Newark Street over the years

parker_knoll

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I tried an Indonesian Sterling by Music Man in the shop the other day. The switch and pots were awful and flopping about. At the end of the day that's a $20 fix for me, but I can understand how it might put off someone less comfortable with a soldering iron.

I don't understand enough about international export economics to understand why that's not a false economy on the part of the manufacturer.
 

DThomasC

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There were some "teething problems" in finishing the early models. There were credible to me rumors that the early black and gold finishes started out as sunbursts and the factory's lack of experience in 'bursts was obvious so they were resprayed and covered up.

Seems credible to me too. But it's interesting that the goldtop Aristocrats have untinted (i.e. clear) finish on the backs and sides.
 

kakerlak

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Seems credible to me too. But it's interesting that the goldtop Aristocrats have untinted (i.e. clear) finish on the backs and sides.
Proper point. Are there any with the dark back of the typical sunbursts?

And, while we're at it, it's a shame they've never offered a simple natural finish on those!
 

DThomasC

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I recall when they were still advertised on the Guild website and the photos there showed a clear back. That doesn't mean they never shipped any with a dark back. And then there's the black ones...

I agree about a natural finish. That would have been my first choice. I chose gold because it was the only model that came with chrome hardware instead of gold.
 

kakerlak

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I recall when they were still advertised on the Guild website and the photos there showed a clear back. That doesn't mean they never shipped any with a dark back. And then there's the black ones...

I agree about a natural finish. That would have been my first choice. I chose gold because it was the only model that came with chrome hardware instead of gold.

Yeah, I've gone back and forth on which I'd go for if I was ordering. In some way, the black is the most appealing to me, but I generally enjoy seeing the wood in a guitar. The sunbursts are too heavy for my taste and I'm not a fan of the super dark backs most of them have. Seems like some of the newest ones are a little less heavy-handed on the shading, though.

I actually like the look of the goldtops a lot, but it feels kind of "wrong" for the model, ignoring the handful of factory gold X-150s and the like from the early days. I think they'd have been cooler as all-golds.

Hey, though, at least none of these ended up with the typical Korean scarf joints!
 

kakerlak

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Also, does anybody remember the price on those gold ones that were MF SDotD a few years back? $500-something? I was really close to buying one. I had the spare money that day, but it just felt too impulsive.
 

guitarlover

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I have a goldtop m75. Don't know what is underneath the golden finish. Don't care either. It is a lovely guitar and in my eyes beautiful. Best value/price guitar I have ever seen. I absolutely love it and I would not trade it for any guitar regardless of its pricetag.
I could buy it cheap but I don't think the price normally was different from the standard newark Aristocrats.
 

DeArmond Hammer

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They wouldn't even have to admit that they made a mistake. Just come out with a bridge pickup that matches or compliments the Neck. Call it a new Hot Bridge Pickup. Make it available.
Besides Guild's explanation, there is at least one testimonial to the relative weakness of the bridge anti-hum pickup in a vintage Starfire, and another testimonial to a vintage Starfire having pickups with different resistances. I know that GAD has done extensive research, finding like resistances in pairs of anti-hum pickups, but there may have been pairs with different resistances like those of the Newark Street models. I, for one, do not mind a relatively stronger neck pickup, because I like a fairly clean tone with the bridge pickup just adding salt, and if I want more salt I can play my pick closer to the bridge.
 

GAD

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Besides Guild's explanation, there is at least one testimonial to the relative weakness of the bridge anti-hum pickup in a vintage Starfire, and another testimonial to a vintage Starfire having pickups with different resistances. I know that GAD has done extensive research, finding like resistances in pairs of anti-hum pickups, but there may have been pairs with different resistances like those of the Newark Street models. I, for one, do not mind a relatively stronger neck pickup, because I like a fairly clean tone with the bridge pickup just adding salt, and if I want more salt I can play my pick closer to the bridge.

