Looking to be educated on Archtops

PittPastor

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Yes their are!
These are the NS MiK reissues. I have a Blond one and like it quite a bit. Comes with flat wound strings. I actually have it setup with drop D tuning. I primary play it acoustically. Have been looking to add an acoustic Fishman type pickup to it.

OK, help me here.. Trying to figure out: "NS MIK reissue?" MIK == Made in Korea... what does the "NS" stand for? And it has the floating pickup, right? Are you adding a Fishman Under The Saddle? As in you are adding it, or replacing it?

When you say:

I would not expect it to sound as warm and rich as a high end Stuart.

Do you mean Stuart Day's Guitars? I know he sort of specialized in archtops, but I thought his were all slim line.


Yep, saw both of those. The Blonde has a crack in the top. IDK how serious it is. I know a guy who can repair it. But, IDK ... I need to play it to see how it feels. But if I knew I wanted it, I might pop for the mint one on Reverb. It's in WV, which is probably within driving distance from me.
 
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matsickma

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Made in Korea (MiK)
Newark Street (NS)
Stuart...though that was the name of the vintage Guild archtop but I got the model names mixed up.
I was looking to ADD an acoustic surface mount pickup on the body (perfer inside mounting) near the bridge to get the acoustic tone.

Most of my NS guitars have be been purchased Used and all but one have been in Mint condition. A CE 100D I picked up wasn't mint but the seller advised me of the issues and gave it to me at a great.
NS guitar do not appreciate in value and can depreciate by 50% so if buying new confirm return policy.
M
 

adorshki

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Stuart...though that was the name of the vintage Guild archtop but I got the model names mixed up.
"X700 Stuart", looked to be the next model down from the AA in '96 at least, with a 24-3/4 scale and 2 built-in SD4 'buckers.
Showed a solid carved spruce top assuming the catalog's correct.
 

PittPastor

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I was looking to ADD an acoustic surface mount pickup on the body (perfer inside mounting) near the bridge to get the acoustic tone.
So how will you connect it to the amp then? Will you have two connection jacks? Or will you somehow wire one stero jack out?

NS guitar do not appreciate in value and can depreciate by 50% so if buying new confirm return policy.
M

Wow. That's a very good piece of advice right there! Thanks!
 

matsickma

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How to connect to amp... probably just remove the bottom strap connection and replace it with a strap-jack gizmo.
M
 

bobouz

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That's what I play, as well. I think I may do this. You saw all of the ones on GC. Which do you prefer -- if it were you checking them out? Also, I saw this one on Reverb... that can't be true, can it? There are no 2017 Savoys are there? guild-savoy-a-150-2017-antique-sunburst

The one at GC for $749.99 is an early one, and it has virtually no runout on the top. I'd go for that one vs. the other GC sunburst, and I'd for sure pass on the blonde with the top crack. That was caused by the volume knob & pot being pushed into the top. The stock case provides almost no cushion in that area, and therefore, I've seen a lot of them with a similar crack.

Re the one on Reverb, even though my preference is the blonde version, I really like the way the sunburst came out on that one - but as mentioned, you'd want to be very clear on their return policy. With GC, you already know that a return would be simple & straightforward.

Edit: Uh-oh, just checked, and the one on Reverb is being sold AS-IS. Personally, I'd recommend passing on that unless you can play it in person & can also decide right then & there that an archtop is truly for you.
 
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PittPastor

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The one at GC for $749.99 is an early one, and it has virtually no runout on the top. I'd go for that one vs. the other GC sunburst, and I'd for sure pass on the blonde with the top crack. That was caused by the volume knob & pot being pushed into the top. The stock case provides almost no cushion in that area, and therefore, I've seen a lot of them with a similar crack.

Edit: Uh-oh, just checked, and the one on Reverb is being sold AS-IS. Personally, I'd recommend passing on that unless you can play it in person & can also decide right then & there that an archtop is truly for you.

Good catch on the Reverb one! Yeah, I'm not doing that. I can get there and play it in person, but I prefer to be able to take the guitar to Stuart Day and have a professional luthier give me an opinion.

Thanks for all of the input, bobouz!
 

PittPastor

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How to connect to amp... probably just remove the bottom strap connection and replace it with a strap-jack gizmo.
M

I guess I don't understand your setup... Don't you already have an input jack for the floating pickup? If so, are you then going to have two inputs on your guitar, one for each pickup?
 

PittPastor

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How do you date a Guild Savoy A150? The serial number on the one at GC is: KSG 1300556. It is $750. GC Savoy A150 I can have it shipped to my local GC and pick it up, and get 30 days to make sure I want it.

OTOH, MF has an "Open Box" A150 for $735 and they'll ship it for free to my doorstep. No idea the serial number, tho I guess I can ask and get it. Guild Savoy - $735 Scratch and Dent This one has a blemish by the pickguard. Hard to tell from the picture if it is a crack or just a scratch in the finish. But,. for sure. I'll have it looked at by Stuart after I get it. MF gives me 45 days to look it over. I've never dealt with them but they have pretty high marks on the forums.

And, just to round out the decision, Sweetwater has an entry too. It is a "Demo" model and a lot more money. Serial Number is: KSG1703840 Sweetwater $1079 Guild savoy A150

So, those are my choices. As always, the wisdom of the collective LTGers is sought!

