I recall my dad saying that he was looking at buying the Martin Hummingbird at the time, but this Fender played so well and sounded so good that he chose it instead. He was in a Country & Western band in Alaska at the time, and they played back up for Rex Allen Sr. once, when he made a local appearance. (I had a photo of myself and my sister taken with him, which I kept in the Wildwood’s case, but the guitar was stolen and the photo was missing when it was recovered.) I had some work done on it several years ago, intended to properly repair the bridge that was pulling away from the top, but, although the job was not expensive, the repair person reglued the bridge but failed to repair where one of the nuts on the adjustable bridge was sinking, choosing instead to merely shim it beneath the nut to elevate it. It looks rather make-shift and crappy, and I was prepared to pay good money and traveled several hours to New Orleans to have it repaired by someone who was supposed to know what they were doing, but I could have probably done just as good a job (or better) myself. Can anyone tell me of a GOOD guitar repair service that will do the job properly? I have done a bit of woodworking and could probably do it myself, but this ol’ guitar means alot to me, and I’d like to have her put her back like she should be, by a professional with a lot more experience with guitar repair.

Also, I’ve been told that these old Fenders are finally being appreciated and have come up in value considerably in the last few years; what is the price range for one in good (B+, A?) condition these days?

Spruce solid top dreadnaught, rosewood fingerboard and viking ship bridge, wildwood (tinted American beech) back, sides and headstock.

This model was not made in a cutaway version, so it is a full bodied guitar and it has that extra bass-end sound so lacking in cutaways.

Also, no electronics, so you have to use a real microphone to record. This is an acoustic guitar with no apologies to the electronic sound crowd.

As an acoustic, it is clear, crisp and it has a great classical tone, but with the Stratocaster-style headstock.

I also have a few older Fender acoustics: A 80’s era Kingman and a 70’s era Malibu, but they are not constructed with wildwood. The Kingman has a mahogany back and sides, while the Mailbu is a very rare wood for a guitar: sycamore. Its a bit brighter than most, but nice and loud (for an acoustic).

I also own a 1960’s era Villager, twelve string, spruce top and mahogany body with a walnut bridge.
Its a terrible design and has not fared well through the years.

Values? Fender acoustics are poorly regarded by collectors.
My bottom-dollar price to sell these are as follows…

Elvis Clambake Kingman (2012) $450
1980’s Kingman $250
1970’s Malibu $300
1960’s Villager $120 ( there is a reason that no one fixes these unless there’s a personal interest! )

rosengj(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks

Walter

You say it’s “acoustic/electric”…does it have pickups? If so, it could be a Coranado and it could be worth more than the acoustics. Send me a pic, if you can at robroberge@gmail.com and I’ll see if I can help you more, re: its value.

I can’t tell you much about its value without seeing it…knowing the condition, and so on. I CAN tell you they are not worth much, compared to Fender electrics of the same period OR to Gibson or Martin acoustics. They tend to be VERY affordable…which is fun if you’re buying, but less fun if you’re selling. They are not super collectible. But they ARE cool instruments and under-rated in my opinion. But not worth a lot, as far as vintage gits go.