Guild Paul Simon Model F-30 Custom 12 String Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1968)
Guild Paul Simon Model F-30 Custom Model 12 String Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1968), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # AI-1996, natural lacquer finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; laminated mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, molded plastic hard shell case.
Here's a really special guitar discovery that's not in any book; a custom (possibly one-off) Brazilian rosewood Guild 12-string flat top built in 1968 and labeled the "Paul Simon Model". At the time Guild was almost certainly looking for a professional tie-in with Simon, enjoying massive popularity with Simon & Garfunkel. Although performing primarily with Guild guitars at the time, Simon had not officially endorsed a signature model like Duane Eddy or George Barnes. It is possible (even likely) this 12-string was built in the attempt to get him to make that leap!
This guitar is NOT a re-labeled Model F-312; the body is different, smaller both in width and depth. The 1960s F-212 and F-312 were originally derived from the 15 3/4" wide F-47. This 15 3/8" wide guitar is actually a 12-string version of the custom F-30 Special guitars Guild provided Simon in 1967, which he used extensively into the next decade. Simon also played a Guild F-212 so this guitar would have provided him with a 12-string that looked and handled more like his preferred F-30, which seems like a winning formula!
In Guild's early years flat top guitars were not their main focus; founder Al Dronge concentrated on the jazzier side of the market. When the late '50s folk boom hit the flat top market exploded and the company had to take notice. Martin remained the leader, but Guild grew into a worthy competitor. Their mid-line mahogany F-30 flat top found favor with some folk artists, including Mississippi John Hurt.
After joining Guild in 1960 Mark Dronge (Al Dronge's son) lived in Greenwich Village, became Guild's artist rep. and friendly with many performers including Paul Simon. In 1967 he personally presented Simon with a custom F-30 Special built with Brazilian rosewood back and sides of instead of mahogany, an ebony fingerboard and Grover Rotomatic tuners. Simon liked the guitar and used it at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967. Guild also provided Simon with a second nearly identical F-30 Special; one has a larger pickguard, allowing them to be distinguished in pictures. These two F-30s can be seen in numerous TV performances including the Smothers Brothers and Andy Williams shows and the January 1968 Kraft Music Hall. Simon's deft guitar playing was for much of the duo's career their only live accompaniment, making a great showcase for Guild. Despite this exposure the F-30 Special was not an official signature model.
Possibly Simon himself was adverse to being a commercial endorser; unlike other artists he did not appear in period Guild promotional materials. He MAY have asked for a custom Guild 12 string, or possibly Mark Dronge had the factory run up this prototype to show him. In either case nothing seems to have come of it; there is no evidence Simon himself ever owned or used this guitar, and the model never went into production. In 1969 Guild did come out with a smaller bodied 12-string, but it was the budget mahogany F-112. In the early '70s John Denver became Guild's most visible user of fancy Custom 12-strings.
This guitar is a near-identical sibling of Simon's 1967 rosewood F-30 customs with the obvious alteration of a 12-string neck and bridge. The body has beautiful grained Brazilian rosewood for the back and sides, a multi-bound spruce top and chain pattern backstrip. The neck is the same as the F-312, laminated mahogany with a maple center strip and ebony fingerboard. As with all period Guild 12-strings, there are small dots on the side but no position marks on the fingerboard. The headstock has Guild's logo and "Chesterfield" inlay on the face, and was originally set up with 12 Grover Rotomatic tuners.
The label is a rare later 1960s variation on the "Guitar Silhouette" style from the late 1950s, seen usually in classical models. The upper line has "Model" printed on with "Paul Simon" discreetly written in in pen; it is faded but legible. The serial number written beneath is in the "AI" series used for F-30 models, not a 12-string sequence. There is no serial number stamped on the back of the headstock, another indicator of its prototype status. #AI-1996 suggests the guitar was finished out in the first half of 1968, about a year after the first rosewood F-30 Specials. It shares the smaller pickguard that is the distinguishing mark of one of those F-30s.
