Guild S4CE Thin Body Acoustic Electric

[GuildGuy1959]

Hi Everyone,

I collect Guild Songbird, S4xx and GX thin body acoustic-electric guitars. I found a listing on Reverb that I do not completely understand. The listing is out of Japan from a highly recommended store.

Guild S4CE CS (S/N:CXR000115) [01/22] | Reverb

Just Arrival ! ! Please contact us for details. *We try to delete product information as quickly as possible, but it is not always possible in real time, so please accept our apologies if the product is sold out when you place your order.*** The shipping cost to most countries is included in ...

reverb.com

All of my S4xx are out of Westerly, RI, not Corona, California. Even the Serial Number sequence seems off with a "CXR" prefix. None of my Songbirds or S4xx guitars have those serial numbers. Also, I see the battery compartment on the back of the guitar, but none of the pictures show the controls (volume, tone, etc). Any experts out there that can help me with my guitar questions?

There was a previous thread on LTG previously that has been abandoned for about 18 months. It is included as a reference.

Guild S4BG Barry Gibb rarity?

Hey folks, I’m thinking about moving along a red S4BG and this model/colour seems to be pretty rare I’m guessing? I’m having a hard time finding comparables in this combination and the couple I did locate on reverb or the like had some outrageous prices. This seemed like a place that might be a...

letstalkguild.com

Thanks
Dean

 

[davismanLV]

Dean, I can't answer your questions. This is the first I've seen of a Corona one. It sure is pretty though. What a clean and beautiful guitar. Maybe passive pickup that needs a preamp?? I don't know. I'm lost. I'm sure help is on the way.....

 

[GuildGuy1959]

Dean, I can't answer your questions. This is the first I've seen of a Corona one. It sure is pretty though. What a clean and beautiful guitar. Maybe passive pickup that needs a preamp?? I don't know. I'm lost. I'm sure help is on the way.....

Thanks Tom. I am hoping that someone on this forum has some info.

Thanks
Dean

 

[hansmoust]

Hi Everyone,

I collect Guild Songbird, S4xx and GX thin body acoustic-electric guitars. I found a listing on Reverb that I do not completely understand.

Hello Dean,

Welcome! That one was an exclusive for the Japanese market. Kind of a dressed-down, simplified version of the earlier S4CE.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Nuuska]

Since there is battery it is active - no need for separate preamp.

 

[HeyMikey]

It sure is a nice looking guitar. Very clean.

 

[Westerly Wood]

I just think it cool that you collect these. What a niche to be a purveyor of...I appreciate your target focus.

"I collect Guild Songbird, S4xx and GX thin body acoustic-electric guitars".

 

[apalert]

I'm the guy bought this guitar and so pleased I did.

Awesome neck and fretboard allowed me to get a very low action. 43mm nut a little narrow for fingerpicking so I tune to D and use capo a lot to get around that.

Mostly gig standing up and the thin body makes fingerpicking so much easier.

Can't figure what the pickup is but it's an undersaddle piezo type, active but no vol/tone controls. Sounds pretty darn good plugged in.

Love to buy another for alternative tunings

 

[SFIV1967]

I'm the guy bought this guitar

Congratulations and welcome to LTG!
That is a wonderful example you bought, I actually had to post the picture again!

Is that a satin top on a gloss body and neck?
Also, how was your experience with buying from Japan?

The pickup is an active Fishman piezo pickup with 9V battery.



That red one with S/N 195 also had a Japanese warranty card:

GUILD S4CE Songbird RED | Reverb

Product Details ____________________ [Store Product Code: INS_180421_00014] Make / Model: GUILD / S4CE Songbird RED Finish: red Condition:. Very Good No problems with normal use Year: 2010's top plate Material: Spruce side plate Material: mahogany back plate ...

reverb.com

This metallic blue one seems to also belong to that run:

GUILD／S4CE Songbird／中古／¥158000／状態：A

青系／ミュージックショップマーチ／／コンパクト　ボディ ＵＳＡ製ギルドの エレアコ

www.digimart.net

And S/N 170:

GUILD S-4CE (Blue) - ドルフィンギターズ

www.dolphin-gt.co.jp

And a natural one (S/N 157) that also was at Ishibashi:

https://hi-in.facebook.com/373560276014804/posts/2748051485232326/

Ralf

 

[apalert]

Thanks, good to know it is a Fishman P/U, probably no point in looking to upgrade. I'd say it was satin all over but the back of the neck is a bit shiny from a modest amount of playing.

