Looking for a little info on a mid '80s S-61?

[PakRatJR]

Hello all.

This was my first guitar I bought back in the mid to late '80s. I surprisingly still have the original store tag which is kinda cool

Anyway, the tag says Guild GS-61 and the neck plate has GS-61R stamped in it. It was originally solid red with a white pickguard. I did the repaint and custom pickguard on it somewhere around 15 or so years ago. I am mainly hoping someone else might have one or had one or has some pictures of one, specifically the head, with stock colors.

As you can see, I was unfortunately unable to save the original lettering on the head when I did the repaint and despite taking pics of it before hand, they have been lost to time. As a result, the old girl has not had her proper name ever since and I would like to be able to remake the original lettering somehow so I can finally give her name back to her.

I have been looking a bit here and online and haven't been able to find anything at all on this model or even anything close so any other info would also be cool to know.

Edit: neck plate is EG-61R not GS

Thanks

 

[GAD]

Note - I edited your post so the image shows up instead of just the thumbnail.

That doesn't look like a Guild to me. The mid-late '80s Guilds are fairly well known models, though there have been odd sort of one-off models and prototypes that don't show up in any of the documents I have. If I'm wrong (and I'm always eager to be proven wrong) and it's actually a Guild the only person who is likely to know is @hansmoust. If I'm right, I posit the following possibilities:

1: It's a different Guild company
2: It's a company that made guitars and tried to illicitly sell them as Guilds
3: It's a weird Madiera by Guild or Burnside by Guild model I've not seen before

 

[PakRatJR]

Thanks for the edit.
I bought it new from a local well known store at the time so I wouldn't think it would be fake..... at least I hope not anyway lol. Store doesn't exist anymore sadly.
I have seen pics of other guitars from that time and the Guild name on some of them look pretty close to what I remember this one looking like. I do know that basically everyone that has looked at it locally over the years all thought it was a Strat tho

Thanks for the info so far.

 

[hansmoust]

I have been looking a bit here and online and haven't been able to find anything at all on this model or even anything close so any other info would also be cool to know.

Hello PakRatJr,

Welcome! What you have is a Madeira EG-61 from around 1984-1985. If you want to know what the headstock would have looked like, there's one on Reverb right now:

Madeira EG-61

Madeira also offered a similar EG-51, but with a Stratocaster-style (3 single coils) pickup setup. If you do a Google search with those 2 model numbers, you should be able to find several of 'm.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[SFIV1967]

@PakRatJR : Can you take a picture of the neckplate which you say shows "GS-61R" ?
Here is the one from Reverb, the MR stood for Metallic Red I believe (have also seen Metallic Blue as MB or B as black).



The below catalog sheet seems to be from the 1983 to 1985 timeframe (don't know exactly).
Madeira was Guild's import brand like Squier to Fender. I think those below were made by Samick in Korea.



Ralf

 

[GAD]

You guys rock!

 

[Guildedagain]

It's a really nice guitar shape, cool paint job.

 

[walrus]

Cool guitar!

walrus

 

[PakRatJR]

AWESOME!!! Thank you all.

Thanks Guildedagain, Metallic...ish red with blue faded over the top, can't remember the actual colors anymore. Had some random quarts of paint laying around from other jobs at the time and gave them a try.

Here is the neck plate. It does indeed say EG-61R and not GS..... my bad lol. Being it was solid red originally, I would then assume that is what the R would be

'83-'85 is about right. Probably '84 or '85 when I bought it. I knew it wasn't going to be anything fancy or rare, but I would have sworn it said Guild on the head orginally but oh well lol. Stuff like that is why I take pictures of things.

At least I can get a name back on her.

 

[SFIV1967]

Here is the neck plate. It does indeed say EG-61R and not GS..... my bad lol. Being it was solid red originally, I would then assume that is what the R would be

Now you ruined it for us, we thought you have that super special Guild prototype saying "GS-61R" !

Ralf

 

[PakRatJR]

Now you ruined it for us, we thought you have that super special Guild prototype saying "GS-61R" !

Ralf

LOL sorry That's what I get for going from memory instead of just looking at things. I would never be that "lucky" lol

 

[SFIV1967]

LOL sorry That's what I get for going from memory instead of just looking at things. I would never be that "lucky" lol

And we would have had food for discussion for days!

 

[PakRatJR]

Just a bit of a kinda kool update here.
Regarding the replacing of the lettering. Last week I randomly came across a guy on ebay selling vinyl lettering for guitars. I messaged him and he was able to use the pic from the reverb listing that was posted here and made the new lettering.

