Guild Thunder 1 on eBay

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
On eBay, a Guild Thunder 1 amp; a 'version 2' model, chassis straps on top, cut back front corners, strap and not 'D' luggage handle, and vertical metal chassis backpanel; Thunder 1 eBay link

Seller sez it has a 10" speaker; if it does, it's been changed. Originally equipped with 12" CTS, speaker in pic doesn't look like a CTS and seller offers no speaker ID numbers. Auction text says: "The bottom covering on the amp was mostly missing from wear and repaired, but no structural damage to the cabinet". Well, there might not be any damage to the bottom but the left side (facing) shows a hit half-way up the left/leading edge of the cabinet and the tolex delaminating left and right of the faceplate. The cabinet is particleboard and, when hit, highly susceptible to fracture. There is a cabinet glue joint right under those tolex joints and, if the cabinet were damaged, you'd expect to see delaminations precisely as shown in the pic.

Seller correctly IDs the # of channels but then says: "...2 inputs (Normal, High Gain)..." The amp doesn't have a 'high gain' input, it has a high impedance input that has nothing to do with gain. For those of you concerned about the condition of the cabinet feet, the seller reassures: "New feet/glides were installed, that were missing when I originally purchased the amp and most likely attributed to the wear." This guy had to have gone to HS in Florida; if nubbed off or no longer useful, chances are they were worn out or perhaps players were taking them off and chewing them for tone reasons.



GuildT1b.jpg


Recent post re/ CL Thunder 1: LTG Thread Guild Thunder 1
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
You're welcome Harry. It's a pity there aren't more clean survivors from this series. cj
 

Default

Super Moderator
Platinum Supporting
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
13,596
Reaction score
3,008
Location
Philly, or thereabouts
Guild Total
11
Bought by that wacky music store with prices so high, even the Japanese won't touch 'em!
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
Who'd a thunk it :shock: :shock: Michael's 'O NY; same folks who hung a T1 RVT out on eBay for nearly 8 months last year .... strange. Stay tuned; this T1 will be back on deBay for $550-$600 in a few weeks ... cj
 

danerectal

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
1,526
Reaction score
0
Location
Fargo, North Dakota
It seems like Michael's resells a lot of Guilds. As soon as one's been listed 2-3 times with no results, Michael's buys it and trys to sell it for twice the price... :roll:
 

Default

Super Moderator
Platinum Supporting
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
13,596
Reaction score
3,008
Location
Philly, or thereabouts
Guild Total
11
"trys" being the operative word. How much does it cost to list something for months without even a nibble?
 

danerectal

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
1,526
Reaction score
0
Location
Fargo, North Dakota
Usually if an item doesn't sell, eBay offers you a chance to relist it at no cost if the item sells the second time around. Michael's uses the store function which has much longer durations and probably different, so...
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
Who knows; went for more than the two most recent Thunderstars .... this amp is going to make somebody unhappy. :(
 

matsickma

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
4,280
Reaction score
1,028
Location
Coopersburg, PA
Hey capn,

Believe it or not that little Thunder 1 actually DID come with a stock 10 inch speaker. The beige model and the later black model with the two-tone front grill are a little smaller than the black "fish-scale" grill amps you are familiar with. I presently don't have one in the basement so I can't give you the dimension but the later single speaker T1's are smaller than the first model.

It is interesting to note that the origional black T1RVT reverb amps came in at least 2 configurations: 12" dry + 8" reverb and 10" dry + 8" reverb. (I have heard mention of a 8" dry +8" reverb but have never seen one. I tend to think it unlikely.) I have owned a few 12+8 and one 10+8. I actually still own the black 10+8 but it was "converted" to a 12+8. I use the word "converted" in quotes because the conversion from a 10 + 8 to 12 + 8 did not require any non stock changes.

How? What Guild did was have all the early black amps made for a 12+8 configuration. To convert to a 10+8 they mounted a small baffel board with a hole for a 10" speaker to the mounting studs for the stock 12" speaker. Presto! A 10+8. I have one of these conversion baffels down in the basement. I'll track it down in the next few days and post a picture. I know the early black amps had the conversion and suspect the later amps also although I have not come across a beige one with a conversion baffel.

As with guitars Guild always did little custom or economical things with the amp line.

M
 

matsickma

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
4,280
Reaction score
1,028
Location
Coopersburg, PA
One more thing...even though Guild changed the default speaker size from a 12" to a 10" speaker the model number on the Thunder 1 amp was still given as "T1-12" on the chassis foil label and paper label on the amp cab!?!! :roll:
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
Thanks Mike; did not know ... was thinking they were all 12" speakers. cj
 

matsickma

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
4,280
Reaction score
1,028
Location
Coopersburg, PA
I found a few old comparison pictures that show the size difference of the Thunder 1's. (Note the Altec 10" speaker in the beige T1 is not stock.) It origionally had a 10" CTS ceramic with a plastic bell cover.