The import from Japan into Australia went well. Not my first time and they always come through ok. The only unfortunate bit was the seller used DHL who seem savage on import costs, in fact I think they straight out gouge on that. So there was several hundred $ more to pay at this end for import duty, GST and "processing fees". When sellers use Express Post (EMS) they usually come through with no extra charges at all.

 

[SFIV1967]

So there was several hundred $ more to pay at this end for import duty, GST and "processing fees".

I know this very well...same here in Germany when receiving something from the US...
Ralf

 

[Tom_S]

Hi Everyone,

I collect Guild Songbird, S4xx and GX thin body acoustic-electric guitars. I found a listing on Reverb that I do not completely understand. The listing is out of Japan from a highly recommended store.

Guild S4CE CS (S/N:CXR000115) [01/22] | Reverb

Just Arrival ! ! Please contact us for details. *We try to delete product information as quickly as possible, but it is not always possible in real time, so please accept our apologies if the product is sold out when you place your order.*** The shipping cost to most countries is included in ...

reverb.com

All of my S4xx are out of Westerly, RI, not Corona, California. Even the Serial Number sequence seems off with a "CXR" prefix. None of my Songbirds or S4xx guitars have those serial numbers. Also, I see the battery compartment on the back of the guitar, but none of the pictures show the controls (volume, tone, etc). Any experts out there that can help me with my guitar questions?

There was a previous thread on LTG previously that has been abandoned for about 18 months. It is included as a reference.

Guild S4BG Barry Gibb rarity?

Hey folks, I’m thinking about moving along a red S4BG and this model/colour seems to be pretty rare I’m guessing? I’m having a hard time finding comparables in this combination and the couple I did locate on reverb or the like had some outrageous prices. This seemed like a place that might be a...

letstalkguild.com

Thanks
Dean

I have an S4CE-NT made in Westerly which has the battery compartment in the same location as the one you pictured. Pickup is a Fishman rig with the controls on the top of the upper bout. 4 EQ sliders, phase switch and volume control + a low battery led.

A useful bit of trivia...Over the 20+ years I've owned it, I tried various strings/gauges trying to get the best sound out of this guitar. I recently learned that these guitars shipped with Extra-Light strings (.010-.047). These improved the sound tremendously. Heavier gauges put too much energy into the top, causing a kind of compression. The lighter strings really opened up the sound yet don't sound wimpy as they would on a dreadnaught or other large body guitar. No time to take any pix right now, but maybe in a week or 2 if there are any requests.

 

[walrus]

Welcome, Tom! We always like pics!

walrus

 

[mavuser]

Axl Rose from Guns N Roses played (still plays?) one of those. they appear to be leftover Westerly skinny songbird bodies, from when they switched from the two knobs to the barn door fishman eq, and had to make the guitar deeper to accomodate that. So then in Corona they went back to the leftover stash of skinny bodies, but had to use an active piezio without control knobs, since the barn door didn't fit, and the 2 knob system was outdated or not availlable at the time, or both (I never found those 2 control knobs to do much anyway. Any acoustic electric would benefit from a true external preamp).

Of course this is all pure speculation. It is possible they were built in Corona. Axl Rose definitley played one live.

 

[mavuser]

here is a pic of Axl Rose w the Corona Songbird:

and check out this thread for extensive info on this model, and some similar Guilds. also our members @cupric and @grmps are big Songbird/GX guys. one of them may even have one to sell.

happy reading:

The difference between models

Hello, I'm looking for specs on the Songbird and the SB-BK. I've exhausted google search and can't find much. I'm really interested in purchasing a Songbird. I really like how thin they are... but I've run into problems trying to track them down... Some websites are selling "SB-BK" models and...

letstalkguild.com