First Guild - S-100

atljogger

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So I wanted to thank everyone for the S-100 advice over the last few weeks. I finally ran across a 74' S-100 on Ebay for sale and snatched it up yesterday.
http://cgi.ebay.com/74-Guild-S-100-CARV ... dZViewItem
What do you think? Seller says its in good shape except for missing a little binding on first fret of neck. Its a guitar shop w/ luthier so he thought he could take care of it before he mailed it. Also, it has the original case! I'll write my impressions of the Guild when I receive it.

I did have a question about the phaser switch. I've read a number of S-100 reviews of people who didn't care for the switch and had it rewired as a true coil tap. Has anyone had experience with this? I haven't played the Guild yet so I can't say one way or the other, but I'd love to be able to get a Fender sound like a telecaster. I don't want to affect the sound of the humbuckers/normal settings however. Is it possible to rewire without changing the overall S-100 sound? Just wondering.

Thanks,
J
 

danerectal

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Wiring a coil tap will only change the signal when it's switched to single coil. I'd honestly give the phase switch a chance. It gives you kind of a fluttery tone in some situations even chimey. It works best when you have a lot of overtones or where the volume might vary between the two pickups (i.e. ringing open chords). I have to say, wiring mini toggle switches is a hassle, so choose wisely.

hope its as nice as it looks. congrats on a sweet deal...
 

Maxer

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Hey man, congrats on that score! She looks pretty good to me. One question though... it appears it may have been painted cream or white at some point... that's just my impression, based on the colouring which appears to be inside of the acorn carving motif. It's like it was painted over at some point then an attempt was made to restore it to its original finish... or am I way off here? Otherwise it looks pretty intact... I hope she plays as well as my own, in which case you won't have any regrets. These are truly great guitars and they're only going to get rarer, especially the natural finish ones with the carving such as yours. Great score. Let us know how she plays!

Me, I've kept all the switches as is. That said, I generally don't use the phaser switch much myself, opting to either go to bridge or neck pickup full - on. The necks on these puppies are brilliant - such easy players.
 

fronobulax

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Maxer said:
it appears it may have been painted cream or white at some point... that's just my impression, based on the colouring which appears to be inside of the acorn carving motif. It's like it was painted over at some point then an attempt was made to restore it to its original finish... or am I way off here?

I have seen that kind effect on carved wood when it is polished. Basically the polish builds up in the carving and leaves a residue that looks white. FWIW the finish does look a little darker than I would expect but not so much that I question the originality. Popping the cover on the control cavity may shed some light on the finish.
 

Maxer

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Good point... you're probably right! I was just guessing. It could also be a trick of the light.
 

danerectal

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FWIW the finish does look a little darker than I would expect but not so much that I question the originality. Popping the cover on the control cavity may shed some light on the finish.

I too thought it looked like a Walnut finish with carvings. Looks like one of the nicer Guilds to come around the Bay.
 

atljogger

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I plan on having a local luthier check the Guild out, make sure its legit and do some setup if necessary. I should get it the end of this week so I'll post pics once its good to go.
 

Dreamlander

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Very nice buy atljogger. That is one of the best deals i have seen on a vintage s-100c in that condition, and the original case. I am sure you will be happy with your purchase.
If you feel it needs to be set up, instead of paying money you could try doing it yourself. I used to be scared to touch the truss rod and bridge on my guitars a little while back, but i gave a try and it is actually quite simply and easy to do. I set up all my own guitars now.
 

Gorgar

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atljogger said:
I did have a question about the phaser switch. I've read a number of S-100 reviews of people who didn't care for the switch and had it rewired as a true coil tap. Has anyone had experience with this? I haven't played the Guild yet so I can't say one way or the other, but I'd love to be able to get a Fender sound like a telecaster. I don't want to affect the sound of the humbuckers/normal settings however. Is it possible to rewire without changing the overall S-100 sound? Just wondering.

I've actually warmed up to the phase switch some. (I'm the long-winded review about third from the top, same user name, that mentions the coil taps.). My current S-100 is fairly new to me and I haven't taken it in for modifications. I am not sure that I will at this point. You can get a pretty good Fendery sound out of it with the phase switch. I don't regret having done it to the one I had at the time, and if I was trying to use one guitar for everything, I might do it again, but at this point I've got a Strat and three humbucker-equipped electrics with coil taps already, and I'm going to just leave the S-100 stock for now. It's not going to be as biting as a Strat no matter what I do to it, but hey, that's why I have a Strat, right? Most of the time I find the bite of either the phased or bridge settings to be sufficient, and it's a little more usable to me since it's not so grating.

But, when I got mine coil-tapped, the guy did a good job of rewinding the pickups, and the standard sounds weren't any different, so you're not going to hurt anything.
 

atljogger

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Thanks for the feedback. I'll definitely give the phase switch a shot before I make adjustments. Unfortunately I do not have the cash flow to buy a Fender as well so this Guild will be my main guitar. There is a great luthier near me and I'm sure he'd be able to pull off any mods if needed.

Thanks,
J
 

Firebird

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You will be most happy with yours I'm sure. I wouldn't trade mine for the world.
 
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