Bluesbirds: Owners & Long Time Borrowers List

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I have a 1970 M-75. It's hollow with a sunburst finish, gold hardware, and a gold engraved harp tailpiece. It's in excellent condition and I really love playing it. However located on the upper right, non-cutaway side is a small switch that puts the two humbuckers in or out of phase with each other when the main toggle switch is in the middle position (both pickups on). It's a mini toggle switch with a very thin white tip. I've been trying to determine if this was factory installed by Guild or a modification done later. In the Guild book it mentions that this was a factory option on these guitars but there are no pictures or further details. Does anyone have any info about these phase switches? Thanks!
 

GuildGirl

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Hi Guys,
it's been a while since I posted anything.. I mostly lurk and see what the discussion is. I am in love with M75 Bluesbirds..
I just bought a 1986 M75, with the EMG's and Kahler Trem. it needs a little work: Trem rear cover, truss rod cover and one Adjuster for the Kahler is missing: all perhaps easy to replace parts. it is a true solid body from the 80's era. I also recently bought a 1987 Pilot 4 string, SB602. You can view the Bluesbird at Birdhousemusic.com or on ebay.
I will post pix when I can.
I also own a mid 90's DeArmond M75 standard, which plays like a beauty. since Guild is making electric bodies in Korea again, under the Newark St. name, its all good.
do you think this 1986 solid body Bluesbird is a good buy, I paid under 800.00 for it. hey, it's got that weird "droopyfoot" headstock, so it goes with my Pilot!

thanks!
Guildgirl
 
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Quantum Strummer

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Re. phase switches: I've never seen a verified-original hollowbody Bluesbird with one. But who knows?! Would love to see a pic of soultwister's.

-Dave-
 

caliban335

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As best I know this is a Westerly Blues 90 built in 2000, purchased in 2009. The serial number is CL001923. I replaced the Seymour Duncan P-90s with a set of Lollar standard wind pickups.

Blues_90_Front_Full.jpg


Blues_90_Right_Side.jpg


Blues_90_Front_Close.jpg
 

Tom West

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Thanks to Reverb.com and Chicago Music Exchange I am now a Bluesbird owner. My second venture into the Newark St. Collection.
 

swiveltung

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My '98 was tobacco quilt looked like this. Loved it. Wish I hadn't sold it. But then my '69 hollow I loved also. I bought one off Ebay about 10 years ago, but just couldn't bond with the hollow like I used to.
If you ever see a '69 Black/Gold hardware full hollow with 3 pickups, let me know, that's likely my old one! (long story on the 3 pickups)
 
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Aloha!

I just signed up to the forum today, finding it after a google-binge looking for some info on my Guilds. Nice place, thanks all for the info here!

I've been a long-time Guild user, although pared down to two (a mid-80's Pilot bass, and my longtime companion M-75GS walnut-and-gold Bluesbird which I assume is probably a 1970 or '71).

I realized I've had this absolute chunk of beautiful mahogany for over 30 years... which made me feel old. :) A family member originally purchased it new in the early '70s, and it was later passed down to me when I started bashing bad punk rock out of it in the mid-80's. I learned to appreciate what I had later, and naturally, it's got some wear as it started life as my high school learning/bump-around/beater!

A long time ago, I thought about trading it in on some probably-now-disposable Charvel but the shop made me an offer of, like "maybe it's worth $250..." Even as a kid, I knew that was wrong! I held on to it - whew - and thankfully made it past those fashion '90s years of dayglo squealing strats. I admit, as a concession to my generation, I did pick up a Steinberger M type as concession to my generation, though.

Your ideal guitar, first kiss, etc. is generally gonna be based on that first experience. So MY ideal Guild Bluesbird means it's got the stairstep pickguard, straight stopbar tailpiece - not the flowery old style one, and enclosed Grover tuners, just like mine has. When I started googling for "bluesbird" and "M-75" I got a ton of other pick guards and tailpiece types, and that was initially confusing as to what model and year I had. It looks to me like the stairstep pickguard puts it between 1970-72, but it doesn't have the master volume or switches - just four knobs and two gold-plated humbuckers. Serial is 53780. I'm keeping my eyes open for another just like it, but the walnut "root beer clear" colored ones are hard to find, period - it seems that they're all black from that time period, or if they are woodgrain, then they have the old stylized tailpiece. Anyone has any comments or info on my baby, I'm all ears!

Thanks,

SWTC

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walrus

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Great story, swtc! Welcome to LTG - that a beautiful guitar!

walrus
 

jp

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Welcome to the LTG forum SWTC!

We love stories about how everyone here have become Guild fans. Your M-75 is an interesting example--probably from 1971, according to the serial number. Starting in 1968, Guild made M-75s with solid and hollow bodies. The hollow examples had the classic Guild harp tailpieces, whereas the solid ones had the slanted tailpieces mounted on the top itself. The hollow examples also had the stairstep pickguard and no master volume or phase switch. It may be that, since yours is from the time period when Guild transitioned to only solid body M-75s, yours some attributes of both. This isn't surprising for Guild.

Thanks for posting the pic and your story. Cool that you kept it!
 
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planetguy

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Very happy to join the ranks of BB owners! Not so happy that i had to trade a very nice 96 Tele to join but I'm really digging this '97 BB that i traded straight up for.

These days all my gtr gigs are jazz gigs so the tele wasn't getting much attention.

I've never really been much of a Les Paul guy but i used to have an 85 THE PAUL that i dug and have missed after selling it a few yrs ago. I have always liked the smokey jazz tones you can find on the neck p/u of LPs when you roll the tone back and I was hoping to get some of that w this Bluesbird but my, my....those SD1's are pretty hot pickups.

Still, I'm really digging the gtr even if it is in black (my LEAST favorite color for gtrs).

sorry for the poor quality phone photos.



 
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Hello good people!
Got myself a Bluesbird this Sunday. Had to get rid of some guitars (have 13) so I wanted to sell my Zerberus Hydra for cash, but this guy with braids in his beard insisted on a trade off, for a Guild Bluesbird... and who am I to resist something named Bluesbird. I still have 13 guitars... But what gem of a guitar this is! I changed strings and tried it out on amplifier. Honestly, I didn't think it would be this good.
Now, some questions:
* #CL001720. 1998, Westerly?
* For how long did they make guitars in the Westerly plant?
* The serial numbers suggest there were not many BB:s made every year. Somebody knows?

I'm sorry if someone answered these questions before. I will read all 30 pages of this thread later :)

Saludos from Sweden
//Erik

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