1970 Guild F-212XL Jumbo 12-String Guitar
The F212XL is usually a '70s model for Guild but this guitar has a serialization scheme that's off the books (and looks more like late-'60s). It also has a Hoboken, NJ label inside. I'm guessing this is a '69 or '70 model from the transition period between Guild being in New Jersey and then being in Rhode Island in the '70s. All that aside, it's a fantastic guitar that's been languishing in my consignment pile for too long -- it was nice to finally get it up and running as it should be.
The F212 is, historically, a 16" normal-jumbo model. This XL version is a full 17" jumbo and has much of the same punch, drive, and Guild-y jangle-boom that the F512 and similar models have. It's lighter-weight than most '70s Guilds, thoguh, and has a neck, sound, and response much more akin to the usual '60s Hoboken F212 models -- meaning sweeter and fuller-sounding to my ears, anyway.
Post-repairs it plays bang-on, has plenty of adjustment room a the saddle for setup alteration, and sounds a treat.
Repairs included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, bridge reglue, saddle-slot expansion and install of a fully-compensated saddle, cleaning, and setup work.
Weight: 5 lbs 9 oz
Scale length: 25 1/2"
Nut width: 1 7/8"
Neck shape: medium D
Board radius: 14"
Body width: 17"
Body depth: 4 3/4"
Top wood: solid spruce
Back & sides wood: solid mahogany
Bracing type: x
Bridge: rosewood
Fretboard: ebony
Neck wood: mahogany
Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 48w-10
Truss rod: adjustable (2x)
Neck relief: straight
Fret style: medium-lower
Condition notes: it's actually pretty clean save for a little muck-up around the neck joint and a tiny hairline crack in the treble side of the bridge wing (not an issue, it's just thin there). I recut the saddle slot to be a wider, drop-in style so it would better-suit a taller, fully-compensated saddle. The original slot was thin and through-cut which is harder to take care of via adjustments and whatnot. There's some weather-checking to the finish throughout but overall it looks nice. Someone's added a strap button to the back of the heel.
It comes with: an original Guild hard case (grey) that's a bit beat-up but functional.
Consignor tag: LE
Comments