The elusive Nightingale, caught.

[Thorn]

Finally. My white whale for the past 18 years, right after I got my first Nightbird, the beautiful Nightingale. This one is #53. The EMGs and wiring harness was gutted and placed in the original case by the previous own who then installed a pair of Duncans and 250K pots. I scraped it all and installed a pair of gold-covered Benedettos, new pots and mini switch, and decided to install a couple bits of ebony to complete the "jazz box" theme (tuner buttons and knobs).

It's amazingly clean with practically zero fretwear. The only "odd" thing was that the previous owner took a Sharpie and drew the continuation of the F-hole up onto the pickguard ?!?!? Luckily, that buffed right off...whew.

Now I can finally sleep at night :wink:

 

[jp]

What a sight to behold! Now I won't be able to sleep at night. Congratulations, Thorn.

 

[john_kidder]

Sweetheart, indeed.

 

[krysh]

congrats, what a beauty!

 

[stclrob]

Wow, a true beauty. I find it hard to go after any semi-hollow bodies when these guys are looming around. Congrats on the find. Stunning, simply stunning.

 

[mad dog]

Wow, that is one beautiful guitar you have there. So simple and classy. I love the contrast between the back wood color and the top.

MD

 

[dapmdave]

And a tortoise-shell (did I spell that right?) cavity cover on the back? That's a neat touch.

Really a pretty git-fiddle.

Dave

 

[BluesDan]

Hi Ron,
Nice Catch!!!!!!! Stunning!
Surprised to see it's not top wrapped... :wink:

"Boat wake greenie Blues 90" getting plenty of use...I absolutely love that guitar, thanks again.

Dan

 

[GAD]

Wow that's cool When did they make these?

GAD

 

[krysh]

late 80's,
here is the same one in netherlands for sale (if it is still available - scroll down a bit):
http://www.palmguitars.nl/page.php?cat_id=12

 

[FNG]

Smokin'!! 8) 8)

 

[cjd-player]

Stunningly beautiful :shock:

 

[dogberry]

Smokin'!! 8) 8)

He took the words out of my mouth. Nice job.

Dogman

 

[drgonzo2]

Tasty guitar, Thorn. (grrr! :evil: envy!!)

Is it just me, or do the rounded corners on the end of the fretboard make this look like a bolt-on neck?

... G

 

[jazzmang]

Beautiful ax! That inlay style is truly awesome as well!

 

[hansmoust]

Is it just me, or do the rounded corners on the end of the fretboard make this look like a bolt-on neck? ... G

Hello drgonzo2,

The rounded corners at the end of the fretboard were a regular feature on Guild solid bodies since the early '70s and into the '90s.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[guildzilla]

Thorn gets the Captain Ahab Award for 2009.

Nice catch. How does it sound unplugged with that solid carved spruce top?

 

[cjd-player]

Thorn gets the Captain Ahab Award for 1988.

:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Thorn]

Thank you everyone, Guild really could build a great guitar. The Nightbirds and the Nightingales are such amazing designs and construction methods, I just wished they had been a lot more of them made. The mid-80's just wasn't the right time for spruce, chambers, and tortoise I guess.
To answer a few questions: GAD, Guildzilla is spot on, this one is dated 1988. I believe the "Date your Guild" listing is off a couple years for this model - odd.
Dapmdave, yep - tortoise back plate, the Nightbirds also have this. This particular pickguard and backplate have a lot more pepperoni-look to it than some of the Nightbirds I've seen.
BluesDan - Top wrapped! Glad to read you're still enjoying the boat wake - such a great top on that one!
Guildzilla, it's louder than I expected acoustically, especially once I strung it with 11s. It's no jazzer or flat top, but the f-holes certainly play a roll.

Thanks again,
Ron

 

[matsickma]

Wow. IMHO the Nightingale is the most prized catch of the many different Guild models. The amber spruce top is a classic. Considering what Aristocrats go for and how "common" they are relative to a Nightengale that bird is a real prize.

A few years back a Maple top baby popped up with a BIN of $1850 on ebay. It sold in less than an hour. I foolishly "thought" about that one at the time. I wouldn't think a second if one popped up today at anywhere near that BIN price. I do admit that I would eventually pull the EMG's and drop in pups that are a bit mellower.

M