Previously undocumented, this guitar recently surfaced after decades with one owner who had played and enjoyed it for more than 35 years. Sadly Mark Dronge passed away a couple of years back; he would no doubt have had the inside scoop on its story. However the ghost "Paul Simon Model" came to be and then get lost to history, this is not only an amazing and fascinating part of the Guild story, but one of the finest instruments from the Hoboken factory we have seen, a truly wonderful guitar. If Simon had agreed to an endorsement it would have been a major coup for Guild, and to that end this sample was built to their highest standards. It tempers the familiar chime of the best Guild 12's with a unique clarity and depth thanks to the slightly smaller rosewood body. Long may it ring!
Overall length is 42 1/2 in. (108 cm.), 15 3/8 in. (39.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/8 in. (48 mm.).
Overall this is a relatively clean guitar, showing some well-done maintenance repairs and typical wear indicating it was played over the last 55 years. This guitar was briefly on the market not too long ago; before that it had only one owner for decades. Since its last appearance it has undergone a high-grade restoration with a neck reset, correct style refret and perfect replica Brazilian rosewood bridge replacing the cut-down original. There is some minor scarring to the binding at the base of the heel and light finish touch up there as evidence of the neck set; apart from this the work was very neatly done. The otherwise original finish shows some scrapes and dings, with some deeper scratches and case lid dings in the top and an area of pickwear into the wood behind and below the pickguard. The back of the neck has several feelable wear spots and couple of dings on the lower back appear to have been touched up decades ago. There is some chipping to the back binding along the edge under the endpin.
The tuners are later 1970s mini-Grovers. The marks on the headstock indicate the guitar was originally built with 12 full-size Grover Rotomatics as used on Paul Simon's 1967 F-30 specials. This would have been a very heavy and somewhat clumsy arrangement (the buttons almost touch) so it's no surprise they were swapped out for smaller machines. Apart from this the guitar remains as designed, with no internal alterations. The only crack is a very small spruce grain split on the upper soundhole rim below the fingerboard extension.
This is simply one of the best playing 12-strings we have ever had, with an effortless low action and a full, rich sound. The slightly smaller rosewood body gives the guitar a different character than the familiar larger mahogany F-212 or even the rosewood F-312, with less ringing to the harmonics but more focus. Seemingly it would have been perfect for Paul Simon's highly detailed playing style, but somehow that never happened. Whatever the story this is a great piece of history and a superb instrument; any original case it may have once lived in is gone and a later Martin molded hard shell is its current home. Overall Excellent - Condition.
Here's a really special guitar discovery that's not in any book; a custom (possibly one-off) Brazilian rosewood Guild 12-string flat top built in 1968 and labeled the "Paul Simon Model". At the time Guild was almost certainly looking for a professional tie-in with Simon, enjoying massive popularity with Simon & Garfunkel. Although performing primarily with Guild guitars at the time, Simon had not officially endorsed a signature model like Duane Eddy or George Barnes. It is possible (even likely) this 12-string was built in the attempt to get him to make that leap!
This guitar is NOT a re-labeled Model F-312; the body is different, smaller both in width and depth. The 1960s F-212 and F-312 were originally derived from the 15 3/4" wide F-47. This 15 3/8" wide guitar is actually a 12-string version of the custom F-30 Special guitars Guild provided Simon in 1967, which he used extensively into the next decade. Simon also played a Guild F-212 so this guitar would have provided him with a 12-string that looked and handled more like his preferred F-30, which seems like a winning formula!
In Guild's early years flat top guitars were not their main focus; founder Al Dronge concentrated on the jazzier side of the market. When the late '50s folk boom hit the flat top market exploded and the company had to take notice. Martin remained the leader, but Guild grew into a worthy competitor. Their mid-line mahogany F-30 flat top found favor with some folk artists, including Mississippi John Hurt.
After joining Guild in 1960 Mark Dronge (Al Dronge's son) lived in Greenwich Village, became Guild's artist rep. and friendly with many performers including Paul Simon. In 1967 he personally presented Simon with a custom F-30 Special built with Brazilian rosewood back and sides of instead of mahogany, an ebony fingerboard and Grover Rotomatic tuners. Simon liked the guitar and used it at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967. Guild also provided Simon with a second nearly identical F-30 Special; one has a larger pickguard, allowing them to be distinguished in pictures. These two F-30s can be seen in numerous TV performances including the Smothers Brothers and Andy Williams shows and the January 1968 Kraft Music Hall. Simon's deft guitar playing was for much of the duo's career their only live accompaniment, making a great showcase for Guild. Despite this exposure the F-30 Special was not an official signature model.
