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can U say 'dialed in CUSTOM'?
Originally Posted by Patrick2
AND, while we're on the subject of 1100's....whatever happened to Rowe-DeArmond?
AND, how was the new Guild able to secure rights to reproducing 1100's and yet no one else has chosen to do so? Did it take Guild creating a remake of the former AA to bring back a 1100 repro? it appears so....Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 08-16-2014 at 04:38 PM.
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08-16-2014 04:34 PM
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I just had Phil D'Angelo dress the frets and match the saddle radius to the fingerboard, plus clean up the nut. The acoustic tone improved dramatically. It's like NGD even though I've owned it a few years.
Oh yes, and there's the RC 1100, doing every bit of justice to the electric tone, blended to taste with the acoustic.
Last edited by rpguitar; 08-16-2014 at 05:11 PM.
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I have a Guild A-150 archtop reissue made in Korea, which has the 1000 Rhythm Chief "monkey-on-a-stick (WTF?) pickup. I've never heard an original in person, so I can't compare new to old; but the new DeArmond is a really nice pickup. Very quiet (I think it might be well wax-potted) for a single-coil, not too bright, decent bass response, beauiful midrange.
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Fender (FMI) owns Dearmond. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
Fender (FMI) owned Guild.
Guild didn't secure rights, its owner already had them.
Fender owns the rights to reproducing 1100s and can put them on any of their guitars.
Like a Telecaster. Hmmmmm…..Last edited by Hammertone; 08-17-2014 at 05:56 AM.
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Gretsch-The Guitars of the Fred Gretsch Company, by Jay Scott. Originally Posted by Patrick2
Page 84, upper right corner.
There's a photo there that tells you everything you ever need to know about Gretsch guitars, including why I always call them "Gertsch" guitars
Anyone who collects guitars with PAFs, and/or seeks out PAFs to restore guitars, is keenly aware of their value. I didn't say that all collectors are investors, and I agree that it's not always only about investing - collectors do it for love as well. Some do it only for love and don't really care that much about values. But it's always about money as well when it comes to PAF-equipped sunburst-finished Les Pauls. Originally Posted by Patrick2
Last edited by Hammertone; 08-18-2014 at 05:03 PM.
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Guild HAD the rights to DeArmond, but then sold to FMIC around 1996 (I believe), the year after FMIC bought Guild. I could be wrong on my facts, but don't think I am. Originally Posted by Hammertone
Jon Thomas, the head of Cordoba, is the son of Larry Thomas, former (as of around May 31) head of FMIC. That may dissuade FMIC from putting it out in competition with Guild in the short term, but perhaps in the future it might happen. Or, Cordoba could buy the DeArmond rights from FMIC, but all pure speculation, and I am not usually one to play the speculation game.Last edited by snoskier63; 08-17-2014 at 07:15 AM.
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I do not have any empirical knowledge of the reproduced DeArmond RC1000 or RC1100 pickup below is what I've gathered about the subject. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
It appears that Rowe/DeArmond under its final legal business designations ceased operations sometime in the 1980s. Fender purchased Guild in 1994 and around that time acquired what seems to be the rights to use the DeArmond name along with the designs but it's unclear exactly what that entailed. Production of Guild guitars (acoustic and electric) continued in Westerly, RI through the summer of 2001 and then production was moved largely to Corona, CA
In the late 1990s Fender introduced a line of guitars (and some pickups) under the DeArmond brand name which were based on historical Guild electric solid, semi, and archtop designs. The guitars were produced in South Korea and Indonesia but many of the pickups used were designated as DeArmond made in the USA. The DeArmond 2K single coil pickup also appeared on the USA made Guild X160 Rockabilly that was produced in the Westerly, RI plant and subsequently the Corona, CA plant until about 2003. Although the DeArmond 2K looks a great deal like the original DeArmond 2000 it is quite different under the hood.
You can see the DeArmond guitar line here (use drop downs to go through the models) DeArmondGuitars T400
and the late 1990s DeArmond pickups here
Dearmond® Support
A few years ago Guild (still owned by Fender) introduced the Newark Street line (NS) of electric solid, semi, and archtop guitars (and basses) which are manufactured in South Korea. The NS models consisted of some of the more beloved and sought after Guilds from the late 1950s to mid 1960s such as the M75, A-150, X-175, Starfire III, IV, S-100 etc. It has been stated and restated that Fender/Guild did a fair amount of research on historical models to create the NS line and that included the pickups; Franz single coil, "Frequency Tested "mini humbuckers, and the RC1000 solely for the A-150. All of the aforementioned pickups were produced in South Korea. If you are interested in more detailed discussion of this then you'll find it on the LTG forum Let'sTalkGuild.
Along with the NS line Guild also introduced the Guild Special Run (GSR) line and American Patriarch (AP) line both built in of the New Hartford, CT Guild facility. The GSR and AA models were also reproductions of historical models included but not limited to M-75, T400, T500, X-500, Starfire VI, X150D (not quite historical), X-180 (originally only made in CA in the early 2000s) Artist Award, etc. Some of those models used the reproduction Franz pickuos, mini hums and various Seymour Duncan pickups. Then there was the mysterious and unannounced reproduction of the Guild HB-1 pickup that occurred with the GSR X150D model which raised quite a few eyebrows on LTG. I'm hoping to score a set.
This next part is a less informed and more speculative.
