Newbie X700 question
- Thread starter Patrick2
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Fixit
Member
Re: Newbie
Welcome! What a great start. You'll find out we like pictures around here
They are tricky to post, see thread about it.
You will get to fine out as much as you would like about Guild Guitars. Stick around.
Welcome! What a great start. You'll find out we like pictures around here
They are tricky to post, see thread about it.You will get to fine out as much as you would like about Guild Guitars. Stick around.
Welcome! Aren't Guild archtops great?! I can't give an opinion on a guitar I've never owned or played. I have owned a AA and one day will own another hopefully. FWIW I saw a review of the X700 on youtube recently and the guy gave a glowing report of it comparing it to owning a Steinway piano, the guy could play and obviously knew what he was talking about. I've read on another forum a gentleman that sold his carved X700 for a laminate top X500. He stated the laminate with the humbuckers was better sounding than the carved with the humbuckers.
southernGuild
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Welcome Patrick, from yet another Guild archtop admirer. You'll get allot of great info and support around here.
Cheers. :wink:
Cheers. :wink:
Heres the youtube review- http://youtube.com?watch?v=JLIExHWh59M *Edit* Sorry, didn't come up. Just type in Guild X700 when on youtube and a guy named john reviews a blonde X700
I have an Artist Award, Benedetto Artist Award, Benedetto Johnny Smith, X500 and two Benedetto Stuarts (the Benny X700). I don't have the pre-Benedetto X700 but I've played a friend's extensively. I want to get one.
Anyone who thinks the X500 is a better sounding guitar than the X700 has suspect judgment in audio matters, but I completely understand a guitar player regarding the X500 as the more practical electric archtop. The X700 had the laminated archback of the X500, but the carved solid spruce top of the Artist Award, just with the mass of two humbuckers bolted into it. As with the difference between a Gibson L4CES (solid top) and an ES175 (laminated top), the solid top X700 is more prone to feedback at lower-than-performance volumes than the X500, and it has a somewhat more rounded, woodier vintage jazz tonal profile than the stiffer-top X500 that needs more picking energy to push out the same acoustic volume, but has more acoustic snap. The solid top X700 is dynamically more lively. Feedback control is the primary sensitivity some guitarists don't want to, or can't, put up with. The neck on the X700 I've played is beefier than my X500's neck, which suits me fine. The stiffer laminated archback on the X700 on the other hand gives the X700 sharper transient projection than my warmer Benedetto Stuart, which has both carved spruce top and a carved 2-piece solid maple bac
They're all great, undervalued guitars. If you want a set-in humbuckers guitar closest to your Johnny Smith, then a Benedetto Stuart is the X700 answer. If you want a mix of classic Guild craft and production traits (carved top with laminated archback) then the low volume X700 is a jewel.
Phil
Anyone who thinks the X500 is a better sounding guitar than the X700 has suspect judgment in audio matters, but I completely understand a guitar player regarding the X500 as the more practical electric archtop. The X700 had the laminated archback of the X500, but the carved solid spruce top of the Artist Award, just with the mass of two humbuckers bolted into it. As with the difference between a Gibson L4CES (solid top) and an ES175 (laminated top), the solid top X700 is more prone to feedback at lower-than-performance volumes than the X500, and it has a somewhat more rounded, woodier vintage jazz tonal profile than the stiffer-top X500 that needs more picking energy to push out the same acoustic volume, but has more acoustic snap. The solid top X700 is dynamically more lively. Feedback control is the primary sensitivity some guitarists don't want to, or can't, put up with. The neck on the X700 I've played is beefier than my X500's neck, which suits me fine. The stiffer laminated archback on the X700 on the other hand gives the X700 sharper transient projection than my warmer Benedetto Stuart, which has both carved spruce top and a carved 2-piece solid maple bac
They're all great, undervalued guitars. If you want a set-in humbuckers guitar closest to your Johnny Smith, then a Benedetto Stuart is the X700 answer. If you want a mix of classic Guild craft and production traits (carved top with laminated archback) then the low volume X700 is a jewel.
