My Other Guild (and favorite!)

OK...so I just made my first post here and now it's time for post number two to show off my other Guild electric - a 1974 S-100C!! I know these are getting a lot of love recently and for very good reason. This is a silky player with a huge voice and a TON of mojo. I have played a bunch of SG's an none touch this thing.







I just picked it up a couple weeks ago off Craigslist here in Chicago for a song ($500). All original except it's missing its original HB-1 humbuckers, which the (original) owner said had gone microphonic. Wish he had saved them so I could wax pot them, but such is life.

When I bought it, it was filthy. Covered in dust and grime and gak, but I could tell right away it would clean up great and as you can see it has. I tiny drop of lemon oil to finish the job really makes it pop.

Everything is in amazing shape for a guitar this old. A couple of very tiny marks but really less wear than new guitars I own. And LIGHT! What amazing wood! Feather weight and perfectly balanced. The neck is thinner than I usually like but it just feels right to me. Hard to describe - the cut still reaches back to your hand but the neck is super fast. Almost no fret wear and what appears to be the original case (though it has no Guild badge or anything - owner told me it was original)





I'm still in major honeymoon stage with this thing and drunk with joy over it. My stable of other very nice guitars (including an ES-339, an ES-335, Custom Shop Strat, Ricky 330, Heritage Les Paul, SG Classic, G&L ASAT and a number of other sweet guitars) is going completely neglected right now.

Now I need to find some 70's HB-1's. I've already landed a neck of eBay for $100 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0314720958) . Not sure if this HB-1 is a 70's or a 90's reissue though. It arrived and the thing looks brand new. It does appear to measure a tiny bit larger than a normal Gibby humbucker (~71 mm) so I think it's a 70's, but again, it's so clean I'm really not sure. Measures 7.34 ohms. If anyone has a 70's HB-1 bridge PUP, I'm looking and will pay well for it!!

Anyway, I'm downright obsessed with this thing right now and very happy to be on the forum. All the best and see you in the threads!

SD

Nice catch, Dave. Welcome to LTG.

Oh..... NO, NO, NO !!

Didja haffta ????

I'm gagging for one of these; there's one currently on Ebay, and you turn up with THIS !

And for 500 bucks. Insert here, every profanity known to mankind.

Anyhow; in spite of all that, a big warm welcome from Newsyland mate.

Gary.

Love the oak leaves!!!! Shweet.

Welcome aboard!

Thanks Guys! I'm thrilled with this guitar I must say. I can understand why they are worth well over $1,000 - this thing SMOKES any SG I've played (and I've played some old ones, CS ones etc.) The pickups that are in it are actually really nice (some sort of MMite overwound bridge and what the owner said was a "Dan Armstong Guild" pickup in the neck), but I want to get her back to spec as she deserves it.

Welcome to the Acorn Club, Dave. Great, great deal you got.

The only thing I never liked about mine was the ugly stock pickguard. My friend made me a custom leather pickguard with a leaf pattern. It looks fantastic.

Wow, that baby is in astounding shape. You did wonders with the wood - it looks incredible. I don't care all that much for the acorns motif myself but it works well enough in an au naturel look. What a keeper.

Congratulations are in order. To score a beauty like that in such pristine shape - well, that's one for the books, never mind how little you paid for it.

I agree that the necks on these guys are slim compared to many guitars yet whenever I pick mine up and strum it I get over that initial hesitation very quickly and I'm just drawn into its overall feel and tonal mojo.

Singin' Dave said:

(A) tiny drop of lemon oil to finish the job really makes it pop.

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That may not be the only thing it does to the finish. I've heard that lemon oil is kryptonite to nitro finishes. Really any oil is not so good on the finish, but I've also heard that lighter fluid or Scratch-X will make more of a permanent pop to the finish. Nice work on the sweet deal. I spent about $950 on mine in mint. I don't know how likely sourcing original HB-1s is. I'd say you're on the right track with eBay. As much as I hate the system, it can still be a good place to find obscurities. Welcome aforum.

A question Dave............ does the Blues 90 fit snugly in the S-100 case ?

I haven't tried the Blues 90 in the S-100 case but I'd have to think it would be far too large for it, both in width and depth. Pretty tiny case.

About the lemon oil - ACK! I hope it doesn't do anything bad to the finish! I used literally a drop or two on the whole guitar, but I'd be bummed if I messed up this beauty.

Thanks again guys for the welcome. I'm a major convert to these great guitars!

Singin' Dave said:

About the lemon oil - ACK! I hope it doesn't do anything bad to the finish! I used literally a drop or two on the whole guitar, but I'd be bummed if I messed up this beauty.

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Hi Dave; that's a gorgeous guitar! IIRC, the concern about oil - and silicon - on nitro finishes is that it interferes with patches or repairs; it doesn't eat the finish up or anything.

Singin' Dave said:

I haven't tried the Blues 90 in the S-100 case but I'd have to think it would be far too large for it, both in width and depth. Pretty tiny case.

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Well I'd have thought not too, but my 2003 Guild catalogue quotes a common case for them.

Wow, beautiful guitar! (Insert here everything Coastie said, only with a US accent ...)

Gotta get me one of these.