. No need to scallop for jumbos.
Guild-1998-Gallery-pg24_1600.jpeg


"Our jumbo guitars never have scalloped bracing because of the breadth of the top".

(Assuming that's accurate, given they showed scalloped bracing on first-year JF30-12's, for example.)
But that comment was concurrent with a change on the spec sheet from "Shaved" to "Jumbo X", so I give it high credibility, besides its accurate premise:

Guild-1998-Gallery-pg34_1600.jpeg
 
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