- Joined
- Sep 28, 2023
- Messages
- 31
- Reaction score
- 135
- Guild Total
- 25
Some of you might remember this guitar from Reverb in 2023. There was a brief thread about it, but I can’t seem to find it now, so I’ll start fresh.
What follows is a mix of information I’ve gathered from various sources about this guitar. I encourage anyone with additional details to chime in or correct anything I might have gotten wrong.
I purchased the guitar from a broker who was a close family friend of the original owner. This owner had a close connection to George Gruhn, which is how he was able to commission a custom-order Nightingale.
I took the guitar to Zach for a setup, and when he returned it, he pointed out some issues with the saddles on the original bridge. Not long after, the saddles became unusable, and it took me some time to find replacement bridges that would work with the setup. Zach is currently working on a Nightbird of mine, which should be finished soon. I plan to bring the Nightingale back to him for a new bridge and another setup. In the meantime, I had Pickguardian make a replica teardrop pickguard because I wasn’t fond of the original one.
The photos show the guitar as it first came out of the case from shipping, before any work was done.
Initially listed for $10k, the guitar ultimately sold for a 62.5% discount. It came with a Certificate of Authenticity and an appraisal from George Gruhn himself. Gruhn noted that the pickups weren’t original, but after pulling them, I confirmed that they are genuine vintage Dearmonds. I’m not sure what he was referring to, aside from those. Other than that, the guitar is all original*. There is evidence that it once had a different pickguard and a different Bigsby, likely a Gretsch, but the original Guild parts were put back on before it was sold.
This guitar spent its life in a luxurious bungalow beneath the iconic sign in the Hollywood Hills. The owner may not have been famous, but he was well-known and well-connected within the music industry. His public obituary includes a photo of him with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. Perhaps more fascinating is that the name by which everyone knew him—Quince Buteau—was a pseudonym. There’s no information on who he might have been before adopting that identity.
Though this guitar is a legitimate serial-numbered Nightingale, JL000062 was likely built in the repair shop. An already routed body was selected, and the pickup routes were blocked and recut to fit the Dearmonds—perhaps by someone who stayed a bit too late at the Knickerbocker the night before. The original stop post holes telegrah in the right light. The paint is all original, and the knobs are from the ‘60s. I don’t own a single gold item in real life, but this gaudy Guild gold really does it for me. The guitar is quite stunning in person and played and sounded great before the wiggle stick did her in.
What follows is a mix of information I’ve gathered from various sources about this guitar. I encourage anyone with additional details to chime in or correct anything I might have gotten wrong.
I purchased the guitar from a broker who was a close family friend of the original owner. This owner had a close connection to George Gruhn, which is how he was able to commission a custom-order Nightingale.
I took the guitar to Zach for a setup, and when he returned it, he pointed out some issues with the saddles on the original bridge. Not long after, the saddles became unusable, and it took me some time to find replacement bridges that would work with the setup. Zach is currently working on a Nightbird of mine, which should be finished soon. I plan to bring the Nightingale back to him for a new bridge and another setup. In the meantime, I had Pickguardian make a replica teardrop pickguard because I wasn’t fond of the original one.
The photos show the guitar as it first came out of the case from shipping, before any work was done.
Initially listed for $10k, the guitar ultimately sold for a 62.5% discount. It came with a Certificate of Authenticity and an appraisal from George Gruhn himself. Gruhn noted that the pickups weren’t original, but after pulling them, I confirmed that they are genuine vintage Dearmonds. I’m not sure what he was referring to, aside from those. Other than that, the guitar is all original*. There is evidence that it once had a different pickguard and a different Bigsby, likely a Gretsch, but the original Guild parts were put back on before it was sold.
This guitar spent its life in a luxurious bungalow beneath the iconic sign in the Hollywood Hills. The owner may not have been famous, but he was well-known and well-connected within the music industry. His public obituary includes a photo of him with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. Perhaps more fascinating is that the name by which everyone knew him—Quince Buteau—was a pseudonym. There’s no information on who he might have been before adopting that identity.
Though this guitar is a legitimate serial-numbered Nightingale, JL000062 was likely built in the repair shop. An already routed body was selected, and the pickup routes were blocked and recut to fit the Dearmonds—perhaps by someone who stayed a bit too late at the Knickerbocker the night before. The original stop post holes telegrah in the right light. The paint is all original, and the knobs are from the ‘60s. I don’t own a single gold item in real life, but this gaudy Guild gold really does it for me. The guitar is quite stunning in person and played and sounded great before the wiggle stick did her in.
