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I'm a noob when it comes to Guild, but I'm getting really interested in them. From being a member on this site, I see occasional posts about the Artist Award (of course), X-500, and X-150. But, I'm seeing there are so many models out.
I just picked up a 1964 Guild CA-100. Solid spruce top, laminate maple sides, 24.75" scale, DeArmond 1100 pickup, florentine cutaway, rosewood (Brazilian?) fingerboard. Should be here next week. My first Guild.
Anybody else here have a rare, vintage Guild?
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12-03-2015 06:43 PM
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Good find! That's definitely a rarer old Guild. Not too many of those floating around. I have a 1961 T-100 BDP that I love. Guild started out a jazz guitar company in NY but they don't get mentioned too much around here. Great old guitars that you can still afford!
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yes vintage guilds are still among the best deals out there...i see some great guitars being sold at comparatively low prices...also the new cordoba line of guilds is great bang for the buck..a venerable old name
cheers
ps- obv. # on back of headstock is a ss#...Last edited by neatomic; 12-03-2015 at 07:41 PM.
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I used to own a CE-100 it was a great jazz guitar.
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A whole new world has been opened to me...I'm thinking I might have to try out their old acoustics.
Originally Posted by neatomic
I feel like a lot of Gibson is paying for a name (I love Gibson).
I always find it funny people back in the day scratching their SS in their gear. It was a different world and identity theft wasn't a huge deal.
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yes..scratching your ss # was actually encouraged..as a way of safeguarding your possessions!!..hard to believe now!
guild acoustics great as well..their big bodied f50 (gibson j200 style) acoustics are classic!
guild book by hans moust is a great read and reference
cheers
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'57 stratford x-350
3 Franz pickups
weird push-button apparatus
like this one:
https://www.archtop.com/ac_60X350.html
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Like a cooler Switchmaster. Originally Posted by tucson matt
Is the neck still thin like most Guild's? I read that 50's necks were a little bigger but never 50s Gibson thick.
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Just ordered this book! Originally Posted by neatomic
yes..scratching your ss # was actually encouraged..as a way of safeguarding your possessions!!..hard to believe now!
guild acoustics great as well..their big bodied f50 (gibson j200 style) acoustics are classic!
guild book by hans moust is a great read and reference
cheers
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very thin neck
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I currently have a 1968 Artist Award (sunburst) and a 1969 M 65 Freshman (3/4). Love em both to death.
In the past I have also owned a CE 100, X 175 and a DE 500. I have been a Guild fan for many, many years. It will be interesting to see what Cordoba does with the Guild name now that they have established a factory in California.
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I've had several vintage Guilds, and each was spectacular! As a teenager in the late 70's/early 80's I had a 60's Starfire V and a 70's CE-100D. I sold both while in college to help pay the bills. Fast forward to the early '10's when I rediscovered Guild. I got a '66 X-175, a '61 X-175, and an immaculate '56 CE-100, along with a late 70's and '93 X-500, a late 80's X-170, a '99 and '01 X-170, a '91 Starfire 4, an '03 Bluesbird, and various Guild acoustic models. Those from the 70's through the early '00's (Westerly factory) had somewhat thin necks, as did my '66 X-175 (Hoboken factory). My '61 X-175 had a 1 11/16 nut, and my '56 CE-100 was at least that, and maybe 1 3/4. It was very easy to play, but had a fuller neck that was simply perfect. These last two guitars were two of the best guitars I have ever played, and the '56 CE compared very favorably to my instructors '62 ES-175 to me. Ironically, a very nice '56 ES-175 is currently listed for $5600 at Gary's Classic Guitars. When I sold my '56 CE-100 I struggled to get $1700.
All of the above have gone to help finance four newer Guilds that were made in 2012 and 2013, and each have 1.7" nuts. I am extremely happy with these newer guitars, but I really miss all of the above, particularly the '56 and '61, the '93 X-500, the '03 Bluesbird, and the two I had as a youngin'. There are a lot of very good guitar manufacturers in the world today, and many guitars are very expensive, and frequently worth the money. Vintage Guild archtops, particularly those from New York and Hoboken, are worth big money, but can be had for relatively little.