1T1compare-1.jpg

2T1compare.jpg

1T1Compare.jpg


M
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
Thanks Mike; those pics are great! Weird; subtle little diffs in the cabinets; D handle on the dark, strap on the beige. Chassis straps on the beige, none on the dark. Upper back panel on the dark, open/metal on the beige ... makes it hard to generalize; I wonder if beige/smallish always means 10" speaker? Who knows ... really helpful pics! cj
 

matsickma

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
4,280
Reaction score
1,028
Location
Coopersburg, PA
Another point has to do with the Thunder amp cabinet construction.

Based on the amps I have owned only the early black T1RVT's are made of particle board. The origional T1-12 and later beige and black T1's and T1RVT's are made of pine including the 2-10" T1 "baby bass".

(i.e., capn and Coastie first exposure to a Guild amp and it is particle board construction!)

I am curious to know if Guild transitioned to pine cabinets while still making the origional black T1RVT's.

Both amps in the pictures I posted are pine construction.

Anyone interested in doing a poll of T1 and T1RVT owners to see who have pine or particle board cabinets?

The other Guild amps that have particle board construction are, as we all know, the beige/brown woodgrain Thunderbird, the beige Thunderbass head and matching 2-12 cabinet and the beige Thunderbass Quantum head with matching 2-15 cab. I also suspect the Super Thunderbird is particle board but have never seen one of those rare birds.

M
 

matsickma

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
4,280
Reaction score
1,028
Location
Coopersburg, PA
Hey capn,

I have seen around a 6 different beige T1-s and all had a 10 inch speaker. In regard to the other noted differences Guild re-laid out the T1 and T1RVT when they changed to the beige color. In the process they added a polarity switch and fuse receptical to the rear of the amp. They also moved away from securing the chassis with a single bolt in the middle of the amp to adding 2 bolts per side under the aluminum straps.

M
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
Hi Mike: thank you. Not hard to imagine the reaction of Guild dealers receiving amps beaten up in transit; the 'particle boards' can't have been any easier to ship then than they are now.

matsickma said:
(i.e., capn and Coastie first exposure to a Guild amp and it is particle board construction!)
If this is offered to 'explain' my attitude towards Guild amps, it's pretty hard not to notice the limited number of 1965-1972 Guild amps in the market. The reasonable inferences are that they: didn't sell very well, didn't sound very good, or weren't made very well (i.e., blew up or fell apart). If the survivors have tone to burn today then they had tone to burn then but, apparently, no one seems to have known it; a group that would include amateur and professional musicians, producers, the studio/recording industry, and if there was such a thing, the independent musical press. It's also true that I have no stake in the resale value of Guild amps; i.e., I am not a collector of them.

As far as I know, I'm the only BBer who has documented bringing a Guild amp back from stone-dead condition. It just happens that it was a T1 RVT but my interest in fabrication and technical details - which is what gets confronted in the re-hab process - would have applied regardless of model. Further and based on posts, I'm the only BBer with an active Guild amp restoration / renovation project Here and, with all due respect, I think these qualify me as 'rooting for the home team'; I like Guild amps Mike but it's nothing personal.

I can't tell you how much I, and I hope others, appreciate your remarks and contributions re/ Guild amp construction, configuration, and the evolution of Guild's amplifier product line. Perhaps one day, there'll be a thread or series of threads on here on LTG documenting the history of Guild amps in pictures, adverlit, technical details and, with or without 'critical' remarks.

Cheers! cj
 

matsickma

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
4,280
Reaction score
1,028
Location
Coopersburg, PA
Good deal capn! I have a few Guild favorites but not all. I must admit I perfer the mid to late 1960's amp the best. When I was a kid a fair number of people used Guild amps. The Thunderbird was popular. In general most didn't drive these too hard. This was the day when everyone was using Fuzz Box's. However one guitar player in a psychedelic band from another town used to crack his Thunderbird amp all the way and got incrediable tone and feedback. I loved the way that amp sounded! It took me 35 years to get my first Thunderbird amp and I just love the tone. To my amazement I find the 2nd serier Thunderbird amp to be best sounding of them all! The 7591a tubes are outstanding when cranked.

I think today most people have gotten very used to the tone of preamp tube distortion. Guilds amps offer very little. To get them to perform with a rock tone they relly have to be cranked! Ant that is how I play them!

M
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
matsickma said:
.. The 7591a tubes are outstanding when cranked. M
So I'm told; I'm interested enough in the them to have bought a 7591 'project' amp, a Univox U305R - poor man's Gemini II / Thunderbird (V2):

U305R.jpg


2X7591, cathode-biased, 6CA4 rectifier, 3X12AX7, 6AN8-6AV6 reverb driver and recovery, tremolo, 2-channel, 15" Jensen/Muter, standby switch; 32" high - physically similar to the Guild Brett/Bart Mavericks to promote sound projection; semi-open back. PCB construction but generally good-grade parts and build standard; probably MIJ and I have a schematic for it (6973s out version); this one is in Good-VG cosmetic condition. It was up the coast in Ft Pierce FL; getting tired of eBay-roulette (like your earlier Thunderstar :evil: ), tried to negotiate an Ampeg GII in an upstate NY shop; no-go. Anyway, a cap here and a resistor there ... gonna find out what the shoutin's all about :wink: cj
 
Top