F-50R "Special" on Facebook

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,791
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
Well, I don't know about this one. I belong to the Guild Players FaceBook page. This guy posted a pick of a friends F-50R "Special" about which he says on five were made. Hans will have to way in on this one.
Rich

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2016268075060552&set=gm.712401519119095&type=3&theater

Willing to bet it's that batch of F50R's from the late '60's.
Bob Weir of the Dead got one and we even had another member here pop up and confirm he cited 5 or 6 being made.
Ahhh, here we go:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?185399-Bob-Weir-and-his-Guild-F50
Post #25:
What he's playing is one of 5 or perhaps a run of 6 F50-R Special (on label) made in late spring or early summer of 1970. As the story was told to myself and Dan Murphy (who purchased the one I now own) at a music store in Denver in Dec '75, that they were ordered for the Grateful Dead for the 'Festival Express' tour, and another went to John Denver. Until I saw this photo and video today, I though mine was the only one with that rosewood inlay on the Artist Award neck. Images of the F50 Bob Weir was playing during Festival Express show a more traditional inlay. Inside the top of mine is stamped Apr 23 1970, so obviously it was assembled sometime after that. Another difference is that mine has a thin double pickguard, and a two piece Brazilian back (flat). A few years later (I think '77) we were doing a festival at Cal State Long Beach and Jerry Garcia was holding court backstage in the girl's gym (the green room) on banjo, and we asked him about the guitar and he acknowledged the Guilds. Keep in mind it was the '70's so I don't remember much else. The guitar has unbelievable tone and volume and I'll post some photos soon a I get time to figure out how.

I could swear I even recall mention of some arched rosewood back "experimental" F50's from the late '60's.
Maybe Hans could confirm?
Chaz? Can't recall, was Cap arched or just laminated?
Edit: Ok, Now I'm thinking there's at least 2 potentials, because of the John Denver mention.
HE got an F50 with an Artist Award inlay on the headstock.
Bob Weir got an F50R with an OVERSIZED headstock as seen in pics in that thread I linked.
And that certainly looks like a rosewood body (although it could be stained) and is reported to have an arched back.
Hans also comments in that thread (post #3):
In the June issue of Acoustic Guitar p43 there is an interesting paragraph or two where Bob Weir references his playing a custom order archback F50 with an oversized peghead. He said he used it on the '69-'70 acoustic sets and that only three were made. One for him and two Dead roadies got the two others. He wanted an acoustic that had some projection and the archback was it. The article said the Dead were in tight with Guild and he said." So I said to Mark Dronge, why don't we do a flattop with an arched back?" He also mentioned that it is one of the most prized guitars in his collection.
Don't agree with the dating and the sequence of the various events, but nevertheless these guitars are absolutely historically interesting.
The ones I've seen had laminated Brazilian rosewood bodies and 5-pc. laminated maple necks, which made them somewhat odd looking.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl


\
 
Last edited:

chazmo

Super Moderator
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
25,475
Reaction score
7,132
Location
Central Massachusetts
I had a '67 arched-Brazilian (laminate). The label said "F-50 ROSEWOOD"

That's why I'm curious what this guy's axe looks like. Sorry, not a FB member, can't see squat.
 

AcornHouse

Venerated Member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
10,216
Reaction score
7,226
Location
Bidwell, OH
Guild Total
21
Are there pix that someone can host elsewehere. Would be interested to see.
Pic. And not a great one. (Still better than most of the GC pics.)

42558977_2016268081727218_1220047565655900160_n.jpg
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,791
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
Pic. And not a great one. (Still better than most of the GC pics.)

Thanks Chris.
Think that's what Chaz had and bet it predates Weir's "Special".
And bet that's why Hans says he disagrees with Weir's recollection of sequence and dates of events, but I also bet those inspired Weir to order the one (or more) with an over-sized headstock.

I had a '67 arched-Brazilian (laminate). The label said "F-50 ROSEWOOD"

Appreciate the refresher. I'd bet yours (and the one here) were some of the ones that Hans mentions in his book as "experiments" (I'm thinking he mentions Jim Deurlein?)
Sorry, don't have the book here where I post from.
And I'd bet these early ones were what led to the introduction of the "F50R" as a regular model which I recall as being '68.
Point being, for whatever reason they decided that for regular production, a flatback worked better with rosewood, but it could explain why Weir recalls asking 'em "Why not do an arched back flat-top" when in fact they'd been doing it all along, except in maple.
 
Last edited:

Nuuska

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
7,669
Reaction score
6,030
Location
Finland
Guild Total
9
Hello

Since I sold my AA two decades ago - I have no real comparison - but that looks like an ordinary F50R with non-ordinary tuners?

Definitively NOT AA headstock.
 

chazmo

Super Moderator
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
25,475
Reaction score
7,132
Location
Central Massachusetts
Nuuska, that's right. It's just that this is a very early version of the F-50R model, whatever it was called... I'm guessing this is a '68 or '69 model (I think all the '67s were arched-backs like mine, not sure). Very likely this was Brazilian rosewood.
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,791
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
That's a '60s flatback for sure. Tuners are (I think) not original. Sweet!

Ahh yes, forgot yours was arched and the pic has a back brace staring me in the face.
Maybe the tuners are what made it a "Special"? Aren't those Grover Imperials which Guild did use on some models?
(Might be wrong about the name but they look familiar)
 

Rich Cohen

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2015
Messages
3,147
Reaction score
2,279
Location
Charlottesville, VA
Ahh yes, forgot yours was arched and the pic has a back brace staring me in the face.
Maybe the tuners are what made it a "Special"? Aren't those Grover Imperials which Guild did use on some models?
(Might be wrong about the name but they look familiar)

Right, they certainly look like Grover Imperials. And, yes, thanks Chris for the pic. I was in a hurry, and didn't think about the guys not members of that group.
 

hansmoust

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2005
Messages
9,202
Reaction score
3,508
Location
Netherlands
Pic. And not a great one. (Still better than most of the GC pics.)

42558977_2016268081727218_1220047565655900160_n.jpg

Can any of you guys read the label from the FB pictures? Thanks for the pic you gave us, Chris.

Photo is not really clear, but from what I can see in the photo I would think we're looking at an instrument from around 1964. Could be wrong though!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

hansmoust

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2005
Messages
9,202
Reaction score
3,508
Location
Netherlands

Received an email from the original poster on Facebook. With the additional info he gave me I was able to find the guitar in the original ledgers of 'final assembly'. The guitar is indeed from 1964, so it is not one of the guitars that was part of the batch they did at the end of the '60s and of which Bob Weir got one.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

Neal

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Messages
4,857
Reaction score
1,627
Location
Charlottesville, VA
Of course, want and need are two different things.

I am hoping the F-30R currently in the mail headed my way will scratch my rosewood itch at a fraction of the cost of the lovely creature posted above...
 
Top