Mystery Guild (to me, anyway...)

[The Guild]

Hey guys - Noobie here, been lurking for awhile and finally decided to join in!.. I have a Guild 80's shredder-type solidbody electric that I've had for a few years now (sold to me cheap from our drummer at the time). Anyway, I've been told it could be anything from an S280, to an Aviator, etc. Can anybody here correctly identify this Guild for me? It's made in USA, EMG active pickups, Grover tuners, rosewood or ebony board, and a Kahler locking trem system.

The guitar plays and sounds great - fantastic action.

Anyone know the model? Thanks!

 

[killdeer43]

Welcome to the forum!
Those with the answers to your query will be along shortly so stay loose and hang out.
You'll like it here so stay in tune. :wink:

Joe

 

[The Guild]

Welcome to the forum!
Those with the answers to your query will be along shortly so stay loose and hang out.
You'll like it here so stay in tune. :wink:

Joe

Thanks, Joe! Looking forward to hearing the comments!

 

[Dr. Spivey]

Is that some variant of an Aviator? I don't know. Our member The Guilds of Grot is an expert on the pointy headstock electrics. You could PM him.

Welcome to LTG, amigo.

 

[The Guild]

Is that some variant of an Aviator? I don't know. Our member The Guilds of Grot is an expert on the pointy headstock electrics. You could PM him.

Welcome to LTG, amigo.

Yeah, Doc, I was thinking it was maybe an Aviator, but somebody told me they didn't think it was, so I don't actually know.. It looks close to an Aviator, but not exactly.. In fact, I can't find any other Guild electric that looks exactly like it (some are close..), but maybe The Guilds of Grot knows, as you said..

Somebody also thought it might be a prototype - with mine being the only one made - but I somehow doubt that, but who knows?...

Thanks for the welcome!

 

[tonepoet]

The serial # on the back the the headstock will tell you. Google "Guild serial numbers" and match it to the list.

Aviators weren't that body shape but had a similar neck and headstock.

Have fun,
tonepoet

 

[fronobulax]

Somebody also thought it might be a prototype - with mine being the only one made - but I somehow doubt that, but who knows?...

Thanks for the welcome!

Given the number of times the Guild factory made and sold guitars that did not match any catalog specs (but used up available material) I suspect the traditional concept of "prototype" does not really apply to Guild.

In the absence of definitive commentary from Hans or Grot, I note the similarities between your guitar and the one threaded here. That concludes that is a Guild S284 "Aviator". Searching for that turns up images that superficially look like your guitar, at least to me.

 

[killdeer43]

Looks like the same bedspread, anyway. :wink:

Joe

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

See here! (Read down aways)

 

[Thunderface]

Welcome to the madness, TG. Nice Guild you got there.

 

[The Guild]

Somebody also thought it might be a prototype - with mine being the only one made - but I somehow doubt that, but who knows?...

Thanks for the welcome!

Given the number of times the Guild factory made and sold guitars that did not match any catalog specs (but used up available material) I suspect the traditional concept of "prototype" does not really apply to Guild.

In the absence of definitive commentary from Hans or Grot, I note the similarities between your guitar and the one threaded here. That concludes that is a Guild S284 "Aviator". Searching for that turns up images that superficially look like your guitar, at least to me.

Yep, that is my post on Strat-Talk, frono! ~ I asked the same question there a while back re this Guild. (Nobody had a definitive answer if I remember correctly..) I had done a little net research and concluded at the time that it was an S284 Aviator, but later I changed my mind about that.. So I'm still not sure of the model, but your info here on some Guilds not matching catalog specs sounds right..

 

[The Guild]

Looks like the same bedspread, anyway. :wink:

Joe

Yeah, Joe, you got that one right! That was me alright! That bedspread is hard to miss... ha

I posted the same question on Strat-Talk on their "Strat-Style Guitars" forum a while back - no definitive answer, if I remember correctly..

 

[fronobulax]

Yep, that is my post on Strat-Talk, frono!

You think I would have noticed

That being the case, maybe Hans should be PM'd and asked to chime in.

 

[The Guild]

Welcome to the madness, TG. Nice Guild you got there.

Thanks, Thunder - It's a player, that's for sure! I got it for almost nothing - it was our drummer's, and he didn't like it for some reason.. (I think he thought it was too "pointy-headstock 80's" to be honest...)

And of course, it is... 8)

 

[The Guild]

Yep, that is my post on Strat-Talk, frono!

You think I would have noticed

That being the case, maybe Hans should be PM'd and asked to chime in.

Hans (?) did PM me asking about the serial # - which is partly obscured by the tuners in back (What's up with that??...) - but I did give him a partial (what I could read). Haven't heard back from him as of yet.

 

[The Guild]

See here! (Read down aways)

Boy, that red one looks VERY close to mine, but not exactly 100% - the horn curves look slightly off - at least to my eyes, but maybe it is the same model... Wonder what model name/number that red one is??...

 

[The Guild]

The serial # on the back the the headstock will tell you. Google "Guild serial numbers" and match it to the list.

Aviators weren't that body shape but had a similar neck and headstock.

Have fun,
tonepoet

The serial # is partly obscured by the placement of the tuner machines on the back of the headstock. However, most of the numbers are visible - 2 or 3 numbers are obscured. This sounds odd, but that's the way it is.. I suppose I could remove a couple of the tuners and get the full serial # (if they are still visible), but I haven't done that. I don't know if somebody added these Grovers to the guitar later, or if the guitar came this way from the factory.. (The guy I bought it from had also bought it used..)

 

[GuildFS4612CE]

Hans wrote the book. Literally. :wink:

The only way you're going to get your definitive answer is to 'unobscure' that serial number.

Perhaps you can just loosen the screws on the tuners and peep under there and send the info to Hans.

 

[The Guild]

Hans wrote the book. Literally. :wink:

The only way you're going to get your definitive answer is to 'unobscure' that serial number.

Perhaps you can just loosen the screws on the tuners and peep under there and send the info to Hans.

I guess I'll have to do that then if I really want to find out the model of this one.. Seems like he's the man.
I just hope that if I do that, the tuner screws haven't "obliterated" the numbers, but I guess if that's the case, then I can just screw them back in and then just forget about identifying this baby..

Didn't know it would be so difficult to find the exact model of this one... :?:

 

[killdeer43]

Didn't know it would be so difficult to find the exact model of this one... :?:

Patience, Grasshopper! 8)

Joe