S100: neck specs thru the years

Hi there,
I am an new member.

I was wondering if some of you with S100 experience/knowledge can help me with the following:
-neck width at nut
-neck profile
-neck/body joint angle

I am looking for a S100 made in USA. I understood that neck specs changed thru the years of the guitar production (e.g. neck width 1" 5/8 or 1" 11/16, slim- or chunkier neck profiles, no/yes neck tilt angle).

I would like to find one having the wider neck (1 11/16), chunkier neck and with the neck mounted on a angle to the body (tilted, not flat).
It is not clear to me if I should go for 70's or the 1994-2000 reissues...

Hope you guys can help. I am aware of Qvart thread but as we know all those links are broken unfortunately and I did not manage to find those info.

PS I recently got a MIK (Cordoba) S100 from a local distributor to try. I played it extensively on tour. I can help on that matter if anybody is interested.

Already thanks for your replies.
Dani

Welcome. No data for you but I want to commend you on a first post that asks a question and already tells us what you have done to find the answer. Thank you.

As far as I know, all S-100's are 1.11/16 at the nut.
The neck profiles vary though, but I'm not sure about the logic (in case there is one) through the years.
I can tell you that my 74 carved has a chunkier neck than my 73.
I believe the early years had thinner necks, but I will defer to the S100 Historians, and they are here.
Another big difference between different mode years is the space between bridge and saddle affecting playability.

'70's........1 5/8" nut width, all others......1 11/16ths. Profile depends on who made it.

No knowledge of S100's, but - Welcome!

walrus

Thanks for your replies so far. So if I understood correctly:
-from 80's on the neck width is (most likely) 1" 11/16
-neck profile (slim, chunky) can vary a lot from guitar to guitar independently from the production year

-any info about the neck-body joint angle???

I would say there's no such thing as a "chunky" S-100 neck. If you want a thicker neck than the 70s, you're looking for a 90s reissue. I can't speak to the necks on the Newark St models.

Welcome aboard

Ok, so for a wider (1" 11/16) and "chunkier" (than original) neck=> 90's reissue.

Do 90's RI also have some neck tilt angle? I read about some people having their 70's S100 having a neck reset job because of the flat (zero degree angle) neck....

all above correct. Neck profiles on the 70's vary from guitar to guitar.

Welcome to LTG!

70s nut widths (IME, from what I have owned & observed on this forum & ebay auctions) can vary but tend to be on the narrower side.

My 3 70s S-100s described below:

- 72 - Nut width ~41mm/1 5/8" - medium depth
- 76 - Nut width ~42mm/1.65" - shallow depth
- 77 - Nut width ~43mm/1 11/16" (or just ever so slightly less) - medium depth

The 76 actually feels like the smallest neck in the hand, probably due to the shallow depth, though maybe string spacing plays a part as well.

The neck angles became steeper in about 76, along with the tail piece being placed closer to the bridge. Here are a couple of old threads om the subject:

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/showth...ges-73-74-vs-75-77&highlight=s-100+neck+angle

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/showth...my-1977-S-100&highlight=s-100+neck+angle+late

The 90s re-issues seem to tend to have chunkier necks & they seem to be fairly consistent at 1 11/16" (I have played two, including my own. My 97 starfire neck is similar). The neck angle build seems to be closer to the early 70s units (as is tailpiece placement). Generally heavier built guitars too.

Thanks again for your replies.

Can any of you compare the neck angle of a 76/79 vs 90's? Just like Qvart did with pics in this nice thread:

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?162517-S-100-changes-73-74-vs-75-77&highlight=s-100+neck+angle

Many thanks!

danielesindaco said:

Thanks again for your replies.

Can any of you compare the neck angle of a 76/79 vs 90's? Just like Qvart did with pics in this nice thread:

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?162517-S-100-changes-73-74-vs-75-77&highlight=s-100+neck+angle

Many thanks!

Click to expand...

I think you will find the same results. Both of my '71's have the same angle as my '96. The steeper angle seems to be unique to the late '70's models.

Thanks for your replies.
So if I summerize what reported so far:

-beginning 70's: nut width 1" 5/8, medium neck profile, flat neck/body joint (shallow neck tilt angle ~1deg)
-second half 70's: nut width increases to 1.65"-1" 11/16, slim or medium neck profile, steep neck/body joint angle ~3.5deg
-90's reissue: nut width 1" 11/16, medium neck profile, flat neck/body joint (shallow neck tilt angle ~1deg)

The new MIK reissue have a shallow neck tilt angle ~1deg, I measured it. The other specs of this reissue are well reported.

There really aren't any S-100's with thicker necks. They're all pretty slim, but nut width became a bit wider on the reissues. As for neck angles, the early '70's have necks parallel to the body. Post-'75 they were set deeper and the angle was steeper like a Gibson (and a better design IMHO). Nut width in the '70's tends to be 1 5/8" and the reissues are 1 11/16". Profile was slim on both. Don't know what to recommend if you want a thicker neck. Even my '72 SFIV has a slim neck like an S-100. Best bet might be a reissue or MIK. They both have parallel neck sets but without the Mueller roller bridge string tension is much better.

