NGD: Guild X-500T Blonde

GAD

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BTW I've linked to your excellent X160R page in my upcoming review of my guitar.

Thanks GAD. I added those inside pics on the X160. Thanks for the feedback on the pickups. I thought they were Dearmond 2000s. I just got shipping notice from TV Jones for the T-Armond pickups I ordered. I had them build them with white plastic tops like the 2000s. So I will be swapping the pickups out soon. I think I will like the TV Jones better, although the stock pickups are pretty good.

Guitar will look the same and can be reversed back pretty easy.
 

GAD

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Thanks GAD. I added those inside pics on the X160. Thanks for the feedback on the pickups. I thought they were Dearmond 2000s. I just got shipping notice from TV Jones for the T-Armond pickups I ordered. I had them build them with white plastic tops like the 2000s. So I will be swapping the pickups out soon. I think I will like the TV Jones better, although the stock pickups are pretty good.

Guitar will look the same and can be reversed back pretty easy.

Nice! I have a pair of '50s black DeArmond 2000s that I've thought of playing with, but there's just too much going on already.
 

txbumper57

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Thanks GAD. I added those inside pics on the X160. Thanks for the feedback on the pickups. I thought they were Dearmond 2000s. I just got shipping notice from TV Jones for the T-Armond pickups I ordered. I had them build them with white plastic tops like the 2000s. So I will be swapping the pickups out soon. I think I will like the TV Jones better, although the stock pickups are pretty good.

Guitar will look the same and can be reversed back pretty easy.

I think you will notice a big difference between the TV Jones T-Armonds and the Factory pickups. Really like the overall tone of them. I put a set of Duncan Custom Shop Dynasonics in my Black Falcon and they are pretty Amazing as well. The T-Armonds have a sweet tone to them but the Duncan Custom Shop models are about as close to the originals from the 50's/60's in tone and bite as I have found. Of course if you don't find a set on sale they do cost a little more than the TV Jones.

Look forward to hearing what you think of the T-Armonds when you get them in.

TX
 
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I think you will notice a big difference between the TV Jones T-Armonds and the Factory pickups. Really like the overall tone of them. I put a set of Duncan Custom Shop Dynasonics in my Black Falcon and they are pretty Amazing as well. The T-Armonds have a sweet tone to them but the Duncan Custom Shop models are about as close to the originals from the 50's/60's in tone and bite as I have found. Of course if you don't find a set on sale they do cost a little more than the TV Jones.

Look forward to hearing what you think of the T-Armonds when you get them in.

TX

I did consider the Duncans, but they cost more and Seymour Duncan Custom shop has a rep of being a pain to deal with. I have loved all the TV Jones pickups I have tried so I went with the T-armonds. The stock pickups are OK, but not that inspiring. I had TV Jones build them with a white top to keep the guitar's look intact.
 

txbumper57

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That is interesting as I have never had an issue with the Duncan Custom Shop. In the last few years I have ordered 2 sets of Phat Staples and one Set of Dynasonics from them. I just call MJ and give her my specs and in a week or two I have my pickups. I love my TV Jones pickups as well. Have several sets in different Gretsch models and even have a 3 filtertron setup of Classics and a Classic plus custom fit into an American Made Fender Strat. TV Jones is great to deal with as well and have their stuff together when it comes to Customer service. I think you will really like the T-Armonds in your X160 as they have a great Balance between the neck and bridge pickups. GAD actually owns my old X-160 right now as I sold it to him awhile back. That was one cool guitar.


TX
 

GAD

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I’ve had two dealings with the SD custom shoo ordering some pretty specific spec’d items and have nothing but praise for them.

I also dig TV Jones.

I also dig TX’s X160 Rockabilly. :)
 
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I’ve had two dealings with the SD custom shoo ordering some pretty specific soec’d items and have nothing but praise for them.

I also dig TV Jones.

I also dig TX’s X160 Rockabilly. :)

OK, good to know about Duncan. My dealings have been with TV Jones and their customer service was always stellar. Tom is also a great guy that was always happy to share his knowledge every time I met up with him at events.
 

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OK, good to know about Duncan. My dealings have been with TV Jones and their customer service was always stellar. Tom is also a great guy that was always happy to share his knowledge every time I met up with him at events.

I put TV Jones Setzers in my X170T:

Guild-X170T-TVJones-TopFull.jpg
 

parker_knoll

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I'm interested that the X160 rockabilly is 3.5" deep as I understand the original X160 was only 2.5". It was also much plainer with dot markers, no neck binding plus humbuckers obviously.

I wonder why they chose to call the Rockabilly an X160 when really it seems like a totally different guitar.
 

GAD

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I'm interested that the X160 rockabilly is 3.5" deep as I understand the original X160 was only 2.5". It was also much plainer with dot markers, no neck binding plus humbuckers obviously.

I wonder why they chose to call the Rockabilly an X160 when really it seems like a totally different guitar.

The X160 Savoy was like a low-key X170.

The X160 Rockabilly is like a hot-rod X150.
 
