Look what I've got here - Nightbird X-2000 lefty

walrus

Reverential Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Dec 23, 2006
Messages
23,957
Reaction score
8,020
Location
Massachusetts
That's such a beautiful guitar. I'm sure you miss it at least a bit, but I'll bet the F30RCE gets a lot more playing time and it's a beauty as well!! The back and sides on that D-64 tho....... wowza! :encouragement:

Yes, I miss it, but not as much as I would if I could still play it comfortably. It sucks getting old. The F-30 is not bothering my shoulder at all, and I am loving it! The D64 is in good hands with wileypickett, so all is well.

walrus
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,791
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
Not correct! The 'snakehead' style headstock was introduced on the 6 flat tops that Gruhn designed for Guild a year before that!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

360

Even the article says those came first, was remembering the comment about how the Nightbird's headstock was the first to use Gruhn's original outline as opposed to the the flattops' peghead which got modified slightly for production.

Don't worry davismanLV, sometimes a dispute opens an interesting perspective! And both of you do have a point: you look at the issue more from an aesthetic point of view, whereas adorshki argues more from a pragmatical viewpoint, both is fine and justified imo. And btw i don't actually care what it says on the headstock and if it's upside down or not, as long as the instrument sounds, feels and plays like it does :) The nightbird is without exaggeration the best guitar I have ever played. I am in love.
Ruedi, Tom and I are both old timers here who like to have a bit of fun poking each other in the ribs occasionally, there's a lot of that around here between guys who've known each other for a while.

Stan-Laurel-and-Oliver-Hardy-1054170.jpg

You decide who's Laurel and who's and who's Hardy.
:emmersed:

And: music is the best medicine :smile-new:
True dat!

I see the sun outside, will take the guitar out today and shoot some better pictures to replace the original in the middle of the night with flashlight shots.

Have a good day!

"Und dir"!
:friendly_wink:
 
Last edited:

davismanLV

Venerated Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
19,198
Reaction score
11,825
Location
U.S.A. : Nevada : Las Vegas
Guild Total
2
Ruedi, it's not uncommon for some newer folks to think that Al and I are bitter enemies and are involved in a long running feud. But as he's stated above, we grouse and carry on a bit from time to time but worry not! All is well. I'd worry if he didn't throw a barb now and again, that's just the way we are. Glad you're loving the Nightbird and any photos you take will be greatly appreciated!! :encouragement:
 

Nuuska

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
7,669
Reaction score
6,029
Location
Finland
Guild Total
9
Rüdi

Nuuska von Finnland schickt dir warme grüssen - willkommen - s'isch guet hier - öbbisch märkwürdig ab u zu. Tschüss
 

ruedi

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
2,054
Reaction score
2,460
Location
Switzerland
Guild Total
1
Dear people of LTG, it turns out that I'm a lousy photographer. Whoever wants to go through the pain of looking at the results, the link in post #2 of this thread is updated. You have been warned. Dear GAD, could you share some tips on how to decently photograph a guitar? The pictures on your blog are marvelous!

Don't worry AI and Tom, I'm not afraid of a little banter from time to time. Actually I'm quite a sarcastical person myself and like to show my affection to my friends with necking :)
All in all I'm very impressed by the concentrated expertise here, browsing this forum is very instructive and at the same time entertaining and enriching.

Nuuska: Kiitos! Eivätkö me kaikki ole aika ajoin outoja?

I have a question to all of you who actually own and play a nightbird: Do you ever use your phase switch? My guitar sounds kind of ... thin and brassy (oh the pain of transferring sound into words) when played with splitted coils. I expected more something close to a Strat sound but this is not the case. What are your thoughts on that?

Have a good day
 

richardp69

Enlightened Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Messages
6,007
Reaction score
5,965
Location
Barton City, Michigan
Personally, I think your English is superb and is much better than mine on most days. But, most importantly, congrats Ruedi. That is a beautiful guitar!!!!
 

wdboland

Junior Member
Joined
May 9, 2019
Messages
72
Reaction score
10
Location
MA
Dear people of LTG, it turns out that I'm a lousy photographer. Whoever wants to go through the pain of looking at the results, the link in post #2 of this thread is updated. You have been warned. Dear GAD, could you share some tips on how to decently photograph a guitar? The pictures on your blog are marvelous!

