Fender humbucker changeover

[johnbiscuti]

Apologies if this has been brought up before (I have a hard time searching this forum), but when did Guilds start coming equipped with Fender-made humbucking pickups and not the (arguably) better Guild HB-1? I can't see the physical difference (if any) between them.

I'm looking for an archtop right now and there are a lot of reasonably-priced 90's examples out there, but I want to make sure I'm getting one with the "right" pickups.

Thanks!

 

[JohnW63]

I need to finish updating my spreadsheet image on this subject. I believe the HB-1 changed to Seymore Duncan versions then to Fender ones in the later 90s. Around 97 or so.

 

[mavuser]

The "fender bucker" from approx 1998 and later is easily identifiable- it has the pickup screws closer to each other than the Guild HB-1.

From approx 1995-1998 is when the Duncan "SD-1" was used together with the Guild pickup covers (for an HB-1), now those are very difficult to tell apart from the classic Guild HB-1, however the Duncan SD-1s are fantastic sounding pickups.

 

[kakerlak]

I like my '94 X-700 quite a lot. I suppose it is the last of the "real" HB-1s.

 

[johnbiscuti]

The "fender bucker" from approx 1998 and later is easily identifiable- it has the pickup screws closer to each other than the Guild HB-1.

From approx 1995-1998 is when the Duncan "SD-1" was used together with the Guild pickup covers (for an HB-1), now those are very difficult to tell apart from the classic Guild HB-1, however the Duncan SD-1s are fantastic sounding pickups.

Aha, I see it now! Totally obvious. Thanks Sandy!

 

[mavuser]

Thanks Sandy!

i'll take that compliment, thank you very much! (well we are both your neighbors, maybe thats why you mixed us up?)

cheers and good luck on your quest!

Eric

 

[mavuser]

just to let you know also there are exceptions, the visual analysis I described above is maybe 95-99 percent.

sometimes they used an adapter underneath the pickup cover/surround screws, to make one pickup fit where the guitar was prepared for another pickup. these are uncommon and virtually impossible to identify without pulling the hardware and looking at the back of the pickup, to see what it says. it was used more to make Dimarzios and HB-1s interchangeable in the late 70s/early 80s...but a couple cases have been reported where it applied to HB-1/SD-1/Fenderbucker in the 90s... but I do not know the details, and this is an extremely rare and unlikely occurence, at least to my knowlendge (but entirely possible). From what I recall the pickups on a 90s Guild turned out to be the classic HB-1 instead of what first appreard to be an SD-1, or possibly a Fender bucker. I really dont know the details. I do not believe i've ever known a case where a Fenderbucker appeaered to be an SD-1 or HB-1 (but I could be wrong). Hans Moust and GAD are the experts here. you can always change the pickups though, of course. to me the Fender bucker is maybe a little bit of a bargaining chip, not a deal breaker