Potential Mod...

nlalouette

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On my guitar, the X-180, I would like to put a Bigsby tailpiece and perhaps a bridge as well, I think the wooden one would cause major binding... But I feel it might be sacrilegious, especially considering the vast array of similar guilds with Bigsby instead of the standard string holder. What do you guys think?
 

fronobulax

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If you can buy the instrument that you are modding today, brand new, then go ahead. Anyone who doesn't like the mod, including you, can buy another one.

As the instrument ages into classic, vintage, used or whatever territory, my inclination is to preserve originality. What seems like a good idea now might not be one in a few years and there will be people who will thank you for leaving the (now hard to find or unavailable) instrument unmolested.

If you somehow bought the wrong guitar perhaps you should search for the right one (spec wise) and then sell the unmodded one if you can't afford both?

It will be ironic if you find the Corona production ledger, and employee list, and schedule, and realize that the day your guitar had its final inspection and setup the only setup tech working was Bill Baggins so Bill must have finished your guitar. But the bridge and tailpiece Bill worked on aren't there any more...

All that said, it is your guitar and my opinion doesn't matter. You should do what you need to do.
 

shihan

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You should buy another guitar with a Guildsby. The NS X-175’s are really nice guitars.
that way you preserve a classic, and have another guitar; a win-win!
 

Default

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I would check with Hans, but in my limited experience, vintage Guild Bigsbys shared the same mounting hole pattern as the harp tailpiece. If that's the case, it's a pretty safe mod.
 

nlalouette

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You should buy another guitar with a Guildsby. The NS X-175’s are really nice guitars.
that way you preserve a classic, and have another guitar; a win-win!
I'm only 15, and although I could afford it, I can make around a grand a month if I choose... My dad doesn't want me to buy any more guitars. I have to respect his wishes as it's his house I'd store them in, and he probably knows best. In 20 years I'll probably think, he was right, but right now, I feel like I should be able to do whatever I want with my own money.
 

nlalouette

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If you can buy the instrument that you are modding today, brand new, then go ahead. Anyone who doesn't like the mod, including you, can buy another one.

As the instrument ages into classic, vintage, used or whatever territory, my inclination is to preserve originality. What seems like a good idea now might not be one in a few years and there will be people who will thank you for leaving the (now hard to find or unavailable) instrument unmolested.

If you somehow bought the wrong guitar perhaps you should search for the right one (spec wise) and then sell the unmodded one if you can't afford both?

It will be ironic if you find the Corona production ledger, and employee list, and schedule, and realize that the day your guitar had its final inspection and setup the only setup tech working was Bill Baggins so Bill must have finished your guitar. But the bridge and tailpiece Bill worked on aren't there any more...

All that said, it is your guitar and my opinion doesn't matter. You should do what you need to do.
Could you please elaborate on Bill Baggins? I'm not familiar with him or the irony of the situation.
 

nlalouette

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Why do you want a Bigsby?
I enjoy the sound of subtle vibrato, and I don't have any vibrato guitars, besides a cheap strat which I love how it feels, I love how it looks and sounds, it just won't stay in tune especially if I use the whammy bar. I have that, an Artcore AF75, and a modded-out LTD Les Paul that has Seymour Duncan 59's and sperzel locking tuners. Besides the guild obviously, that Les Paul is the nicest guitar I have. I've only got the one really nice guitar. And it's the greatest thing in the world to have a silly nice instrument that I consider a piece of art. I would like that to be the most it can be, I believe that adding a Bigsby could help, but could also hurt... I'm not sure, that's why I'm asking you guys.
 

GAD

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How would you feel if you were hunting for a very specific x180 in original condition and found one, but it had been modded?

As a collector I hate mods.

As a player I mod guitars all the time, and I’ve done it to VERY expensive Les Pauls, but never to something rare or collectable.
 

adorshki

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Could you please elaborate on Bill Baggins? I'm not familiar with him or the irony of the situation.
Hi "NLA" welcome aboard! Not often we see somebody your age joining up, it wouldn't surprise me if you're our youngest member!!

As for Mr. Baggins I'm about 99% certain Frono was taking some humorous liberties with facts to elaborate on the issue of originality. (Thus my reply).

In another thread it was asked if Guild fans like us even go so far as to look for instruments built by specific people although with Guild that's a very small percentage of instruments as that construction method was only rarely used. But I'm pretty sure that was the inspiration for Frono's joke.

However, we'll get around to answering your question seriously.

I'm not too well versed in Guild electrics but I recall past discussions about the issue pointing out that different tops need different Bigsbys and I seem to recall the current parts usually don't retro-fit.

I assume your guitar is a Corona-built (only location I saw that made the X-180) and as such it might have a lot more intrinsic value than you may realize, even more so in the 20 years you mention. So for that reason my recommendation would be preservation, "trust me on this". I wouldn't have any objection to a completely reversible mod, though, but save those original parts! ;)

However, give it a couple of days for some folks to respond with advice, and in the meantime here's an old thread about the model in case you find out something "good to know"


I do think you're right, that the bridge would have to be replaced as well, and that may be a lot easier said than done.

Also, I suspect you may be in France? Our member @SFIV1967 (Ralf) may be able to suggest continental sources for parts as well as things to "watch out for" when doing such a mod.

Keep us posted and we love pics!
 

chazmo

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Bonjour, Monsieur LaLouette!

