"restoring" an X50 (added pic)

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Hi Guild Fans! Cool board.

I recently picked up a late 60s X-50 which I would like to restore. Replaced the missing bridge and saddle and I will say that it plays like a dream and sounds great. The original pickup was gone and there was a loose Gibson mini humbucker with the guitar - which I will either figure out a way to mount or replace with something more appropriate. There is also a major issue with the top - the original owner decided a round soundhole would be great and used a jigsaw to cut the hole - so there is a Mr Potatohead shaped hole. He missed the bracing though, which is good!!! So this will be a challenge. Also have both original pots.

So I'd like to seek answers to the questions...

What would be the best "most stock but not costing a fortune" pickup?
What is the right capacitor value for the original tone control?
Where can I find the little top washers for the tuning heads (need 2)

I'll add pictures shortly.

I also have a 68 Starfire III - which is just fine !!!

Thanks!
 
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Re: "restoring" an X50

Here's a picture of the hole in the top.

MVC-069S~0.JPG


I am wrestling with how best to address this. Probably need some maple plywood?

Thanks for the pickup advice!
 

yettoblaster

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Oh wow.

I'd probably get enough pickguard material to extend over it. It's going to be hard to match that radius and shading.

I'm not good enough with wood to even imagine how to approach that. Tape and Bondo! :idea:
 

The Guilds of Grot

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Re: "restoring" an X50

columnated said:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<Runs screaming holding his head in his hands to cover his burning eyes!>
 

adorshki

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Re: "restoring" an X50

The Guilds of Grot said:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
<Runs screaming holding his head in his hands to cover his burning eyes!>
What he said.
 
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Yep, it is REALLY THAT SCARY!!! Sorry to torture everyone!!!

Best plan for now (I am doing it myself!) is to cut an actual circle with a router that leaves a lip that a round plug can be glued onto. But it is SCARY!!! :lol: :eek:

There is a sneaky part of me that wants to make a "peace sign" plug - since I know I'll never get the finish matched.

But, the guitar sounds GREAT!!!!!
 

AlohaJoe

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I can't see any way to disguise that hole repair with a transparent finish. Call me crazy, but If I had that guitar, I'd take it to a good luthier to fill the hole and refinish the guitar in a nice black lacquer. I'm normally averse to refinishing except in cases of extreme damage, but this guitar fits the bill.

There is historical precedent for a black finish on early archtops, like this Ebony-finished 1953 ES150:
53es150_.jpg


I've even seen a few old Gibbys with Ebony-finish tops and wood finished sides and back.
 

adorshki

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columnated said:
Yep, it is REALLY THAT SCARY!!! Sorry to torture everyone!!!
Best plan for now (I am doing it myself!) is to cut an actual circle with a router that leaves a lip that a round plug can be glued onto. But it is SCARY!!! :lol: :eek:
There is a sneaky part of me that wants to make a "peace sign" plug - since I know I'll never get the finish matched.
But, the guitar sounds GREAT!!!!!
That's funny, in myt first post I was gonna say "Put a peace sign sticker over it" or make a plastic Mr potato head face cover for it. It sounds like our great minds are thinking alike. :lol:
Seriuosly though Aloha Joe's suggestion is proably the best one if you truly want to restore it. OnE little thing occurred to me about your comment "It sounds great" You mean as it is now, acoustically, or with a pickup in it? I'm just wondering how much volume that hole's contributing "unplugged", even if it is a crime against nature... :lol:
 

kakerlak

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I may be in the minority here and I'm usually opposed to modifying vintage instruments, but I'd be tempted to hot rod that thing. Since it's a cool old budget model, not at all rare and considering the damage done to originality is already so severe...

I'd be tempted just to load it down with pickups, see if 4 dog ear P-90s will line up touching each other and cover the hole and the missing neck pickup. Since such a radical alteration has been made already, you kind of have impunity on subsequent mods...

Just a thought, but a do it yourself repair won't look so good and a luthier repair and refinish will be expensive, but you could maybe have some hot rod fun with it and not feel guilty about it...

Or it would be kind of funny to round it out into a proper soundhole and mount a soundhole pickup in that, like maybe an old DeArmond...
 

taabru45

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Paint some lips around it ......so it looks..............surprised ....actually, I like that deArmond suggestion.....or put a yellow plug into it with rays coming off it like the sun...that could actually work...maybe....wonder if the original piece went on to ebay as an authentic 'hole' from a vintage Guild... :roll: Steffan
 
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thereare AWESOME ideas here, it will be hard to decide what to do - black refin looks amazing, anti feedback rosettes, inserts, I think I could fit 4 P-90s inline - great suggestions! It's hard to walk the line between preserving its "vintage" appeal and really stretching out. Heck, I have less than $150 into it...

The guitar sounds great acoustically, it plays well and the neck / action are really comfortable. I think the big honkin hole lets out a lot of sound!!!

BTW "vintage guild hole" on ebay is hilarious! You know it could happen!
 

adorshki

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columnated said:
thereare AWESOME ideas here, I think I could fit 4 P-90s inline - The guitar sounds great acoustically, it plays well and the neck / action are really comfortable. I think the big honkin hole lets out a lot of sound!!!
4 P90's might compromise the bracing too, no? I like the idea of cleaning up the existing hole the best now.
 
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I sincerely want to again thank everyone for the ideas and leads. I am going to take my time on this and will update as it moves along!!!

Unitl then I will continue to soak up the Guild Goodness!!! :D
 

chazmo

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I'm not sure I'd do anything with this, but I agree with the others about an actual repair probably not working out very well. I don't know how easy it is to set up a jig to rout this hole out to a true circle (and have it centered) or some other shape, but that's the direction I'd probably go.

How about filling the hole with some custom G-shielded feedback plug (maybe the guy in Grot's post would make one for you). For that matter, we got some coasters from the NH factory... Wonder if that would work? I bet we could get one for you!

IMG_2456.jpg
 

adorshki

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FEEL THE LOVE! And BTW we were havin' so much fun we forgot to say WELCOME ABOARD!
Definitely let us know what finally happens! :D
 
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Terrific thanks again ! It is going to take a week or two but I think I'll make a template to round off the hole first - I'll check back with tests here before i touch the guitar!!!!! Love the coasters, I can even imagine swapping an insert to suit my mood, or swap pickups, crazy Dan Armstrong approach, skies the limit, thanks
 

chazmo

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columnated said:
Terrific thanks again ! It is going to take a week or two but I think I'll make a template to round off the hole first - I'll check back with tests here before i touch the guitar!!!!! Love the coasters, I can even imagine swapping an insert to suit my mood, or swap pickups, crazy Dan Armstrong approach, skies the limit, thanks
As an interesting aside, Taylor introduced replaceable pickguards in their solidbody line last year (I think). I thought that was a pretty neat idea, although I didn't know if it was original. In any case, I don't think any of the big vendors do this... You can have your choice to suit your mood -- you want humbuckers today, cool... you want a combination with single coils tomorrow, go right ahead. Their system didn't look like it was exactly trivial to do the swap though; what I would really like to see is some sort of locking lever with press-fit connectors for the electronics where you can just swap the pickguards in and out with no tools.
 
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