Guild S-200 Reissue

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I just got my Thunderbird in the mail today and at first glance, it’s beautiful, but it has some issues.
1. The tuning stability is almost non existent
2. The trem is stiff, squeaky and throws it out of tune
3. The knobs on the pickguard are somehow crooked
These three are issues I can solve, but it has one more problem that has me stumped. It plays like garbage. The strings appear to be a relatively new set of D’addario 10’s, the frets look great (tall and level from what I can tell), and the neck looks straight, but the strings feel stuff and sticky and the bass strings buzz quite a bit. I want this guitar to play like butter and I don’t want to send it back if I can help it. Did I just get a bad egg or are these common issues for other owners? If so any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks!
 

fronobulax

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Welcome. Not sure how common your issues are. Someone who knows will be along. I have, however, gotten the impression that a lot of the Newark Street electrics need a good setup after they leave the factory. Some vendors will do that, or at least check, but some don't.
 

GAD

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I just got my Thunderbird in the mail today and at first glance, it’s beautiful, but it has some issues.
1. The tuning stability is almost non existent
2. The trem is stiff, squeaky and throws it out of tune
3. The knobs on the pickguard are somehow crooked
These three are issues I can solve, but it has one more problem that has me stumped. It plays like garbage. The strings appear to be a relatively new set of D’addario 10’s, the frets look great (tall and level from what I can tell), and the neck looks straight, but the strings feel stuff and sticky and the bass strings buzz quite a bit. I want this guitar to play like butter and I don’t want to send it back if I can help it. Did I just get a bad egg or are these common issues for other owners? If so any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks!

Welcome!

First, my review of the S200 T-Bird: http://www.gad.net/Blog/2018/02/28/guild-newark-street-s200-t-bird/

The trem, in my humble opinion, is crap. They were crap in the '60s and '70s and they're crap today. Some will disagree with me and that's fine. I'm used to that. :subdued: IMO the trem is there just for nostalgia. I decked mine and promptly forgot about it.

If you're complaining about tuning stability during trem usage, my advice is to stop using the trem. Alternatively you could get locking tuners, but now you're spending more money. I find it to be relatively stable when I don't use the trem.

It probably needs a setup as Frono pointed out. That could be as simple as raising the bridge a bit on the bass side, or it may need more detailed work. If the nut was cut poorly it will need to be replaced, but I haven't personally seen that. First thing I would try is new strings because as weird as it sounds, I've absolutely seen bad sets of strings.

The Korean NS guitars are not known for extremely high quality. Most of them aren't bad, but I always advise buying from a source with a good return policy because of this fact.
 

AcornHouse

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Tuning stability, with or without trem, is all about the nut. When I looked at mine, the nut slots were misshapen, crooked, etc. A good nut file session will cure a lot of it.
 

SFIV1967

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I just got my Thunderbird in the mail today and at first glance, it’s beautiful, but it has some issues.
Welcome to LTG! Let us know where in the world you are located and if you bought the guitar new or used. Could make a difference.
Ralf
 
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Despite the fact that it has good tuners, I've also had issues with staying in tune, with or without the vibrato bar.

As for playability issues, I highly suggest getting a guitar tech/luthier to set it up for you OR learn how to do some basic set-up work yourself. It's really not that difficult and you would need very few tools to do it. Bonus: A minimal initial investment will save you money on basic set-up work for the rest of your life.
 

Quantum Strummer

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My T-bird has been rock solid since I filed & smoothed the nut slots (opened 'em up to handle 11 gauge strings with a wound third) and disabled the vibrato by removing the arm. Chris is right about the nut being the source of most vibrato issues, but the Tremar is a pretty rubbish design as well. :)

-Dave-
 

Walter Broes

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Tuning stability, with or without trem, is all about the nut. When I looked at mine, the nut slots were misshapen, crooked, etc. A good nut file session will cure a lot of it.
+1

I've seen a couple of these, and they all need a little bit of nut work, as most brand new guitars do.
 
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I’m going to be installing a mastery bridge asap to deal with intonation/tuning stability. Will require some routing, but that bridge has been a lifesaver on any guitar I’ve installed it on. Will report back.
 

Quantum Strummer

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I’m going to be installing a mastery bridge asap to deal with intonation/tuning stability.

That's an approach I hadn't thought of. I'll be interested to find out whether or not the Tremar behaves itself with the Mastery.

-Dave-
 
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