Best years for Guild archtop production 1952-1977?

[FrankGrace]

I just started reading Hans amazing "Guild Guitar Book" and it got me thinking as I search for my next Guild archtop. I currently own a 1956 CE 100 (I'm in love) and I'd like to know your opinions on best years for vintage Guild archtops and why. Thanks for your thoughts. Don't mean to dis the newer Guilds, my interests are primarily in 52-77 archtops.
Best, Frank

 

[Steve Hoffman]

1957-69. For the reasons stated in the book. A great run of guitars!

Edit: I have to say that my 1978 AA is just an amazing guitar as well. Very nicely made, wonderful acoustic tone as well. You can get a mint one for around $4,000 and be set with TONE for life.

 

[zizala]

I play Guilds spanning 1953-1961.....haven't explored anything after that just yet.

Here's a bunch of comments and observations....

I have a soft spot for somewhat homespun aesthetics and finishes of the New York era instruments and especially like the 25 1/2" scale necks, wider 1 3/4" nut widths (on my '53, 54 and '55 models) and chunkier necks. And something about the black Franz pickup covers and clear barrel knobs just looks right on the more primitive Guilds.
My '54 X-150 is a weighty beast with a thick top.......but its a great electric archtop......at higher volumes it sustains and stays put where others run away.

Looking at my own '56-61 models.... the guitars weigh a bit less, the necks move to the 24 3/4" scale and more often than not have 1 5/8" nut widths. The rounded neck profile seems about perfect.....and though the narrow nut wouldn't be my first or second choice, somehow Guild made those necks work so well that I get around just fine on them.

I do notice that two 1960 and two '61 Guilds have 1 11/16" nuts over very comfortable necks......don't know if this is happenstance or by design going into the 60's.

I think the CE-100 is an especially underrated, comfortable and versatile guitar. The move to the slightly shallower bodies on the full depth guitars was a good one in my opinion. These stand nicely apart from Gibson's ES-175, as does the X-50 from the ES-125.

The small hollow bodied M-65 Freshman and M-75 Aristocrat models are a blast to play........and quite unique for the times contrary to the often stated influence of the Les Paul guitar.

I find some variability in the Franz pickups due to age, manufacturing and possibly by intent.
But I've never had a bad one.......they all please for different reasons if you have wide ranging ears.

Decomposing binding on the otherwise great later 50's Guilds sometimes can give one fits and it seems during that period that a few batches had some finish adhesion problems.

After reviewing all the above its obvious that I can't narrow down the best year or years.....
Lets say that the first decade was very impressive!

ziz

 

[littlesongs]

Ziz, that was a really fantastic summary. As you wisely pointed out, there are a multitude of subtle and not so subtle changes over time.

Frank, if someone falls madly in love with the way one model plays, there is no guarantee that an older or newer instrument is going to feel exactly the same as the one in their hands. This does not mean that Guild was wildly inconsistent day to day, it is just indicative of the evolution of each design. From what I've gathered from Hans, Walter and others, this becomes even more true when discussing the evolution of full sized models from the first decade into the second and third decades.

As someone who was so taken by the playability of one instrument that another with a nearby serial number was quickly found, I can verify that Guild was quite consistent in close batches. Both '63 T100s are the same dimensions from the nut width and neck profile to the body depth and radius of the cutaway. The gorgeous sunburst finishes by Fred Augusto are so similar that they would be impossible to tell apart if not for five decades of age and wear. Even charming idiosyncrasies in handmade details like the lines in the Chesterfield and dots in the fretboard are identical on both instruments.

I would also add that incredibly cool guitars came and went with each decade of Guild history too. The original M-75 Aristocrat is among the most sought after classics from the first ten years of production, but was gone in '63. On the other hand, the DE-500 Duane Eddy is also an iconic instrument, but it was not widely seen before '63. The signature sounds of Starfires with DeArmonds and CE-100s with Franz pickups changed when they both got mini-humbuckers in '63. The Guild line had said goodbye to the Franz pickup and the liptop headstock by the end of that year too. By '73, the budget hollowbodies were gone, but the line still boasted a fine range of models for professionals.

