1960'/70s single pickup "SG style" Guild

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Back when I was just starting to dream of becoming a Guitar God (never made it by the way), I owned a red, single pickup Guild Solid body guitar. My memory (which fades occasionally) says the body looked identical to a Gibson SG. I've done some searching on-line but do not see anything that looks like it. Is there any "Guild historian" out there that can confirm (or shoot down) my memory?
 

AcornHouse

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S-50. And it would have to be 70s, not 60s; the 60s version had a distinct body shape, rather than SG-inspired.

And, WELCOME, btw!
 

hansmoust

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Back when I was just starting to dream of becoming a Guitar God (never made it by the way), I owned a red, single pickup Guild Solid body guitar. My memory (which fades occasionally) says the body looked identical to a Gibson SG.

Hello jleahy,

Welcome! Chris already gave you the correct answer, but just to refresh your memory, it may have looked like the guitar in the following photo or close to it:

S50Black_front.jpg


The S-50 in the photo is from 1974; an earlier one may have had a different pickup (single coil) and a different tailpiece/bridge combination.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

AcornHouse

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And here’s a pic of the earlier bridge/pickup combo from the early(-ist) 70s.

33dde73b-7150-42f5-9dbc-8659d2570e4c.jpeg
 

AcornHouse

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And, btw, the 60s version, so you can compare the body shape:

20170330_131325_zps53zcmx2r.jpg
 

AcornHouse

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Oh, what's going on with that bridge, it's so white?
Just a fluke of the photo or was it actually like white ABS or similar tough plastic?
No, standard aluminium (minus the hinged cover). It’s just the light.
 

hansmoust

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Oh, what's going on with that bridge, it's so white?
Just a fluke of the photo or was it actually like white ABS or similar tough plastic?

That's the light making it look so white! Normally the bridge should ave a chrome cover, but it was removed and what you see now is the raw cast aluminum.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

adorshki

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That's the light making it look so white! Normally the bridge should ave a chrome cover, but it was removed and what you see now is the raw cast aluminum.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Ah, thank you (both).
I knew the cover was off but never saw one that way before.
The keyword is cast aluminum: If it's not polished that explains why it looks so white.
 

Guildedagain

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It's pretty close to an SG, which did have very slightly asymmetrical horns. It would be interesting to hear them A/B'd. In my mind, the Guild "SG" was made quite famous by Kim Thayill of Soundgarden, not that it ever made me go look for one.
 

Quantum Strummer

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Broadly speaking: the main differences between an early/mid '70s S-100 and the vast majority of SGs ever are the neck/body angle (S-100s are very shallow while SGs are almost always steeper), the neck width at the nut (S-100s 1 10/16", SGs from 1 11/16" down to 1 9/16"), bridge construction (S-100s attached to unanchored posts sitting atop metal cups & with roller saddles, SGs attached to posts screwed into the body & with slotted TOM saddles) and pickups. S-100s tend to be spankier and even kinda plunky acoustically, not unlike Rickenbackers, while SGs are more compressed and sustain-y. Plugged in this translates to the S-100s having a sharper attack, again not unlike a Rickenbacker's percussive kerrang. SGs sustain louder into an amp, though not really longer.

IMO S-100s play & feel more like a blend of Tele & Rickie (which I love!) while SGs are typically Gibson. S-100s are my fav Guild solidbodies…same goes for SGs in the Gibson line.

-Dave-
 
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Guildedagain

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I may just have to take the plunge and try it one day, especially since I consider my SG out of my collection, even though I have it. I shan't be playing it again ;)

This is it here, a stop tailpiece batwing SG, virtually unheard of in actual 60's vintage.

large.jpg


Actual 1969 SG that I parted with a long while back, nylon ABR-1 saddles...

large.jpg


And Cortez the [back] Killer, what was I thinking...

large.jpg




What's the typical weight of an older S100, they're all Mahogany, correct?
 
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Quantum Strummer

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What's the typical weight of an older S100, they're all Mahogany, correct?

Yep, S-100s are all 'hog. Here are the weights of my two:

1971 Guild S-100: 6lbs, 9oz
1973 Guild S-100: 7lbs, 4oz

The '71 is a real ringer, even acoustically.

And the weights of three SGs:

1964 Gibson SG Special: 6lbs, 1.5oz
1974 Gibson SG Special: 6lbs, 11oz (mini humbuckers)
2019 Gibson SG Standard, Custom Shop ‘64 reissue: 7lbs, 4.5oz

I have a couple other SGs I haven't weighed yet (and probably won't be keeping long term) but they're in the same weight range.

I like the batwing pickguards on your two…the classic Pete Townshend look. :)

-Dave-
 
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adorshki

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I may just have to take the plunge and try it one day
Don't forget that's an S50 in the Big Brother & the Holding Company TV show from '66.
Imagine how much they'd refined the formula by the early '70's.

especially since I consider my SG out of my collection, even though I have it. I shan't be playing it again ;)
This is it here, a stop tailpiece batwing SG, virtually unheard of in actual 60's vintage.
Not knowing if you were aware of it, but "taken to the next level" by John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service who did his own custom pickguards and overlays on the side by at least '68:

552-large_default.jpg

john-cipollina-7c571066-84e1-4892-9ce4-a45b471003e-resize-750.jpeg

His rig btw still stands in R&R Hall of Fame:
6631b00214f84820a73e66f4590a6781.jpg

An SG was the first guitar of any type I actually identified and aspired to own as a kid, thanks to Cipollina and Santana and Pete Townshend in Woodstock.
Actually thought the guitar solo in the Youngbloods' "Darkness Darkness" had to be one, too.
Only after hanging out here for a couple of years did I discover it's actually a pre-"Bluesbird" version M75.
:friendly_wink:
 
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