Here is a beautiful blonde 1963 Guild Duane Eddy 500 in very good vintage condition. The "not-quite-top-of-the-line" DE500 in blonde retailed for $700 in 1963; in the Guild stable of guitars, only the George Barnes AcoustiLectric would have set you back more ($750 for sunburst, $775 for blonde). The guitar features a spruce top and curly maple back and sides. The serial number 23938 is stamped into the back of the headstock and written on the label seen through the bass-side f-hole. This is not just a fantastic guitar, it is a fantastically rare guitar- from the highly recommended "The Guild Guitar Book" by world-renowned Guild authority Hans Moust: "according to Carlo Greco [luthier/designer at Guild from the late 50's to late 70's] not more than 50 Duane Eddy 500s were made with DeArmonds". With the exception of the pickguard and its bracket, the guitar is all original and has had no repairs. The pickguard is a very faithful recent custom reproduction and the gold-plated nickel pickguard bracket, a near-perfect replica, was fabricated from scratch. All screws associated with the pickguard and bracket, as well as the felt spacer pad, are also new. The rare, original hardshell case is a little bit ragged but still completely functional - all hinges and latches work. As seen in the photos, the guitar shows the scratches, nicks and dings typical of a lovingly played 50 year old instrument. The headstock overlay is pulling away slightly at the "Guild" inlay end - leave it alone or have a quick and easy repair done. The low E tuner shaft is bent but fully functional. All electronics function as they should, the Bigsby has that silky feel and the gorgeous Kolb tuning machines work smoothly and perfectly. I placed a small bit of a credit card in the Bigsby hinge to improve the alignment (see photo). Aside from its importance as a rare vintage guitar, this is an extremely good playing and resonant guitar. If you've been searching for one of these, you will not be disappointed. Because of its value and rarity, this guitar will be professionally packed and shipped, fully insured by UPS. It's more expensive this way but in the unlikely event of a mishap, the buyer will be fully compensated. Regarding international sales, I will not misrepresent the value of the guitar for customs or other tariff purposes. Shipping and insurance will be $195 for buyers in the lower 48 states - any shipping overcharges will be immediately refunded. International rates to be determined.
