Another vintage Guild x 175

[Gbart14]

Thanks, Studbal48. I have been a Guild fan since 1970 with my first being a D-50 brand new with my first out of college pay check! I just purchased an "under the bed" 2003 Starfire. But, the X-175 is just sitting there. I will not play it out because it is too nice. Am restoring a '65 Shelby GT350 so need some cash and thought the X-175 would be one to sell. Prices on early X-175's are all over the map. Price guide says one thing, but the asking prices on line are considerably different.

 

[kakerlak]

Hello, I do not mean to interrupt but I have a 1960 Guild X-175 with original case of which I am the second owner. I bought it several years ago and it sits in my storage closet in my house. I have been contemplating selling it. I has seen some use but is very solid and has cream P-90's. I am in Oregon so it is a bit of a stretch to come visit but I would guarantee its condition and authenticity. I really do not know what to ask for it because selling it has just been a thought up until now. In fact, I just opened up the forum to see who has info on the X-175. Serial number is 13771 which dates it to 1960.

That looks super clean! I'd guess somewhere around $2,500, but I haven't been keeping super close track of the market.

 

[guitarlover]

That is a beauty !!! Off course the value is a bit reduced because there are 6 missing strings !

 

[Gbart14]

Ahh, I'll make a note! Sorry, but no notes without strings. Yes, I am thinking $2500.

 

[Walter Broes]

wow, nice guitar Gbart!

 

[walrus]

Gbart, you shoud post it in a seaprate thread in the FS/FT section if you are actually selling it. You will get more looks there.

walrus

 

[Gbart14]

Hey, Walrus, thanks but I am a newbie and have to make 10 posts before I am allowed to post for sale. New rules!

 

[Jeff Haddad]

That’s a nice guitar - it looks pretty clean! The tuners look especially nice.

 

[zizala]

I've got a '61 and its one of the best sounding and most versatile electric archtops I have....

Your '60 looks great!

 

[Gbart14]

Here is a shot showing very little fret wear. And, the head stock has not separated.

Does anyone have a source for replacement knobs? I have one that is not grabbing the stem of the tone pot well enough. The Tone pots are a bit stiff and I did not want to force the knob on the stem with a shim. I was going to remove the pots and flush and lube them but if there is a buyer interested, perhaps I should leave that to him/her. The binding is tight all around.

 

[Gbart14]

Just discovered what a "Ghost" label is. Who knew? Mine is for sure a ghost label.

 

[jp]

Shelby Shmelby! I wouldn't sell that beauty. Hoboken Guilds in that condition and with the deluxe Kolb tuners are few and far between.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Gbart14]

I get it, JP. It was just a thought. Might sell my Collings I35 instead. Do not play that one either. Find more pleasure playing a $200 Strat or Tele that can get banged around.

 

[Walter Broes]

Does anyone have a source for replacement knobs? I have one that is not grabbing the stem of the tone pot well enough. The Tone pots are a bit stiff and I did not want to force the knob on the stem with a shim.

No need for any of that. You can just bend the two halves of the stem open a tiny little bit, and that knob will sit tight again. Might be a good idea to clean and lube those pots first though.

 

[Gbart14]

Cannot do that, Walter Broes, the stems are solid. No split in them. And, for sure, yes I will pull them and clean and lube them. Both tone knobs need it. If they really loosen up, I will reattach them and see how they go.

Thanks

 

[Walter Broes]

that's really odd, the plastic G-shield knobs usually sit on split shaft pots. They don't really make sense with solid shaft pots - solid shaft pots need knobs with a set screw. I'd be surprised if your guitar left the factory like this, but I could be wrong. If anyone, Hans would know of course.

 

[Gbart14]

These are the knobs that were on the guitar. No set screws. The knobs I have seen on other X175's look the same. I am going to pull the pots down to lube them and hopefully, I can get a good look at them with date codes, etc. Will post up when I do that.

 

[Gbart14]

Guys, I carefully pulled out the tone pots through the neck pup hole on my X175 and they are all original double stacked tone pots. See photos. The guitar had never been apart as far as I can tell especially since I am the second owner. I lubed and lubed the tone pots for several days and they loosened up a bit but not a lot to my taste. So, here is the dilemma: If I put the original knobs back on the solid shafts, eventually they will start to spin on their shafts again. Therefore, I am thinking I should buy some set screw type knobs to solve the problem and keep the original knobs stored away in the case. That way it makes it usable without ruining the originals. The question is - what knobs to buy that approximate the originals but have the set screws? I believe others have had similar problems on the double stack pots. Fyi, it is all back together with new strings, perfect intonation, plays perfectly. Think I will keep it. Thanks

 

[kakerlak]

Guys, I carefully pulled out the tone pots through the neck pup hole on my X175 and they are all original double stacked tone pots. See photos. The guitar had never been apart as far as I can tell especially since I am the second owner. I lubed and lubed the tone pots for several days and they loosened up a bit but not a lot to my taste. So, here is the dilemma: If I put the original knobs back on the solid shafts, eventually they will start to spin on their shafts again. Therefore, I am thinking I should buy some set screw type knobs to solve the problem and keep the original knobs stored away in the case. That way it makes it usable without ruining the originals. The question is - what knobs to buy that approximate the originals but have the set screws? I believe others have had similar problems on the double stack pots. Fyi, it is all back together with new strings, perfect intonation, plays perfectly. Think I will keep it. Thanks

That's some real wackiness. Honestly, I've never seen anything like that, but I'm not the best expert on that era Guilds. Those knobs, though, usually went on split shaft/knurled pots. I can tell you that the original knobs/pots setup on my '64 Jazzmaster is a smooth collar inside the knobs to match the solid shaft pots. Those Fender knobs are a little malleable, not like the hard, crystalline plastic of the old Guild ones, and they are a tight friction fit on the pot shafts. You can hear a little suction pop when you pull them off and they're tight enough that they stay put unless you deliberately twist the knob past the pot's end-of-rotation. I can't imagine getting that sort of fit easily with those Guild knobs, but a little scrap of paper or something might snug them up enough to be serviceable. Of course, being transparent, whatever you shim them with might be visible through the knobs. The other thing that would probably work (and would be my approach) is a little drop of clear silicone in each knob.

 

[kakerlak]

Aside from the knobs question, who here knows what's going on with that wiring/control setup? That looks inordinately complex and I'm too stupid to know what a stacked pot like that would do, especially since it seems to have a single shaft (not like a concentric knob Danelectro/Jazz Bass setup). Seems like quite a bit of wiring going on there. If factory, I'm thinking that's gotta be some sort of experiment or special order and, if not factory, it's super tidy work.