1969 Guild Mark I Classical Guitar

Overview: This poor old Guild Mark I is a survivor. It was obviously loved and carted-around everywhere and enjoyed for most of its life -- and it looks all the better for it! It arrived here with stiff action, some unrepaired cracks, and general maintenance that had been deferred. I tidied all that up and now it's playing nicely.

These mahogany-top Guild classicals have a surprisingly-full sound that's also on the woodier and clearer side of things. They're not woofy or bass-heavy and make excellent "folk" nylon guitars. 

Repairs included: I cleated/filled a top crack to the treble side of the bridge (a longer one). I also leveled and dressed the frets, recut the bridge for both better action and better intonation, and set it up. I extracted a funkily-installed pickup, too. It's playing spot-on and ready to go.

• Weight: 3 lbs 7 oz
• Scale length: 25 1/2"
• Nut width: 2"
• Neck shape: medium D
• Board radius: flat
• Depth at first fret: .86"
• Depth at seventh fret: .89"
• Body width: 14 1/2"
• Body depth: 3 3/4"
• Top wood: solid mahogany
• Back & sides wood: solid mahogany
• Bracing type: fan
• Bridge: rosewood
• Fretboard: rosewood
• Neck wood: mahogany
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: normal tension D'Addario Pro-Arte
• Truss rod: non-adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: wider/lower

Condition notes: The back of the neck has odd finish wear that appears to be capo disturbance. The finish is distressed here and there throughout. Someone left some glue lines around the heel when it was, presumably, reset some time ago. There are a cluster of hairline cracks on the treble side just below the waist that are repaired and filled (not by me, but in the past). I repaired and cleated the longish top crack that runs from just in front of the treble wing of the bridge and down to near the endblock. To get good intonation I removed the original saddle slot and recut the front of the bridge so that the back wall of the saddle slot now functions as the saddle (Guild had installed the bridge in the wrong place at the factory). This is rather ukulele-style but it does work and it's something I do on a lot of old Japanese classical guitars for the same reason. I added through-stringing holes in front of the tie-block area so this can be strung "through-style" like ukes as well -- slip the string into the hole and into the body, then pull it out the soundhole to knot it up into a ball-end, and then pull it back snug up to the top and then up to the tuner -- easy-peasy and very stable.

Did I mention there's tons of finish wear throughout as well? Scratches, scuffs, small nicks and dings -- a filled small hole on the treble side of the upper bout -- finish clearcoat missing at the headstock -- you name it -- it's well-traveled!

It comes with: Sorry, no case.

Consignor tag: CLLR