Possibly Simon himself was adverse to being a commercial endorser; unlike other artists he did not appear in period Guild promotional materials. He MAY have asked for a custom Guild 12 string, or possibly Mark Dronge had the factory run up this prototype to show him. In either case nothing seems to have come of it; there is no evidence Simon himself ever owned or used this guitar, and the model never went into production. In 1969 Guild did come out with a smaller bodied 12-string, but it was the budget mahogany F-112. In the early '70s John Denver became Guild's most visible user of fancy Custom 12-strings.
This guitar is a near-identical sibling of Simon's 1967 rosewood F-30 customs with the obvious alteration of a 12-string neck and bridge. The body has beautiful grained Brazilian rosewood for the back and sides, a multi-bound spruce top and chain pattern backstrip. The neck is the same as the F-312, laminated mahogany with a maple center strip and ebony fingerboard. As with all period Guild 12-strings, there are small dots on the side but no position marks on the fingerboard. The headstock has Guild's logo and "Chesterfield" inlay on the face, and was originally set up with 12 Grover Rotomatic tuners.
The label is a rare later 1960s variation on the "Guitar Silhouette" style from the late 1950s, seen usually in classical models. The upper line has "Model" printed on with "Paul Simon" discreetly written in in pen; it is faded but legible. The serial number written beneath is in the "AI" series used for F-30 models, not a 12-string sequence. There is no serial number stamped on the back of the headstock, another indicator of its prototype status. #AI-1996 suggests the guitar was finished out in the first half of 1968, about a year after the first rosewood F-30 Specials. It shares the smaller pickguard that is the distinguishing mark of one of those F-30s.
Previously undocumented, this guitar recently surfaced after decades with one owner who had played and enjoyed it for more than 35 years. Sadly Mark Dronge passed away a couple of years back; he would no doubt have had the inside scoop on its story. However the ghost "Paul Simon Model" came to be and then get lost to history, this is not only an amazing and fascinating part of the Guild story, but one of the finest instruments from the Hoboken factory we have seen, a truly wonderful guitar. If Simon had agreed to an endorsement it would have been a major coup for Guild, and to that end this sample was built to their highest standards. It tempers the familiar chime of the best Guild 12's with a unique clarity and depth thanks to the slightly smaller rosewood body. Long may it ring!
Overall length is 42 1/2 in. (108 cm.), 15 3/8 in. (39.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/8 in. (48 mm.).
Overall this is a relatively clean guitar, showing some well-done maintenance repairs and typical wear indicating it was played over the last 55 years. This guitar was briefly on the market not too long ago; before that it had only one owner for decades. Since its last appearance it has undergone a high-grade restoration with a neck reset, correct style refret and perfect replica Brazilian rosewood bridge replacing the cut-down original. There is some minor scarring to the binding at the base of the heel and light finish touch up there as evidence of the neck set; apart from this the work was very neatly done. The otherwise original finish shows some scrapes and dings, with some deeper scratches and case lid dings in the top and an area of pickwear into the wood behind and below the pickguard. The back of the neck has several feelable wear spots and couple of dings on the lower back appear to have been touched up decades ago. There is some chipping to the back binding along the edge under the endpin.
The tuners are later 1970s mini-Grovers. The marks on the headstock indicate the guitar was originally built with 12 full-size Grover Rotomatics as used on Paul Simon's 1967 F-30 specials. This would have been a very heavy and somewhat clumsy arrangement (the buttons almost touch) so it's no surprise they were swapped out for smaller machines. Apart from this the guitar remains as designed, with no internal alterations. The only crack is a very small spruce grain split on the upper soundhole rim below the fingerboard extension.
This is simply one of the best playing 12-strings we have ever had, with an effortless low action and a full, rich sound. The slightly smaller rosewood body gives the guitar a different character than the familiar larger mahogany F-212 or even the rosewood F-312, with less ringing to the harmonics but more focus. Seemingly it would have been perfect for Paul Simon's highly detailed playing style, but somehow that never happened. Whatever the story this is a great piece of history and a superb instrument; any original case it may have once lived in is gone and a later Martin molded hard shell is its current home. Overall Excellent - Condition.