Guild Troubadour F-20 1957 | $2250 | (v2120) The Troubadour F-20 line began in Hoboken in 1956. It took direct aim at the smaller Gibsons and Martins of the day. The first three years of production featured maple back and sides, before mahogany became the standard. The F-20 was a pretty popular guitar for Guild .. the folk boom was in full swing and many teens were looking for an affordable 'folk' guitar .. the fit the bill.
This example is from 1957 and features maple back and sides and a spruce top, both bound in white. The top is X-braced. The sound hole features a number of b/w rings. The bridge is Brazilian rosewood. The neck is mahogany, carved in a very modern 'C'-shape and features a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with seven pearl-dot position markers. An adjustable truss rod allows for accurate neck relief. The head stock is painted black and features a Guild decal is gold script. The serial number appears embossed on the rear of the head stock, and again on the lable inside the body.
The body measures 13 5/8" across at the lower bout. Body depth is 4 1/8" deep at the end pin. Scale length measures a short-scale 24 3/4". The neck measures 1 9/16" at the nut, with string spacing 2" at the saddle.
The guitar is all original but for the saddle and bridge pins. Past repairs include a hairline glued between endpins on the original bridge, a reglued bridge and apparantly an earlier neck reset. We recently had new binding installed (outsourced), and in our shop we: reset the neck; reglued the bridge; leveled and dressed the frets; cleaned and lubed the tuners; adjusted the truss rod; installed a new saddle. The action is set at 5 & 6/64". There is a thin crack along the bass side of the finger board extension. There is some finish loss around the bridge footprint from earlier bridge removal(s). The guitar retains its original finish, which is checked, scratched and dinged from its 'Troubadour' days.
Some claim the Troubadour to be the best small-bodied folk guitar offered in the fifties and sixties, ..Nick Drake surely approved!. This example can make an argument for that supposition, and not soley based on value/dollar .. the Troubadour plays easily, and puts out sound way above its pay grade .. full and warm, with the maple giving it just a little more punch than a mahogany example.
Comes with a newer hard case.
Check out the sound clip!
This example is from 1957 and features maple back and sides and a spruce top, both bound in white. The top is X-braced. The sound hole features a number of b/w rings. The bridge is Brazilian rosewood. The neck is mahogany, carved in a very modern 'C'-shape and features a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with seven pearl-dot position markers. An adjustable truss rod allows for accurate neck relief. The head stock is painted black and features a Guild decal is gold script. The serial number appears embossed on the rear of the head stock, and again on the lable inside the body.
The body measures 13 5/8" across at the lower bout. Body depth is 4 1/8" deep at the end pin. Scale length measures a short-scale 24 3/4". The neck measures 1 9/16" at the nut, with string spacing 2" at the saddle.
The guitar is all original but for the saddle and bridge pins. Past repairs include a hairline glued between endpins on the original bridge, a reglued bridge and apparantly an earlier neck reset. We recently had new binding installed (outsourced), and in our shop we: reset the neck; reglued the bridge; leveled and dressed the frets; cleaned and lubed the tuners; adjusted the truss rod; installed a new saddle. The action is set at 5 & 6/64". There is a thin crack along the bass side of the finger board extension. There is some finish loss around the bridge footprint from earlier bridge removal(s). The guitar retains its original finish, which is checked, scratched and dinged from its 'Troubadour' days.
Some claim the Troubadour to be the best small-bodied folk guitar offered in the fifties and sixties, ..Nick Drake surely approved!. This example can make an argument for that supposition, and not soley based on value/dollar .. the Troubadour plays easily, and puts out sound way above its pay grade .. full and warm, with the maple giving it just a little more punch than a mahogany example.
Comes with a newer hard case.
Check out the sound clip!