FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

One of the first flattop acoustic guitar models made by Guild was the F-40 Valencia. Introduced in 1954, it was a 16 inch wide guitar with a maple body, arched maple back, solid spruce top and 3-piece mahogany neck. It was discontinued by 1963. It was reintroduced in 1973 with a slightly different body shape and lasted until 1982. The third version was introduced in 2006 and only resembled the original in body shape and the G headstock inlay. The third version has a red spruce top and flat back, mahogany body which departs from the original's arched back, maple body design. One could also argue that the 1954 catalog specified "eastern spruce" for the top which could be interpreted as "red spruce", and could mean that the third version's red spruce top is historically accurate. But as we know, catalogs are never totally accurate. The fourth version was introduced in 2017 as a, yet again, totally different guitar -- this time as a full-size 17 inch jumbo model that is an economy version of the Guild F-48 Navarre. The guitar shown here is a third version and, truthfully, it's more closely related to the 1960s F-47 Bluegrass model that has a mahogany body with nearly identical dimensions and fancier appointments. So, this version of the F-40, built in Guild's Tacoma and New Hartford facilites from 2006 to 2014, is basically a reimagined and less fancy F-47 rather than a descendant of the F-40. Guild was never fastidious with their model nomenclature so we should forgive them (maybe) for all this confusion. The Valencia is considered a "small" jumbo. While its narrow waist and upper bout make the F-40 appear to be a mid-size guitar, it is large and can compete with dreadnaught flattops in terms of volume. However, the overall tone of the F-40 is more balanced from top to bottom and is well suited to either flat picking or finger style playing.

  Body:  Hollow; solid 2-piece red spruce top, solid 2-piece mahogany back, and solid  mahogany sides; triple bound top, single bound back

  Finish:  Antique Burst, nitrocellulose lacquer

  Neck:  3-piece mahogany/walnut/mahogany, set-in; Indian rosewood headstock overlay with pearloid logo and "G" inlay 

  Fingerboard:  Indian rosewood; mother-of-pearl dot markers

  Number of Frets:  20

  Pickguard:  Tortoise, acetate

  Bridge:  Rosewood with bone saddle

  Nut:  Bone

  Tuners:  Gotoh SE700, nickel

  Neck Width at Nut:  1 11/16 inches

  Body Width at Lower Bout:  16 inches

  Body Depth:  4 1/4 inches

  Weight:  4.0 lb