2012 Guild GAD F-30 Natural

This Guild GAD F-30 guitar was made in January of 2012, judging from its serial number (1201260190) and a website on-line. This model was introduced in 1954 as a version of the original F orchestra style guitars, discontinued in the late 1980s to re-appear as the GF series, and more recently has appeared in the GAD series. This particular guitar has been dominating lesser and larger instruments for nine years now, and the resonance of its woods will continue to improve with each new generation of players. Its classic design make it stand out in a crowd, but it’s the surprisingly full sound that will make other musicians turn around to check it out.

The Guild F-30 has a "folk" or mini-jumbo body style, with a 25 ½” scale and a full 15 ½” lower bout but a rather narrow pinched waist (9 ½”) compared to a dreadnought, making it easier to handle for many players without sacrificing its powerful bass. It has a solid spruce top with scalloped spruce bracing, and solid mahogany back, neck, and sides. The body has multi-ply binding, top and back, and it has a large tortoiseshell pick guard, a rosewood bridge with compensated bone saddle and white black-dot pins, and a multi-stripe rosette with abalone inlay. The bound 14/20-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl inlay position markers ends in a 1 ¾” bone nut and mahogany headstock with three-per-side Grover vintage-style open-back chrome tuners and the Guild logo decal. With its high-gloss polyester finish this is a really good-looking guitar.

Considering its nine years of seasoning and enthusiastic play, it’s not surprising that there are a few cosmetic items to report: there is of course the obvious pick wear above and below the pick guard, but very few dings visible anywhere else. There are no cracks, but there is an empty strap button hole on the heel, and the electronics have been removed, leaving an empty end pin hole with a small chip beside it. The action is currently set at a bit over 3/32” at the 12th fret low E, but the saddle is high and the truss rod works well if you want to tweak it.

While this is a totally cool instrument, it is a real Guild, “Made to be Played,” and it has been making music and turning heads for almost a decade. It has now been thoroughly checked out and set up, the action is medium, and it’s ready to beat up on some banjo and fiddle players. Any hesitation you might feel about it due to its honorable pick scars should be more than overcome when you hear the sound and resonance released from its solid woods by those years of experience. 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 pictured hard shell case is not original to this guitar and it appears to have a logo or decal subtly covered over on the top, but it fits the guitar’s somewhat unusual “auditorium” shape and size very well. It offers excellent protection, and I feel sure that when you fall in love with this F-30 you will be glad to have a hard shell complement for this cool 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 made every effort to describe and illustrate this guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. 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 purchase it.

Thank you for your interest in this cool instrument.