T 100 D

[Mojito Joe]

Just bought a T 100 D 1966. I believe its one of the last Guilds made in Hoboken. It has the "mickey mouse" pick ups. I was wondering if anyone can tell me how they rate compared to the Franz? And are the MM pickups made by Dearmond? Also the previous owner has glued the floating bridge down to the body. Is there a trick to un-glueing it. I don't actually have the guitar yet, it's on its way in transit. Cheers

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

I am no help as sadly I have no answers for you.

I can only show off my 1966 T-100 because I believe it's warranted!

 

[Dylan McGee Jones]

Just bought a T 100 D 1966. I believe its one of the last Guilds made in Hoboken. It has the "mickey mouse" pick ups. I was wondering if anyone can tell me how they rate compared to the Franz? And are the MM pickups made by Dearmond? Also the previous owner has glued the floating bridge down to the body. Is there a trick to un-glueing it. I don't actually have the guitar yet, it's on its way in transit. Cheers

DeArmond did not make the Mickey Mouse pickups. Guild sourced from multiple pickup companies around the east coast at that time, and from what I've seen, a catalogue from that era states they are "frequency tested" pickups, which to me means cheap, which is why they installed them in their student model guitars like the T100 and M-65 Freshman. Dont get me wrong, i love my 65' T100-D, and you will love yours as well. They really overdeliver for the price, especially considering they are vintage. The mickey mouse pickups are actually very woody and can produce some nice hollow body jazz and rockabilly sounds, so they are unique in a way. The Franz pickups in my experience are slightly more aggressive with more attack, much more P-90 like.

As for the bridge, if its in the right position for the intonation to be accurate (as accurate as a compensated floating wood bridge can be that is), i wouldn't mess with it. If there are intonation issues, you may be better finding a cheap metal tune-o-matic bridge to place on the wooden base and adjust from there. The finish on these guitars is very thin, and although Grot's is very clean, most of them are chipped to hell. Id worry that pulling the bridge off would take a chunk of finish with it, and mind you its painted so it would leave a natural maple wood color exposed which would stand out. And a glue remover would smudge or ruin the thin veneer, unless you have somebody who is extremely experienced with it. Lets hope it is glued in the exact right place , it will certainly make changing the strings easier! A great score either way!

Mine is from 65', notice the chipping, the less dramatic sunburst, and the all plastic pickup casings. Grot's and most likely yours look better IMO. I also attached photos of the underbelly of the pickups, which are not embossed or identified in any way by any specific company - soooo yea, cheap.

 

[Mojito Joe]

hey thanks for your message. Your T 100 D looks exactly like the '66 I've just bought. Either way for sure I will just play the guitar and dig the original pick ups, at least give em a good go. I've noticed that some players remove the caps..? I did have more of a leaning to P 90s and wondered what they would sound like in that box, but I won't be routing out any wood The holes for the pick ups look pretty tiny. I've heard that some boutique style pick up manufactures actually can make a p 90 to a specified size. What amp do you like to play your T 100D through? Cheers

 

[Mojito Joe]

I am no help as sadly I have no answers for you.

I can only show off my 1966 T-100 because I believe it's warranted!

I am no help as sadly I have no answers for you.

I can only show off my 1966 T-100 because I believe it's warranted!

stunning !! same as mine, although in slightly better condition. Ever played one with Bigsby tremelo? I had one on my CE 100 but when i took it off i was shocked how much better the guitar actually sounded with the original bridge. I guess it comes down to string angle? Cheers and appreciate the pic..

 

[Dylan McGee Jones]

stunning !! same as mine, although in slightly better condition. Ever played one with Bigsby tremelo? I had one on my CE 100 but when i took it off i was shocked how much better the guitar actually sounded with the original bridge. I guess it comes down to string angle? Cheers and appreciate the pic..

Mine had a non-invasive Bigsby B3 on it when I got it, plus the original harp tailpiece in the case. The bigsby worked fine, but it needs a proper aluminum rocker bridge or a tune-o-matic with roller saddles for it to stay in tune well (the original bridge is not attached to the top, made of wood, and does not rock back and forth) so I converted it back to its original specs. Honestly the harp tailpiece gives the guitar more natural open-sounding overtones and literally lightens the body weight overall. I’d get a CE 100 or Starfire III if a Bigsby is what you want, the T100 really has its own sound because of the harp tailpiece, wooden bridge, and Mickey Mouse pickups, but a B3 will fit and will work if you want to go that route.

