Guild JF-55 12 String Guitar

When you are searching for that great, hand made, all wooden acoustic guitar to bring your playing to a fine polish, you always should try many guitars before making your final decision.

One guitar that stands head and shoulders above the herd of fine quality guitars is the Guild - yes, you read it right, the American-made Guild guitar is among the very finest, and I do not say that lightly.

The first Guilds were shipped the year of my birth, 1953, and were built in our tiniest state, Rhode Island.

There is probably no such thing as a “bad” Guild, but the one that wrote their name indelibly into my mind was their large 12-string guitars, which have a sound like no other.

The big Guild 12-strings have a loud, balanced, clear, and fully articulated sound that frankly leaves other 12-string guitars far in the background. Such a guitar is the Guild JF-55, available in both 6 string and 12 string versions.

The large Guilds are made in both Dreadnought and Jumbo versions. The dreadnought being a squarish, thick waisted (Martin) type while the Jumbo has the more pronounced curves and wasp waist that is a Gibson trademark.

The Guild JF-55 12 String Guitar is of the Jumbo style and is made out of premium solid wood - no veneers, plywood, pressed wood or other inferior materials whatsoever. I don’t know if you can buy a new one or not as the Guild website seems to indicate that they are discontinued. However, you probably can still find a Guild 12 string at your dealer since styles change without notice, as you probably know.

The Guild JF-55 Jumbo 12 String has a solid wood body made of curly maple or rosewood with a solid triple-A grade Sitka Spruce top for maximum resonance. The neck is made of three piece Mahogany-Maple-Mahogany for warp resistance and the fingerboard is made of finest ebony, the most coveted fingerboard material yet discovered. The body is finished in high grade nitrocellulose lacquer for the best tonal transmission, just like the high grade Gibson models. This finish melds with the wood and will age to the revered vintage look that most guitar players love.

The trimmings are deluxe, with binding - serving both decorative and protective purposes - around the body, neck, and headstock of the guitar. Lavish use of mother of pearl and abalone mark the fingering positions and the headstock has the famous Guild name logo and shield inlaid in mother of pearl, also. Cast gold-plated Grover machine heads handle the tuning chores and the bridge is ebony. The finishing touch is a tortoise shell or black pick guard.

The neck on the twelve-string is 1 13/16” wide, similar to most twelve strings, which require a little wider neck to accommodate the extra strings. The scale length is 25 5/8” which corresponds to most guitars that follow the Gibson Jumbo pattern, and contributes to the excellent playability of the Guild.

What sets the Guild apart is the sound. There is no other twelve-string I’ve played or heard that is so articulate. Each string has a voice all its own and makes itself heard loud and clear. Rather than a nice ringy tone like most 12-strings, you hear everything as if the guitar is speaking. You just should hear it yourself to understand what I’m telling you. You can actually play coherent lead guitar on the Guild twelve-string, as well as supernaturally good arpeggios and rhythms. Great action and sound in a twelve-string guitar is something that should be FRONT PAGE NEWS.

The Guild 12-string comes with a premium fitted hard shell case at no extra charge.

The Guild guitar is now a product of Fender Musical Instrument Corporation, so sadly, like Gretsch, it is no longer an independent entity among American guitar makers.

Whether you find a used pre-Fender Guild or buy a new one, I’m sure you will be amazed at the sound and feel of your Guild 12-string guitar. They made a believer out of me.

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

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