1956 Guild M-75, neck binding

[modboy]

Hi folks - I have a very playable 1956 Guild Aristocrat M-75 that I have been restoring and playing out. I replaced some missing pole pieces in the bridge pickup and found a replacement pickup cover, and I replaced an aftermarket 80's Les Paul bridge with an aftermarket rosewood arch top bridge that I carved to accommodate the string height. The only things that remain are cosmetic - the contour binding which has come loose from the body at the contours, and the original neck binding with dot inlays that is missing in parts, and has been replaced by stewmac pearloid binding with no dots for frets. I have a good guitar shop that has done a lot of work on these guitars that I trust for the contour binding. My quest here is for 2 pieces of the neck binding with dot inlays. I wrote the Guild Shop in Santa Monica if I could buy 2 of them from their Newark St. reissue series - they told me they are assembled in Asia and they don't have them to sell. They suggested this forum. Anyone have any leads on where I could find 2 neck bindings with dot inlays for a Gretsch M-75 - new old-stock or reissue? I'd appreciate it, Scott

 

[geoguy]

Welcome . . .

My understanding is that the side dots are typically cut from small-diameter rods, & installed by the repair person. Here's a link to a Stew Mac product:

Stew Mac side-dot materials

 

[walrus]

Welcome to LTG!

Would love to see photos of the M-75!

walrus

 

[Walter Broes]

What Geoguy said - have a skilled person replace the neck binding, and they'll put in the dots where they belong.

 

[modboy]

So the dots are drilled and installed into the neck after binding is applied? That's scary. I thought it would be a strip with dots on it. Here's a picture of all of my Guilds: 1956 Guild M-75 Aristocrat, 1966 Guild F-212 XL, 1966 Guild Starfire XII, 1971 Guild F-50 w/ Dearmond 210 soundhole pickup, mid-60's

 

[modboy]

The M-75 has flat wounds FYI, with an unwound G. Sounds amazing

 

[Midnight Toker]

I did a repair on a friend's mid 70's M75 that had a piece of missing binding that broke off from the nut to the 2nd fret. The black fret marker rod was actually still there, embedded into the side of the fingerboard! Is there a small hole or a visible black dot on the fingerboard itself where the fret marker should be? Maybe that too broke off cleanly. I just took a measurement of the binding (in MM), ordered a small spool of cheap amber binding (to semi match the aged/smoked binding on the guitar), carefully cut and shaped a piece to fit the missing piece, drilled a hole so the old fret marker seated snuggly into it, glued it on and let it cure, then lightly sanded it down to perfectly shape to the existing binding...then carefully brushed a few coats of varnish (w/ a few drops of golden oak wood stain for "aged" color blending) to seal any gaps. Wasn't a flawless fix visually. You can still see the break line between the new and old. But by feel alone, you couldn't tell it was ever missing (which is by far most important!), and that top binding in the first position is where your hand is more than most of the neck.

I posted a couple pics of it in another thread.... https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/hey-mods.210267/

Btw, you can easily find/buy binding, AND fret dot marker rods. They are dirt cheap. I bet if you took a bright light and a magnifier to the area w/ the missing binding, you'll likely see where the old fret marker broke off. You might have to drill that out and simply replace it w/ a new rod.

 

[modboy]

I did a repair on a friend's mid 70's M75 that had a piece of missing binding that broke off from the nut to the 2nd fret. The black fret marker rod was actually still there, embedded into the side of the fingerboard! Is there a small hole or a visible black dot on the fingerboard itself where the fret marker should be? Maybe that too broke off cleanly. I just took a measurement of the binding (in MM), ordered a small spool of cheap amber binding (to semi match the aged/smoked binding on the guitar), carefully cut and shaped a piece to fit the missing piece, drilled a hole so the old fret marker seated snuggly into it, glued it on and let it cure, then lightly sanded it down to perfectly shape to the existing binding...then carefully brushed a few coats of varnish (w/ a few drops of golden oak wood stain for "aged" color blending) to seal any gaps. Wasn't a flawless fix visually. You can still see the break line between the new and old. But by feel alone, you couldn't tell it was ever missing (which is by far most important!), and that top binding in the first position is where your hand is more than most of the neck.

