1965 Guild M-20 Natural Mahogany

The M-20 was one of Guild's least expensive guitars in the 1950's and '60's, but it has become one of the company's most sought-after vintage instruments in recent years. The highly influential English singer/songwriter Nick Drake is known to have played the M-20 extensively and is pictured with one on the cover of the classic “Bryter Layter” album, so the model is linked in the popular imagination to his legend. Whether or not Drake actually recorded with an M-20 is the subject of some debate, but Nick's beautifully delicate guitar parts sound right at home on this little guitar.

Even apart from this connection the instrument itself has much to recommend it. Introduced as the Economy M-20 in 1958, the Guild M-20 was a small-sized acoustic guitar with an entirely mahogany body. The rather spasmodic years of production for this configuration were from 1958 to 1965, then from 1969 to 1973, and then occasionally for a few years at a time with slightly varying specs until emerging as the short-lived S-30. Recently it has been the first model re-issued from the new Guild plant, and again is finding a place in the crowded market.

This vintage Guild M-20 has a solid mahogany X-braced top and solid mahogany back, sides, and neck, and as a small-body all-mahogany guitar, it has a different tonal character from any other Guild. The neck is slim and comfortable, somewhat in between typical Martin and Gibson specs, and arguably is a better guitar of this type than either company was producing in 1965—certainly better than Gibson’s slightly larger all-mahogany but ladder-braced LG-0. As one Guild aficionado says, “This M-20 is pretty comparable to a Martin 0-15 (solid mahogany 0-size body plus lightweight x-bracing) from the same time, though not as refined and with a woodier, more-direct, more-Gibson sort of sound. Because the size is in-between an 0 and 00 Martin, you get a little more warmth than an 0 but not as much total punch as a 00.”

With no binding and only the plainest inlay, the M-20 has a very austere look but a typically smooth, expansive sound. The guitar has a rosewood bridge with white pins, and the 14/20 fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlay ends in open vintage-style nickel Guild tuners and the Guild logo on the headstock overlay. The slim C-shaped neck at the nut is 1 5/8” wide, and the scale length is 24 5/8”, including a working adjustable truss rod.

This particular M-20 dates to 1965, judging from the serial number (AH1042) and the fact that the label clearly says Hoboken, N.J.; Guild moved to Westerly, R.I. in 1966. As such, it is much rarer than the more typically encountered later models, with a somewhat more responsive sound. Guild's answer to the Martin 0-17, the M-20 has a slightly smaller depth (4 1/8") which makes it a fantastic couch guitar.

Now: this one is not perfect, but it’s a lightly-built 58-year-old guitar which has played a ton of songs, and has been restored to play a ton or two more. One would expect some buckle scratches on the back, and yet the back and sides are in good cosmetic shape. The top has a ding or two, but it has evidently been re-finished, possibly because the notoriously thin Guild pick guard was curling and warping—but there is no “footprint” of its existence. In the process, the bridge slot appears to have been filled and re-routed for a new bone saddle, and I don’t think the pearl dots on the bridge are original.

There's evidence of some leveling and dressing of these original frets, there are some cleats to reinforce the back seam, there is an ancient but solid headstock repair, and the action is set up at a hair under 3/32" at the 12th fret low E. The neck looks straight and true, the action is consistent all the way to the 20th fret, the neck joint is solid, the bridge is now tight, and I believe that the neck has been re-set at some time or other. The open-gear tuners appear to be original, but the black laminate on the headstock—like the pick guard—apparently also shrunk, curled, and warped, so a previous owner just pulled it off and replaced it with a kinda rough black finish over the mahogany headstock face, losing the logo decal and the original truss rod cover in the process. I have reduced my asking price by $200 to reflect these largely cosmetic modifications.

I can only add that it plays great and sounds sweet, with its small size making its great Guild resonance a wonderful surprise. It’s now a sweet-playing finger-picker's dream, and hopefully it will pass into the hands of a player able to make music and turn heads for a generation or two to come.

The apparently original chip board case was totally shot, so I will ship it in a very good Guitar Research hard foam case. The abundant straps, zippers, and pockets are fully functional, and the interior is clean. It is a great complement for this cool guitar, offering excellent light-weight protection for travel or serious gigging.

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. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing.

Thank you for your interest in this classic Guild guitar.