Designed in the late-'60s, the Guild F-412 is essentially the 12-string version of the F-50. Like the F-50, the F-412 features a 17"-wide jumbo body with the trademark Guild arched back. This design allows it to produce extraordinary volume, which is ideal for the complex harmonic overtones of a 12-string guitar. But even though its tone is huge, the F-412 remains balanced and articulate. In some circles, the F-412 is considered the superlative 12-strings. And with this 1976 in your hands, that's a hard one to argue!
This 1976 Guild F-412 is a powerful, thunderous beast. It sports a gorgeous sunburst finish that has aged and patina-ed beautifully. It looks to have been hit with a lot of nicotine in the past (fortunately no lingering smell), and that gives the binding an incredible dark yellow hue, and it also darkened and mellowed the sunburst. As evidenced by the wear on the bass side of the soundhole, someone loved this old 12er and played it a lot! But it's got plenty of songs and stories left in the tank.
As for repairs, this '76 F-412 has had its fair share, but fortunately it has found us in proper playing order. In particular, the neck has been reset, and although the results came out right, it looks like it wasn't the cleanest reset (binding and finish definitely pulled along with it and required further touch-ups). It has been refretted, and every note up and down the fingerboard rings clear and true. Also, the bridge has been reworked—it looks like it was once shaved down on the underside, but there is a ~1/8"-thick block of ebony underneath so it's now at the proper height. The back edge of the bridge is lifting slightly, too, but it appears to be stable at this time. From there, there are a few cosmetic repairs. In particular, the binding has cracked and been reglued in various places along the fingerboard. Also, it looks like the laminations on the headstock wings were slightly reglued on either side.
All in all, this '76 F-412 has a lot to offer, and it even has an LR Baggs Anthem on board. It sounds every bit as good plugged in, too. It includes a Mono M80 guitar sleeve.