Things that make you go Mmmmmm

The Guilds of Grot

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Alright this is interesting.....

I've had my black sparkle X-79 for a while now and I been waiting to get the matching X-79-3. Well I finally got one but it doesn't match!

The X-79 is a early 1984 with the serial number AD 100777 and it has the small black metal knobs on it.
[IMG:600:800]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/unado/X-79.jpg[/img]

















Now the X-79-3 I just got is a late '84 with a AD10144 serial number but it has the plastic "speed" knobs on it.
[IMG:600:800]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/unado/X-79-3.jpg[/img]

















Why is this?

The X-79-3 also appears to have DiMarzio pick-ups as they have set screw posts. All my Guild literature shows solid posts.

Now the earliest guitar I have with the metal knobs is my '83 X-100 Bladerunner.
[img:522:734]http://guildsofgrot.com/images/full_size/Guitars/1983cX-100.jpg[/img]

















But my '84 X-80 has plastic knobs!
[img:966:1288]http://guildsofgrot.com/images/full_size/Guitars/1984dX-80.JPG[/img]

















And then my '84 X-88 has one metal knob.
[img:520:744]http://guildsofgrot.com/images/full_size/Guitars/1984eX-88.jpg[/img]


















Hans, when are you going to release the next book so we can get all this stuff straightened out?

And just for kicks and giggles, here the whole sparkle set with the X-702 bass as the meat in the sandwich.[IMG:800:600]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/unado/Sparkles.jpg[/img]
 

Accept2

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Of course the big question is how can you tell those are the original knobs? The Bladerunner is cool, but how can it be an 83?...............
 

The Guilds of Grot

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Ah, valid point Accept2!

I really don't know that it is an '83 as it has no serial number on it! Since they only made 4 in '84 I aways called it an '83.

The rumor from when I got it was that it was a prototype built for Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister since it came from North Jersey.

I guess I could pull the control cavity cover off and look at the pot dates but who knows how long they had those sitting around.

Hans?
 

Accept2

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I would say its an 85, based on the headstock, fretboard, inlays and paint job. On 84s and early 85s the serials on Bladerunners were stamped in an area that they could be read. In the later 85s made the serial was stamped where the tuner holes were to be drilled. Oops! If you look really close between the tuners, with alot of light, you may see some remnants of where the serial number was..................
 

The Guilds of Grot

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Interesting about the serial number, I'll have to look there.

What would be different about the headstock, paint and inlays between '83 to '85?

OK now let's take it a step further,

Here's my SB-666 Bladerunner Bass
[img:522:732]http://guildsofgrot.com/images/full_size/Basses/1983dSB-666.jpg[/img]

















Now it has a serial number on the headstock of; BH100200. The "BH" designation is for a SB-604 which is a pilot bass with the offset headstock and is from '83. I can't find any record of SB-666 serial numbers anywhere.

It's curious to me that it's such a "round" number (100200).

I've aways called this an '83 also, since it matched the guitar.

How many of these were made?

Oh the joy of Guild!
 

Accept2

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84 Bladerunners had no cut in the headstock, they had a rosewood fretboard with dots. The Guild logo was placed in the centre of the body.
All SB666s have necks with the BH1 as they were used rather than making a whole new neck just for those models. I think Drew once told me they made 70 basses and about 200 guitars. However, of those not all were actually let out because they had strict quality control on those models. I dont know what he did with them, maybe he took them out back and shot them. He did mention that there were about 35 prototypes of the guitars made, 4 in 1984 for testing and promotion, and another 31 for production in 1985...............
 

Accept2

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Never worked there, but I have talked to Drew, and he was one of the 2 guys who built all of them. The design was made by David Andrews Guitar Research, which Drew was the Andrews part. He is building replicas of them now, along with a new version that is kick ass. The replicas are very expensive though..............

Kurt
 

Darryl Hattenhauer

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Grot,

I can'r think of a wise-guy nickname for Grot, so we'll leave that to Beachie.

How do those X 79s sound? I've thought about getting a red one with trem.
 

hansmoust

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The Guilds of Grot said:
Here's my SB-666 Bladerunner Bass.
Now it has a serial number on the headstock of; BH100200. The "BH" designation is for a SB-604 which is a pilot bass with the offset headstock and is from '83. I can't find any record of SB-666 serial numbers anywhere.

It's curious to me that it's such a "round" number (100200).
I've aways called this an '83 also, since it matched the guitar.

How many of these were made?

Oh the joy of Guild!

Hello Kurt,

Your SB-666 is from 1985. The numbers on the 'official' Guild serial number lists are not correct. In 'The Guild Guitar Book' Part II will be a completely updated serial number list. The book will also explain and point out most of the omissions and mistakes that were made by Guild while working from the original logs.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

The Guilds of Grot

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Hans, Thanks for the info on the SB-666. How about Accept2's claim that the X-100 is an '85 also?

Here's picture of the back of the headstock. I can't find any traces of a serial number. It does look like the original tuners were replaced with Sperzels though. (Although my Dentonator came with Sperzels as standard equipment later on.)[IMG:800:600]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/unado/Kodak003.jpg[/img]















Darryl,
The X-79's rock! The humbuckers have their typical sound and the single coils have their sound. Most people think that the X-79 is one of the ugliest guitars ever made but I think they're cool. They're also extremely light and well balanced. The only problem is that you have to have long hair to look cool playing them :wink:

OK now back to the original question. Assuming the knobs are original, (which they appear to be) could an '84 X-79 have the metal knobs on it?
 

Accept2

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The serial number would be very hard to see, basically just a bunch of bumps in the paint that cant even be read. Of course it could have been stamped where the cutout is. On production models, they are all unreadable. This is what the 1984s looked like. This was when they were still called Crusaders rather than Bladerunners..............
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/accept ... m=2991.jpg
 
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