T100D - advice wanted please

[jamandchips]

I have a 1963 T100D, which plays superbly, but there are some issues which I would like some advice on if anyone can help:
- Contrary to many other people's experience, the sound is quite muddy and it is difficult to get any kind of definition, especially with even a small amount of natural tube distortion
- it feeds back excessively, especially at the bridge pick up
- I would like to add a bigsby, if I can resolve the two issues above, but not sure which model to go for. I would prefer to avoid drilling additional holes, so I guess ideally I would need the Guild B2. However, if I am unable to locate one, what would people recommend?
I would very much appreciate any help on the above issues.

 

[teleharmonium]

Are the pickups, pots, and tone caps all original in your guitar ? Which type of pickups does it have ? (I suppose it would either be Mickey Mouse, or the Guild singles that look similar to P90s with a mounting ring, likely chrome.)
And, what amp(s) have you had the muddy tone issue with ?

The feedback is somewhat endemic to a fully hollow body with no sound post, but depending on which type of pickups you have, you may be able to have them wax potted, or do it yourself, which can help. Regardless, there are limits as to the situations a guitar like that can be used. I feel your pain, because it's my preferred axe, but I can't use them with my current band, it's just too loud. The whole body of the guitar resonates with all the sound in the room, so it's a lower pitched feedback compared to microphonic squeal that can come from the pickups themselves. Potting helps the squeal, not so much the whole body resonance. Some folks with this problem resort to stuffing various things in the F holes or inside the body to dampen the resonance, but I don't want to do that, because I like to practice acoustically with the same instrument.

I'm vaguely recalling that maybe a B6 is the Bigsby model you want, but I'll let someone else address that who is more familiar. It is tough and increasingly expensive to find the Guild version.

 

[dklsplace]

The pickups wouldn't be the mickey mouse if they're original from '63. Probably single coil sized with white top, or possible chrome covers?

B6's & B3's were both used, however the Guild branded B6 was the B2. Problem with using new B6's on thin-line guitars is that the hinge plate is longer than the depth of the guitar. These can easily be ground down as I did with my '64 SF.

Pot & cap values could be a possible culprit. What is the distance between the pickups & strings?

 

[jamandchips]

Thanks for the replies.

I am assuming everything is original on the guitar - nothing has been changed in the twenty years that I have had it, though I cannot be 100% certain that nothing was done prior to me owning it.

I have posted a picture of the guitar at:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/465117405_94b1cc3393_b.jpg

The pickups are single coils with chrome covers. Distance between pickups and strings is 3-4mm at the neck and 2-3mm at the bridge, that is pick up cover plate to strings, poles are a little higher still.

How would I check the pot and cap values, and what should they be?

I play mainly through a Marshall 2046 'Specialist' (also shown in the photo) - it is not really a typical marshall - it is 25 watts with a 15inch greenback and breaks up nicely when you crank it up. My other guitars sound great through it. I have also tried it through a bassman head and a selmer zodiac head, both of which are mega clean amps, and it sounds 'OK' through these, but not as good as it should, and again it gets muddy as soon as you put it through any kind of overdrive effect (I only use a slight amount of overdrive to add a bit of grit)

 

[dklsplace]

Very nice! Small mirror & flashlight through the f-hole will be the easiest way to check values, but the caps may not be in a good position to read, let alone legible, but it's worth a shot. It's possible you may find 2 different pot values for volume & tone. I've experimented with the lower value tone pots on single coils & didn't really care for the outcome.

One of the quickest tips to brighten up your sound would be to switch your bridge to a tune-o-matic style.

 

[kelvinator60]

Nice guitar! I recently put a Gotoh Tuneomatic on my '63 SFIII and it really helped the sound. So I agree with changing that.

Your pickups my be microphonic. I know my Dearmonds are SUPER hot and if I get it too loud they will get a little out of control. Welcome to hollowbodys! LOL ( I think those on your T100 are also made by Dearmond but just a different model ).

If your feedback is non-musical and more squeally I would say it is the pickups. I had a set that I had sent to Lindy Fralin several years ago and they came back with no more issues, only the sweet musical howl from a distorted archtop!

If it is just excessive feedback you can always stuff a couple black rags in the F-holes (black will not show as much) and that will keep the air from moving around.

As far as the "muddy" sound, try it with a different amp. Some guitars and some amps just WILL NOT work together. Kinda like two great tastes that taste wierd together. You know what I mean. Starfires and T100s love Fender amps!

Hope that helps. A red T100 is a cool thing!

 

[teleharmonium]

I didn't realize they offered the T100 in red concurrently with the Starfire. Nice guitar.

The amps you mention are all cool, but they have something else in common: lots of low end. The Bassman ironically probably has the least low end voicing of the three. So I think your problem may simply be too much low end when you kick in the boost. I would suggest trying a vintage style treble boost (Rangemaster clone) instead of the overdrive. A different overdrive might also work better, as some of them cut a lot of low end, since boosted lows have a tendency to sound bad and/or make speakers crap out.

If you play on the bridge pickup alone, through your boost, is the mud there ?

 

[jamandchips]

Thanks for all the useful tips. I'll try them all and see what happens (may have to wait awhile before my wife lets me buy another amp though!)

As I'm intending on fitting a bigsby I' ve been looking around at some tune-o-matic style roller bridges - there are some cheap ones on eBay. Does anyone have any advice to offer here, or is anyone able to recommend a particular make/retailer?

To answer teleharmoniums last question, I do get the mud on bridge pickup alone.

I think the bridge pick up is possibly microphonic - it picks up the sound the selector switch makes when I switch to the bridge pickup, whereas the neck pickup does not do this. What does it mean exactly when you talk about the pick up being microphonic, and why does it behave in this way?

I'll try to find the cap and pot values tonight and let you know then.

 

[jamandchips]

tried without success to read the pot and cap values - unable to make anything out on the caps and was unable to get a multimeter reading on the pots due to difficulty of access.

However, whilst trying all this I did find out that the bridge pickup tone control does not do anything, and that at the neck it only makes a difference for less than a quarter of a turn. It could have been like this for years as I generally never use the tone controls. I guess this may be the root of my problem.

Does anyone know where I can get hold of a T100D wiring diagram, and what the pot and cap values should be ideally?

 

[jp]

I don't have a schematic for my T-100, but I've always wondered if perhaps it's the same as the Starfire II. I do know that there is a schematic for the newer Starfires on the Guild site here:

http://www.guildguitars.com/resources/s ... wiring.php

Anyone know if the wiring in the Starfire II and T-100 are the same?