1988 Guild D-60 Sunburst

Note: This is a historically great guitar—with a flaw. Please read the description to the end.

There were apparently only 308 D-60s built between 1987-1990 (only two were released in 1990). The 1987 price list for Guild lists the D-60 at $1,395 over 35 years ago, and it was among their highest-priced guitars. The building of the D-60 was designed and supervised by Guild Master Luthier Kim Walker and vintage guitar guru George Gruhn. It had a AAAA Sitka Spruce top, highly figured East Indian Rosewood on back and sides, ebony fretboard with unique D60 diamond slotted inlays, mahogany neck, clear pick guard, Grover tuning machines, ebony or hard maple bridge, Guild pearl inlays on the headstock, herringbone purfling like an HD-28, and herringbone around the soundhole rosette. Gruhn actually got Guild to lighten up on their (over-braced) tops and shift the X brace forward. Obviously, D-60s are now very scarce and highly sought after, both for their sound and for their historical significance.

However, this guitar is part of an even smaller sub-group, the Guild D-60SB Johnny Cash model. The serial number (D600139) indicates it was built in 1988—before the full commercial release of the sunburst model, and there are a couple of anomalies suggesting its rarity: the numbers “1-88” embossed on the headstock, and the model number given as “D-60 A06” on the label. (Unfortunately, I don’t know what these mean, but if you’re curious, Hans Moust on the Guild Forum can probably help you out.) Since most of the commercial D-60s were in natural finish, perhaps the “88” refers to the total number of “Johnny Cash Sunburst” models produced.

The D-60SB model was designed specifically for Johnny Cash by Kim Walker and George Gruhn in the late 1980s. Jerre Haskew, a former president of Guild Guitars, provided online information on the build details of this model: like the D-60N, it also came with a AAAA Sitka Spruce Top, highly figured Indian Rosewood to resemble Brazilian Rosewood's sound and looks, a dark Ebony fretboard with custom diamond mother of pearl Inlays, 8-ply body binding—top and back, and herringbone sound hole rosette. The 14/20-fret fretboard and headstock are also fully bound, and it has a large tortoise pick guard to contrast with the ebony bridge, ebony fretboard, and unusual headstock overlay with the Guild roof top logo and the mother of pearl G shield inlay. It has a very fast and comfortable Mahogany neck, Gold Grover Rotomatic Tuners, and a bone nut and saddle. On the practical side, the neck has a 25.625” scale from the 1.69” nut to the saddle and a fingerboard radius of 12”. This guitar has all the top level appointments and is truly a work of art.

Jerre Haskew hand-delivered a Guild F-46/GF-60 to Eric Clapton in the 1980s and Clapton recorded an acoustic album with it, publicly endorsed the guitar, and toured with it for free. Similarly, the D60SB was hand-delivered to Johnny Cash, and Cash basically did the same thing Clapton did with his Guild: Haskew gifted him two guitars that he toured with from 1987-1994. One of those sold at auction for 60,000 dollars, and the other one is in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Johnny Cash Museum. A google image search will lead you to a picture of Johnny Cash posing with his D-60SB.

There are some cosmetic issues to report. There are a few visible dings and bruises and a glued crack above the pick guard under the strings. There’s also a crack in the bass side binding at the 14th fret, which can be easily filled.

HOWEVER, the flaw mentioned above is in a kinda funky bridge modification by some previous owner: not only has the bridge been shaved on the ends and re-set, but it appears to have been INset into the top itself. The result is acceptable for playing at a high level, with the action at a hair over 3/32” at the 12th fret low E and a working truss rod for further minor adjustments to taste. I have compared this bridge to the bridge on a good-playing Guild D-35 which I have for sale: both measure 1/4” at the front center of the bridge, and both have 1/16” of saddle above the bridge slot. However, at the center back of the bridge the D-60 is only 1/16” compared to the D-35’s 1/4”, and at the ends the D-60 has a miniscule 1/32” above the top to the D-35’s 1/16”.

I have no idea why this was done; there is no visible damage internally to the bridge plate or braces, and no sign that the glued crack above the pick guard is related to this. If I were keeping it, I would play it as is and enjoy the heck out of it. If I were to have it repaired, I would suggest to my luthier that he simply sand the existing bridge down to level with the top and install a new bridge on top of it—mebbe making it about 1/32” larger all around to cover the previous footprint. For the moment, I am thinking this will be a decision for its new owner.

All in all, this is your chance to own a very rare and great-playing Guild with a cool piece of history attached to it at a very affordable price. It is a truly classic instrument, a real Guild, “Made to be Played”, and it has worked hard making music and beating up on banjo and fiddle players for over three decades. Its beauty and great sound will make anyone else forget whatever they’re playing and envy its owner. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, it will pass into the hands of a player able to make music and turn heads for a generation or two to come.

The deluxe 6-latch arched-top TKL guitar case is in good condition with all latches and the leather handle working properly, and it fits the D-60 shape perfectly. The burgundy plush lining is soft and intact, and it is solid as a rock. It is an excellent vintage complement to protect this wonderful guitar.

Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.

I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this instrument, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy it.

Thank you for your interest in this excellent guitar.