FWIW I don't buy either of those testimonials. I have found zero evidence of ~5k pickups pre 1969 and I have 70 pickups in my database, so If they have '66 Starfires then the ~5k pickups didn't exist yet. I'd say either they both have a replacement they don't know about or the pickup has been altered. I could very easily see a 1966 Starfire going in for service in 1969 and getting a 5k replacement pickup. I don't see a '66 coming from the factory with one unless it sat in the factory until ~69 when it left the factory with one of each but I kind of find that hard to believe, too.
 

kakerlak

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Has anybody swapped the knobs on their Aristocrat for these repros from guild?
009-9121-049_a150_volume_knob_amber.jpg
 

Rockabilly_Nick

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I too got my hands on a gold top from mus friends SDOTD. I never wondered why the gold top, but I do often wonder why the limited run? Ah too bad it’s not nitro or years of playing might reveal a sunburst paint job underneath. Would be so cool. It’s a great guitar. Super light weight, acoustically resonates even with no amp, some flatwounds help mellow the tone a bit too. Anybody know how many gold top m75’s were made for Newark Street collection?
 

guitarlover

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Personally I like the knobs that the factory did ship them with more. Will I be banned from this forum now ? 🥺
 

bobouz

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I thought about it, but never got to it. Idk, are they presfit or setscrew?
That knob has a setscrew. It's like the one that came stock on my 2014 A-150b.

Guild has since changed to small wheels that protrude from the side of the pickguard on the A-150.
 

bobouz

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The Newark St. line was introduced in January 2013 at NAMM in Anaheim.
Yes, and Fender announced the sale of Guild to Cordoba in May of 2014. I've got a 2014 Savoy A-150b that I purchased new. Not sure about all Newark St models, but A-150s manufactured during the brief period of Fender ownership have the serial number on the back of the headstock, along with "Handcrafted in Korea." The headstock identification was eliminated by Cordoba, but the interior label remained the same.

When Fender announced the A-150 in 2013, I was very keen to try one out because of the solid (pressed) spruce top, and X-bracing. Many moons ago I'd owned a 1930s Gibson-made Wards, with a carved solid spruce top & X-bracing. Loved the tone of it, but the neck was huge & had a very sharp 'V' profile, so away it went it a trade. The A-150 offered the possibility of recapturing some of that tone, and it has not disappointed. The acoustic tone is just what I was after, and plugged in, the single coil DeArmond suits my fingerpicking style nicely. As for the neck, it leans a bit towards the narrower side & is very comfortable in hand.
IMGP2125.JPG
 

chazmo

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^ Boy, Bob, that sure is purty. And it looks like it has one of those clear/gold set screw knobs that Kak mentioned earlier. Is that purely a volume control?
 

bobouz

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And it looks like it has one of those clear/gold set screw knobs that Kak mentioned earlier. Is that purely a volume control?
Yes, the NS A-150 originally had just the one volume knob on top of the pickguard. The current version has volume & tone wheels mounted underneath & protruding from the side of the pickguard.
 

jp

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Like Default, I also thought about grabbing some of those clear knobs but then refrained.

I don't know how many of you do this, but I often find myself unnecessarily accumulating parts I don't need to build the dream Guild I'm imagining in my brain, once I have the time and have fully collected all the pieces parts. Essentially, I'm just amassing spare parts I don't need right now.

I have a feeling I'm not the only one who does this -- am I right? Haha! :whistle:

In fact, writing about this makes me want to buy some right now.
 

Rockabilly_Nick

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One change in the Newark Street lineup that I missed is the awesome changes they made to the X-175 Manhattan. Don’t get me wrong I love the “franz p90’s” on my aristocrat, but to me it is so cool that they put dearmond dynasonics on this guitar! I’ve had a gretsch eddie cochran since 2000, one of the early ones and I love it. But I have to admit if I was purchasing a nice rockabilly hollowbody all over again I might spring for this instead!
 
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