Spruced up!
- Thread starter Rocky
- Start date
adorshki
Reverential Member
Welcome aboard, Rocky!
Thank Willie Fritscher for all the magnificent wood Guild used from the mid '70's until close of Westerly:
Thank Willie Fritscher for all the magnificent wood Guild used from the mid '70's until close of Westerly:
ruedi
Senior Member
Nice, Rocky! and welcome! Is this yours? Any chance we get to see more of the guitar?
- Joined
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That is my kind of photo. Welcome!
Thanks for the welcome! This is actually the third one I've owned. Nice photos (ones I didn't take) can be seen at https://trcrandall.com/products/1985-guild-nightbird
Bridge, obviously, is a replacement, and I think the tailpiece is too. I thought the bridge was a little ugly when I got it, but it's growing on me.
The pickups are EMG 58's, not 60's that are usually reported. I've found a bunch of the 58s in Guilds from the period. They sound pretty good, but there seems like there's an EQ that's unnaturally inflicted upon them that is pretty apparent when you switch between pickups. They'll probably go in favor of some low wind PAF types, as soon as I figure the best way to implement a ground wire. The "coil tap" is just a series capacitor that gets switched in when you pull up on the tone knob, which obviously doesn't sound like a single coil, but thins out the bottom end, and does generate a useful sound. I'll probably keep a similar arrangement to keep in spirit of the guitar when I swap the pickups
Bridge, obviously, is a replacement, and I think the tailpiece is too. I thought the bridge was a little ugly when I got it, but it's growing on me.
The pickups are EMG 58's, not 60's that are usually reported. I've found a bunch of the 58s in Guilds from the period. They sound pretty good, but there seems like there's an EQ that's unnaturally inflicted upon them that is pretty apparent when you switch between pickups. They'll probably go in favor of some low wind PAF types, as soon as I figure the best way to implement a ground wire. The "coil tap" is just a series capacitor that gets switched in when you pull up on the tone knob, which obviously doesn't sound like a single coil, but thins out the bottom end, and does generate a useful sound. I'll probably keep a similar arrangement to keep in spirit of the guitar when I swap the pickups
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Cool photo!
walrus
walrus
- Joined
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Sounds like a Dual Mode Switch Kit. You can read about it in my Setzer Bluesbird review (scroll down to electronics if you don't want to read the whole thing): https://www.gad.net/Blog/2017/09/12/guild-brian-setzer-bluesbird/
Yep, that's the one. But it's applied to both pickups on this guitar. I think it's useful, but in combination with the EMGs it's more of the same kind of filtering applied to everything.
I've got some nice Mojotone '59 clones that I liked in another guitar that will be going in sometime in the future. I found some black nickel silver covers and polepieces to retain the noir look. Anybody have any suggestions for the best way to approach the ground wire? This has got the small triangular cavity, and I'm also afraid of the lack of wood under the bridge. Probably should defer to my luthier.
I've got some nice Mojotone '59 clones that I liked in another guitar that will be going in sometime in the future. I found some black nickel silver covers and polepieces to retain the noir look. Anybody have any suggestions for the best way to approach the ground wire? This has got the small triangular cavity, and I'm also afraid of the lack of wood under the bridge. Probably should defer to my luthier.
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
Are the routes anything like a Gibson? Is that pickup ring pattern same as Gibson, will a Gibson p'up ring mount?
It's really not an issue. The EMGs have a crossbar adapter to fit the three point mount.. I'll just move the adapter from the EMGs to the Mojotones. It's the Armstrong pickups that are gooped in epoxy (see other thread) that you can't do that with.
I'm pretty sure that period Guild mounting rings have different corner screw locations than the Gibson type.
I'm pretty sure that period Guild mounting rings have different corner screw locations than the Gibson type.
Very sweet looking Nightbird from 85.
Welcome
Welcome
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Do you say it has no ground wire at all? On my 87 one the groundwire comes from one of the tailpiece sockets:
The biggest problem is how to get one out to install the wire. Here is a tip:
And getting the wire in:
Ralf
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Thanks! I've pulled bridge and tailpiece studs to replace ground wires before, but I've never drilled for one before. Not positive, but I'm 99% sure they didn't drill the hole from post to cavity with the EMG's as they're not necessary.
In spite of the shortcomings of the EMG sound, the guitar does sound pretty fantastic as is, and they're growing on me a bit. I'll probably swap them out eventually, but why rush into it. At the very least though I'm going to swap out the tone cap for one of larger value. The stock one rounds the high end a bit, but doesn't really darken the sound at all.
In spite of the shortcomings of the EMG sound, the guitar does sound pretty fantastic as is, and they're growing on me a bit. I'll probably swap them out eventually, but why rush into it. At the very least though I'm going to swap out the tone cap for one of larger value. The stock one rounds the high end a bit, but doesn't really darken the sound at all.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2009
- Messages
- 23,026
- Reaction score
- 18,691
- Location
- NJ (The nice part)
- Guild Total
- 112
EMGs are great but it took me a while to appreciate them. If you’re chasing character look elsewhere, but as a platform to drive an effects chain where you lose most of that character anyway they’re wonderful.
Actually, what I'm not particularly liking is the character they do impose on the sound. It's not a neutral, vanilla sound, though it is crisp and clear. It's more like somebody preset an EQ between the guitar and amp. It's necessarily a bad sound, like a cheap passive pickup, and they do a decent job of translating touch to tone, but the chosen voicing impairs my ability to get the sound I want out of it.
It's nice to get reacclimated with the feel of a Nightbird. It's woodier sounding than a DuoJet, but with a neck set that's less archtop, and more Les Paul.
It's nice to get reacclimated with the feel of a Nightbird. It's woodier sounding than a DuoJet, but with a neck set that's less archtop, and more Les Paul.
So I finally got tired of the EMGs enough to do something about it. Mojotone '59 clones, with some Allparts replacement covers and replacement polepieces, VIP pots, PIO tone cap. Difference is night(bird) and day. I ended up doing the ground wire through the pickup cavity, as I had better sight lines/angles. I thought about doing the pull-pot bass rolloff, similar to what EMG had in there originally, but after the novelty wore off, I thought better of it.
After and before pictures.
After and before pictures.
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Yes, better in all black!
Ralf
Ralf