NS production numbers across the range of models are high but only the A-150 employs the RC1000. GSR and AP production numbers are low and only the Artist Award has the RC1100. Both RC pickups are produced in South Korea and have become available (along with other NS parts some of which are used in GSR and AA models) through the Fender service center network and subsequently on eBay. An example being theblackrider on ebay where you can find Guild, Fender, and Gretsch branded parts. RC1000 and RC1100 (as well as Franz) have shown up and sold on eBay.Those items are in Guild packages. I recall one of the first RC1000 going for less than $100. Recently completed eBay sales for the RC1100 were in the $200 range earlier this summer and more recently $400. Currently one is being offered for $650.00. If the South Korean supplier (I do not know what the name of that company is) produced a large amount of RC1100 then there are certainly not many models to use them on so somewhere there could be a large supply in a box on a shelf.
In May of this year Fender announced it would close the Guild New Hartford, CT operation as well the Ovation production housed in the same building. Guild was to be sold and a deal with Cordoba based in California was to purchase the Guild brand and some of it's material holdings. Cordoba stated it would continue production in the US and continue the NS line produced in South Korea. There is a great deal of detailed (as it can be) discussion around this subject on the LTG forum. Recently the NS S-100 solid body appeared with the new reproduced HB-1 pickup suggesting that production is ongoing.
What isn't clear is who now owns the DeArmond name and designs. If Fender retained DeArmond ownership then they could Supply Parts or license production to Cordoba/Guild as they see fit. If DeArmond went to Cordoba (that seems unlikely for a bunch of reasons including Fender's ongoing deal with Gretsch) then the ball is in Cordoba's court. What is also unclear is what the Guild dealer and service center network will look like when the dust of all of this settles. There are currently Guild Packaged parts on e-bay such as the RC1100 pickup, mini hum pickup rings, wiring harnesses for A-150 and X175. That may be the tip of the parts iceberg or maybe not.
Chris
1969 Guild Starfire IV
1999 Guild X150D
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Discussed a couple times before but I see them poppingbup on ebay now and from the pics they look pretty much like the originals .... So did anyone try them yet ?
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Didn't try them but was wondering the same thing. The only opinion I have heard or read so far is in this youtube review of the new Guild Savoy. Unfortunately it is not what I wanted to hear.
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I remember when the video was first posted as a complaint concerning the Guild reissue. I couldn't figure out what the poster objected to since both the tone and playing sounded excellent to me.
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Judging the tone from a processed recording is nearly impossible. I like the sound in that clip, too. What you hear if you play that guitar yourself is probably very different.
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I bought the RC-1100 Guild re-issue for my 1935 D'A, but haven't had it mounted yet.
I'll post when I have it done.
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Pesonally I'm quite impressed with the sound I think he's being a bit picky IMO don't expect an L5 for that sort of money.
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Can you buy the pick ups without the guitar? With controls and mini monkey?
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I think the 1100 would sell like hotcakes. Originally Posted by Archtop Guy
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they're on ebay for about $350 for the 1100 and $200 for the 1000.
some lucky people got them for $80 from music stores when they were first made available.
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at te end of the video the guy sais he traded for an Epi with a floating humbucker, maybe it is just the single coil sound that doesnt appeal to him ? From the sound he likes a very classy dark jazz sound with the treble rolled off, and that works much better on a HB than on a single coil of course. Originally Posted by Drifter
I am still wondering if noone A-B ed the old and the new. from the oustide at least the look pretty much identical ...
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I thought that it sounded very good as a package. Taking the A-150 Savoy out of the equation that DeArmond 1000 reissue shows real promise. It sounds as I would expect the DeArmond to sound.
Reading the ebay blurbs, the resistance readings sound quite right too, 14Kohms to 17Kohms.
Their prices have gone up tremendously since they became available but have put downward pressure on the prices of the vintage DeArmonds.
Cordoba Music Group should offer them as standalones in DeArmond retro packaging.
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they're still too expensive IMO, compared to Kent Armstrong hand wound and others.
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Until someone AB tests them with an old one, I don't think we will have useful information. I get the impression that the makers made an honest effort to copy the originals.
The control box is part of the sound. There used to be a schematic on the Internet, but I can't find it now.
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Having owned Guild guitars in the 60's I'm quite impressed with the sound of the reissue I wouldn't think twice about about using one, as to the lacquer inside I'm not convinced it is lacquer, the top is not carved it's pressed which involves heat to shape it, the wood might have been sprayed with a sealer to prevent it drying out and cracking during the process. As the bulk of the guitar is laminate anyway and is lacquered externally I fail to see the comments about the wood mellowing having any significance whatsoever, does plywood mellow over the years? Pehaps someone with guitar building knowledge would care to comment.
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They have thick polyurethane finish on the outside. It's that typical dipped-in-plastic feel.
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Surely the top has been pressed before it has been glued to the body, so there is no reason to think the body had to be heat-shielded with some kind of spray. The sprayed parts you can see through the f-holes I would think are residue from finishing the guitar with polyurethane. I doubt the complete inside is sprayed. Originally Posted by Para
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I'm almost tempted to buy one just see if they are all like it lol.
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Hello, all...
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a reissue of the 1100 thanks to the help of of a guitar store whose name I won't mention, but it rhymes with cat bloominoff. I have a mid 50's L-12 that I have been using unamplified and with no pick guard. So I just ordered a pick guard and plan to install this over the next week or so, I will report back.
In the mean time, a question...is stewmac the best source for control pots for this? I am thinking maybe just a volume pot, but interested in the pros and cons of installing a tone pot as well, probably hidden under the pick guard or maybe mounted through it like Guild is doing.
If you have any insights, please do get in touch.
Thanks
Eric
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