Do you own a T-50 Slim

I would not pay more than $750 for sure.

I have owned a NS T-50 Slim for a few years. I think it’s a fine instrument. It has a great neck and is very light. The pickup sounds great. It is a joy to play. I didn’t use it when gigging with my old band. But I do reach for it often in practice sessions. I love it’s simplicity. I think video #2 in SFIV1967s post is a good representation of the guitar’s tone.

I just bought one on Reverb and got a good buy on it! I’m really excited. It hasn’t shipped yet but I expect it mid week. It won’t be my main guitar so my expectations are that it fill a niche role so to speak. I’ll let you guys know what I think when I have it in hand

It is a gorgeous guitar, mine is a 2015 model and flawless. The acoustic tone is very pleasing and I only played it through an amp for a few minutes so I can’t say much about the pickups yet. I’m real happy about the price i paid and I got all the case candy too. It’s super light too. I plan to spend some time playing it through an amp tomorrow night

Very nice! Congratulations! Those are very appealing. Looking forward to your thoughts about it after you’ve had it a while. Enjoy!

Ok, let's start with this. My #1 guitar is my Gretsch 5420 that's jacked up and absolutely everything I want in a guitar. I bought this Guild to compliment my Gretsch, not compete with it. So I wasn't looking for Filtertron tone, I was looking for something distinctly different. I found it in this Guild, and what a looker it is.

Holy cow the fit and finish is amazing, and it might be the most handsome and well designed guitar I've every owned, it is absolutely gorgeous. It plays like a dream, I bought it used but there is no evidence anyone ever played it, it's mint. The frets are polished nicely, the neck shape is perfect for my grip and dang it weighs nothing on your shoulder.

I like the acoustic tone very much, it's great for sitting in the back yard and strumming away. Electrified - I am not P-90 savvy so I don't know what to expect, I can't really comment on the tone other than I'm not a neck pickup kind of guy so I'm listening to the guitar to see what songs it responds to the best. I'm playing more of the "jazzier" tunes I do and sweet kind of music on it. I'm learning to use the volume and tone to broaden the sonic palette. Again, I wasn't looking for Filtertron sparkle, yet I'm still a bridge pickup kind of guy, so I'm in the learning curve of owning a single, neck pickup guitar and letting it tell me where it excels.

However, I'm not real keen on the single coil hum and I got a great price on it (with a case), so I may experiment with changing the pickup at some point and won't worry about having too much $$ invested in it. I'm really glad they went with a black pickup cover and not cream or white. I worry about how a guitar looks far more than I should.

Really, this is a beauty of a guitar, plays super nice, and is well made. I'm glad I bought it and would do it again (used). New and with a case is a bit spendy for me. If Guild ever makes the same guitar but with two pickups I might be the first in line to get one.

I very much appreciate the previous comments in this thread when I was researching it, that helped me to come to a decision and also determine how much I would pay for one used. I appreciate everyone's input.

Oh, does anyone know what the nut is made of and what kind of bracing is under the hood?

Cheers!

Chris

Mr_Christopher said:

If Guild ever makes the same guitar but with two pickups I might be the first in line to get one.

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The T-50 model always was a single pickup version. Well, with the exception of a small run in the 80ies, see here: https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/2-pickups-non-cutaway.203387/

The other dual pickup version with slim body and cutaway would be the vintage T-100D "Slim Jim" or the vintage "Starfire II" model, which came with various pickups (single coild and humbuckers). They are usually always to be found on the usual webpages for sale.

Mr_Christopher said:

Oh, does anyone know what the nut is made of and what kind of bracing is under the hood?

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According to the specs the nut material is Bone. I don't think there is real bracing on the top but two parallel tone bars which you should see when you remove the pickup.

Ralf

Totally dig these but are super hard to find in stock to play at a dealer.
That Blonde one was pretty spectacular thanks for posting.

SFIV1967 said:

The T-50 model always was a single pickup version. The dual pickup version with slim body and cutaway would be the vintage T-100D "Slim Jim" or the vintage "Starfire II" model, which came with various pickups (single coild and humbuckers). They are usually always to be found on the usual webpages for sale.

According to the specs the nut material is Bone. I don't think there is real bracing on the top but two parallel tone bars which you should see when you remov the pickup.

Ralf

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Ralf is the man, but I might clarify just a little. The T50 has no cutaway and has only ever been available with single neck pickup (as far as I know.) The T100 has a cutaway and has been available as either single pickup (T100) or dual pickup (T100D.) The Starfire II and III are essentially evolved from the T100D with additional options, different pickups, different materials (sometimes mahogany instead of maple), eventually a little more bling in the form of back binding, etc... There may or not have been a Starfire I with a single neck pickup, but don't hold your breath waiting to find one.

Ok, I've had this guitar almost two months now and since there isn't a ton of info on them online (from people who own them) I'm going to share a few more thoughts.

I love this guitar, I'm playing through a Fender Blues Jr IV and mostly room volume and I love the tone. A couple of weeks ago my daughter played a front porch, socially distanced, front yard concert for our neighborhood and I got to hear someone else play it. I loved the sound! Several musicians who were there commented on the tone. I was happy she played it because it sounds a thousand times better than her Taylor amplified.

We did a Facebook concert thing the other night and my daughter went on and on about the tone (I played it this time). I had friends call me up and ask what kind of guitar was it and what amp was I using.

As mentioned previously I have learned to use both the volume and tone knobs to get the most out of single pickup guitar. And I'm playing country twang songs, some slow jazzy/blues stuff. What I have done is learned what songs the guitar likes best, with only one pickup it's not going to do everything. In fact if it was my only guitar I would feel limited (based on what I play). My Gretsch is my number one guitar but this one is a solid number two and a joy to play. I actually don't plug in the amp that often because I like the acoustic tone so much, and don't need added volume when just practicing. Also, I'm still playing the strings that came with it, I usually play 10s but these are beefier which adds to the tone. I'm going to take it by my guitar guy at some point and he'll b able to tell me what gauge strings are on it, I want to keep using the same ones.

And I see a dealer on Reverb is selling "B" models with cases for $799, (I'd try to pay even less than that but still). I'm not affiliated in any way, just saw the ad last night.

Ralf, thanks for the bone nut answer, I missed that on their site

Cheers!

Great news, Mr C.! Nice story of Guild T-50 enjoyment!

walrus

zizala said:

Seems this topic is about the Newark Street T-50's but can't help myself....

So I've got one of the first T-50's......a T-50B actually.

Its got what I think is a 1960 serial number (14339) on the headstock but also printed on a '61 style label.
Hans are you there?

Its definitely been played a lot.....

The Guild script headstock logo is there but very faint....but mostly rubbed off.
A friend of mine thinks the finish wear on the back is from "belly sweat" not buckle rash.
Had to throw that in and I know its kinda gross to think about but he insisted I should make the distinction.
But if one looks at the finish on the front, and leaving everything to the imagination, it makes sense.

I bought this from someone selling odds and ends in South Carolina over 10 years ago but not from the original player.
So with no backstory we like to think it got some regular use in roadhouses and bars for most of its days.
It sure did need a good cleaning!

New frets absolutely......the originals were almost worn down to the board up and down the neck.
A great Franz pickup ......it sounds fantastic and is a joy to play.
The original knobs were completely corroded. I had a pair of these oddball amber yellow ivory knobs from a '59 T-100 and they looked appropriate.

The amp is '59 66J and perfectly at home with this guitar.

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Here's mine. Almost perfect condition. S.N. 14021

Wow, wish I did!