Anyone else seen this eBay listing...???

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Guild-98RT- ... dZViewItem

When this first went up it was like $ 15.00 or something...I was kinda hoping no one would notice! Looks somewhat similar to my 66-J, although it has the later handle and a different kind of tolex, almost looks Ampeg-like to me.

What exactly is this, a 66-J with reverb (oh, my Lord!) or do the octal preamp tubes give it more of a "tweed"-like sound?

Will probably go higher than I wish, so have at it guys, get this girl to a good and appreciative home!

(probably should say, no affiliation with the seller)

Bill Ashton said:

When this 98RT first went up it was like $ 15.00 or something...I was kinda hoping no one would notice! Looks somewhat similar to my 66-J, although it has the later handle and a different kind of tolex, almost looks Ampeg-like to me. What exactly is this, a 66-J with reverb (oh, my Lord!) or do the octal preamp tubes give it more of a "tweed"-like sound? Will probably go higher than I wish, so have at it guys, get this girl to a good and appreciative home!

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Hi Bill; that 98RT is Included Here Agree; very Ampegish although except for the preamp tubes, similar to a Tweed-series Gibson GA19RVT Falcon (6EU7s, twin 6V6, reverb/trem, 12" speaker) but closer to a Guild Reverberocket anyway. Looks to be in pretty good condition - an S200, stereo version of the 100J, sold recently for the mid-$600s. Of all the pre-'Thunder' Guild amps, I think this is the one to own.

Yeah, I'm watching it. I think it's gonna go for Big Dollars.

gilded said:

Yeah, I'm watching it. I think it's gonna go for Big Dollars.

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Me too Harry; it's oozing Guild mojo ... good luck if you chase. J

Years ago I owned one of these RT98's and wasn't impressed with the tone of the amp. It had a very flat tone. I contacted other's with similar amps and got some views similar to mine and some that described the amp to be brighter.
I tend to like bright sounding amps so it may be my tone bias isn't suited to amps of this type. However I have considered that my amp may have been the issue. Thus I am keeping an eye on this auction. I have seen these amps sell in the $400 to $600 range.

M

matsickma said:

Years ago I owned one of these RT98's and wasn't impressed with the tone of the amp. It had a very flat tone. I contacted other's with similar amps and got some views similar to mine and some that described the amp to be brighter. I tend to like bright sounding amps so it may be my tone bias isn't suited to amps of this type. However I have considered that my amp may have been the issue. Thus I am keeping an eye on this auction. I have seen these amps sell in the $400 to $600 range. M

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As always M, it's about tastes and preferences. Just guessing, I would have put this amp on the brownish side; thickened in the middle and maybe lacking sparkle. Would not expect it to be as clean as 7591 amps at elevated volume. +1 on the price range too. cj

After 21 bid and a top of $ 560.00, it's going to Finland! I find the whole auction pretty surprising...I guess there is more of a market for Guild than I supposed.

Bill Ashton said:

After 21 bid and a top of $ 560.00, it's going to Finland! I find the whole auction pretty surprising...I guess there is more of a market for Guild than I supposed.

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Dunno Bill; because this model is more 'vintage' than the newer gear, doesn't surprise me that it attracted 5-6 serious bidders and went for what it did; note that matsickma had the price dead on. The clean Thunderbird never left the starting gate w/ its Michael's Mucous-style MIN/BIN (relisted) and the T1 is loitering around $150 as of this post. cj

I have a nice same era (mine is a '62) Guild 99-J amp that uses 6L6s in the power section as opposed to 6V6s, big difference, more headroom and big robust tone. Mine also uses the 6EU7s as the older Crestline Gibsons, but there's NO comparison as the Guild circuit is more akin to the Fender Tweeds. Not anywhere like the Ampegs ("M" series) of that same era. FWIW I've owned a early 60's Ampeg M-15 and a '54 Fender Tweed Pro, and 99-J to my ears, exceeds both. It's very responsive and dynamic with a little more compression than the Fender Tweeds. So let's keep these a secret "sssshhh"".... I'l try and get around posting pics of my '62 99-J with '62 Guild A-350. The Johnny Smith "economic" package

Thanks for the review JW and the nice comments about the 99. The 'Ampeg' (Reverberocket) comparison to the 98RT is based on both having reverb and tremolo, 12" speakers, and 6SL7s / 6SN7s in the preamp although the early RRs had 7591s and the auction 98RT has 6V6s. Agree that these early model Guilds are under-rated and ... I ain't tellin' anybody! John

well done, cj. let us know how it comes out.

Must be all those frightened stockbrokers looking for somewhere to stash their cash -- they must have seen the ridiculous prices asked for some vintage amps (and a lot of old tat) by our friend in Nassau and believed they are for real. Boy, are they in for a surprise! :mrgreen:

MacAoidh said:

Must be all those frightened stockbrokers looking for somewhere to stash their cash -- they must have seen the ridiculous prices asked for some vintage amps (and a lot of old tat) by our friend in Nassau and believed they are for real. Boy, are they in for a surprise! :mrgreen:

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.... or maybe not. These two LTG threads Tonequest Article and Guild Amp Value suggest that the price of vintage tube amps, like ocean-front real estate, isn't going down anytime soon. You might be right; investors stashing money in safe investments but alot of the interest could be a desire for tone and character in amps; something other than 50 antiseptic 6L6 watts, 8 ear-splitting Marshall EL84s, or 15 knobs to turn. Finally, amps in the Gibson / Guild class are an economic option to the best US-made boutique amps from Clark and Victoria.

Thanks, cap'n -- interesting stuff, as always. Yet I can't help but cast my mind back to the late 1970's when, as a callow youth, aged 14, starting my first swamp blues band, I scraped together a few dubloons, dismissing the glories of then-triumphant solid state amps to comb assorted junk shops for a real blues amplifier. In one dusty emporium, an aged custodian waved me into the back of the shop where, under a table, I discovered -- a Guild Maverick. I tried it out, it worked and I saw a yellowed price tag -- $80. However, behind the Maverick under a coweb-laden canvas sheet was a large suitcase. I opened the case and -- lo and behold -- a Vox AC30TB! It also worked first time. I asked the elderly shopkeeper for the price. He replied 'Dunno. Always wondered where that had gone -- thought we'd lost it years ago'. I paid the man a whopping $250 and dragged the 70 lb monster home on the bus. I knew I could not afford to match my bandmate who had paid a staggering $300 for a Rickenbacker 620, but still managed to buy a Japanese-made Les Paul Antoria (similar to Greco) for $100. I still have the AC30 -- a good pension plan perhaps -- and I wish I still had the superb Antoria, but am staggered at the prices they are fetching now. I can't take the AC30 on gigs anymore, (insurance) so I'm buying an Epiphone Blues Custom 30 instead. How the world has changed!

So it has but the cost implications of too much money chasing too little strong vintage gear are just as true for amps they are for original condition Vincent, Matchless, and Norton motorcycles, no?

Heh, I paid $150 for my mav.

I made a remark over at the Gretsch pages that the gear I bought because I couldn't afford anything else, is now the gear that I can't afford to replace if it gets stolen.

Love the avatar, by the way!
One of the high points of my life was seeing him play down on the Philly riverfront a few years before he died.