Proud New Owner of a Lefty 1970 S100

[Groundwire]

Hi LTG Members,

First, I wanted to say “thank you”, because I used info I found on this she making my purchase decision.

So, having owned this sweet 1970 S100 for all of 2 days, I can see what the fuss is all about. What a beast of a guitar. Mine has the Hagstrom bridge and Vibrato and the flat neck angle, which I kind of like. It needs a re-fret, but it’s going to be a treasured possession for a long time. The pickups have a bite and snap not normally associated humbuckers, and the build quality is better than any SG I have seen.

I have some questions I will post on a separate thread, but for now I want to say hello and thank you all for you knowledge and community.

 

[GuildedCage]

Welcome fellow Lefty! I think I remember seeing that beast on Reverb. Is that where you got it? You came to the right site for Guild knowledge and great people! Congrats on your guitar.

 

[Groundwire]

Always great to meet a fellow lefty. What lefty Guild(s) do you own?
Yes I got it on Reverb; seller was fantastic to work with. My first true vintage guitar. My next oldest is my 1985 ES335. The S100 is a special instrument, to be sure. Thanks for the warm welcome.

 

[GuildedCage]

Always great to meet a fellow lefty. What lefty Guild(s) do you own?
Yes I got it on Reverb; seller was fantastic to work with. My first true vintage guitar. My next oldest is my 1985 ES335. The S100 is a special instrument, to be sure. Thanks for the warm welcome.

I hope the seller gave you a deal. It sat for quite a while because the asking price was hefty. My axes are listed right under my post. There are a few lefty players here, but we eagerly welcome others so we can up our numbers! Too many right handed freaks and a shortage of southpaws.

 

[Groundwire]

Thanks! I realized the signature doesn’t show on the mobile feed unless I turn my phone sideways. What else have I been missing!?!?
I got a decent deal, well below asking, but not cheap. Honestly though, compared to the price of a 1970 SG that was for sale around the same time, it was a steal. And don’t even get me started on the price of a vintage Letfy Strat... ugh.

 

[GuildedCage]

Thanks! I realized the signature doesn’t show on the mobile feed unless I turn my phone sideways. What else have I been missing!?!?
I got a decent deal, well below asking, but not cheap. Honestly though, compared to the price of a 1970 SG that was for sale around the same time, it was a steal. And don’t even get me started on the price of a vintage Letfy Strat... ugh.

Guitar prices seem to have shot up during the pandemic. Your S-100 looks like it is in great shape!

 

[GGJaguar]

Welcome to LTG and congrats on your cool S-100!

 

[Groundwire]

Guitar prices seem to have shot up during the pandemic. Your S-100 looks like it is in great shape!

They sure have. Strange you’d think prices would have come down actually.
It is in great shape. Enough dings and finish checking to have mojo, but still classy.

 

[cupric]

They sure have. Strange you’d think prices would have come down actually.
It is in great shape. Enough dings and finish checking to have mojo, but still classy.

Yeah it is odd! I would have thought prices would have gone down.

 

[Guildedagain]

Lefty here too, right handed player, but still in my right mind ;]

Very cool 1st year guitar with Hagstrom Tremar. Neat open back Grovers ;]

More pics?

Everything went up during the pandemic because of demand, such as used cars, because they quit making new ones for just a short time, prices and demand on used went up.

2020 was an insane boom year for guitars. Quote from excec at Gibson or similar top tier co "Everyday is Black Friday".

 

[Groundwire]

Lefty here too, right handed player, but still in my right mind ;]

Very cool 1st year guitar with Hagstrom Tremar. Neat open back Grovers ;]

More pics?

Everything went up during the pandemic because of demand, such as used cars, because they quit making new ones for just a short time, prices and demand on used went up.

2020 was an insane boom year for guitars. Quote from excec at Gibson or similar top tier co "Everyday is Black Friday".

Yeah my Father In Law was telling me the other day about an interview he read where the CEO of Fender said business was booming. Of course it is. Everyone is stuck inside. How many folks bought their kids guitars in the last year?! But you point is quite well taken. I bought 3 guitars in the last year. I’ve never bought more than 1 in a calendar year before. Probably being stuck at home had something to do with that.
I’ll post some more pics shortly. Thanks!

