DjangoLang19
Junior Member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2022
- Messages
- 72
- Reaction score
- 259
- Guild Total
- 1
Hey everyone,
I was at the Philly guitar show this weekend and found a Guild X-500 from what the seller told me was 1959. I picked it up and it played pretty well. Plugged it in and it sounded great. It has the DeArmond pickups on it that @hansmoust great book on Guild guitars call a rare variant. The sound is really cool and authentic to vintage tone on records. The neck pickup is really sweet and round and the bridge pickup has had that twangy tone and the two together, it's something else, just amazing sounds. They are the same pickups on Carl Kess' X-500 for example. It's not without it's issues though and luckily I paid a price that I believe was according to it's condition. Firstly there was a headstock break that was repaired kind of ugly but it seems to be structurally sound. To my ears the intonation is good and it plays all the way up and down the neck with a really nice acoustic sound with no dead spots. It definitely needs a setup and probably a light fret dressing but right now it plays and the neck angle is good and bridge height is sufficient for downward pressure on the top. I'm sure I will be bringing it to my luthier soon for a checkup just to be sure. Next issue is that whoever did the work painted a stinger on the back of the headstock and concealed the serial number stamp and the ghost label that is in great condition has no model or serial number on it (at least that I can read). The tuners were replaced with Grovers and the pickup knobs seem to be replacements, they are gold knobs with knurling. The engraved harp tailpiece looks amazing. I think the pickguard is a replacement. The cutouts don't match the pickups. I think these type of DeArmonds got the plain black pickguard with no detail or brand name. No cracks in the body to speak of but the binding has shrunk a bit in some spots. Another thing I've noticed was that it has a slimmer body depth than from most X 500s from what I understand. It has a body depth of just a hair under 3 inches. It's very comfortable. My 77' Artist Award I think is 3.5" deep and not as comfortable because of that extra half inch lol. Not sure if this is rare for this guitar in this year please let me know if I'm wrong lol. Overall I really like it. Its a keeper for sure. Thanks everyone, any info on this guitar would be great.
Thank you,
Adam
I was at the Philly guitar show this weekend and found a Guild X-500 from what the seller told me was 1959. I picked it up and it played pretty well. Plugged it in and it sounded great. It has the DeArmond pickups on it that @hansmoust great book on Guild guitars call a rare variant. The sound is really cool and authentic to vintage tone on records. The neck pickup is really sweet and round and the bridge pickup has had that twangy tone and the two together, it's something else, just amazing sounds. They are the same pickups on Carl Kess' X-500 for example. It's not without it's issues though and luckily I paid a price that I believe was according to it's condition. Firstly there was a headstock break that was repaired kind of ugly but it seems to be structurally sound. To my ears the intonation is good and it plays all the way up and down the neck with a really nice acoustic sound with no dead spots. It definitely needs a setup and probably a light fret dressing but right now it plays and the neck angle is good and bridge height is sufficient for downward pressure on the top. I'm sure I will be bringing it to my luthier soon for a checkup just to be sure. Next issue is that whoever did the work painted a stinger on the back of the headstock and concealed the serial number stamp and the ghost label that is in great condition has no model or serial number on it (at least that I can read). The tuners were replaced with Grovers and the pickup knobs seem to be replacements, they are gold knobs with knurling. The engraved harp tailpiece looks amazing. I think the pickguard is a replacement. The cutouts don't match the pickups. I think these type of DeArmonds got the plain black pickguard with no detail or brand name. No cracks in the body to speak of but the binding has shrunk a bit in some spots. Another thing I've noticed was that it has a slimmer body depth than from most X 500s from what I understand. It has a body depth of just a hair under 3 inches. It's very comfortable. My 77' Artist Award I think is 3.5" deep and not as comfortable because of that extra half inch lol. Not sure if this is rare for this guitar in this year please let me know if I'm wrong lol. Overall I really like it. Its a keeper for sure. Thanks everyone, any info on this guitar would be great.
Thank you,
Adam
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