Don't worry AI and Tom, I'm not afraid of a little banter from time to time. Actually I'm quite a sarcastical person myself and like to show my affection to my friends with necking :)
All in all I'm very impressed by the concentrated expertise here, browsing this forum is very instructive and at the same time entertaining and enriching.

Nuuska: Kiitos! Eivätkö me kaikki ole aika ajoin outoja?

I have a question to all of you who actually own and play a nightbird: Do you ever use your phase switch? My guitar sounds kind of ... thin and brassy (oh the pain of transferring sound into words) when played with splitted coils. I expected more something close to a Strat sound but this is not the case. What are your thoughts on that?

Have a good day

The short answer is no I don't. But not all of my Nightbird type guitars have a phase switch. I put one in my '89 and yeah it sounds thin. My x3000 has humbuckers with a coil split switch. The x2000 has a an EMG 89 in the bridge so the switch selects between a full humbucker or a single coil pickup, yeah essentially a coil split. Bottom line is I really like the fullness of humbucker pickups.
 

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,589
Reaction score
17,807
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
The phase switch is supposed to sound thin. It’s a variation of the Peter Green tone. I never used it as a kid but kind if like it now with some distortion.
 

HeyMikey

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2018
Messages
5,418
Reaction score
4,730
Location
MA
Guild Total
9
Wow, that is one beautiful looking guitar. Congratulations ruedi!
 

davismanLV

Venerated Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
19,198
Reaction score
11,825
Location
U.S.A. : Nevada : Las Vegas
Guild Total
2
Holy CRAP, that's a beautiful guitar!!! Thanks to Ralf for the assist on the photos. And that headstock is beautiful and the perfect orientation of the truss rod cover so that I, an audience member, can read it and know what he's playing. Plus it matches the shape of the headstock! I'll let other people with different views decide if it's right or wrong. I have to run out the door to an appointment but can't wait to get home and look at these photos some more!! :encouragement:
 

DThomasC

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2014
Messages
1,283
Reaction score
187
Location
Finger Lakes, New York, USA
I think a phase switch is more useful on guitars with a separate volume control for each pickup. There's a whole spectrum of sounds you can get by varying the volume of the two pickups relative to each other.
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,791
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
Don't worry AI and Tom, I'm not afraid of a little banter from time to time. Actually I'm quite a sarcastical person myself and like to show my affection to my friends with necking :)
All in all I'm very impressed by the concentrated expertise here, browsing this forum is very instructive and at the same time entertaining and enriching.
Seems like most guitarists have a pretty good sense of humor, and it's a nice way to get to know new members, too.
I posted the Gruhn article primarily because I thought if you're like me, you'd like to know about the gestation of special models like that, especially if you own one.
And finally in another one of my famous crash-and-burns I just realized when I saw the new pics that your TRC is actually just a plain old standard TRC mounted upside down...but it does look like it might not clear the posts if it was mounted "traditionally".


I have a question to all of you who actually own and play a nightbird: Do you ever use your phase switch? My guitar sounds kind of ... thin and brassy (oh the pain of transferring sound into words) when played with splitted coils. I expected more something close to a Strat sound but this is not the case. What are your thoughts on that?
I see GAD already cited the "Peter Green" tone, so in case you've never seen it here's link to an interview about his famous Les Paul; it might give you some ideas of your own:
https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/deep-secret-behind-peter-greens-magic-1959-les-paul-tone

Don't give up on the photos, I keep forgetting to mention it's a beautiful piece, myself.
Looks like Cherry, is there a color code after the model number on the label?
I suspect it'll "glow" a little more under optimum lighting but in the meantime we'll revisit that one periodically.
If the top's anything like GAD's blue X3000 it must be a joy to behold indeed.
https://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?194816-NGD-Blue-X3000/page5
:smile:
 
Last edited:

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,589
Reaction score
17,807
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
"Loosely Speaking", didn't some electrics get a sort of label in the controls routing in back, or was it just the s/n?
Still, another "Doh" moment, I was thinking of the hollow bodies.

S300s and the like from the '70s/'80s had labels inside the control cavity cover. I've not seen that on Nightbirds.
 
Top