Lets get small! (M-65 appreciation thread)

[zizala]

Hi all....

I went on an M-65 binge starting in January and managed to bring home these three since.

Left to right.....early '58, late '58 and early '59....all standard scale.

I've been playing 16" and 17" amplified archtops, but after hearing what the first of these can do I really fell for the great quick balanced tone of these little hollowbodies and their superb Franz soapbars.
Still love my big bodies, but variety is something I appreciate.

The '59 (on the right) was purchased from the daughter of a retired music teacher from Queens, NYC.....
Mom took extremely good care of her guitar as can be seen on these next photos....

She even opted for a nice hardshell case.....nice enough for an Aristocrat!
Maybe someday (big sigh....)

Of interest to Hans and details freaks like me.....this one also has the tiny stamped serial number on the back of the headstock as seen on a few guitars in 1959.

Here's the threesome again, ready and waiting for fussing and noodling sessions.....

I've got a notion to add a bridge pickup to one of these......got the right original parts to do it but not sure I've got the nerve to modify such nice old guitars......gonna have to ruminate on it.
I'm open to the comments of enablers and naysayers alike!

Also hoping that other M-65 owners will post photos on this thread and talk about'em.

z

 

[Tweedledee]

Re: Lets get really small! (M-65 appreciation thread)

You're killing me with these! What an incredible threesome! I'm impressed that you managed to find three full-scale ones and all in such great shape. That's an absolutely perfect bunch. Thanks for taking photos of them all together.

As for adding a bridge pickup to one of them, I know you mentioned that in my thread, but you made it sound like one of them was in pretty bad shape so you wouldn't feel bad about modifying it. Well, looking at them in those photos, none of them really seem "compromised" enough to hack into them! Of course it's all up to you, but I don't think I would do it to any of them.

Here's my 1960 3/4 Freshman.

 

[MojoTooth]

Beauties!! I am also wondering which one is the one you were thinking of adding a bridge pup to?

 

[hansmoust]

Beauties!! I am also wondering which one is the one you were thinking of adding a bridge pup to?

If I had to guess I would say the one of the left with the lighter sunburst tint.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[zizala]

Glad these are appreciated......thanks!

If I did a bridge pickup addition it would be either #1 or #2 from '58.....but not the clean '59.

The one with the lighter sunburst has an added jack plate and some sort of what looks like chemical finish damage on the back....and it has by far the narrowest nut width. I had it refretted and a new nut made for slightly wider string spacing.
I've had my guy give me as much space between strings as can be reasonably allowed and thats working out quite well.
Its probably the one but........

The one in the middle looks super nice in the photos but up close one can see that it had a good amount of binding rot an brittleness that was reglued in patchwork fashion......I'm beginning to care less about that since the guitar presents well and plays and sounds great. This could be the one to convert because I do like the already wider neck and fretboard a bit better than #1.

But quite honestly I'll likely leave these alone and save up or trade something dear towards an Aristocrat someday!

Interesting discovery I forgot to mention......the backs of these are 2 piece solid mahogany......not laminated.
So flat backs with no internal back bracing. Maybe the sides are solid too but need to look into that.

z

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

I've thought about going the other route: getting a trashed one, putting in two pups, and then I'd have a virtual aristocrat with sound holes. But enough about Margaret Thatcher blabbing and pooting.

 

[marcellis]

Wow! Wow! Wow!

So beautiful Zizala & Tweedledee.

I have serious GAS.

 

[hansmoust]

But quite honestly I'll likely leave these alone and save up or trade something dear towards an Aristocrat someday!

.... or maybe you will come across one of these ......

but don't hold your breath!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Hanseatic,

Is that a freshperson or an aristocrat?

 

[southernGuild]

Wow! Wow! Wow!

So beautiful Zizala & Tweedledee.
Yep, that about sums it up! Beautiful guitars............the lot of them. Enjoy!

 

[hansmoust]

Is that a freshperson or an aristocrat?

Well, it is a Freshman striving for 'aristocracy'. It has the 'M-65 DP' model designation on the label.

I also have an Aristocrat that's trying to be 'common'; just 1 pickup!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[zizala]

That Freshman "social climber", wannabe Aristocrat is exactly what I'd be trying to recreate.....
.......its the one pictured in the Guild book that got me scheming.

So far I've got a second old harness and a Franz.....a spare Guild soapbar cover.....found some extra stove knobs.....just need a 3 way switch.

Of course concerns about the doing part, or finding and trusting someone to do it right tend to squelch the flow.....I'd want it to look factory.

But wait a minute......I was leaning towards abandoning this idea yesterday!

z

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

I was leaning towards abandoning this idea yesterday!

What z said.

 

[Tweedledee]

Zizala (or anyone else) - do you know of any hardshell cases that work with 3/4 scale M-65s? Will a standard Les Paul style case work?

 

[zizala]

Hi Twee.....

One of my M-65's came to me in a new TKL style case with a Gretsch badge riveted to the outside.......

Further research has me pretty sure its a case for the new Duo Jet reissue.....its a perfect fit for the Guild M-65 body but might have some extra neck space for a 3/4.

Gretsch G6238 Duo Jet and Pro Jet Guitar Case

Here's one source I just found, but you can shop around.....

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gretsch-Gui ... =659556408

An M-65 is 13.5" across the lower bouts......a bit too wide for a Les Paul case.

ziz

 

[Tweedledee]

Thanks for that info! I thought a Les Paul case might be a little two small for the body. I'll have to see if I can track down a used one of those Gretsch cases, or maybe there's a cheaper alternative with the same interior measurements. That new one is 1/3 of what I paid for the guitar!

 

[Smiert Spionam]

Those are beauties! I'd love to have one.

 

[Crzydyamnd]

Those 3 M-65's are gorgeous! Here's a shot of my M-65. Just had her re-fretted and I had some high end tuning pegs put on. (kept the original pegs). Thanks to the forum I found out it's a 72, and I need a couple pieces to make it period correct. (bridge and tail piece) Hans is helping me out with the tailpiece.

I love this guitar, I plug this lil guy in more often than my Clapton signature Strat or my Parker Nite Fly deluxe these days. Pretty amazing that this guitar can match or beat the tone from some of the new advanced technology guitars like that Clapton strat or the parker nite fly. While I can get a wider variety of tones out of the strat or parker, the quality of the tone from the M65 really stands out.

Thanks for posting the pics of some other M65's to make want another one, or two , or maybe 3 for myself.

-Ben

 

[zizala]

Hey Ben.....

I love that little black beauty!

I'm inspired even more now to look beyond 1961!

Sure wish you lived nearby....I'd love to hear how the pickup on yours compares to a Franz.....
Sounds like you're more than happy......

ziz