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Lots of Guild love in this forum. You're in good company. My 3 Big G loves are Gibson, Gretsch and Guild.
With a DeArmond 1100 too! This is like the L-4C Guild equivalent. I can imagine that it is going to sound great with that solid carved spruce top coupled with the DeArmond 1100 vibe. If you have heard any L-4C from this era, you can expect your Guild CA-100 to have the same great tones. String her up right!
These fly under the radar so they can be had for reasonable cost.
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I have a 61 Manhatten 175D with 2 P90's.
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I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would do this. The serial number is your guitars personal identification, and without it my assumption would be that the guitar has been stolen and the serial number destroyed to prevent the guitar from being identified. There is a beautiful vintage Guild currently available with a destroyed serial number on both the headstock and label. I refuse to buy it because I suspect it is hot. Originally Posted by HeyNow
Not to mention that such a practice damages a guitars finish.
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Your Guild is going to be a lot of fun. You are going to enjoy the DeArmond--great sounding pickup.
The X-350 shown above is a step-child of the earlier Epiphone that preceded it. Right down to the push buttons. Recall that George Mann and his colleagues when they opened Guild were emigres from the New York Epiphone shop. They brought Epiphone technology and designs with them. Mann didn't want to go (or wasn't invited to go) to Kalamazoo when Gibson bought Epiphone.
The story is reminiscent of what would happen years later when Gibson moved from K'zoo to Nashville. The guys who made the archtop guitars stayed behind and opened The Heritage Guitar Company. Jim Duerloo, J.P. Moats, Marv Lamb, et al., played the role of George Mann and his buddy, Alfred Dronge.
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My first vintage guitar purchase via ebay: a 1958 A-150. It was a fixer-upper, needing new fingerboard inlays and frets. Still has binding shrinkage and off-gassing from either the binding or the pickguard.
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Not sure what model Jane Miller is using in this video, but it seems to fit the thread
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That appears to be a Hoboken CE-100 (perhaps early to mid 60's) with what is known as a Mickey Mouse pickup. Ted Greene also liked that pup. Originally Posted by Steve Z
Not sure what model Jane Miller is using in this video, but it seems to fit the thread
Last edited by snoskier63; 12-04-2015 at 11:50 AM.
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Nice, didn't know about the L4-C. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
This floating PU, solid top, laminate sides back Guild fills the gap in my archtops - I already have a 6 string all-laminate (Barney Kessel) and a 7 string all carved (Victor Baker 17"). I'm done buying archtops
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If you haven't done so already, check out the Guild forum :Let'sTalkGuild
Hans Moust posts there and probably could comment/answer any questions about your guitar.
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Thanks, I briefly perused that site but am scared of the GAS it will incite. Originally Posted by Dave70
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Great thread, and congrats on your new Guild! Im a big Guild fan, and my main guitar is 1960 x50. I like the early Guilds, because of their narrow necks! I noticed most people prefer wider width, but Im the opposite. A lot of them had D shaped profile too, and thats just perfect for me. And of course, the pickups, i have Franz p90 type on mine, but I love their humbuckers too! I wanna wait and see if maybe Cordoba is going to make new archtops here in USA, preferably with vintage specs, now that would be great!
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Hep,
You missed out on the AP line that Guild produced in 2013 and 2014. They obtained a Johnny Smith Award, an X-500, and an Aristocrat from the 50's and made nearly exact versions of them. Less than 20 were made of each one, they are all spoken for, and I have yet to see any offered up for sale used...I don't expect to either as they are beyond nice. I have been in contact with CMG since they acquired Guild, and they assured me that the AP line will be continued. What they would not tell me is which models that will include. They are on the verge of getting their first two USA acoustics out the door, and as the new factory gets up to speed I would expect a few of their more popular acoustics to follow before any electrics are made. I'm hoping USA electrics will be available by early 2017, but I have no inside information supporting that date. I'm on the LTG site often, so when it happens the word will get around.
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Well when the flagship Artist Award is sold for $3200 and there are no takers I'd say that's a reflection the market is real soft on that brand. Heritage owners feel the pain of guild owners. Probably even more so. Originally Posted by neatomic
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