A chance to buy all original Guild S-300 sunburst from 1977

[Muovinen]

Hello Guild-goofs!

I've been eyeballing your fantastic forum for a month or so because I suddenly became very fascinated with Guilds. I had a plan to buy a semi-acoustic and Starfire IV was on the top of my list. However there aren't many Guilds around here in Finland and the new ones from Korea didn't interest me enough, so I bought a great Japanese made Tokai ES110 instead. I guess it's from 2007 and has Gibson Burstbuckers installed. Anyway, then next on my list was the perfect P90-guitar - let it be SG, Tele or whatever but it needed to have P90's. That's when I spotted a Guild S-300 (made in 1977) in sunburst, with all original setup (HB1's!) + original Guild case being sold under 50 kilometres from my home!! I immediately bombed the seller with a few PM's and text messages The guitar is now reserved for me untill monday when I go and test it with my Orange amp.

But the reason I wanted to share this is that I want to know all about this guitar! I'm going crazy over here! The seller says it's ash body, Maple (set) Neck, Ebony Fretboard, 24 Frets, 2 Humbucking Pickup`s and Guild Original case. Judging by what I've learned via google, the exact model should be S300A but the plate on the guitar reads S300 only. It has a minor paint chipp mark on the back, otherwise very clean looking.

The price is 950€, does that sound fair enough?

It's a weird guitar and I want it.

 

[SFIV1967]

Greetings from Germany to Finland! And welcome to LTG!
Since you talk about 1977, this model is covered in Hans Moust's famous Guild book on page 162. The original 1976 introduced S-300 had a Mahogany body and Mahogany neck.
http://www.rumbleseatmusic.com/images/f ... ldS300.jpg
In 1977 also a S-300A was available with Ash body and maple neck.
Here's a Ash body one from 1979, the color of the wood is quite different:
http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/im ... _front.jpg
So if the truss rod cover just shows S-300 but the body is really Ash it could be that this was an early Ash model and they did not have a new truss rod cover yet. That's a guess only from me.

http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/guild/S300.php

Usually the lid for the control knob chamber has a label with model number and serial number: http://bimg2.mlstatic.com/1977-guild-s- ... 072012.jpg
So that handwritten label probably would read S-300 A with sunb or sbst behind for the Ash and burst version.

1977 would have a serial number between 149626 and 169867.

Anyway, let us know when you have it and post a few pictures! Hans usually also likes to input the serial number in his files.

Ralf

 

[Muovinen]

Hi and thanks for the warm welcome! I'm happy to be a part of such a great forum

If those two S300's (the other from rumbleseatmusic and other from elderly) you linked are with the same paint job, then the one I'm looking at is definitely ash body. The mahogany one seems to be much darker and have a more brownish tint. The seller sent me a few pics of the guitar and it looks exactly like the one on elderly.com. And yes, the truss rod cover plate reads S-300 only, so your guess might be just right. Maybe I'll look under the electronics cover once I have my hands on it.

I have such high hopes for the S-300 that I fear it can't fully live up to them. I'm trying hard to tame my enthusiasm just a little.

 

[Jeff]

.........
I have such high hopes for the S-300 that I fear it can't fully live up to them. I'm trying hard to tame my enthusiasm just a little.

Welcome to the clubhouse Muovine.

I fear you have come to the wrong place for help taming enthusiasm. Guild Aquisition Syndrome (GAS) is a serious disease, present on this site in epidemic proportion.

Jeff

 

[beinhard]

Hi, and welcome to LTG!

I have a burst S300-A and like it a lot.
Yes, it does look a bit weird, but the shape is acually very practical.
Mine balances perfectly and is very comfortable to play both sitting and standing.

I'd say the price is fair, considering that you get to try before you buy and don't have to pay for shipping and VAT.
With all costs added up I paid a little more than that for mine. Still worth it!

Good luck!

beinhard

 

[Thunderface]

Welcome Muovinen. In the case of a sunburst S-300 with HB-1s, my advice to you would be to buy it immediately. If you get it and decide you don't like it, I'm sure there's a few fellow Forumers who would be glad to take it off your hands. Once you buy it, post some photos so we can all drool over it.

The price might be a little high, but that's because of the limited supply in Europe, and when you consider it's a short drive from your house vs. the cost of shipping, it probably all evens out in the end. So buy first, and ask questions later.

 

[drc]

hmm second attempt at a post...

Welcome to LTG and welcome to the S300 club (hopefully). If it checks out, buy it! Bring that S300 home!

