GGJaguar
Reverential Member
I’ve been on the lookout for an early S-series guitar for a while now. The S-300 seemed like a logical choice, but I’m more of a single coil guy so that left me with the S-60D and S-70. It was easy to narrow it down to the S-60 because I prefer 2-pickup guitars. So, I took delivery of drc’s very clean 1978 S-60D that he had in the Buy, Sell, Trade section and it’s staying in the LTG family. 
I know the aesthetics of this series is polarizing and I’m probably one of a handful of people that is sort of in the middle about it. Of course, the neck and headstock are perfectly fine. I would have preferred a pearloid Guild logo and Chesterfield inlay, but this was a “budget” model so it got the budget headstock treatment. The mahogany body’s “bell bottom” kind of reminds me of executioner’s axe (terribly morbid, I know), but looks fine. The treble-side body curve and low horn are fine, too. In fact, the treble-side body curve is perfectly placed for sitting the guitar on one’s thigh while playing. It’s downright ergonomic. What makes me wince a bit is the upper horn shape. Too me it looks like Jimmy Durante’s nose. But it’s not an issue when playing because it looks different (read: normal) when viewed from above. Giving each model a cool name might have helped... or not. Okay, enough about the beauty and the beast aspects.
The nut width is the typical 1 5/8” found on most Guilds from this era and has low, wide frets on an unbound rosewood fingerboard. I was pleasantly surprised to find the neck profile to be chunkier than any of my other 1970s Guild. It’s not fat, but definitely has more girth than the aforementioned contemporaries. For me, it’s an easier playing neck. The Japanese tuners aren't so bad, but I don't think this guitar got played much so they may be still be relatively "new".
This is only the second guitar I’ve owned with a 24-fret neck – the other being the X-79 Skyhawk. I rarely venture above the 12th fret so the extra frets will go unused. If I could wave a magic luthiery wand, I would make it a 20 fret neck that is seated deeper into the body meaning the pickups, bridge and tailpiece would have to move south on the body as well. I completely understand why it is designed the way it is and anybody that plays lead guitar would be thrilled with the upper fret access the S-60D offers.
The controls consist of volume pots for each pickup and a master tone pot. These are arranged in a triangular pattern and are topped with knobs reminiscent of Fender amp “witch hat” knobs. Some of the ’78 models got the same plain-top knobs as seen on other models from that period. It seems that sometime in 1978, the control layout went from triangular to linear and the pickup selector switch migrated south from near the bridge to the near the output jack. The “witch hat” knobs were changed to the more familiar G-Shield knobs. While the linear layout is certainly more intuitive, I’m not sure if I’d like the selector switch in that position.
Now we come to the pickups and how it sounds. At first glance, the DiMarzio SDS1 pickups resemble G&L MFD (Magnetic Field Design) pickups due to the shape and allen head pole pieces, but they are completely different designs. The sound is unique and sits between a Strat and P-90, leaning more towards the P-90. The upper end is smooth and the midrange pronounced so I think those are the cues for the P-90 sound.
The bridge pickup can be nasal, but will provide more bite if it is raised closer to the strings. The neck pickup is warm, but the notes are well-defined. String to string balance was easy to dial in thanks to the adjustable pole pieces. They behave like P-90s so if you dig in, they can easily push a preamp into overdrive and will growl. However, they are more focused than most typical P-90s. They have some “ka-rang” to them, but they lack the chimey bell tones of typical single coil pickups. It sounds good through my Fender amps, but for me, it really comes alive with British-voiced amps.
The S-60D is a nice change of pace from the HB-1 and SD-1 pickups that are in the majority of my Guilds. They don’t have the strident top end of earlier Guild single coil pickups like the Franz, “Frequency Tested” and Mickey Mouse, but still retain unmistakable single coil tone. If you’re looking for something unique in the Guild world, this model would be well worth considering.
I know the aesthetics of this series is polarizing and I’m probably one of a handful of people that is sort of in the middle about it. Of course, the neck and headstock are perfectly fine. I would have preferred a pearloid Guild logo and Chesterfield inlay, but this was a “budget” model so it got the budget headstock treatment. The mahogany body’s “bell bottom” kind of reminds me of executioner’s axe (terribly morbid, I know), but looks fine. The treble-side body curve and low horn are fine, too. In fact, the treble-side body curve is perfectly placed for sitting the guitar on one’s thigh while playing. It’s downright ergonomic. What makes me wince a bit is the upper horn shape. Too me it looks like Jimmy Durante’s nose. But it’s not an issue when playing because it looks different (read: normal) when viewed from above. Giving each model a cool name might have helped... or not. Okay, enough about the beauty and the beast aspects.
The nut width is the typical 1 5/8” found on most Guilds from this era and has low, wide frets on an unbound rosewood fingerboard. I was pleasantly surprised to find the neck profile to be chunkier than any of my other 1970s Guild. It’s not fat, but definitely has more girth than the aforementioned contemporaries. For me, it’s an easier playing neck. The Japanese tuners aren't so bad, but I don't think this guitar got played much so they may be still be relatively "new".
This is only the second guitar I’ve owned with a 24-fret neck – the other being the X-79 Skyhawk. I rarely venture above the 12th fret so the extra frets will go unused. If I could wave a magic luthiery wand, I would make it a 20 fret neck that is seated deeper into the body meaning the pickups, bridge and tailpiece would have to move south on the body as well. I completely understand why it is designed the way it is and anybody that plays lead guitar would be thrilled with the upper fret access the S-60D offers.
The controls consist of volume pots for each pickup and a master tone pot. These are arranged in a triangular pattern and are topped with knobs reminiscent of Fender amp “witch hat” knobs. Some of the ’78 models got the same plain-top knobs as seen on other models from that period. It seems that sometime in 1978, the control layout went from triangular to linear and the pickup selector switch migrated south from near the bridge to the near the output jack. The “witch hat” knobs were changed to the more familiar G-Shield knobs. While the linear layout is certainly more intuitive, I’m not sure if I’d like the selector switch in that position.
Now we come to the pickups and how it sounds. At first glance, the DiMarzio SDS1 pickups resemble G&L MFD (Magnetic Field Design) pickups due to the shape and allen head pole pieces, but they are completely different designs. The sound is unique and sits between a Strat and P-90, leaning more towards the P-90. The upper end is smooth and the midrange pronounced so I think those are the cues for the P-90 sound.
The bridge pickup can be nasal, but will provide more bite if it is raised closer to the strings. The neck pickup is warm, but the notes are well-defined. String to string balance was easy to dial in thanks to the adjustable pole pieces. They behave like P-90s so if you dig in, they can easily push a preamp into overdrive and will growl. However, they are more focused than most typical P-90s. They have some “ka-rang” to them, but they lack the chimey bell tones of typical single coil pickups. It sounds good through my Fender amps, but for me, it really comes alive with British-voiced amps.
The S-60D is a nice change of pace from the HB-1 and SD-1 pickups that are in the majority of my Guilds. They don’t have the strident top end of earlier Guild single coil pickups like the Franz, “Frequency Tested” and Mickey Mouse, but still retain unmistakable single coil tone. If you’re looking for something unique in the Guild world, this model would be well worth considering.
