Early 70’s M-75 questions

BradHK

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I have a few build questions regarding early 70’s M-75s. The questions were sparked by the listing below (No affiliation):


My understanding is that when the M-75 was reintroduced in 1967 they were built like the 50’s/early sixties original version with spruce tops and mahogany backs and sides and fully hollow with floating bridges. I have a 1967 so I am familiar with the early reintroduction model. Then they started binding the back (i thought 1968 but maybe late 67?), the top went to maple and they were still hollow body and had floating bridges. There was a solid body introduced In 69 or 70 (the dates are rough as I am too lazy to look it up😁) and they existed side by side for a couple of years. Was there also a semi-hollow M-75 in this time period? The one in the link is listed as a 72 (No photos of the serial number to confirm) and appears to be fully hollow as it has no access panels in the back and the back is bound. But it has the typical mounted (Non-floating) muller bridge of the solid body M-75s of the 70’s. Is there a block under the bridge in these models? How are these reinforced inside for the bridge but still allowing the ability to install the wiring without f-holes?

I have purchased way too many Guilds recently so I am not in the market for another but I am not sure I have seen a hollow body M-75 with factory HB1s. Cool guitar and I think it would be a great combination with the body construction and pickups.

edit: I just saw this in the eBay section and the post says block underneath?
 

fronobulax

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The bass version, M-85, was fully hollow and with back binding. It is in the '68 catalog but might have hit the streets earlier. Circa 1970 many things changed with Guild basses. The 1971 catalog pictures a solid body M-85 with no back binding.

To the best of my knowledge there was not a semi-hollow version of the bass but my ignorance is unbounded.

My recollection is that hollow M-85's dating to 70 and 71 have been seen. I think there have been 71 solid bodies and I am comfortable saying that all M-85's dated 72 or later are solid.

The swap from a Hagstrom Bisonic to a Guild Humbucker occurred in 1970 and hollowbodies have been seen with both pickups.

I often get into trouble generalizing from basses to guitars but this does serve as an example where consistency and definitive answers are lacking.
 

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I picked up a M-85 locally for Don, back in the day. It was definitely hollow with a block in it. I have the Franken-M-75 here and with report back, but I know this is hollow for sure.
 

mavuser

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The bass version, M-85, was fully hollow and with back binding. It is in the '68 catalog but might have hit the streets earlier. Circa 1970 many things changed with Guild basses. The 1971 catalog pictures a solid body M-85 with no back binding.

To the best of my knowledge there was not a semi-hollow version of the bass but my ignorance is unbounded.

My recollection is that hollow M-85's dating to 70 and 71 have been seen. I think there have been 71 solid bodies and I am comfortable saying that all M-85's dated 72 or later are solid.

The swap from a Hagstrom Bisonic to a Guild Humbucker occurred in 1970 and hollowbodies have been seen with both pickups.

I often get into trouble generalizing from basses to guitars but this does serve as an example where consistency and definitive answers are lacking.

I THINK w the M-85 basses there is the original full hollow one (with Bisonic), but it has a block underneath that the harp bridge screws into. then there is a chambered one that looks just like the original, but has the Guild humbuckers. then there is the solid body w the Guild humbuckers.

I THINK the M-75 guitars had the first full hollow version w the floating bridge, then the second version was the same just with a block of wood inside for the drilled bridge. then the solid body. if there is a chambered one like the second version of the bass, I beleive that was very short-lived (until 1990s bluesbird)
 

fronobulax

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I THINK w the M-85 basses there is the original full hollow one (with Bisonic), but it has a block underneath that the harp bridge screws into. then there is a chambered one that looks just like the original, but has the Guild humbuckers. then there is the solid body w the Guild humbuckers.

I THINK I don't recall a chambered M-85 ;-)
 

mavuser

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I THINK I don't recall a chambered M-85 ;-)
i believe Grot has one. Grot has 2 early deep bodied M-85s, and one solid body. one has the Bisonic and is hollow with the block for the bridge to drill into. the other has the chrome humbucker and i believe is either chambered or has a full center block, so is less hollow than the first. i may simply be dreaming all of this up. i thought he showed us all 3 and said "hollow, semi solid, solid"
 
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krysh

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In 71/72 the last hollow bluesbirds were built with HB-1 pickups. My 71 also has a block under the bridge and maple a top.
 

BradHK

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Was the M-75 full hollow body available with HB1s in 71-72 or were the only available versions the solid body and hollow with a block under the bridge?
 

SFIV1967

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The earlier version with HB-1 and floating bridge was fully hollow I'd say. I don't think you would find a 1972 one of those.
Here a 1970 1971 S/N version: (EDIT, see next post from Hans, it's also 1971)

1642342851148.png

This is called a 1971 one:

1642343019578.png

Ralf
 
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matsickma

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My experience has the origional M75 Aristocrat of the '50's being released as Guild's answer to the Les Paul where "M" meant Minature and the shape followed the essential X175 shape.

In the mid '60's a Guild marketing guy noticed that a number of blues guitarists were playing M75 Aristocrat's so the leftover Aristocrats were fitted with the 60's Guild humbucker and released in '67 and renamed the M75 Bluesbird.

Guild then designed the M75 Bluesbird to have binding on front and back, switch the top from spruce to maple and changed the neck to position less frets on the body (similar to the neck replacment concept of the SF4 & 5). This upgraded fully hollow M75 was the Bluesbird released in '68.

However amps and music were playing at louder levels so feedback was becoming an issue. Guild began to experiment with adding blocks of wood inside the M75 Bluesbird. This was occuring around the same time the HB-1 was developed. The "semi solid" M75 was released with HB-1's in 1970. The term "semi solid" may not be the official term used by Guild but "The Guild Guy" of Fayetteville, NC referred to it that way. That model has a block of wood spanning from the middle to bottom of the guitar. It is a big chunk of wood and since it isn't a center block it isn't referred to as semi-hollow. Thus the term semi-solid.

I suspect the cost to make these guitars were getting expensive so the "solid body" M75 replaced the M75 semi-solid Bluesbird and the "Bluesbird" name was dropped. So the M75 solidbody, made from a slab of mahogany and a added archtop became the ultimate answer to the Les Paul which by that time had been reissued by Gibson.

I may have some details messed up but that is the story I recall over the last near 25 years that I got back into being a Guild guitar enthusiast.

Damn...went to buy my son a Saxophone when he was in grade school and ended up a guitaraholic! Amazing how time flies!

M
 
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