Custom '96 Bluesbird

mojomike

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Location
LAKE COUNTY IL
I recently purchased a '96 AAA Bluesbird. After I received the guitar (near mint btw) I received an email from the seller stating:

"And if you want an interesting story about the guitar, here goes ... I used to work at Fender, and I bought that guitar in 1999. It was originally parrt of a matched set, the other guitar being a Telecaster-type Guild with the same flame top and finish. The story goes that they were made for Slash while they were making, at the same time, a double neck guitar for him, but they never got the two other guitars out to him for whatever reason. This happened before I was hired, so I can't really back it up any more than that, just thought I'd share."

It is a 96 or 97 Guild Bluesbird. The serial number is CL000354. Is there any way to confirm this story? :?
 

hansmoust

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2005
Messages
9,201
Reaction score
3,504
Location
Netherlands
mojomike said:
It is a 96 or 97 Guild Bluesbird. The serial number is CL000354. Is there any way to confirm this story? :?

Hi mojomike,

The guitar is from 1997 indeed. It will be hard to get any confirmation about that story. Maybe 'hideglue' knows more about it!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

mojomike

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Location
LAKE COUNTY IL
Thanks Hans. I am not as interested in the Slash part as I am in the custom part of the story. I seldom sell guitars and I want to pass on as much history as I can on all my geetars. It plays like a dream and is now my main goto show axe. I wish I had bought one years ago.

Mike
 

guildzilla

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
2,108
Reaction score
1
Location
Worthington, Ohio
Hans, was Guild producing or making a Tele-like prototype model in 1997? A reissue of the Roy Buchanan T-200 perhaps.

Interesting story.
 

hansmoust

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2005
Messages
9,201
Reaction score
3,504
Location
Netherlands
guildzilla said:
Hans, was Guild producing or making a Tele-like prototype model in 1997? A reissue of the Roy Buchanan T-200 perhaps.

Interesting story.

It doesn't sound very logical if Fender would let Guild produce anything that would slightly resemble a Tele.

Kap'n said:
However there's that Slash "Crossroads" model, that has some vaguely tele-like shape to the upper acoustic 12-string section. Maybe they made a separate one?

Yes, they made separate ones for Slash but that was already under the earlier administration, before Fender took over.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

hideglue

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
1,019
Reaction score
38
Location
Connecticut
mojomike said:
I recently purchased a '96 AAA Bluesbird. After I received the guitar (near mint btw) I received an email from the seller stating:

" ... I used to work at Fender, and I bought that guitar in 1999. It was originally parrt of a matched set...."


Those guitars would most definitely have gone through my hands during that time. I certainly remember setting up a number of double neck Crossroads (curses!!), but I don't recall any guitars coming through as "matched sets".
 

mojomike

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Location
LAKE COUNTY IL
Thanks for the information, hideglue.

Once I figure out how to post pictures, I'll post one of the bird and my other Guilds as well. I played the bird at a small gig for the first time last Saturday, and it was SWEET! I always preferred Humbuckers to single coil, but the P90's seem to be made for this guitar.

Mike
 

hideglue

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
1,019
Reaction score
38
Location
Connecticut
Sure thing, Mike. And just to make my post more clear. I don't recall. Obviously that doesn't mean it didn't happen.


mojomike said:
...but the P90's seem to be made for this guitar.

Mike


YES!
 

matsickma

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
4,280
Reaction score
1,028
Location
Coopersburg, PA
I have one possible explaination...

Within the last two years a very unusual guitar was posted on ebay that tends to match the initial story of a custom Tele style guitar with flame maple top.

The guitar was posted by a guy who ran a music store. He said it was his own personel guitar and decided to sell it. I think the store was somewhere in the midwest. The guitar was beautiful.

It was a blond flame maple top Crossroad like guitar with 2 humbuckers. I can't remember the type of bridge. I want to say a Guild etched gold harp was on it but my memory is not clear. It definitely did not have the acoustic bridge/saddle of a standard Crossroad.

I owned a blond Crossroad at the time and was well aware of the style and feathures of the Crossroad. I was watching that auction for about two days and then the seller ended it early saying the guitar was not longer available for sale. I remember being quite pissed that I didn't think of calling the music store to just buy it.

Does anyone remember this guitar? Hans? Hideglue?

(When I saw Hideglue's basement stash of 2 unfinished Crossroad bodies it reminded me of the double humbucker pickup model.)

That guitar definitly looked like a tele, had a beautiful maple top and was a "one of" or custom.

M
 
Top