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Beautiful Guild, Congrats and Welcome to LTG! That looks like the X500T that was for sale at Dave's and posted here on the forum in the ebay/craigslist section a week ago. Sure is a pretty example.

Out of curiosity if you don't mind me asking, What is the string nut width on this one? Most of them I have seen were 1-5/8" which is great for some folks but too skinny for myself. I was just curious if there was any variation on this one with maybe a wider nut.

TX

I re-measured the Guild X500T today. This one is definitely 1 11/16 nut width. Used my digital caliper. It is not the smaller nut width. Guild guitars seem to be all over the place on nut width.
 

adorshki

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I re-measured the Guild X500T today. This one is definitely 1 11/16 nut width. Used my digital caliper. It is not the smaller nut width. Guild guitars seem to be all over the place on nut width.
One of the first things I remember Hans explaining here many years ago was that in Westerly every single neck was given final shaping by hand on belt/spindle sanders, so no two are exactly the same except by coincidence.
So yes the shaper might have been attempting to keep to a profile template (and apparently that changed too over time) but inevitably there was gonna be minute variations of the finished necks.
If a neck's within a 32nd or so of a standard spec I think that's the most likely reason and it's supposed to be whatever it's closest to.
There were 3 basic specs: 1-5/8; 1-11/16; and by far the least common was 1-3/4.
In electrics there's a lot higher percentage of 1-5/8 specs especially for the 24-3/4 scale instruments, acoustics have a much higher percentage of 1-11/16 necks.
Even so we see acoustics especially from the mid-late '80's that appear to have been intentionally built with 1-5/8 nuts even though catalog spec was 1-11/16.
Another possibility is that your guitar was made during a running spec change, late '95 seemed to be a tail-end of a "wide nut era" when many high-end acoustics got 1-3/4" nuts even while spec was still 1-11/16, so maybe that's a possibility with yours; but Fender had just bought 'em and appeared to tighten up on keeping to spec through close of Westerly, their influence being felt by '96.
So TX's note that most of the ones he's seen may have been 1-5/8 indicate they weren't purely random on nut width, they still implemented changes without any formal announcement or start dates that I can recall seeing either.
If a spec change was due, they appear to have implemented it whenever they ran out of the old parts, that's all.
Or heck, if it wasn't a high volume model and they got an order, a specific guitar may well have been subject to whatever they had on hand to complete the build as Hans notes here: http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?199192-question-on-an-X88-Crue:

Hello tafty,

Welcome! Not clear if the photo you posted shows the headstock of the actual guitar you bought or if it one like that?

Anyway, the X-88 was available with the 'droopy' headstock style, but it would be somewhat unusual with that logo. It is possible that Guild used an older neck after an order came in; that would not be unusual for Guild.The photo you posted also shows a string clamp that should go with a Washburn Wonderbar vibrato unit, so if that's your guitar I'm curious if it has the 'Wonderbar' installed as well!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
There's a lot to be read between those lines.
This used to make a lot of us scratch our heads.
Now I find it to be beautifully organic.
After all, would we want people to look exactly the same?
Welcome aboard!
:friendly_wink:
 

txbumper57

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I re-measured the Guild X500T today. This one is definitely 1 11/16 nut width. Used my digital caliper. It is not the smaller nut width. Guild guitars seem to be all over the place on nut width.


Thanks for that info ChasingGuitars, That means there is hope for me if I eventually find an X500T I like. Here are a few pics of the GSR X500D I put together with the Duncan Phat Staples and a few of one of my Gretsch Custom built Double Cut Black Falcon with the TV Jones Classics in it. I'm in a bit of a rush this morning as we are dealing with some area wide flooding this morning but I will try and find you some pics of my 3 TV Jones Strat and others later on. Have a Great Day!

2014 GSR X500D

l1Tmb7.jpg
NojkfB.jpg
CgyVG3.jpg



And here in the 2016 Gretsch 6136 Double Cut Full Hollow Black Falcon with the TV Jones in it.

Ve48fz.jpg
9IMKCg.jpg


TX
 
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Thanks for that info ChasingGuitars, That means there is hope for me if I eventually find an X500T I like. Here are a few pics of the GSR X500D I put together with the Duncan Phat Staples and a few of one of my Gretsch Custom built Double Cut Black Falcon with the TV Jones Classics in it. I'm in a bit of a rush this morning as we are dealing with some area wide flooding this morning but I will try and find you some pics of my 3 TV Jones Strat and others later on. Have a Great Day!

2014 GSR X500D

l1Tmb7.jpg
NojkfB.jpg
CgyVG3.jpg



And here in the 2016 Gretsch 6136 Double Cut Full Hollow Black Falcon with the TV Jones in it.

Ve48fz.jpg
9IMKCg.jpg


TX

Thanks for sharing. Some beautiful tasty guitars there!
 
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Replaced the stock tarnished Guildsby arm with a gold Duane Eddy model.

X500T-25.jpg


I have put these Bigsby arms on a few of my other guitars. I like the feel of them. Much nicer that the flat metal arms.
 
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