Bonneville88
Senior Member
An '01 DeArmond S73, an '02 Squier S73 (both Cort Korea-built instruments), and an S-Polara-ish prototype.
The guitar on the right has been discussed previously on LTG. I was eventually able to track down
the original US owner, who turned out to be Fender's long-time western
district sales manager, who described it as a "sample created by one of our Chinese factories, most
likely Cort or Samick" and as "a one-off prototype" (I believe our own eagle-eyed Ralf identified a GREE
hang tag on this guitar in a Reverb ad several years ago).
The original owner wrote that the guitar came into his possession around 2012 through
what was described as a Fender employee sale - he didn't think it ever made an appearance at any NAMM show,
and various claims in previous online ads about this guitar being a NAMM instrument
remain unsubstantiated.
The '01 DeArmond and '02 Squier S73s have very similar bodies, although bevels are not identical.
The headstocks are noticeably different as are the inlays, pickups, knobs, knob positions, pickguards, and input jack locations.
Bridges and tailpieces appear identical, both guitars have 22 frets, with some brass-plated hardware on
the DeArmond's bridge and tailpiece adding some visual richness, in continuity with its
attractive and distinctive gold-foil pickups.
The "S-100 Prototype" on the right (as it's been described in previous appearances) has noticeably
different bevels than the other two guitars. The body is not as thick - it's somewhat lighter - and the neck joint is different.
It has very wide, chunky frets, with single volume and tone knobs, different bridge, and tuners (all appear to be
satin chrome-plated) no pickguard, and 24 frets.
The single volume and tone remind me a little bit of an early-70's Guild S-90.
The headstock appears somewhat similar to that of a Guild Nightbird.
All three instruments feel good to hold, and sound good, but the the prototype feels noticeably
different than the other two guitars - thinner, more SG-like perhaps, but with a longer neck - the distance from the
fretboard side of the nut to the deepest point on the upper cutaway is fully 1" longer on the prototype, 18 1/4",
compared to 17 1/14" on the DeArmond / Squier guitars.
The prototype is approximately 7 lbs, the DeArmond & Squier closer to 7 1/2 lbs.
I have not yet taken out the pickups or examined the electronics to look for serial #s which might provide some clue as to
when the prototype might have been put together, but whenever and wherever that was, I've come to regard it as an
enjoyable, obscure, perhaps completely inconsequential footnote - something odd that happened along
the way to today's Newark Street S-100.
The guitar on the right has been discussed previously on LTG. I was eventually able to track down
the original US owner, who turned out to be Fender's long-time western
district sales manager, who described it as a "sample created by one of our Chinese factories, most
likely Cort or Samick" and as "a one-off prototype" (I believe our own eagle-eyed Ralf identified a GREE
hang tag on this guitar in a Reverb ad several years ago).
The original owner wrote that the guitar came into his possession around 2012 through
what was described as a Fender employee sale - he didn't think it ever made an appearance at any NAMM show,
and various claims in previous online ads about this guitar being a NAMM instrument
remain unsubstantiated.
The '01 DeArmond and '02 Squier S73s have very similar bodies, although bevels are not identical.
The headstocks are noticeably different as are the inlays, pickups, knobs, knob positions, pickguards, and input jack locations.
Bridges and tailpieces appear identical, both guitars have 22 frets, with some brass-plated hardware on
the DeArmond's bridge and tailpiece adding some visual richness, in continuity with its
attractive and distinctive gold-foil pickups.
The "S-100 Prototype" on the right (as it's been described in previous appearances) has noticeably
different bevels than the other two guitars. The body is not as thick - it's somewhat lighter - and the neck joint is different.
It has very wide, chunky frets, with single volume and tone knobs, different bridge, and tuners (all appear to be
satin chrome-plated) no pickguard, and 24 frets.
The single volume and tone remind me a little bit of an early-70's Guild S-90.
The headstock appears somewhat similar to that of a Guild Nightbird.
All three instruments feel good to hold, and sound good, but the the prototype feels noticeably
different than the other two guitars - thinner, more SG-like perhaps, but with a longer neck - the distance from the
fretboard side of the nut to the deepest point on the upper cutaway is fully 1" longer on the prototype, 18 1/4",
compared to 17 1/14" on the DeArmond / Squier guitars.
The prototype is approximately 7 lbs, the DeArmond & Squier closer to 7 1/2 lbs.
I have not yet taken out the pickups or examined the electronics to look for serial #s which might provide some clue as to
when the prototype might have been put together, but whenever and wherever that was, I've come to regard it as an
enjoyable, obscure, perhaps completely inconsequential footnote - something odd that happened along
the way to today's Newark Street S-100.
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this is obviously a scam. After seeing the one off “NAMM” prototype S100 above I thought that maybe there are other oddballs out there, but I can’t see Fender execs signing off on a terrible bolt-on Schecter-ish mid 2000’s Nu Metal style of guitar. Well, maybe I can, but not with the DeArmond name and headstock on it. It should say Gretsch instead 
