baritone 1958 guild t-100 conversion

[ebjay aldwinbay]

hey you threaders and shredders...i converted a ’58 t100 guild to a baritone fretboard set up....i went on ebay to find a beat up old hollowbody that i could do some exploratory surgery on....and not regret it....i found a cheapo ’58 ghost label in about 2008?...9?...ebay.....and set off to this task.....the guitar was chipped and worn but structurally sound.....i live i the midwest and ended up at sasha radicics wonderful shop and lutherie school in st. louis and he was interested in taking on the challenge....he had never done this ....but by the looks of his and his students guitars i was in the right place for a converted fretboard...really a whole new fingerboard....he had no template to go by and set off to be the first....after inspecting the inside we agreed it would support moving the bridge back a few inches.......shortening the trapeze tailpiece.....somehow he just nailed the intonation.....dead nut....you can see where the bridge used to sit...in front of that soapbar......

 

[Opsimath]

First of all - Welcome!

Beautiful guitar and what you've had done sounds interesting. I can't really comment as I am comparatively new to the world of guitars having been trying to play for only a few years. Plenty of knowledgeable and very good people here, and a great place to hang out. I'll be following the comments with interest.

 

[ebjay aldwinbay]

thinking back on why i even wanted to try this i remembered lying in bed on a cold snowy storybook christmas night in my cabin down by the frozen lake...i had just found a killer little rechargeable AM radio in a thrift shop ...the clock might be a ’58 also?....it had a doctors name embossed on the leather case....freaking gorgeous....plus it worked...5 bucks....and to top it off the batteries still charged...unreal.....anyway i’m lying up in that cabin loft tuning in all kinds of stations and i end up listening to christmas songs on what sounds like a low watt chicago station...yet im 5 hours south of chicago in so.il.....and a song comes on ...its oh little town of bethlehem and its an electric baritone version....it was beautiful.....it was deep....the station faded before i could get the i.d......but i knew what i had to do right then....i was 40 something and my voice had dropped 2½ steps....i’d been thinking of trying a baritone....so i could play the same shaped chords i was used to....but not strain to sing them......thats how it began.

 

[ebjay aldwinbay]

First of all - Welcome!

Beautiful guitar and what you've had done sounds interesting. I can't really comment as I am comparatively new to the world of guitars having been trying to play for only a few years. Plenty of knowledgeable and very good people here, and a great place to hang out. I'll be following the comments with interest.

how nice of you....thank you....if you stick with it cynthia...it’s a lifetime of enjoyment....rewarding.

 

[ebjay aldwinbay]

First of all - Welcome!

Beautiful guitar and what you've had done sounds interesting. I can't really comment as I am comparatively new to the world of guitars having been trying to play for only a few years. Plenty of knowledgeable and very good people here, and a great place to hang out. I'll be following the comments with interest.

 

[ebjay aldwinbay]

with the new scale length at 28’’ the only pick up...the neck pick up... sounded like a bass guitar....way too bass-y....then i had a guy try it at the bridge....way way way too spaghetti western treble-y.......then i got my jigsaw fired up and ...yes it’s perfect.....that old franz pick up is just smooth as silk....it has a warm smoke-y baritone sound now.....plus i’ve always loved the look of the gibson 225 cyclops single pick up.....singles in the middle are rare!.....now how do i cover up the mistakes?.....or do i ?....i need advice....add a bridge pick up..?.....some sort of ‘’active’’ pick up?.....or digital modeling deal that could make it sound like an acoustic or heavy metal 7 string?.....i’m not afraid to do more surgery.

 

[SFIV1967]

now how do i cover up the mistakes?.....or do i ?....i need advice

Welcome to LTG! Interesting project! I assume you are talking about closing the holes again?

You could find some maple wood (the top is laminated maple, not solid) and make some dowels to plug the old holes. Afterwards carefully stain and lacquer them. Test the amount of stain and lacqer on other wood first, not to run too dark at the end.

Or:




Ralf

 

[ebjay aldwinbay]

thank you...yes it would be nice to fill in those holes correctly....i did not drill those ...but i gave a guy free reign....so cool how that soapbar sat at perfect elevation naturally below the strings that close to the bridge.......no need to cut a full pickup slot....he tried!.....i just didnt like the sound....but he loved the surf tone.....i lean more to a good full blues tone......which it has now.....whats amazing is the tone of the guitar unplugged....it’s the finest smoothest darkest coolest smooth whisky smokeyness i’ve ever heard......maybe i should try to blend in a surface contact pick up....i believe its from the chequering of the somewhat cheap finish?....it remimds me of an offbrand but kinda

good full upright piano sound....same finish or lacquer or something....i love it....with the existing holes and slots i’m thinking of 5 pickups lined up with a push button transmission!!!......would love to hear the 2 and 4 out of phase....the possibilities are endless....i’m going to watch that vid right now thx for posting........eb