Phil
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I took delivery on a Westerly, RI-era blonde X-700 Stuart in excellent condition two weeks ago. I've wanted one for years, and I feel very fortunate to own it. I agree with other respondents that it's more sensitive to feedback than, for example, the all-maple Peerless Cremona I owned previously. I did a big band concert over the weekend, and feedback was an issue all evening. That said, the woody tone of the X-700 is a delight, and it really shines in a combo role and as a solo instrument. Mine is unusual in that it has a 25 1/2" string length, which I prefer. Spec is 24 3/4". The serial number is higher than the X-700's built in Westerly, but it has a Westerly label.
There are several possible reasons, and forum members may be able to help me solve this mystery:
1. My X-700 is "custom," given the string length. I know the Westerly plant made some custom archtops in the 1990's. It therefore may have a serial number higher than and out of sequence from the standard models.
2. It was actually made in Corona, CA after the Fender acquisition in 2001, but Fender still slapped on labels that listed Westerly until they ran out of the old labels. Strange as that sounds, I understand that this also happened after the move from New Jersey to the Westerly plant!
3. Serial numbers during the latter part of the Westerly era were a little haphazard and possibly not always sequential.
Anyone have any other explanation?
Guild made 213 X-700's. My serial number ends with "320."
One more question: Why were the X-700 and the X-500 named "Stuart"?
Tom Williams
There are several possible reasons, and forum members may be able to help me solve this mystery:
1. My X-700 is "custom," given the string length. I know the Westerly plant made some custom archtops in the 1990's. It therefore may have a serial number higher than and out of sequence from the standard models.
2. It was actually made in Corona, CA after the Fender acquisition in 2001, but Fender still slapped on labels that listed Westerly until they ran out of the old labels. Strange as that sounds, I understand that this also happened after the move from New Jersey to the Westerly plant!
3. Serial numbers during the latter part of the Westerly era were a little haphazard and possibly not always sequential.
Anyone have any other explanation?
Guild made 213 X-700's. My serial number ends with "320."
One more question: Why were the X-700 and the X-500 named "Stuart"?
Tom Williams
Welcome Patrick2 and tomwil110548!
Lots of Guild archtop love here. I'll never part with my '59!
Lots of Guild archtop love here. I'll never part with my '59!
You might look into getting f-hole inserts. I'm sure a Google search will find some. They apparently help cut back on feedback. Some people also just stuff the box with old (clean) socks or such as well. I don't have the problem with my AA because if I know I'm going to need more volume I use my X-170.tomwil110548 said:
Brad
tomwil110548 said:
Hans (of course) is the one to help on this one, but I'll throw in my info. Maybe one day we can put together a model sticky like the S-100 thread...
Anyway, mines a '94, S/N 16 and has the 24.75ish scale. I think the X-700 had turned into the "Benedetto X-700" model by the end of the 90s and before Guild moved from Westerly. I don't know if yours is the Benedetto model, but if so, maybe those have a longer scale? If not, who knows? I'm also not sure that model continued after the move from NJ. Where'd you get the 213 figure?
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kakerlak asked: <Where'd you get the 213 figure?>
From the Guild website: http://www.guildguitars.com/index.php/support/dating/
Open the pdf file, then scroll down to the year 1997, the last year the X-700 was manufactured
in Westerly. As I read the serial number table, Guild only made X-700's in Westerly from 1994 to 1997.
From the Guild website: http://www.guildguitars.com/index.php/support/dating/
Open the pdf file, then scroll down to the year 1997, the last year the X-700 was manufactured
in Westerly. As I read the serial number table, Guild only made X-700's in Westerly from 1994 to 1997.
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
tomwil110548 said:
Hello tomwil110548,
You have mail!
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Hans: Sounds like we all have to be patient and wait for your volume II book to learn all those special cases! :wink:
Ralf
Ralf
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
SFIV1967 said:
You probably have to but in this case I just didn't want to bore you all with the usual 'the published Guild serial number charts are full of mistakes, are not complete and there are many omissions' stuff.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
I know... Thanks, we will be patient !
Ralf
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Hans solved the mystery of my X-700, for which I thank him sincerely. Part of his private response to my inquiry is copied below:
Me: I've read that getting good info on Guild serial numbers, production, build year, etc. has been a little problematic through the years, because the company had a number of owners, not all of whom were diligent about keeping good records.
Hans: Getting correct serial number information on Guild guitars can be somewhat difficult. It's not that they didn't keep good records at Guild. The person(s) in charge of the serial numbers were actually quite meticulous but it's the office people who made a mess transcribing the ledgers that were kept on the workfloor into yearly charts that could be used for dating purposes. While doing research on Guild guitars I found out that the existing Guild serial number charts were full of mistakes and that there were many omissions.
