the infamous crash-o-matic stand

[bieke]

gents,

I'm new here
I was looking for info on the built-in stands as used on the S100 and S200 guitars and found this forum, so I figured this would be the best place to ask

can anybody post a picture of the the hinge of the built-in stand, how it is assembled to the stand and onto the back of the guitar ?

I tried to find the patent in the USPTO patent database, but no dice

thanks already for your help !

 

[hansmoust]

can anybody post a picture of the the hinge of the built-in stand, how it is assembled to the stand and onto the back of the guitar ?

I tried to find the patent in the USPTO patent database, but no dice

Hello Bieke,

Welcome! It's already dark over here so I can't make a clear photo for you. If nobody else has responded by tomorrow, I will make some photos for you then.

As far as the patent for the Guild built-in stand is concerned, to the best of my knowledge the patent was never granted.

Sincerely,

Hans moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[bieke]

8)
woohoo ! I'm really looking forward to them pics !
I'm so glad I found this place. I've been lurking here for some days already and found heaps or interesting trivia about Guild guitars

now, concerning the crash-o-matic stand, it's especially the hinge thingie that I don't get
I'm finishing a restoration project (pics to follow) and I am waiting on some parts, but the one part that I'm still missing is the hinge ...

I hope to find some suitable retrofit hinge in a DIY shop, or else I plan to make a replica part in the atelier at work.

I can imagine the patent wasn't granted or upheld, but I figured the patent got published (any patent application that is filed eventually is published after 18 months, unless it is being withdrawn by the assignee within the first year after filing)
So I spent hours looking at the most outrageous guitar stand contraptions out there in the patent domain (era 1960-1965) but didn't find the one devoted to the infamous crash-o-matic stand ...

thanks already for your help !

 

[hansmoust]

woohoo ! I'm really looking forward to them pics !
I'm so glad I found this place. I've been lurking here for some days already and found heaps or interesting trivia about Guild guitars

now, concerning the crash-o-matic stand, it's especially the hinge thingie that I don't get
I'm finishing a restoration project (pics to follow) and I am waiting on some parts, but the one part that I'm still missing is the hinge ...

I hope to find some suitable retrofit hinge in a DIY shop, or else I plan to make a replica part in the atelier at work.

Hello Bieke,

The idea behind the stand is really simple and I think you should be able to get something similar from a regular hardware store; the hinge that is!

Here are some photos that should give you a pretty good idea what you would need:

Hope this is of some help!

Good luck!

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Nice pictures Hans!

 

[bieke]

excellent !
thanks for the pics
exactly what I needed
now all I need to do is one little trip to the hardware store
I have an original stand in the mail ...
soon, it will all fit together
8)

 

[jcwu]

wow. a built-in stand. now i've seen it all! (almost..)

 

[hansmoust]

Nice pictures Hans!

Thanks Kurt! I had a pretty good teacher! Still learning though!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[workedinwesterly]

hi bieke,

i was wondering if you had any luck finding that hinge.
i have a few, could give you dimensions if you want.

 

[Carol]

Hmmm... interesting concept... Might hurt resale just a bit... :wink:

 

[bieke]

hi bieke,

i was wondering if you had any luck finding that hinge.
i have a few, could give you dimensions if you want.

thanks for the offer !
I was wondering about the exact dimensions and more particularly, the looks and assembly of an original hinge
so yes please, bring it on !
seems like the hinge in those nice pics that Hans posted is a retrofit part ?

anyway, I have another complication
I've received an original stand of a Polara and it's about 1 inch too short for my Thunderbird restoration project

 

[workedinwesterly]

bieke,

sorry to say that the hinge in the pic is original. they weren't the prettiest thing.
this one measures 1/2" wide by 2 3/8 overall length by .117 thick.
PM me if you want one, we can talk .

 

[matsickma]

Yep. I found the same thing. The Polara stand is shorter than the Thunderbird version.

Since my TBird was refinished I opted to forget about an origional COM stand and went to Home Depot and picked up a piece of 3/4" wide aluminum material, brushed the finish and applied a clear coat to it. I counter sunk a few holes and fastened into the COM recess to "look" correct.

M

 

[hansmoust]

Hmmm... interesting concept... Might hurt resale just a bit... :wink:

No, only if it's not there anymore!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[bieke]

Yep. I found the same thing. The Polara stand is shorter than the Thunderbird version.

Since my TBird was refinished I opted to forget about an origional COM stand and went to Home Depot and picked up a piece of 3/4" wide aluminum material, brushed the finish and applied a clear coat to it. I counter sunk a few holes and fastened into the COM recess to "look" correct.

M

well, my Thunderbird also was refinished at some point, and it had a neck repair as well
and it was mor eor less abandoned, collecting dust when I found it
pretty much original apart from that, but without the stand
:x
I first was thinking to leave it in the hands of a professional luthier, but I wanted to play it first
so I gave it cleaned it, did an electronics overhaul, no big deal, ground wire was loose, a quick set-up and it was ready to play ... I plugged it in and from that moment I was hooked ... I'm no longer thinking to restore it any further, it sounds good and plays well

I now bolted the Polara stand on, which is a wee bit too short, didn't find a suitable hinge yet, but even then, it wouldn't work (stand is too short), so I also thought about making a DIY stand, or else I could weld an extra inch onto the Polara stand (might do that) ...

 

[bieke]

bieke,

sorry to say that the hinge in the pic is original. they weren't the prettiest thing.
this one measures 1/2" wide by 2 3/8 overall length by .117 thick.
PM me if you want one, we can talk .

thanks for the info !
interesting
I figured it was retrofit because the body has been chiseled a bit to fit the hinge
no such mark on my guitar, it is smooth surface, and two little ribs on the side
hmmm, it's better I take a pic because I don't know how to describe it properly
anyway, PM sent !

 

[Jeff]

bieke,

sorry to say that the hinge in the pic is original. they weren't the prettiest thing.
this one measures 1/2" wide by 2 3/8 overall length by .117 thick.
PM me if you want one, we can talk .

No, this isn't a factory job, is it? Tell me it isn't so, please.

 

[bieke]

here's that long overdue pic of my T-Bird

 

[bieke]

supposedly from 1964
has no serial number, no pot codes, faded label on the PU's
electronics are all original
had a neck repair and a poor refinish

I first had plans to take it to a luthier and spend some cash on a new finish and a proper neck repair and electronics overhaul, but for starters I cleaned it inside out, put it back together again and put some new strings on and gave it a quick setup ... now I can't stop playing my T-Bird
it loves to sound dirty
I'm going to keep it as it is, with the ugly refinish

 

[danerectal]

Pretty nice. It looks HUGE compared to those horses in the background. :mrgreen: