1973 Guild F-48 Navarre Jumbo Flattop Guitar

I automatically think "12 string" when I think Guild jumbos, so it's always a pleasure to get to play a 6-string version. These are gutsy, punchy, forward, and rumbly-sounding guitars and sit in a mix more like a clearer-sounding dreadnought than something like a Gibson J-200 -- despite the similar outline. This makes them good all-arounders as flatpicked lead and fills are just as snappy as the chords.

This one is well-preserved though it does have a shaved bridge (someone took it down about 1/16" to my eye) and three repaired cracks (one near the pickguard, the center seam below the bridge, and one on the treble side). It also has some cracks in the binding near and at the fretboard extension. When it came in (for consignment), it the neck angle was bad and there was excess glue around the sides of the heel -- apparently a not-so-great old reset job.

I popped the neck, reset it, gave the frets a level/dress, cleated the two top cracks (they'd already been sealed and the side crack had already been patched), cut the saddle slot a little wider (so I could get the compensation correct), made a new saddle, and gave it a general cleaning and setup. She's playing on-the-dot, the neck is straight, and the frets still have some life left in them.

Specs are: 25 1/2" scale, 1 11/16" nut width, 1 13/32" string spacing at the nut, 2 1/8" spacing at the bridge, 17 1/8" lower bout, 12 1/2" upper bout, and 4 7/8" side depth at the endblock. The neck has a slim-C shape to its rear and around a 12" radius to the fretboard. Action is bang-on at 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE at the 12th fret. It's strung with 54w, 42w, 32w, 24w, 16, 12 gauges.

Woods are: solid spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, two-piece mahogany neck with center strip, and rosewood board and bridge. The board itself has fancy big-block inlay and the instrument appears to be all-original save one bridge pin and the new bone saddle.

There are a number of small hairline cracks in the binding along the fretboard extension and one tiny little replacement patch at the 17th fret.

There's some odd buckle-rash/wear just below the heel on the back. The finish has light scratches and scuffs here and there, too, and plenty of weather-check in the "curvy" spots, too.