For that reason I went back to the original ledgers that were used on the workfloor right when the Westerly plant was closed during 2001 and I was able to copy all the information needed to put together a completely new and updated serial number list. The copying of those ledgers which covered production from the change of the serial number system in 1979 up till the end of production in 2001 did take me the better part of a week but I'm really glad I did it, since I found out that the ledgers that I copied were lost in the move from Westerly to Corona. Anyway, I still need to solve a couple of small details but I do have a completely new and updated serial number list that will be published in Part II of The Guild Guitar Book that I'm currently working on. There's no projected publishing date yet, so meanwhile I'm willing to answer questions about individual Guild serial numbers.
Me: According to the Guild website, Guild built 213 X-700's in the Westerly, Rhode Island plant from 1994 to 1999. Last production-model serial number was AK700213. My guitar's number is AK700320.
Hans: That is not correct. If you look closely at the 'official' Guild charts you will notice that the numbers only go to the end of 1997, not 1999. Serial # AK700213 was the last X-700 stamped in 1997. Production of the X-700 lasted until early 2000. At that time the 'updated' Benedetto X-700 Stuart was introduced. Your X-700 with serial # AK700320 is from 1999.
Me: Did Guild build some custom archtops in Tennessee or elsewhere to a particular buyer's specifications (like Gibson's custom shop) with serial numbers above the production models?
Hans: Yes, some archtops were done in the Guild Custom Shop in Nashville but those have completely different serial numbers. I have the complete production totals of the Custom Shop and your guitar was not made there. Your guitar was definitely made in Westerly, RI.
Me: I've read that getting good info on Guild serial numbers, production, build year, etc. has been a little problematic through the years, because the company had a number of owners, not all of whom were diligent about keeping good records.
Hans: Getting correct serial number information on Guild guitars can be somewhat difficult. It's not that they didn't keep good records at Guild. The person(s) in charge of the serial numbers were actually quite meticulous but it's the office people who made a mess transcribing the ledgers that were kept on the workfloor into yearly charts that could be used for dating purposes. While doing research on Guild guitars I found out that the existing Guild serial number charts were full of mistakes and that there were many omissions.
For that reason I went back to the original ledgers that were used on the workfloor right when the Westerly plant was closed during 2001 and I was able to copy all the information needed to put together a completely new and updated serial number list. The copying of those ledgers which covered production from the change of the serial number system in 1979 up till the end of production in 2001 did take me the better part of a week but I'm really glad I did it, since I found out that the ledgers that I copied were lost in the move from Westerly to Corona. Anyway, I still need to solve a couple of small details but I do have a completely new and updated serial number list that will be published in Part II of The Guild Guitar Book that I'm currently working on. There's no projected publishing date yet, so meanwhile I'm willing to answer questions about individual Guild serial numbers.
Me: According to the Guild website, Guild built 213 X-700's in the Westerly, Rhode Island plant from 1994 to 1999. Last production-model serial number was AK700213. My guitar's number is AK700320.
Hans: That is not correct. If you look closely at the 'official' Guild charts you will notice that the numbers only go to the end of 1997, not 1999. Serial # AK700213 was the last X-700 stamped in 1997. Production of the X-700 lasted until early 2000. At that time the 'updated' Benedetto X-700 Stuart was introduced. Your X-700 with serial # AK700320 is from 1999.
Me: Did Guild build some custom archtops in Tennessee or elsewhere to a particular buyer's specifications (like Gibson's custom shop) with serial numbers above the production models?
Hans: Yes, some archtops were done in the Guild Custom Shop in Nashville but those have completely different serial numbers. I have the complete production totals of the Custom Shop and your guitar was not made there. Your guitar was definitely made in Westerly, RI.
NEONMOONY
Member
So, does anybody know approximately how many X-700's there are?
NEONMOONY said:
I can think of somebody, but I'm willing patiently await his book; it'll leave something to look forward to!
On the other hand, this guy's holding #320, an apparent '99. So probably less than 400, plus who knows how many of the redesigned 700s?
I wonder who's got S/N AK700001... (or AK000001, if the "7" is missing like my '94).
NEONMOONY
Member
Makes me feel like I have something rare and not a bad something rare.