1961 Guild F-20 0-Size Guitar

This little Hoboken-made Guild is a wonderful box. Tonally, it gives same-period Martin 0-18s a good run for their money -- with perhaps a bit more emphasis on crunchy mids and with a little less of the scooped/velvety highs. Handling-wise, it reacts like a mid-'60s Gibson with its 1 5/8" nut width and slimmer, C-shaped neck profile. I think it's a successful blend of these two schools of guitar-thought, though I think it leans more on the Martin end of the spectrum as far as sound goes.

My buddy Phil bought this and sent it up for work a little while ago. It didn't need much, however, as the action was nearly dialed-in. It had two, big, open back cracks that were ugly, however, and needed the usual going-through.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, compensation to the (original?) saddle, replacement endpin, crack repairs to the rear (with a ton of cleats for each one as they run the entire length of the back), cleaning, and setup.

Setup notes: action is bang-on at 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE height at the 12th fret. The neck is straight and the truss rod works. Strings are standard "lights" at 54w, 42w, 32w, 24w, 16, 12.

Scale length: 24 3/4"

Nut width: 1 5/8"

String spacing at nut: 1 7/16"

String spacing at bridge: 2 1/16"

Body length: 18"

Lower bout width: 13 5/8"

Waist width: 8 1/8"

Upper bout width: 10 1/8"

Side depth at endpin: 4"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back/sides wood: solid mahogany

Neck wood: mahogany

Bracing type: x-braced, tapered "square"

Fretboard: rosewood

Bridge: rosewood, synthetic saddle

Neck feel: slim C-shape, ~12" board radius

Condition notes: two big repaired back cracks, otherwise quite clean for its age and with only middling use-wear (scratches, nicks) throughout. There's one small spot of missing veneer at the  top of the headstock, though I blacked it out so it's not obvious at a glance. It appears all-original, too, save the endpin.