 

[Muovinen]

Thanks for the sympathy, guys! Once I registered here at LTG I knew I was in serious trouble. I've been a member of a big Finnish musicians forum for 9 years and this is the first time I register to any other gear-related site :O So, practicly I'm already a proud owner of a S-300!

The weirdness is actually a good thing. I don't like the shiny new eye-candy bling bling guitars. I feel like a single finger print ruins them and I simply can't even touch 'em.
And after looking at a video where someone is holding the S-300 the weirdness disappeared and it felt just right. I also love the fact that it's old and has its own history.

I'll be back with pictures. A whole gallery of them.

 

[bluesypicky]

Welcome to LTG!
Resistance is futile, go get her.

 

[rampside]

Tervetuloa LTG Muovinen!

How close are you to Tampere?

 

[Treem]

Welcome to LTG!
Resistance is futile, go get her.

x2! 8)

 

[Muovinen]

Tervetuloa LTG Muovinen!

How close are you to Tampere?

Kiitos!

Not so close. Roughly 500km away. I'm living next to Oulu which is pretty way up north but not quite in Lappland yet, though
There are a lot of Finns at Minnesota, right? I have relatives in Oregon and I spent one summer at Dallas when I was 18.

Tomorrow I'll go and get my baby home. Hopefully I'll get a glance at the Guild Acorn-model the seller also owns.
If he ever decides to sell that one... well, I'm screwed already! ;D

 

[rampside]

Tervetuloa LTG Muovinen!

How close are you to Tampere?

Kiitos!

Not so close. Roughly 500km away. I'm living next to Oulu which is pretty way up north but not quite in Lappland yet, though
There are a lot of Finns at Minnesota, right? I have relatives in Oregon and I spent one summer at Dallas when I was 18.

Tomorrow I'll go and get my baby home. Hopefully I'll get a glance at the Guild Acorn-model the seller also owns.
If he ever decides to sell that one... well, I'm screwed already! ;D

Many Finns settled here in northern Minnesota and my mother was 100% Suomilainen too.

Good luck on your quest for a Guild. Keep us posted and you might as well start working getting that carved as well.

 

[Bill Ashton]

Hei! Mitta Kuulu!

I married a Suomalainen tytto from Fitchburg, MA another large enclave of Finns here in the US, though they are sort of "aging out" at this point. She originally hails from Kannus, near Kokkola.

Welcome to our little corner of the internet. Hope your new guitar suits you. Keep warm!

 

[Thunderface]

Tomorrow I'll go and get my baby home. Hopefully I'll get a glance at the Guild Acorn-model the seller also owns. If he ever decides to sell that one... well, I'm screwed already! ;D

Guild Acorn-model? You mean, an S-100 Carved?

 

[Muovinen]

Guild Acorn-model? You mean, an S-100 Carved?

Today I brought my S300 home and yes, the seller also had a S-100 Carved aka Acorn. It looked like the one you posted
except the pups were different. The magnets were aligned at the center of the pickups. I didn't get to play it.

Now to MY S-300:

The S300 is rock'n roll heaven! It sounds like nothing I've tried before. It growls and roars when driven but it's never muddy. Surprisingly it worked better on my Orange Rockerverb than AD30HTC. There's a nice balance between the two pickups and with the three way switch and the phase switch you can get a great variety of sounds.
The guitar feels very solid and all the electronics work perfectly. The neck is a bit thinner than what I've accustomed to but it feels comfortable and is very fast. I think the fastness is also due to the hard ebony fretboard.

It has a few dents and some wear on the edges but nothing serious. Few corroded screws too. Otherwise it's a beauty and the setup and action
is just perfect. It has a 10-52 set on now but I think I'll try at least 11-54. Then it should feel 100% right. The original case is ultra kewl.

I don't have any photos yet because I wanna do it properly and today it was all about playing and enjoying

But I guess I've earned my spot here at LTG now! Woohoo!! :mrgreen:

 

[SFIV1967]

Congratulations!
Ralf

 

[southernGuild]

8) Congrats on that guitar and also a big Welcome to LTG Mouvinen Nice to have someone from Finland on board here. Cheers! :wink:

 

[drc]

Great news, enjoy the day!

 

[Thunderface]

I don't have any photos yet because I wanna do it properly and today it was all about playing and enjoying

But I guess I've earned my spot here at LTG now! Woohoo!! :mrgreen:

Not until you post those photos! :wink: Congratulations, Muovinen, on making your Guild deams come true! Now about those photos! :wink:

C'mon now, a little less this ...

... and more this!

All kidding aside, congratulations again!