S-100 wiring

Hi there,

I'm new... go gentle on my virginity!

I have an S-100 re-issue. I bought it second hand in the UK... it was nearly dead mint when I got it... someone stuck it under their bed and decided to never go past their first lesson. Anyway, I vowed I would keep it clean and ding free... but it sounds so wicked its my main gigging axe and has developed an authentic petina over the past few years.

Recently I changed the volume pot in the bridge position. I ussually take it to a guitar repairer to get this stuff done but this time decided to trust my soldering skills for once. I recorded the wiring on a diagram... and swapped in the new pot. No probs! Then I started wondering about the toggle. This may sound weird and Im almost ashamed to admit it... but Im not certain when its out of phase?? Its real subtle on my guitar... its not noticably thinner or whatever.. I ussually play in bridge pos only so not really an issue. So whats normal? Switch up - in phase?

So I stumbled across a cpl of diagrams - the Guild website has a wiring schematic for the S-100. My Guild is wired nothing like it! Its closer to the Seymour Duncan site s100 wiring diagram but still not the same. Weird thing is Im fairly sure that this is how it came out of the factory.

Anyone else experience this? May explain why my phase switch doesnt sound like it does much!

Maybe someone can send me a pic of the wiring.

Also serial number on the S-100 is EB001129. Any specs much appreciated. Im guessing its mid-late 90's???

Cheers, Guy

I'd say the Guild diagrams are useless. I opened an untouched 1976, and a late 90's reissue. both of them seemed to be different in how the phase option was wired. Either way it's intended to be in or out of phase with another pickup (such as neck). The most noticeable difference would be in the middle position. I'm in the process of wiring a 1970 that had a mini toggle added to it. right now with just the bridge pickup in it and wired like my other s-100, the bridge pickup still sounds different by flipping the phase.

here's how my 1976 is wired

http://www.geocities.com/rayc-d/s-100.gif

I'll try to get the reissue schematic up and running so you can compare.

I just recently wired some new Guild Hb-1 pickups(by fender design) into my '98 S-100. And yes the diagram on the sermour duncan page of the 2 humbuckers with the phase switch is right. That is exactly how mine looked. There should be some recent posts on here if you want to read more about it. I am not sure if guild guitars diagram is messed up or if the 70's s-100s were actually wired that way. And when the phase switch is down out of phase, up in phase. Out of phase is when it sounds thinner right?
I do believe your guitar is a '99, maybe a '98, but Hans would know for sure.

Thanks for the info. Yep out of phase is generally a thinner sound. I believer its much more obvious with single coils like the position between neck and middle on a strat.

How are the guild (fender design) pickups in comparison to the JB bridge and 59 neck? Dont mean to sound condescending but why on earth would you want to change what is imho the perfect pickup combo for this rockin' axe!

BTW Does anyone know Kym Thayal play anymore, and if so is his S-100 still his main? What models / years did he prefer? I cant understand why theres so many Gibbo players and really not that many that used to endorse Guild. Is it simply a matter that players used to get more $ / support from the likes of Gibbo? Personally I dont give a damn who else plays em...just a passing interest... but you'd have to kill me first before Id part with my S100!

Are all S-100 pre-Fender era?

I got a 100 more questions... bare with me

How are the guild (fender design) pickups in comparison to the JB bridge and 59 neck? Dont mean to sound condescending but why on earth would you want to change what is imho the perfect pickup combo for this rockin' axe!

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The Fender reissue pickups sound amazing. Not as dull and restrained as the JB. They actually stack up to vintage Guild pickups pretty well.

BTW Does anyone know Kym Thayal play anymore, and if so is his S-100 still his main?

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After Soundgarden, Kim Thayil played with a group called Dark Load, which recorded a handful of songs. "Smell the Fuzz" released by Metal Blade records with Guitar World feature "Brewicide" by Dark Load. After that he continued in 1999 with the No WTO Combo with Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys and Chris Novoselic of Nirvana/Sweet 75 as well as Sweet 75's drummer Gina Mainwall. Most recently Thayil appeared on the Sunno)))/Boris album alter. That was released Halloween of 2006. The only song he appears on is a long ambient/doom track called Blood Swamp. Apparently (I've never heard any of this personally) he also played with Probot, Dave Grohl's metal band, Pigeonhead which is some electronica outfit, and the President of the United States of America (I think he played some lead on their first album).

As far as his Guilds, I know he had a 73 or 74 that he played extensively. I'm sure after his endorsement, his Guild stable increased, I just haven't heard much along those lines.

Are all S-100 pre-Fender era?

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Fender took over production of the S-100 as a reissue in the 90s. If you compare the two side by side, you can't help but tell the difference. The tone of the wood is different, finish seems harder on the reissue, the pickups don't have the same howl (the fender reissues come closer than the Duncans), the neck and body both feel thicker and heavier, Gotoh bridge rather than the Muller roller bridge, different 3-way toggle and tip, I think the phase switch is even wired in differently. Most of the differences are insignificant, but they do still affect the playability enough to notice. Either way, they're both still way nicer guitars than any Gibson SG I've played.

I originally bought the guild (by fender) pups because they are guild pickups and i wanted to see how good they sounded and how close to the originals they came. Plus the seymour duncan covers have a crappy coating, nickel i think, that flakes off and makes them look dull.

I kept them in my s-100 because they sound great and i think actually come pretty close to the old ones. Maybe not quite as much bite as the old ones but they are much brighter than the duncans which i took out. And they look much, much better, nice and shiny with the guild covers. Oh yeah and it just makes the guitar more... Guild.