 

[Dylan McGee Jones]

hey thanks for your message. Your T 100 D looks exactly like the '66 I've just bought. Either way for sure I will just play the guitar and dig the original pick ups, at least give em a good go. I've noticed that some players remove the caps..? I did have more of a leaning to P 90s and wondered what they would sound like in that box, but I won't be routing out any wood The holes for the pick ups look pretty tiny. I've heard that some boutique style pick up manufactures actually can make a p 90 to a specified size. What amp do you like to play your T 100D through? Cheers

Not sure about the boutique pickup alternatives, but the guitar sounds excellent with amps that have 12AX7s and 6L6s - like a Fender Deluxe or anything of that nature. My Carr Rambler and 68’ Fender Super Reverb were really happy with it. I’m sure a snarly low wattage Vox would be fun too, especially on the bridge. Because the T100 is fully hollow, it also just sounds great acoustically sitting on the couch or at your desk, you won’t wake anybody up that way!

 

[SFIV1967]

I believe its one of the last Guilds made in Hoboken. And are the MM pickups made by Dearmond?

Welcome to LTG! Great guitar! Congrats! The answers to your two questions I quoted are both "No". There are tons of Hoboken made guitars from after 1966. And the Mickey Mouse pickups are Guild made pickups (or as Dylan said maybe sourced from companies around Guild, but I hope to remember that Hans used "Guild made" in the past for them).
And yes, unsoldering the neck pickup capacitor would make the pickup a bit brighter. Keep it stored in case you want to sell her later. In 1966 they thought to cater for the Jazz market and a mellower tone, that was obviously the reason for it on the neck pickup.

Ralf

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

stunning !! same as mine, although in slightly better condition.

Well it is "one-owner"!

 

[Default]

MM are Guild made pickups.

 

[Dylan McGee Jones]

These pics are from the Guild Guitar Book that Hans wrote, hopefully he can chime in on this because it’s not super clear as to the origins of the MM. My guess is that they were manufactured and sourced from an outside company and assembled in the Guild plant, hence there being no name on the pickup anywhere. The pickups starting in the early 70’s have the Guild name and date embossed in them. The last pick is from my 74’ Bluesbird. Maybe this change happened when they moved from NJ to RI in 67’.

 

[Default]

Aaron told me Guild made them, not that they were sourced elsewhere.
Put it another way, what other brand had these pickups?

 

[hearth_man]

I have a '66 T-100 single pickup not the T-100D but it is certainly true that they have a great a acoustic sound and a woody amplified sound. I wasn't sure about the MM pickup when I first got the guitar but am very happy with it on this guitar. I also agree about the finish issue. Mine has a lot of chipping on the back and side near around the bottom of the body. Doesn't affect the sound of course. I usually like to buy "players" guitars. Less to worry about but still get the great quality and sound.

 

[Dylan McGee Jones]

Aaron told me Guild made them, not that they were sourced elsewhere.
Put it another way, what other brand had these pickups?

Here’s a Tiesco and Silvertone from the mid 60’s, so I don’t really know where the parts or inspiration comes from but I’m sure we could find some other examples. Guild definitely starting importing Japanese parts and putting them on their less expensive guitars at this time, so I’m as intrigued as you are, just looking for something more concrete. “Frequency tested” always sounds like a corporate phrase for “we didn’t make it but it meets our standards”. Either way, they sound great and unique, I wouldn’t swap them out of my T100-D for sure!

 

[Default]

Those are not Mickey Mouse pickups. Micky Mouse was the in-house name for the Guild-made single coils. Not sure what you are talking about, as only the tuners on some 60's guitars were Japanese. Most of their import parts were German or Swedish.

 

[Mojito Joe]

Not sure about the boutique pickup alternatives, but the guitar sounds excellent with amps that have 12AX7s and 6L6s - like a Fender Deluxe or anything of that nature. My Carr Rambler and 68’ Fender Super Reverb were really happy with it. I’m sure a snarly low wattage Vox would be fun too, especially on the bridge. Because the T100 is fully hollow, it also just sounds great acoustically sitting on the couch or at your desk, you won’t wake anybody up that way!

