My Guild F-30NT serial number... 1969?

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I've played a wonderful Guild F-30 NT acoustic guitar for the last 45 years.

I got it from someone used around 1969 or 1970, if I remember correctly.

I recently became curious about its history...

The inside label indicates it was from Hoboken, New Jersey USA.
S/N is AI 2838 on the label and headstock.

This Serial number is beyond the range listed at the Guild website for the AI series, so I think it might be one of the very last ones built in NJ before the factory moved.

Does anyone have any good guesses or information about these late serial number F-30's?
 

hansmoust

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I've played a wonderful Guild F-30 NT acoustic guitar for the last 45 years.

I got it from someone used around 1969 or 1970, if I remember correctly.

I recently became curious about its history...

The inside label indicates it was from Hoboken, New Jersey USA.
S/N is AI 2838 on the label and headstock.

This Serial number is beyond the range listed at the Guild website for the AI series, so I think it might be one of the very last ones built in NJ before the factory moved.

Does anyone have any good guesses or information about these late serial number F-30's?

Hello hogwell,

Welcome! Your F-30 was completed during the year 1970. Even though it has a label with Hoboken, NJ, U.S.A. printed at the bottom, it was definitely made in Westerly, RI.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 
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> Welcome! Your F-30 was completed during the year 1970. Even though it has a label with Hoboken, NJ, U.S.A. printed at the bottom, it was definitely made in Westerly, RI.

> Sincerely,
> Hans Moust

Thanks for that information.

This is a great fingerpicking guitar that has always plays smoothly and sounds great.

I'm surprised the AI numbering system was used at the new RI factory.
They must have been waiting for their new labels to be printed.

Any idea how high the AI s/n's went?
When did they switch back to the single number?
 

fronobulax

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I'm surprised the AI numbering system was used at the new RI factory.
They must have been waiting for their new labels to be printed.

Any idea how high the AI s/n's went?
When did they switch back to the single number?

The Guild Guitar Book Volume I (written by Hans) is your best bet. The online dating charts are known to be inaccurate but are sometimes right.

The short version is that Guild used several numbering schemes at various times and there is no discernible reason for why a switch was made. The transition to the new factory (Westerly) lasted for some time and the factories operated simultaneously although not making the same model in both places. The no prefix/no model numbering scheme may correlate to when everything was happening in Westerly but correlation is not causation. The Hoboken labels were used until they ran out so there are definitely Hoboken guitars with Westerly labels. The serial numbers were handwritten on the labels. The sequential numbering scheme was reintroduced in 1970 although Hans has documented instruments that date to that time but were not labeled with the new scheme. For much of Guild's history a serial number was assigned to a neck when it was built but there was no effort to use the necks in serial number order so using serial numbers to assign a chronology is a risky undertaking :)
 

hansmoust

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The Hoboken labels were used until they ran out so there are definitely Hoboken guitars with Westerly labels.

Hello Frono,

You probably meant : The Hoboken labels were used until they ran out so there are definitely Westerly guitars with Hoboken labels.

That is what you find on most instruments from the 1969-1970 period. However the other way, as you mentioned in your posting, would be possible too; that would be instruments that were manufactured in Hoboken, but completed in Westerly. They do exist, but they are rare, since that would be instruments that were kept in stock unfinished for something like 5 years.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

fronobulax

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Hello Frono,

You probably meant : The Hoboken labels were used until they ran out so there are definitely Westerly guitars with Hoboken labels.

You are right. That's what I meant. Must be the aftereffects of the blizzard. Thank you.
 

mavuser

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Hans- separate from the labels, the serial number system changed (to no letter prefix) in westerly. But these "westerly guilds with Hoboken labels" have the older Hoboken style serial number. So they built and stamped all of those very high # w/ letter prefix in Westerly? Were the "parts" from Hoboken or the instruments started in Hoboken? Clearly the labels started their life in Hoboken. And maybe some Hagstrom pickups...etc...Did any of the wood?
 

fronobulax

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Hans- separate from the labels, the serial number system changed (to no letter prefix) in westerly. But these "westerly guilds with Hoboken labels" have the older Hoboken style serial number. So they built and stamped all of those very high # w/ letter prefix in Westerly? Were the "parts" from Hoboken or the instruments started in Hoboken? Clearly the labels started their life in Hoboken. And maybe some Hagstrom pickups...etc...Did any of the wood?

However the other way, as you mentioned in your posting, would be possible too; that would be instruments that were manufactured in Hoboken, but completed in Westerly. They do exist, but they are rare, since that would be instruments that were kept in stock unfinished for something like 5 years.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Hans confirmed parts made in Hoboken and assembled into a guitar in Westerly with perhaps a several year gap.

My hypothesis is that there were necks made in both places (for different models) that used the XX-0000 scheme but only necks made in Westerly used the 00000 for the period 1965-1971. The dates are important since the scheme was in use before 1965 and those 00000 necks had to be made somewhere that was not Westerly :)
 

adorshki

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Hans confirmed parts made in Hoboken and assembled into a guitar in Westerly with perhaps a several year gap.

My hypothesis is that there were necks made in both places (for different models) that used the XX-0000 scheme but only necks made in Westerly used the 00000 for the period 1965-1971. The dates are important since the scheme was in use before 1965 and those 00000 necks had to be made somewhere that was not Westerly :)
Also for Hogwell's refernce: Westerly started making guitars in '67 and according to the Guild Guitar book, "the move was complete by 1969". (Hans please forgive and correct me if I misquoted, book's at home)
That does leave open the question of "When" in 1969 but I'm starting to suspect even Hans doesn't have that specific info.
Guild's record-keeping left a lot to be desired.
 
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