Thanks to a post from HeyMikey at Let's Talk Guild forum, I was able to purchase this Guild 6 string from some lovely folks that operate Sussex County Music in New Jersey. They had highly discounted this instrument, realizing it needed repair.
I believe the music store honestly reported what they knew about the guitar. The bridge was securely glued down and the truss rod would need replacing. Photos revealed a missing heel cap and some binding shrinkage and separation. They priced the guitar accordingly, packed and shipped it right away, and even refunded me some of the shipping costs.
The guitar was delivered damage-free, another great job done by UPS.
The original Guild case is in excellent shape. The condition of an original case is often an indicator of the condition of the guitar stored inside. We are always hopeful that the instrument hasn't been beaten to death. Let's have a look...
Someone really enjoyed this guitar, as evidenced by the significant fret wear all the way up and down the fretboard. I love seeing that!
Fret Wear usually equates to "Well Loved!"
This guitar would have been fitted with a compression rod, and a quick loof beneath the "Truss Rod Cover" confirmed that. A nut is tightened against the raw wood of the neck on the threaded end of a steel rod which is fixed to the wood at the heel. There are so many downsides to this design that it was all but abandoned and replaced with the dual-action truss rod. Threads can strip, the neck wood beneath the nut can be damaged, the rod can snap, and/or the rod can pull loose from being fixed at the heel. In the case of this DV-52, we have stripped threads and neck wood damage, both likely due to the rod having shifted or pulled free. This all confirms what the seller had disclosed. If this was the only thing wrong with this guitar, a repair would involve removing the fretboard, replacing the rod (likely upgrading it to a dual-action truss rod), replacing the fretboard, and addressing finish issues resulting from the repair. A re-fret of the guitar would be in order, as well.
Truss Rod Threads
Not so fast...
The seller had also disclosed the heel cap was missing, and a quick glance at the neck heel confirmed that to be so. The binding around the body is noticeably shrinking, as was also disclosed in the photos. But heel caps don't typically go missing, and that is always a cause for concern. A closer look revealed a much more serious problem with the neck. First, the neck joint is loose. The neck can simply rock forward in the joint, pivoting at the fretboard. This would cause the action to be excessively high when the strings are tightened to pitch, which I confirmed by simply tightening the strings to pitch. LOL
I was hoping I could address the fretboard issue with the neck attached. But the loose neck joint requires the neck to be reset. Oh well, that's the way these things go.
But wait, it gets worse...
The side of the guitar is actually split in two places, where it is separating from the neck block when the neck is flexed. This means that I cannot simply reset the neck. I need to address the loose sides, as well.
Neck Heel Issues
Remember what I was saying about the condition of the guitar case... The neck, alone, informs me that this guitar has obviously suffered at least one traumatic injury. Now that I am thoroughly suspicious, let's keep looking...
There is unusual finish checking on the soundboard that is not consistent with sudden temperature change. The finish has stress fractures that travel from the lower bout under the bridge and into the soundhole. Hmm...
Stress Fractures - Lower Bout
Stress Fractures - Soundhole
What else may have happened to this guitar? Stress fractures such as these would most likely be telltale signs of serious impact, somewhere. With all my lutherie alarms going off at once, I look more closely at the finish, focusing on the binding... Can you see what I see?
Tint
The finish is tinted. While tinting is not completely uncharacteristic for a Guild guitar, two things stand out to me: First, the back and sides of this guitar are Rosewood, which would not normally be tinted. Secondly, and more significantly, this particular tinting does not continue all the way around the entire perimeter of the binding. What does that indicate? It means there was a refinishing that occurred at some point. The detective in me asks, "Why?" I break out my endoscope to have a look inside, and guess what I discover?
Side Crack
See that "winding river" line running from the soundboard to the back, across the lower bout? The side on this guitar was severely cracked! I must complement whoever did the repair, though. It is a first-rate job on the Rosewood. The rose tinting across the binding is what gave it away.
Perhaps there is a learning opportunity for some who may read this. This instrument had been expertly "repaired." Some might even go so far as to claim it was "restored." Did it retain its "vintage" status? The guitar is currently unplayable, and it sold for "project guitar" money, not "vintage guitar" money. But it *was* repaired/restored at some point. It certainly isn't going to be showcased in any museum I am aware of, unless it can come with a sign warning, "Don't let this happen to you!"
My point? "Vintage" isn't always all it's cracked up to be! 😊
While I am looking inside the guitar, here is the date stamped on the neck block:
Guild Date
As of the date of my inspection (time-stamped in the photo, above), just over three decades have passed since this guitar was assembled. At a tender 30 years of age, this Guild definitely qualifies for a "makeover."
Stay tuned. I'll be back...