Guild Frets

drc

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
3,717
Reaction score
731
Location
Minneapolis metro area, Minnesota
Is there a comparable fret in todays market that is wide like the frets that were used on a '86 Nightbird?

I'm sure this has been discussed before? I'm looking forward to getting Ralf'd! or Hans'd! or Forno'd! or...

I'm refretting my Nightbird, and I don't really know what frets to install. Any advice?
 

AcornHouse

Venerated Member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
10,214
Reaction score
7,221
Location
Bidwell, OH
Guild Total
21
I broke out my calipers and my Nightbird and got 3.0mm for the width. StewMac and Lmi don’t carry anything wider than 2.79mm. Doing an online search shows some Simtoms wire available in Europe that is listed at 3.00, but the specs read 2.93mm. (Most wire in the States is by Jescar.)

I think if you go with the 2.79mm you'll be happy. It may not be exactly what Guild used, but nobody will notice the difference, unless those .21mm keeps you up at night.

EDIT: I started thinking that it would be odd for Guild to be using such an odd size, hard to get, fretwire during this period. So, I went back to double check my measurement. Measuring from the side, rather than from above, I get 2.7mm. Allowing for the frets curvature, I’d say the readily available 2.79mm should be spot on. To get the most accurate reading you’d have to have a fret already removed. And measure in an area that wasn't possibly pinched by the fret pullers.
 
Last edited:

ruedi

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
2,054
Reaction score
2,460
Location
Switzerland
Guild Total
1
I'm going to measure my Nightbird frets later today and hopefully confirm Chris' meausurement.
 

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,587
Reaction score
17,805
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
I have measurements of all my Nightbirds and just realized I’ve never published a review of any of them.

So many guitars…
 

AcornHouse

Venerated Member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
10,214
Reaction score
7,221
Location
Bidwell, OH
Guild Total
21
I have measurements of all my Nightbirds and just realized I’ve never published a review of any of them.

So many guitars…
Well, you did do a review of one, or rather, I. Curiously, the width you got for the frets, .08 in., does not correlate with the width I’m getting, (checked using inches this time) .11 in.
.08 converts to 2mm, so I wondered if my digital calipers were off. But, using a regular metal 6” ruler on the metric side, they’re definitely closer to 3mm than 2mm, so I’d have to stick with 2.79mm.
 

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,587
Reaction score
17,805
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
Well, you did do a review of one, or rather, I. Curiously, the width you got for the frets, .08 in., does not correlate with the width I’m getting, (checked using inches this time) .11 in.
.08 converts to 2mm, so I wondered if my digital calipers were off. But, using a regular metal 6” ruler on the metric side, they’re definitely closer to 3mm than 2mm, so I’d have to stick with 2.79mm.
My spreadsheet shows .106" for the width... Argh - that's a typo in the review. .08 is for the entry below it, which is the Nightbird DX. Looks like I hadn't yet standardized on posting the entire measurements.

Gonna go fix that.... Fixed.
 

AcornHouse

Venerated Member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
10,214
Reaction score
7,221
Location
Bidwell, OH
Guild Total
21
My spreadsheet shows .106" for the width... Argh - that's a typo in the review. .08 is for the entry below it, which is the Nightbird DX. Looks like I hadn't yet standardized on posting the entire measurements.

Gonna go fix that....
That jibes much better. These calipers only go to 2 decimal places, so that correlates with what I‘m getting.
 

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,587
Reaction score
17,805
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
That jibes much better. These calipers only go to 2 decimal places, so that correlates with what I‘m getting.

Glad it makes more sense now.

As for the third decimal place, it's hard to know what's fret and what's 40 years of filth at that level of accuracy. :)
 

ruedi

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
2,054
Reaction score
2,460
Location
Switzerland
Guild Total
1
Sorry @drc I did not read your question carefully enough, you asked for the measurements on a '86 Nightbird. My X-2000 is built a couple of years later.

For the sake of science: I measured 2.8mm
 

ruedi

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
2,054
Reaction score
2,460
Location
Switzerland
Guild Total
1
Sintoms produces the dimension, as Chris has already mentioned.

Here's the link to their website, scroll down and you'll find measurements and technical drawings. Let me know if you can't get it over in the U.S., maybe I can enable.

 
Top