Hi Guildsters...
This is really my second post, but the first was buried in a response on the ebay board http://letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=21581
I guess I should jump in and introduce myself here as well. I have been lurking for a few years, periodically checking in to see what was happening in the world of Guild. I have the following Guild's and over the last couple of years have really found that these guitars are fantastic players which are underated to some degree by the general market.
'73 S-100
'75 M-75
'78 G-312
'78 S-60D
I tend to value functionality and every one of my guitars is really playable. I have a '74 Gibson L6S with ebony fingerboard, which I would say is probably my favorite, but that thing plays like a dream.
Last week I bid on and won, a 1962-63 S100 Polara that was on fleabay. http://cgi.ebay.com/1962-Guild-Pola...e-/290484953354?pt=Guitar&hash=item43a240a10a I payed a little more than I was wanting to, but it was right in the range that I had set for my max, so I actually came out pretty happy. I received the guitar today and upon opening, I was stoked. Holy cow, this thing is a beauty. It is like a cherryburst color, there are a few dings, but the chrome plating is for the most part perfect, with the exception of one area on one of the pickups where it has flaked. According to the seller, who was fantastic btw, he purchased this a few years ago from the original owner that had apparently not played it in years. There are no mods, everything is original, including the immaculate case and "like-new" Guild leather guitar strap. It even had a cable tucked away in the case, which he felt was original as well. There was some work done on the headstock to fix the separation of the plastic overlay, which I would have preferred my luthier had done. Some excess glue and a few minor clamp marks, but nothing too majorly obnoxious. I am going to see what I can do to clean it up a little.
Now, about these pickups - Holy Cow!! Plugged into my Traynor YGM-4 StudioMate, oh man. I couldn't stop. Kind of a hot but creamy P-90...imagine a P90 that made love to a PAF and spawned these monsters. Oh man. They are hot with some serious bite in the mids and upper end. I assume these were made at Guild, they don't really match the Mickey Mouses, or D'Armonds I have seen...more like what were on some of the early 60's semi-hollows that I have seen. Wow...I am in love with these already. Regardless, I think I have found a new favorite. Damn, what bite.
Anyways, on to the pictures:
Loving this color. This guitar is in fantastic shape to be almost 50. Whoever owned her previously took pretty good care of her.
There she is...my new girl. Gotta think up a name for her.
The headstock. You can see a few marks from the clamps used to glue the plastic laminate back down. But I absolutely love this shape. And all said, it is really pretty decent condition considering the amateurish glue job.
Inside the case, interior is almost immaculate. A little discoloration around the snap lid, but hey, I am good with that. The strap is like brand new.
Oh my!...check out this almost perfect black/white tweed case. Interior is immaculate. Exterior is almost mint with a few dings. Latches all work smoothly, a little bit of oxidation, but whatever. This was the first thing I saw when I unboxed it...there were no pictures in the original auction. To say my heart was thumping in anticipation after pulling this case out is a bit of an understatement.
S/N 22442 (late 1962?) -- Tuners are the open gear grovers. Feel really good and smooth. Couple of marks on the back of the headstock from the clamps
Neck is smooth and fast. Singe piece. Profile is a lot like the '74 S100, with a bit less radius (more curvature) on the fingerboard, approaching the S-60 in feel. Fingerboard is a very dark rosewood(?).
The worst of the dings. One or two on the front as well. For going on 50 years, not too bad.
The electronics end of this thing...knobs are perfect, trem is perfect, switch is still very snappy, pots are quiet. Eventually, I will open it up, not now though...I am afraid I may screw up whatever sweetness is hidden beneath the pickguard!
Here is where the plating is flaking off on the bridge pickup. Bummer, but once you hear these, that little issue just falls by the wayside.
So there it is. I would love to find out much more information, its pretty scarce on the internet. How many were made in this time frame? Anything about the pickups? The color - is it officially "cherry" or something else? Now the big question is, do I keep it as a player or do I put her sweet little a$$ back in that sweet little tweed case? I have players...do I need another? But gosh, she plays and sounds sweet. Decisions decisions...