These pics are from the Guild Guitar Book that Hans wrote, hopefully he can chime in on this because it’s not super clear as to the origins of the MM. My guess is that they were manufactured and sourced from an outside company and assembled in the Guild plant, hence there being no name on the pickup anywhere. The pickups starting in the early 70’s have the Guild name and date embossed in them. The last pick is from my 74’ Bluesbird. Maybe this change happened when they moved from NJ to RI in 67’.

These pics are from the Guild Guitar Book that Hans wrote, hopefully he can chime in on this because it’s not super clear as to the origins of the MM. My guess is that they were manufactured and sourced from an outside company and assembled in the Guild plant, hence there being no name on the pickup anywhere. The pickups starting in the early 70’s have the Guild name and date embossed in them. The last pick is from my 74’ Bluesbird. Maybe this change happened when they moved from

Mine had a non-invasive Bigsby B3 on it when I got it, plus the original harp tailpiece in the case. The bigsby worked fine, but it needs a proper aluminum rocker bridge or a tune-o-matic with roller saddles for it to stay in tune well (the original bridge is not attached to the top, made of wood, and does not rock back and forth) so I converted it back to its original specs. Honestly the harp tailpiece gives the guitar more natural open-sounding overtones and literally lightens the body weight overall. I’d get a CE 100 or Starfire III if a Bigsby is what you want, the T100 really has its own sound because of the harp tailpiece, wooden bridge, and Mickey Mouse pickups, but a B3 will fit and will work if you want to go that route.

DeArmond did not make the Mickey Mouse pickups. Guild sourced from multiple pickup companies around the east coast at that time, and from what I've seen, a catalogue from that era states they are "frequency tested" pickups, which to me means cheap, which is why they installed them in their student model guitars like the T100 and M-65 Freshman. Dont get me wrong, i love my 65' T100-D, and you will love yours as well. They really overdeliver for the price, especially considering they are vintage. The mickey mouse pickups are actually very woody and can produce some nice hollow body jazz and rockabilly sounds, so they are unique in a way. The Franz pickups in my experience are slightly more aggressive with more attack, much more P-90 like.

As for the bridge, if its in the right position for the intonation to be accurate (as accurate as a compensated floating wood bridge can be that is), i wouldn't mess with it. If there are intonation issues, you may be better finding a cheap metal tune-o-matic bridge to place on the wooden base and adjust from there. The finish on these guitars is very thin, and although Grot's is very clean, most of them are chipped to hell. Id worry that pulling the bridge off would take a chunk of finish with it, and mind you its painted so it would leave a natural maple wood color exposed which would stand out. And a glue remover would smudge or ruin the thin veneer, unless you have somebody who is extremely experienced with it. Lets hope it is glued in the exact right place , it will certainly make changing the strings easier! A great score either way!

Mine is from 65', notice the chipping, the less dramatic sunburst, and the all plastic pickup casings. Grot's and most likely yours look better IMO. I also attached photos of the underbelly of the pickups, which are not embossed or identified in any way by any specific company - soooo yea, cheap.

Fantastic! thanks for the pics and your informative post. I'm getting anxious. From what I ve read so far everyone seems to be very happy with the MM pick ups. I do have a CE100 that I fixed a nice Bigbsy, years ago. It was great at the time, but i noticed such a big improvement in tone when I recently replaced the original bridge that i haven't even thought about putting it back on. They are great though with feedback, and from what I've heard theres a bit going on with the T 100s, which is one of the reasons I bought the guitar. Very nice collection too btw.

 

[Mojito Joe]

Here’s a Tiesco and Silvertone from the mid 60’s, so I don’t really know where the parts or inspiration comes from but I’m sure we could find some other examples. Guild definitely starting importing Japanese parts and putting them on their less expensive guitars at this time, so I’m as intrigued as you are, just looking for something more concrete. “Frequency tested” always sounds like a corporate phrase for “we didn’t make it but it meets our standards”. Either way, they sound great and unique, I wouldn’t swap them out of my T100-D for sure!

very interesting...they do "look" the same, at a glance.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

I also agree about the finish issue. Mine has a lot of chipping on the back and side near around the bottom of the body. Doesn't affect the sound of course. I usually like to buy "players" guitars. Less to worry about but still get the great quality and sound.

Yes, the chips. The result of no binding on the back. That can easily be fixed with a black sharpie!

 

[hearth_man]

Thanks for the suggestion Grot!

 

[Default]

very interesting...they do "look" the same, at a glance.

Every humbucker looks like a PAF in pictures.