1974 Guild F112 000-Size 12-String Guitar




Update 2020: My buddy Michael has owned this since 2015 when I first worked on it for him and it's been stable in his possession the entire time. He brought it back for resale here (now June, 2020) as he hasn't been playing 12 string much of late. It's just as good when it left and only needed minor tweaking -- a truss rod adjustment and restring -- to get it playing spot-on again.

These old Guild F112s are among my favorite 12 strings as they're sturdy, practical, have double truss rods in the neck, and are a comfortable size to play just about anywhere. The bigger 17" Guild jumbo 12 strings have more rumble, but these have plenty of the clean, chimey, shimmery sound that you want when you're recording Tom Petty-style chordal-backing tracks. They're also a lot lighter in weight and the stripped-down look is easy on the eyes.

So, yes, they handle well -- and thus make you want to play them. This one's ready to go and all done-up.

Repairs included: in the past I gave it a fret level/dress, compensated the saddle some more, and added string ramps behind the saddle to keep back-angle on the saddle consistent. Then I set it up and that was it. Recently, I just gave it a quick setup and restring.

Setup notes: action is a hair above 1/16" EA and straight 1/16" DGBE at the 12th fret -- slinky and fast. The neck is straight, the frets have good life left to them, and the truss rods work. I have it strung with a custom "Jake set" of extra-light 12-string gauges: 22w/46w, 15/36w, 11/26w, 8/18w, 13/13, 10/10 from low to high. This is like your average "10s" set of 12 string gauges but the octave strings and the wound G are a little lighter in gauge. That brings string-to-string tension to a more balanced place and the feel is slick and quick. If you detune at all, this set is probably not to your taste.

Scale length: 25 5/8"
Nut width: 1 13/16"
String spacing at nut: 1 5/8"
String spacing at bridge: 2 3/8"
Body length: 19 3/8"
Lower bout width: 15 3/8"
Waist width: 9 1/8"
Upper bout width: 11"
Side depth at endpin: 4 7/8"
Top wood: solid spruce
Back/sides wood: solid mahogany
Bracing type: x
Fretboard: rosewood
Bridge: rosewood
Neck feel: medium C/D-shape, ~14" board radius

Condition notes: the guitar's all-original right down to the bridge pins, though there's an added strap button at the back of the heel. The finish is in good order with light weather-checking/crackle as you'd expect an old guitar to have, but overall in very good shape. There's a few light scuffs and scratches scattered throughout but again -- overall it's quite clean.

It comes with: a gigbag.














Comments

Unknown said…
Hi,

I recently bought the same guitar (from 1976), and it sounds very good.

Just one question. From the Guild factory, is it bone nut and bridge ?

Thanks for your answer.

Dimitri