I posted a couple pics of it in another thread.... https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/hey-mods.210267/

sweet! that's what I have to do - yeah it looks like the breaks in the original neck binding on mine are right where the original dots are. Good fix! thanks for the response

 

[walrus]

modboy, that is a great collection of Guilds!

walrus

 

[modboy]

sweet! that's what I have to do - yeah it looks like the breaks in the original neck binding on mine are right where the original dots are. Good fix! thanks for the response

Just read your post - exactly the same kind of repair I need to do. By the way, my M-75 is light as a feather - chambered body. Kind of has a Duo-Jet vibe, more than a Les Paul. I love the light weight - and the tone.

 

[modboy]

modboy, that is a great collection of Guilds!

walrus

Thanks! 3 Hobokens, 1 Westerly! They are all great instruments

 

[Midnight Toker]

Just read your post - exactly the same kind of repair I need to do. By the way, my M-75 is light as a feather - chambered body. Kind of has a Duo-Jet vibe, more than a Les Paul. I love the light weight - and the tone.

Lucky you! (LOVE a light guitar! My LP is chambered and super light as well. ) I think the 70's ultra popularity of LP's (from the likes of Page and other rock gods) had Guild fashion the M75's to be even more like an LP other than just a single cut solid body. My friend's mid 70's M75 could have stopped the Titanic from hitting that iceberg if tied to a chain and tossed overboard!! It's a shoulder buster! What I do love about it though is the controls! (in/out phase toggle...and especially the master vol!! I only wish Gibson were that clever back then!)

 

[sailingshoes72]

That is a great lineup of Guild guitars! It's cool to see one of the old DeArmond soundhole pickups. That's what everyone used back in the 60's.

 

[DrumBob]

I wouldn't lose sleep. I would take a Sharpie marker and neatly and carefully mark dots on the binding where they are missing. I know it's probably not advisable on a valuable vintage guitar though, so use your discretion. I think your chance of finding the exact pieces of binding are pretty slim. Better to replace it with new binding and let a tech handle it, as you have done in the past.

 

[SFIV1967]

my M-75 is light as a feather - chambered body.

Welcome to LTG!
The 50's Aristocrat is not "chambered" but a full hollow body guitar!
Here's a view through the output jack hole into my 1956 Aristocrat. Your one actually seem to be already a 1957 one? (serial >4000?)





Ralf

 

[modboy]

Welcome to LTG!
The 50's Aristocrat is not "chambered" but a full hollow body guitar!
Here's a view through the output jack hole into my 1956 Aristocrat. Your one actually seem to be already a 1957 one? (serial >4000?)





Ralf

That's cool - that would explain it's lightness. From what I understand the Guild logo on my headstock, script rather than the capital letters, was a 1956 detail.

 

[modboy]

Welcome to LTG!
The 50's Aristocrat is not "chambered" but a full hollow body guitar!
Here's a view through the output jack hole into my 1956 Aristocrat. Your one actually seem to be already a 1957 one? (serial >4000?)





Ralf

Great photos! Like looking into a modern room at the Guggenheim

 

[Prince of Darkness]

The current NS M-75 Aristocrat is also a full hollow body. Just to confuse things, they also do the Aristocrat HH and Aristocrat P90, which are both chambered solid bodies

 

[SFIV1967]

From what I understand the Guild logo on my headstock, script rather than the capital letters, was a 1956 detail.

Actually the Script logo was used on the Aristocrat in 1957 I thought and I don't think any 1956 one used it. Hence I asked if your serial number is >4000? (which would be 1957).
Ralf

 

[jp]

I know a lot of people don't like the slanted script logo because it seems like it's trying to imitate another <ahem> guitar company, but it's one of my favorites, especially in combination with the Chesterfield inlay.

Good luck with the restoration!