heymisterk Posted January 7, 2012 Posted January 7, 2012 Ladies and Gentlemen, from Westerly, Rhode Island, weighing in at about 8 pounds, I give you my "new" Guild S-100!! She is a '96, and perfect in every way... All original, with the SD JB in the bridge and '59 in the neck. I had a black one about five years ago and thought it was the perfect guitar. But then my band played exclusively acoustic music, so I financed a Taylor purchase by selling it. DUMB! About a year later, I bought a Les Paul...and quickly realized I am one of those blasphemous souls who aren't LP guys, will always prefer an SG style. I find these guitars to be greatly underrated. The fit and finish of these Westerly Guilds is pretty exquisite, coming close to anything I have seen done in a custom shop. Better yet, she flat-out RIPS!!! Got a good deal to boot. Now my SG Classic has a brother!!
Searcy Posted January 7, 2012 Posted January 7, 2012 Nice! My first bass was the bass version of this from about 72 I think. I wish I had it back.
heymisterk Posted January 7, 2012 Author Posted January 7, 2012 Sorry about the double-post guys: computer is painfully slow this morning...
pippy Posted January 7, 2012 Posted January 7, 2012 Nice find! I remember reading reviews (all very positive, BTW) about them in the late '70s but never saw one in the flesh. Pperhaps Scotland didn't have an agent/dealership? I think Milo has one. P.
heymisterk Posted January 7, 2012 Author Posted January 7, 2012 Congrats!! What is the mini-toggle for? It's a phase reversal switch. A nice touch!
heymisterk Posted January 7, 2012 Author Posted January 7, 2012 My first "real" electric was a '95 SG Standard. With all due respect to Gibson, that guitar just didn't do it for me. Meanwhile, I was listening to a lot of Soundgarden, and that's when I picked up on this axe, because Kim Tyail played one. Boom! Sold. My black one was great, but I always jonesed for one in cherry. I looked at getting a '61 SG Reissue, but I already had my SG Classic. The minute I plugged the new Guild in, I knew I had a winner. I always had a thing for Guild. Kind of a shame the boys in Westerly, RI aren't around anymore...
heymisterk Posted January 7, 2012 Author Posted January 7, 2012 So how does it sound? Congrats on your NGD, may many more come your way. Thank you! Sounds great! I will try and get a video posted in the next week or so. What is very impressive to me is the workmanship: first-class all the way. Guild knew what the hell they were doing in making "their" SG. Yep, original PUs. Unfortunately, Guild didn't make their own pick ups in the 90s; you have to go back to the 70s models to get them. And those Guild PUs fetch a pretty penny on eBay. The SDs sound great, though the JB might be too hot for some people. The strangest thing is, I saw this advertised used at a Guitar Center in PA for $800: that is cheaper than the few that I have seen listed on eBay. I think frankly that Guitar Center dropped the ball on pricing this one...thankfully!
heymisterk Posted January 7, 2012 Author Posted January 7, 2012 Made in Westerly, Rhode Island. If I have my facts straight, when Fender bought Guild in the late '90s, they discontinued the S-100, and moved production of the Bluesbird to their Corona, CA plant. Then discontinued the Bluesbird. Too bad: the Bluesbird was a great guitar.
BigKahune Posted January 7, 2012 Posted January 7, 2012 . Very nice. Good looking color. Looks well taken care of and in great shape. Great find - Congrats. . B) .
KL Posted January 8, 2012 Posted January 8, 2012 That's a nice guitar, I really like them and agree they are underrated. What is the nut width? I remember them being quite narrow, but maybe the later ones are wider.
Searcy Posted January 8, 2012 Posted January 8, 2012 Kim Thayil used to play one a lot. A White one no less.
This_Dying_Soul Posted January 8, 2012 Posted January 8, 2012 Kim Thayil used to play one a lot. A White one no less. They were discontinued when Soundgarden got known and people noticed Kim using them. He single handedly renewed interest in the model and they got reissued in the mid 90's.
heymisterk Posted January 8, 2012 Author Posted January 8, 2012 They were discontinued when Soundgarden got known and people noticed Kim using them. He single handedly renewed interest in the model and they got reissued in the mid 90's. I have seen some sweet ones from the '70s to be sure. And in terms of vintage guitars, they are relative bargains. But you don't see many of them. One of the women from Sleater-Kinney used one sometimes too. And if anyone is familiar with a band called Hudson Bell, the lead guy used one of the models from the '60s, which were somewhat different...they used to have single-coils and a "kick-stand" on the back of the body to hold it up!
heymisterk Posted January 8, 2012 Author Posted January 8, 2012 That's a nice guitar, I really like them and agree they are underrated. What is the nut width? I remember them being quite narrow, but maybe the later ones are wider. 11/16. The neck is one of my favorite features. I tend to like beefier necks, and it's not as wide as my SG Classic. But probably the main reason I got rid of my LP Standard was the '60s neck, which just didn't feel right to me; may hands are just too big. The Guild is a nice compromise.
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