1953 Guild X175 (the label doesn't have a hyphen) Assistance Please

Coughlin

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Breaking news...Two REAL older Franz pickups showed up on eBay today. Of course, I bought them. Even though the work has already been started rewinding the reproduction pickups. You've got to do what you've got to do. So, the reproduction pickups will be up for grabs after they come back if anyone is interested in a custom wound pickup or two. So, I have the pickups, I have a diagram, pots, knobs, and pickguard being made. The only thing that is left is to find a real tailpiece.

Oh, as embarrassing as it is to see. Here's the sad shape it came to me in. It was screaming at me to "GET THIS HOT MESS FIGURED OUT!"



 

Walter Broes

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That's gonna turn out NICE!!

What I was saying about wiring the controls : I was getting at what people call "50's Gibson wiring" in how the tone control connects to the volume. Makes things not go to mud when you turn down a little on the guitar.
 

matsickma

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Since it looks like both pickup cutouts were not done st the factory I wonder is this guitar started out as an Acoustic Archtop like an A 175 or something to that effect? Possibly the neck cutout was enlarged fir the P90 and that is why it looks crude. Was their a label inside the guitar? What is the serial number prefix?
M
 

hansmoust

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Since it looks like both pickup cutouts were not done st the factory I wonder is this guitar started out as an Acoustic Archtop like an A 175 or something to that effect?

No, it's a laminated guitar; the neck position pickup routing was probably messed up by somebody who tried to install a different size pickup.

What is the serial number prefix?

No serial number prefix during that particular period; we're talking early '50s!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

Dr. Hook

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Looking good, or will be! Funny that yours had those Gibson speed knobs- I am restoring a 64 Polara and someone had put those on it as well. Not sure why, the original Guild knobs are much cooler looking.
 

Coughlin

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Speaking of knobs...I have a couple of really nice ones that are period correct, but I'm looking for the clear knobs that would go on this mo-sheen. Does anyone have a resource for these? It seems that they are not easily obtained.

In other news, I received my Franz pickups today. They are graduated pole spacings for bridge and neck. Does anyone know when they stopped doing this? I'm thinking that this is a early method that was soon disregarded. So now I have two pickups that are being rewound that are reproductions and two old ones that need to be re-worked that are freaks of nature due to their pole spacing wackiness.

This is quite the restoration. You Guild people are into some crazy stuff. I say that in the most endearing way possible. I love my education in the new Guild realm of things.

Get ready for some more photographs because my pickups (reissues) get back on Thursday!

Pickguard is still being made...Standby.
 

Coughlin

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So, I've decided to put something on it that was better than that new X-175 tailpiece I THOUGHT would have been appropriate. It looked more ridiculous every time I saw it. I had an old Bigsby in a box. The knobs were in my stash. Harness has been made. Pickups will arrive tomorrow.

2018-07-10_1039_00_1953_Guild_X175.jpg
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Coughlin

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Ok, folks...Tonight was the night. I received my rewound pickups and installed them. I am flabbergasted. Amazed. Thoroughly pleased! This thing plays and sounds absolutely amazing. NOW I see what all the fuss is about. I had to make a couple of 'wings' for my neck pickup, but it wasn't a real big deal. The tone through my '50 Rickenbacker amplifier is T-Bone Walker-riffic! I just can't believe how easy this thing is to play. It's got action like a Telecaster and the tone of a monster. So, bridge pickup is 5.7K Ohm and neck pickup is 5.4K Ohm. I used an orange drop .022 micro farad capacitor for my tone potentiometer. It's a master volume and master tone setup. Thank you everyone for your input and advice. The only thing I'm waiting on mow is the pickguard. Oh, I'm going to have my 'real' pickups rewound. You know, the ones with the different pole spacings from the fifties. But I am thoroughly pleased with the playability and tone right now. My goodness...what a guitar!





I'm not holding anything back...I'm a fan. Wow!
 

Frank4001

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Nothing to add except that your guitar came out great, and this is great, civil, place. Welcome. That guitar design is really pleasing to look at, maybe some kind of symmetry thing. Glad it sounds good. Your work was well worth it.
 

Default

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Did you actually try the vintage pickups yet? They might be pretty goid, you know.
 

adorshki

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Did you actually try the vintage pickups yet? They might be pretty goid, you know.

Second that from memory of previous discussions.
A detail I recall, Franz's in particular, is that scatter-winding was kind of "just how it was done" back then and it gives a more even frequency response, "warmer" even?
(Somebody just shoot me if I'm wrong)
 

Coughlin

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I will install the old pickups. They are period correct because the pole spacing is different from neck to bridge pickups. From what I understand, these are early models. However, they are broken and need to be repaired. Open value when metered. Stay tuned for that.
 

Coughlin

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I received my pickguard yesterday from WD. I routed and mounted that sucker today. Now the only things left are the pickups, knobs, and bridge.

program to take screenshots




I bought a clear acrylic round stock for making knobs. I'll make mine from that. I bought enough for plenty of knobs if anyone is interested in the clear knobs.
 
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