Craig
This is really my second post, but the first was buried in a response on the ebay board http://letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=21581
I guess I should jump in and introduce myself here as well. I have been lurking for a few years, periodically checking in to see what was happening in the world of Guild. I have the following Guild's and over the last couple of years have really found that these guitars are fantastic players which are underated to some degree by the general market.
'73 S-100
'75 M-75
'78 G-312
'78 S-60D
I tend to value functionality and every one of my guitars is really playable. I have a '74 Gibson L6S with ebony fingerboard, which I would say is probably my favorite, but that thing plays like a dream.
Last week I bid on and won, a 1962-63 S100 Polara that was on fleabay. http://cgi.ebay.com/1962-Guild-Pola...e-/290484953354?pt=Guitar&hash=item43a240a10a I payed a little more than I was wanting to, but it was right in the range that I had set for my max, so I actually came out pretty happy. I received the guitar today and upon opening, I was stoked. Holy cow, this thing is a beauty. It is like a cherryburst color, there are a few dings, but the chrome plating is for the most part perfect, with the exception of one area on one of the pickups where it has flaked. According to the seller, who was fantastic btw, he purchased this a few years ago from the original owner that had apparently not played it in years. There are no mods, everything is original, including the immaculate case and "like-new" Guild leather guitar strap. It even had a cable tucked away in the case, which he felt was original as well. There was some work done on the headstock to fix the separation of the plastic overlay, which I would have preferred my luthier had done. Some excess glue and a few minor clamp marks, but nothing too majorly obnoxious. I am going to see what I can do to clean it up a little.
Now, about these pickups - Holy Cow!! Plugged into my Traynor YGM-4 StudioMate, oh man. I couldn't stop. Kind of a hot but creamy P-90...imagine a P90 that made love to a PAF and spawned these monsters. Oh man. They are hot with some serious bite in the mids and upper end. I assume these were made at Guild, they don't really match the Mickey Mouses, or D'Armonds I have seen...more like what were on some of the early 60's semi-hollows that I have seen. Wow...I am in love with these already. Regardless, I think I have found a new favorite. Damn, what bite.
Anyways, on to the pictures:
Loving this color. This guitar is in fantastic shape to be almost 50. Whoever owned her previously took pretty good care of her.
There she is...my new girl. Gotta think up a name for her.
The headstock. You can see a few marks from the clamps used to glue the plastic laminate back down. But I absolutely love this shape. And all said, it is really pretty decent condition considering the amateurish glue job.
Inside the case, interior is almost immaculate. A little discoloration around the snap lid, but hey, I am good with that. The strap is like brand new.
Oh my!...check out this almost perfect black/white tweed case. Interior is immaculate. Exterior is almost mint with a few dings. Latches all work smoothly, a little bit of oxidation, but whatever. This was the first thing I saw when I unboxed it...there were no pictures in the original auction. To say my heart was thumping in anticipation after pulling this case out is a bit of an understatement.
S/N 22442 (late 1962?) -- Tuners are the open gear grovers. Feel really good and smooth. Couple of marks on the back of the headstock from the clamps
Neck is smooth and fast. Singe piece. Profile is a lot like the '74 S100, with a bit less radius (more curvature) on the fingerboard, approaching the S-60 in feel. Fingerboard is a very dark rosewood(?).
The worst of the dings. One or two on the front as well. For going on 50 years, not too bad.
The electronics end of this thing...knobs are perfect, trem is perfect, switch is still very snappy, pots are quiet. Eventually, I will open it up, not now though...I am afraid I may screw up whatever sweetness is hidden beneath the pickguard!
Here is where the plating is flaking off on the bridge pickup. Bummer, but once you hear these, that little issue just falls by the wayside.
So there it is. I would love to find out much more information, its pretty scarce on the internet. How many were made in this time frame? Anything about the pickups? The color - is it officially "cherry" or something else? Now the big question is, do I keep it as a player or do I put her sweet little a$$ back in that sweet little tweed case? I have players...do I need another? But gosh, she plays and sounds sweet. Decisions decisions...
Craig