The "Bill Baggins" references was certainly a joke. Bilbo Baggins is a character from J. R. R. Tolkein's "The Hobbit." :)

Good luck with your modifications. Folks here can guide you very well for parts choices, etc. Welcome aboard!!
 

fronobulax

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My humor and irony seem to be lost on the young but that's my fault, at least according to my kids.

I needed a name and Bill Baggins was one. It was rattling around in my head because Martin Freeman played Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit movies and he was mentioned in an episode of Staged that I saw last night. But the name was just a stand in and not the name of a real person who might have worked on your guitar, as far as I know :)

In the other thread you gave the impression of someone who was on a mission to find out as much as they could about their particular guitar. The irony came from imagining you were successful (to the point of knowing the name of people who worked on it) and then realizing that, because of the mods, it was in some sense no longer the same guitar.

I still favor No Mods but now that I understand your situation and trust the people who say adding a Bigsby could be a reversible mod I am not as adamant as I was.

But it is your guitar.
 

nlalouette

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Hi "NLA" welcome aboard! Not often we see somebody your age joining up, it wouldn't surprise me if you're our youngest member!!

As for Mr. Baggins I'm about 99% certain Frono was taking some humorous liberties with facts to elaborate on the issue of originality. (Thus my reply).

In another thread it was asked if Guild fans like us even go so far as to look for instruments built by specific people although with Guild that's a very small percentage of instruments as that construction method was only rarely used. But I'm pretty sure that was the inspiration for Frono's joke.

However, we'll get around to answering your question seriously.

I'm not too well versed in Guild electrics but I recall past discussions about the issue pointing out that different tops need different Bigsbys and I seem to recall the current parts usually don't retro-fit.

I assume your guitar is a Corona-built (only location I saw that made the X-180) and as such it might have a lot more intrinsic value than you may realize, even more so in the 20 years you mention. So for that reason my recommendation would be preservation, "trust me on this". I wouldn't have any objection to a completely reversible mod, though, but save those original parts! ;)

However, give it a couple of days for some folks to respond with advice, and in the meantime here's an old thread about the model in case you find out something "good to know"


I do think you're right, that the bridge would have to be replaced as well, and that may be a lot easier said than done.

Also, I suspect you may be in France? Our member @SFIV1967 (Ralf) may be able to suggest continental sources for parts as well as things to "watch out for" when doing such a mod.

Keep us posted and we love pics!
If you look at my only other forum post, you’ll see pic, I forget to save them, sorry. Also, je habite dans les Etats Unis. Je suis Francaise, je parlez un petit Francaise. L'alouette, like the nursery rhyme, but l' cause French. Also, why would that be easier said than done?
 

fronobulax

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See https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/i-need-x-180-park-avenue-info.209484/ and especially


which has

index.php
 

nlalouette

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My humor and irony seem to be lost on the young but that's my fault, at least according to my kids.

I needed a name and Bill Baggins was one. It was rattling around in my head because Martin Freeman played Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit movies and he was mentioned in an episode of Staged that I saw last night. But the name was just a stand in and not the name of a real person who might have worked on your guitar, as far as I know :)

In the other thread you gave the impression of someone who was on a mission to find out as much as they could about their particular guitar. The irony came from imagining you were successful (to the point of knowing the name of people who worked on it) and then realizing that, because of the mods, it was in some sense no longer the same guitar.

I still favor No Mods but now that I understand your situation and trust the people who say adding a Bigsby could be a reversible mod I am not as adamant as I was.

But it is your guitar.
That would be hilarious... maybe in 20 years, I would laugh at it, but it would be too soon lol. I understand that it's my guitar, and I make the decisions, but I'm unsure wether or not to make this particular decision.
 

GGJaguar

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I have a 1998 X-150D that I wanted to change the harp tail to a Bigsby. Ultimately, I cannot get myself to modify a relatively low production, American made guitar that could, some day, become a collectible. But I still think it would be a fun guitar with a Bigsby.
 

adorshki

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If you look at my only other forum post, you’ll see pic, I forget to save them, sorry. Also, je habite dans les Etats Unis. Je suis Francaise, je parlez un petit Francaise. L'alouette, like the nursery rhyme, but l' cause French. Also, why would that be easier said than done?
Ah, I see it now, passed over it originally because I'm primarily a flattop lover, but I "get" archtops, I love jazz too.
With my poor French I'm not sure but I believe you said you live in the US, you're French but only speak a little Francais(?)

Anyway, in tha first post I was tinknig primarily of getting the right bridge to go with the Bigsby in on that top. Neck angle would play a role, too.

After first post I thought I recalled discussions about Bigsbys exerting extra force on the top, and may need reinforcement, but not entirely sure about that. There's lots of previous discussions about adding Bigsbys to hollow bodies, though.

Again, Ralf will probably have insights, and correct me if I'm wrong.

Or a couple of the other owners. I was wondering myself for example if the Bigsby (and bridge?) from the Corona X-160 Rockabilly might work?

One other thought: You may get more feedback if you post the question in tech, like "Can I Put a Bigsby on my X180?" Makes your purpose clear. ;)
 

JohnW63

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How much do you have to spend to do the project correctly? Do you have the skill to drill new holes in the top and bottom of the guitar, if it requires them? You wouldn't want to put a lame looking Bigsby and do a amateur job on installing. If you can get a cool setup and install it like it was supposed to be there, I'd say to go ahead.
 
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