TIA
 

adorshki

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How do you date a Guild Savoy A150? The serial number on the one at GC is: KSG 1300556. TIA

IF I recall one of Ralf (SFIV1967)'s posts correctly, those "KSG" prefixes indicate Korean made product, I can't recall ever seeing a dating guide for them.
Those are the ones known as "Newark Street" models and were introduced in the New Hartford era, January 2013:
https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Guild_Introduces_Newark_St_Collection_Electric_Guitars
I do seem to recall mentions of subtle detail changes (and even a change in factories?) over the course of production, but never paid too much attention since I never expected to own one.
Ralf might have a dating guide, and answers pm's. (in fact he was just posting within the last couple of hours)
:friendly_wink:
 
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bobouz

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How do you date a Guild Savoy A150? The serial number on the one at GC is: KSG 1300556. It is $750. GC Savoy A150 I can have it shipped to my local GC and pick it up, and get 30 days to make sure I want it. OTOH, MF has an "Open Box" A150 for $735 and they'll ship it for free to my doorstep. No idea the serial number, tho I guess I can ask and get it. Guild Savoy - $735 Scratch and Dent This one has a blemish by the pickguard. Hard to tell from the picture if it is a crack or just a scratch in the finish.

PP - With NS Series instruments, the first two digits of the serial number indicates the year of manufacture.

The black A-150 at MF has the same crack I mentioned previously as being frequently seen due to poor case protection at the volume control knob. It is not simply a finish issue - it's a crack. The three black A-150s at MF are all "Level-3," and I can tell you that level-3 issues on an MF guitar are significant (such as body & neck cracks). They were most likely all damaged in shipping.

Re GC, you can have the item shipped to your home or the store, and I believe you should have 45 days to do a return on used pieces (it used to be 30, but I think they bumped it up, so double check). Vintage pieces only have a three day return window (from the day you receive the item).
 
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PittPastor

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The black A-150 at MF has the same crack I mentioned previously as being frequently seen due to poor case protection at the volume control knob. It is not simply a finish issue - it's a crack. The three black A-150s at MF are all "Level-3," and I can tell you that level-3 issues on an MF guitar are significant (such as body & neck cracks). They were most likely all damaged in shipping.

I thought it was sunburst, not black. But in any case, not worth it. I mean, I can ship it back within the 45 days but why pay shipping if I don't have to, eh?

Thanks!

PS: What does "Level 3" mean? And how can you know what level it is?
 

bobouz

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I thought it was sunburst, not black. But in any case, not worth it. I mean, I can ship it back within the 45 days but why pay shipping if I don't have to, eh?
PS: What does "Level 3" mean? And how can you know what level it is?

PP - You are correct, there is one open-box in sunburst. I somehow got shifted to the black ones, which are exactly the same price. If you look at those, you'll see a drop down menu where it gives you the level, and you can view each guitar.

Now the interesting thing is that the sunburst open-box does not give you any information re level. Because it's the same price as the black level-3s, one would assume the sunburst is also a level-3, but there's no way to know for sure.

I've ordered four used instruments from MF in the past, two of which I still have. They used to give you pretty good pics & descriptors for each instrument, but as time went on, that info became rather inconsistent. Level-1 used to mean "as new", Level-2 meant "very minor marks or scratches", Level-3 meant "more significant damage but playable", Level-4 meant "needs work" (those descriptors are mine, but very close to how they used to describe each level). The instruments I purchased were all Level-2, and they were in near-mint condition. They were very good deals at the time, but again, things changed, and Level 2 instruments began to appear with more severe wear. The last one I purchased was, if I remember correctly, in 2013.

Additionally, I will qualify all of the above by saying that MF's policies & pricing may have changed, and perhaps that sunburst open-box is actually a Level-1 or 2. If you think you might be interested in it, you'd want to give them a call & ask a lot of questions!
 
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PittPastor

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bobouz: You've been a huge help. Thanks!

EDIT: Actually, now that you say that. I see in the title itself they list it as a scratch and dent:

Open-Box Guild A-150 Savoy Hollowbody Archtop Electric Guitar Condition 3 - Scratch and Dent Antique Burst
 
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bobouz

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EDIT: Actually, now that you say that. I see in the title itself they list it as a scratch and dent:
Open-Box Guild A-150 Savoy Hollowbody Archtop Electric Guitar Condition 3 - Scratch and Dent Antique Burst
PP - Indeed, by putting it into your cart, it shows up as a Level-3 used item!

I would read that to mean that most likely it's got the same volume knob/pot damage as the black ones.

This is a definite example of the more limited info MF is providing these days on their used instruments. The sunburst photos are not of the specific instrument (just the stock item photos), and there are no descriptors of the damage. They used to have a bit of descriptive text, along with pictures with arrows pointing to specific blemished areas!
 

PittPastor

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PP - Indeed, by putting it into your cart, it shows up as a Level-3 used item!

I would read that to mean that most likely it's got the same volume knob/pot damage as the black ones.

This is a definite example of the more limited info MF is providing these days on their used instruments. The sunburst photos are not of the specific instrument (just the stock item photos), and there are no descriptors of the damage. They used to have a bit of descriptive text, along with pictures with arrows pointing to specific blemished areas!

I emailed them but haven't heard back yet.

I thought this pic was trying to show the damage...? Looks like a scratch. Could be crack. IDK. Be nice if they got back to me!

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JohnW63

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It looks like something with a coil or ridges got pressed into that one. it might not be a wood crack, just finish damage. I'd want a wider angle view to see where it stops.
 
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