Folks here love Guild instruments from '53 to '77 and all the way to the beginning of this young century. Guitars made in New York City, Hoboken, Westerly and Corona all have dedicated players. It could be argued that there is a "perfect era" of the "perfect model" for everyone who wants a Guild, one just has to explore until they find it. Treem is a fine example. He was delighted with his '66 Starfire IV, but that doggone volute messed with a long ago injured thumb. So, he found himself a '74 SF-IV and was so happy that he celebrated by finding a '74 SF-VI to keep it company. Choosing the best period of production is a very personal thing, because there really isn't a "bad era" to avoid. It really boils down to how it feels in your hands and sounds to your ears.

 

[FrankGrace]

Thank you gentlemen for your insightful responses. I'm just enjoying this journey so much as I explore Guild archtops. Your comments are valuable. Haven't had a chance to play anything vintage with DeArmond pickups yet. That is on my to do list. The many variations on models I find intriguing as you never know what you are going to find out there! The only troubling issue for me is the binding on vintage era Guild archtops. It seems like many of the guitars for sale have loose binding issues. Thanks for your input
Best, Frank

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

I'm a sucker for '66 to '68 'Bursts!

 

[Ravon]

Mercy :shock:!

 

[john_kidder]

That's a nice rack of guitars, Steve:

• 1957 Johnny Smith Artist
  1958 A-350 Stratford
  1966 Starfire III
  1969 Artist Award
  1978 Artist Award
  2004 Guild/Benedetto Signature Johnny Smith
  2005 Guild/Benedetto Signature X-700 Stuart double
  2007 Guild Tacoma made F47R

Of my much less distinguished bunch of archtops, I like best my '53 X50 and '61 A500. Very different guitars - the A500 lends itself to swing tunes, great acoustic tone and projection, runs perfectly through my Thunderbird amp. The X50 is the intimate finger style blues guitar for my taste. Other, better, players love the (modded with PAF pickups) '54 (or so) X400, the '53 X350 has great tone, huge fun to play, but it feels like more guitar than I want around my neck. The '53 X100 is pretty plain-jane, not much acoustic tonality, and could use a bridge pickup to get out of the mids. I have a '53 X175 on the way, which should fix that issue.

I guess I just like the early guitars, in part for the sense I get of those old Epiphone guys working away in a brand new shop, putting their best efforts in without (I surmise) the capital, tools, jigs and stock of supplies and parts they were used to - I've always been a new venture guy, myself, and I like to feel connected to the same spirit in my guitars.

 

[Steve Hoffman]

Nice post, John.

I understand exactly where you are coming from..

 

[FrankGrace]

Nice guitars everyone!

John, you are spot on with the alluring image of those early days of production. We are so lucky to get to play these wonderful instruments some 50-60 years later.

 

[Walter Broes]

"Best" is always relative and subjective with something like guitars, isn't it? I think it's more of a "what feature set do you like?" kind of thing. Especially with Guilds, compared to a couple of other guitar companies, because they never really had a universally-agreed-on dip in quality.

for the things I do, in a "one guitar, no keyboards" band setting, I loved my '62 X175 SO much I've looked for an identical one for years, and I eventually found one. My first one has a slightly slimmer neck and bigger neck angle, but otherwise the guitars really are the same, and I've had moments where I was forgetting which one out of the two I was playing.

If the band gets bigger, and there's rhythm guitar, and or keyboards, or more, the big, deep 17-inchers that the X175's are, are a little too big and bassy sounding, and don't always cut through like I want them to, so if something like that presents itself, I'll grab my '61 Starfire with DeArmonds. The smaller, thinner body makes for a lot less bass content in the sound, and the DeArmonds are loud, trebly, and agressive, and sit better in a bigger mix than my other Guilds.