Qvart said:

There really aren't any S-100's with thicker necks. They're all pretty slim, but nut width became a bit wider on the reissues. As for neck angles, the early '70's have necks parallel to the body. Post-'75 they were set deeper and the angle was steeper like a Gibson (and a better design IMHO). Nut width in the '70's tends to be 1 5/8" and the reissues are 1 11/16". Profile was slim on both. Don't know what to recommend if you want a thicker neck. Even my '72 SFIV has a slim neck like an S-100. Best bet might be a reissue or MIK. They both have parallel neck sets but without the Mueller roller bridge string tension is much better.

Click to expand...

Hi Qvart. I indeed have a new MIK. It sounds and feel good but I do miss the steeper neck angle. That is why I opened this thread, trying to find out which S100 would fulfill my wishes of having 1 11/16" nut width, medium profile neck (not too slim, that is), and steep angle (Gibson style as you mentioned). Thanks to all members' replies I can conclude I should go for a late 70's (77-79)...even if I find a pity the tailpiece was set closer to the bridge then.

For the rock lovers here is a clip of my new MIK S100 in action during a recent tour in Europe...I got it from the Guild/Cordoba Artists Relations Manager to try out. It is all stock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-XWkAWAYNM

danielesindaco said:

So if I summerize what reported so far:

-beginning 70's: nut width 1" 5/8, medium neck profile, flat neck/body joint (shallow neck tilt angle ~1deg)
-second half 70's: nut width increases to 1.65"-1" 11/16, slim or medium neck profile, steep neck/body joint angle ~3.5deg
-90's reissue: nut width 1" 11/16, medium neck profile, flat neck/body joint (shallow neck tilt angle ~1deg)

Click to expand...

Hi Daneiel,
Looks like you came to the above conclusion from my post regarding my guitars but I don't think it's that conclusive at all. As others have said, the necks can vary a fair bit but still tend to be on the narrow & medium/slim profile over all. If you want the increased neck angle then the late 70s ones are the go but you may have to be diligent in your search to find one with a wider neck. I was pretty lucky with mine & go it from a forum member here, Los Angeles. I have the same desire for a wider neck & have had the same issue with some Hoboken semi & hollow-bodies as well. You often find they are 1 5/8" but after a lot of questions & ebay seraches I found guitars which had 1 11/16" necks (& quite chunky ones too).

Sometimes the answers you get back aren't always right though. When I got my 2nd S100, the '72, I was told it was 1 11/16" & "chunky" & that the frets were medium jumbo. All incorrect (& it had a few other problems but it sounded so good!!). Lots of people seem to have issues with measuring neck width so bear that in mind. Still, good luck on your quest.

Listened to some of the clips - dug "Souls for Sale" (& the engineer at the mixing desk) & "Get Back in the Car". Like the band name too. A vintage S100 with HB1s would work well in your band, IMO.

danielesindaco said:

Hi Qvart. I indeed have a new MIK. It sounds and feel good but I do miss the steeper neck angle. That is why I opened this thread, trying to find out which S100 would fulfill my wishes of having 1 11/16" nut width, medium profile neck (not too slim, that is), and steep angle (Gibson style as you mentioned). Thanks to all members' replies I can conclude I should go for a late 70's (77-79)...even if I find a pity the tailpiece was set closer to the bridge then.

Click to expand...

What you're looking for seems like an exact description of my '97 SG.......

TVeye said:

What you're looking for seems like an exact description of my '97 SG.......

Click to expand...

HI TVEye
I had a SG 1988. Great sound but it suffered from neck dive. Moving a lot while playing live with a neck dive was very irritating/tiring for me. Don't know how Mr. Angus Young does it
Also I like the S100 better than the SG for the its thicker body, the S100 neck feels more stable to me, the tailpiece position...that's why

danielesindaco said:

HI TVEye
I had a SG 1988. Great sound but it suffered from neck dive. Moving a lot while playing live with a neck dive was very irritating/tiring for me. Don't know how Mr. Angus Young does it
Also I like the S100 better than the SG for the its thicker body, the S100 neck feels more stable to me, the tailpiece position...that's why

Click to expand...

Totally agree. The SG used to be my favorite guitar until I started playing Guilds'. I was looking for a smaller neck though. I, also, was unaware of the neck angle change in the late '70's
(due to the broken links on the stickies) which does seem like a better design (not that I ever had the opportunity to buy or play one.) I was a little apprehensive about the 1 5/8" nut width
until I spent some time with the '71. I ended up liking it so much, I got another one (the second is actually an S-90 but virtually the same.) For some reason, I was never too impressed with the
re-issues until I got one. I would describe the neck as a 60's modern-C slim taper (in Gibson terms) with a little more leg room by comparison. Perfect for me and the more I play it, the more I like it.
If you need the steep neck angle, don't discount the S-300. As someone else pointed out, it has the late 70's angle and is waaay more available than the 100's of that type.

Yea, if you see a late 70s S-100, you better grab it. I've only seen a '76 for sale in the last 2-3 years of searching for S-100s.

I'm enjoying my S-300, tho. It's a '79. I wouldn't want to jump around with it, though.