| Comments | The Guild company was formed in 1952 by Avram (Alfred) Dronge, a New York musician and music store owner and George Mann, a former Epiphone executive. Many of the early craftsmen were also from Epiphone, who didn’t want to move from Manhattan with the rest of Epiphone. During the 1950’s, much of Guild’s production was based around archtops, but with the rise of the folk movement, flat-top acoustics started to take over the line and gain an impressive reputation. However, Guild still built archtops, and do to this day. This is a 1966 Guild A50 Cordoba Archtop. When the A-50 was introduced in 1956, it was named the ‘Granada’ but in 1961 was renamed the ‘Cordoba’. This instrument has a double stamped serial number EA 235, which would be an X50 — the same guitar but with a pickup. So, at the factory, the guitar was originally slated to have a pickup, but for whatever reason it was re-numbered as an A50 and left acoustic. The guitar is in good playing condition, and the finish is quite good, but there is some finish pebbling towards the lower bout, as if the cable for something like a deArmond sliding pickup was taped in place. |
| Serial Number | AB-139, which dates this instrument to 1966, and built in Hoboken, New Jersey. |
| Pricing | $1,050.00 CAD with case. |
| Neck | Mahogany neck with unbound rosewood fingerboard. |
| Frets | Original frets with some wear. |
| Body | 15 inch archtop body, maple laminate construction with longitudinal tone bars on the top. |
| Finish | Original gloss sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer finish in good condition. Some finish pebbling, perhaps reaction to a cord being taped on. |
| Hardware/electronics | Original chrome strip tuners. Incorrect truss rod cover – this one reads “Starfire”. |
| Playability/Action | Plays well, with a little rattling at the upper registers; the action may just be a bit low. |
| Case | Plastic case included. |
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