He was also able to do a small bit of custom lettering along with it in the same style. Came out awesome

 

[GAD]

Fun!

 

[walrus]

I like it!

walrus

 

[Dylan McGee Jones]

Yep, it’s a 83-85’ EG-61 Madeira! Very cool and arguably the best and most unique model of that Fender copy line. The spit coil really changes the tonal possibilities of the instrument drastically.

@hansmoust were these strat/tele copies made earlier than 83’? There seem to be two different versions, the ones with the more elegant hand written script with the large Nike-like swoosh on it, and there are the ones that have the same logo as the acoustics, very plain. I am going to guess that they started with the plain logos since the other Madeira electrics previous to these also had the same logo, then they came up with the more elegant one later before moving into the pointed headstocks and eventually the Burnside line.

These are a few of mine. Honestly the EG-61B is absolutely amazing. As you can see the 50SB (sunburst) and 61B (blue) have the classic label, and the 51R (red) and 71CR (cream) have the ‘swoosh’.

Also, is there any way to indicate the year based on the serial numbers that are in the circular stickers on the back of the headstock? I attached an image of this as well from the 61B.

Thank you!
Dylan

 

[jhfutkis]

Hello all,
I found this Madeira EG-71CR on my girlfriend's house, which was given to her about 10 years ago. I am trying to find info about it because this chunk of wood rings (unplugged) and sounds (plugged in) better than my Les Paul Standard. This is the same guitar (different pickguard and knobs) as the one pictured by @DylanMcGeeJones If anyone can help me date this guitar and share some info about their history or what can be upgraded with after-market parts I would appreciate it. Thank you all and happy playing.

 

[Dylan McGee Jones]

Congrats! These guitars are great, the bridge pickup is slightly microphonic but it gives it a really great vintage 50’s-like l twang. I use my Madeira EG-71 with Booker T. And it kills, everybody asks if it is a custom made guitar and they are shocked to find out it is a 80’s Korean import lol. Even Kingfish loved it. Crazy.

Anyways, the original tuners have smaller posts than what was put on your guitar, that’s why you have all that chipping on the faceplate. Basically they removed the bushings to put new ones in and pulled off the thin paint on the headstock in the process. It sucks but a little wood filler and some hobby paint should so the trick. It’s a cheap guitar, who cares!

I replaced my tuners with Fender style vintage Kluson Deluxe tuners. They are great, stay in tune, and look the part. I’d restore it to make it look like a 50’s tele. The original pickguard is tortoise shell which looks cool, but I think a black pickguard would be bitchin’! I’m not sure if a standard Fendere tele guard would fit or not, you could always just buy some adhesive pickguard material of your choice and cut it the way you want. Otherwise you will have to pay to have a custom pickguard made by a local luthier. Probably $45-$60.

The original toggle switch is a regular tele T-style black plastic one, but remember to get the Korean import version with the smaller interior slot otherwise it will fall off the guitar. Measure the width of the toggle pole to be sure. The knobs should be chrome tele knobs as well, again metric size assuming the electronics inside are original (Korean 18-spline shaft). You could swap out anything really, it’s just a standard base guitar that can be easily modified.

The pickups have a unique sound, very vintage. The problem I have with mine is the neck is much darker and rounded off and the bridge has more bite with a treble edge. You can always swap out the neck pickup for a standard vintage-style tele pickup. I’d keep the bridge if I were you, but anything can drop right into that body style.

I hope this helps. These ‘fender copies’ were made between 81-83ish. The early ones had a standard Madeira logo that looks like the acoustics, the later ones had the painted ‘swoosh’ logo that yours has. Very cool IMO. The hard facts are hard to find, but based on all my research that is the general range. These were the last run before the 80’s pointed headstock super-strat versions Madeira were experimenting with around 84’, and in 85’ they switched the entire line to ‘Burnside’ and that lasted until roughly 1988. The original case should be fitted brown hardshell with a cream wool-like interior as well.

Dylan

 

[SFIV1967]

I didn't find a Madeira by Guild brochure or pricelist showing the EG-71, so I also would say anything around 1983 would be possible. I only have a copy of that one page shown in post #5 above which ends at the EG-61. But there was no date on it.

In 1982 (?) one ad claimed:



Ralf

 

[SFIV1967]

The original (EG-71) case should be fitted brown hardshell with a cream wool-like interior as well.

Ralf