 

[ruedi]

Hi Groundwire, welcome! Good to see a fellow lefty. Stick around, and enjoy that sweet S-100!

 

[Groundwire]

Lefty here too, right handed player, but still in my right mind ;]

Very cool 1st year guitar with Hagstrom Tremar. Neat open back Grovers ;]

More pics?

Everything went up during the pandemic because of demand, such as used cars, because they quit making new ones for just a short time, prices and demand on used went up.

2020 was an insane boom year for guitars. Quote from excec at Gibson or similar top tier co "Everyday is Black Friday".

Here’s a few more pics:

 

[Groundwire]

Welcome to LTG and congrats on your cool S-100!

OMG, that ‘66 CAR Strat with figured neck! Sorry, for a different thread, but, WOW!

 

[gdvsbp]

Full disclosure: I’m a righty. I’ve really been warming up to the SG style lately after, well, never taking to it. But, being me, I always love to find something a little left of center. These are really cool, and snappiness is always something I’m looking for (and often failing to find) in a humbucker. Time to go do some listening and reading.

 

[Groundwire]

Full disclosure: I’m a righty. I’ve really been warming up to the SG style lately after, well, never taking to it. But, being me, I always love to find something a little left of center. These are really cool, and snappiness is always something I’m looking for (and often failing to find) in a humbucker. Time to go do some listening and reading.

As someone who has owned an SG for almost 20 years, I can say that it was incredibly easy to bond immediately with the S100, but it was also apparent that the S100 was a way better guitar. Light, resonant, and way more versatile. My SG has had at least 7 sets up pickups in it, and I can never seem to find the airiness I would want.
The S100 immediately had a brightness, snap, percussive attack, and clarity that my SG cannot seem to get. The neck joint on the S100 is also beefier and it seems much more solid. On an SG, you can push your chords out of tune with even slight pressure on the neck (some use this intentionally for faux vibrato bar effects), but the S100 is much sturdier. The S100 also has a slightly narrower nut width, more like my Fenders that I’m more used to playing. This makes it much easier to wrap your thumb around if you play that style. I’ve only owned it for a short time, but for what it’s worth, it blows my SG out of the water, and leans ever so slightly more towards the Fender domain that I generally prefer. It’s a winner, and I couldn’t recommend more. Cheers!

 

[gdvsbp]

Thanks for the in-depth report!

As someone who has owned an SG for almost 20 years, I can say that it was incredibly easy to bond immediately with the S100, but it was also apparent that the S100 was a way better guitar. Light, resonant, and way more versatile. My SG has had at least 7 sets up pickups in it, and I can never seem to find the airiness I would want.
The S100 immediately had a brightness, snap, percussive attack, and clarity that my SG cannot seem to get. The neck joint on the S100 is also beefier and it seems much more solid. On an SG, you can push your chords out of tune with even slight pressure on the neck (some use this intentionally for faux vibrato bar effects), but the S100 is much sturdier. The S100 also has a slightly narrower nut width, more like my Fenders that I’m more used to playing. This makes it much easier to wrap your thumb around if you play that style. I’ve only owned it for a short time, but for what it’s worth, it blows my SG out of the water, and leans ever so slightly more towards the Fender domain that I generally prefer. It’s a winner, and I couldn’t recommend more. Cheers!

The only Guild experience I have is with my FS-46, and that has easily the smallest frets of any guitar I’ve ever owned. As a result, I’m able to play lighter-gauge strings without bending chords out of tune like would happen on my taller-fretted instruments. Is that the case here too, fret-wise?

 

[Groundwire]

Thanks for the in-depth report!



The only Guild experience I have is with my FS-46, and that has easily the smallest frets of any guitar I’ve ever owned. As a result, I’m able to play lighter-gauge strings without bending chords out of tune like would happen on my taller-fretted instruments. Is that the case here too, fret-wise?

Funny you should ask that. I just got my S100 back today. It was being refretted with taller frets. Yes, these came with very low frets originally. I bend a lot and I cannot get down with low frets. I also use light strings and have had to learn to lighten up my grip, but ultimately it’s much better for my very bendy style.