1972 Guild F-312 Brazilian Rosewood
This wonderful Guild 12-string F-312 guitar was made in the Westerly, R.I. plant in 1972, judging from its serial number (65806) and the Guild website. It features a full jumbo body based on the F-47 design and was among the most popular 12-string guitars in America until it was discontinued in 1974. As such, this particular guitar has dominated lesser instruments for 51 years, and the resonance of its aged woods will only improve with its new generation of players. Its classic mojo make it stand out in any crowd, but it’s the huge sound that will make other players turn around to check it out.
This Guild F-312 has a solid spruce top and solid rosewood back and sides. It is fully bound, top and back, with multi-stripe binding on top, and it has a large tortoise pick guard, a rosewood bridge, and a multi-stripe inlaid rosette. The three-piece mahogany/maple neck supports a 14/20 fret ebony fingerboard with no dot inlays which ends in a blackface headstock with six-per-side vintage-style open chrome tuners and the pearl inlaid Guild name and Chesterfield logo. It is a smaller-sized jumbo—not like the 17” F-412 or F-512, with a 15 7/8” lower bout width, 5” body depth, and a 25 1/2” scale, and with its narrower waist it is much more comfortable to play than dreadnought 12-strings. The playing action is quite low—especially for a 12-string—at 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, and this tone monster is ready to rule the world—or at least your local jam.
However, at some point this guitar was “rode hard and put away wet”, as my horsey friends would say. My guess is that it was stepped on, but whatever the trauma, there are a number of repaired structural and cosmetic issues to report. There is some pick wear around the sound hole—not unusual for a hard-playing 51-year-old guitar’s finish, and some dings and bruises, including some buckle dents on the back and some chipped finish on the back of the neck. There are also chips in the binding, including a crack in the binding along the top lower bout.
More obviously, there are a substantial number of professionally glued and cleated cracks in the top and a very professional repair of a crack at the headstock. The bridge has probably been re-set, and I had the neck re-set to produce the wonderfully low action. My luthier has closely examined the earlier repairs and certifies that all are solid; there is nothing that now compromises the structural integrity or the playability of the guitar. If you can accept these visible repairs as mojo, then you will be blessed with perhaps the best-playing and sounding 12-string of your life.
While this guitar’s rosewood body is highly figured, according to The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars the F-312 back and sides were consistently solid Brazilian Rosewood only from 1964 to 1969; by 1972, only a few standard models occasionally were sold with the regulated Brazilian. I am not a wood expert, but to me this guitar’s back and sides look like Braz, sound like Braz, and even smell like Braz. I urge you to check out the pictures and judge for yourself. Regardless, this 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 fifty-plus years. 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 included hard shell case may not be original to this guitar, but it is in very good structural condition and fits the F-312 shape perfectly. The hinges, handle, and latches work well, the faded purple lining is soft and intact, and it is still solid as a rock. It fits like a glove and is an excellent vintage complement to protect this fine vintage 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; cashiers and personal 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 bidding.
Thank you for your interest in this great-playing Guild.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.