Nostalgia: Teenage guitar

[Larry Esposito]

Hi Guys,

I just joined the forum.

I used to own a guild solid body electric when I was about 17 or 18. I pawned it to get money for a motorcycle when I was about 21. :x

I would love to find one again, or at least know what it was. I can't find anything on google images or here that really looks exactly like it. This is what I remember:

I most likely purchased it new btw 1983 and 1986
It was a strat shape but the cutouts were more pronounced
It was an electric blue color with a rosewood fretboard
2 EMG humbuckers
Floyd Rose Tremolo

It could have been the Detonator model, but when I saw pictures of it, it didn't make me convinced that was it.

Thanks,

Larry

 

[killdeer43]

Welcome to the clubhouse, Larry.
Someone will be along shortly to answer questions you haven't even thought of asking, yet. :wink:

Stay in tune,
Joe

 

[hideglue]

Liberator?

 

[Larry Esposito]

Thanks for the welcome...

It did look the the Liberator, the image I see of one had a battery, mine did not. I remember it cost about 500 dollars back in the mid eighties when I brought it...

 

[fronobulax]

Welcome.

Look like any of these?
*snicker*

Liberator or Detonator would be my guess. There are variations on both so getting the body shape right might lead to a model with the details you recall.

 

[Larry Esposito]

Damn...Are those all yours? That is an amazing collection!

The more I see the Liberator, the more I think it must be that model. My memory is so fuzzy from that period. I could swear there was no middle pickup, but I could be wrong. I want to say it had a five way toggle...where there any models with coil tapping?

What is the general consesus on Guild electrics? Are they good guitars? I don't see much written about them and they seem to only sell acustics now. What does a Liberator go for now?

The motorcycle was short lived..not for me. I brought a used American Fender Strat a year later. I've been playing a whole bunch lately and recently picked up an Ibanez JS1000.

 

[Thunderface]

Damn...Are those all yours? That is an amazing collection!

The more I see the Liberator, the more I think it must be that model. My memory is so fuzzy from that period. I could swear there was no middle pickup, but I could be wrong. I want to say it had a five way toggle...where there any models with coil tapping?

What is the general consesus on Guild electrics? Are they good guitars? I don't see much written about them and they seem to only sell acustics now. What does a Liberator go for now?

The motorcycle was short lived..not for me. I brought a used American Fender Strat a year later. I've been playing a whole bunch lately and recently picked up an Ibanez JS1000.

The collection in question belongs to our own Guilds of Grot. He's got 97 Guilds and counting....

The consensus onf Guild electrics is that they are great, vastly underrated and underappreciated, except by us. The king of the solidbodies, if you go by this Forum, is the 1970-77 Guild S-100, in any of its three incarations (Standard, Carved, Deluxe). But there's a lot of other Guild solidbodies that are definitely worth checking out. While my own collection is a fraction of Grot's, I have managed to obtain a dozen solidbodies (to see them, click on the photo by my signature below.

 

[fronobulax]

Damn...Are those all yours? That is an amazing collection!

The more I see the Liberator, the more I think it must be that model. My memory is so fuzzy from that period. I could swear there was no middle pickup, but I could be wrong. I want to say it had a five way toggle...where there any models with coil tapping?

What is the general consesus on Guild electrics? Are they good guitars? I don't see much written about them and they seem to only sell acustics now. What does a Liberator go for now?

The motorcycle was short lived..not for me. I brought a used American Fender Strat a year later. I've been playing a whole bunch lately and recently picked up an Ibanez JS1000.

The site I linked to shows part of the collection of LTG Member The Guilds of Grot. Ask him about Pilot basses. No comments about why your memories might be fuzzy :wink: but just think what it might be like for folks who were 18 in the '60's. Guild electrics are generally well thought of. The S-100, Starfire and Bluesbird especially seem to have a devoted and vocal following. See this forum. Guild may reissue electrics at some point in the future but they are not doing so now. My opinion, and some folks here will agree with me, is that Guild is trying to re-establish the brand and is focused on the acoustics until that happens. Don't see too many folks selling Liberators so I have no idea of value. I don't know what Guild electric I'd tell a Strat player to look out for and try but I'm sure there is a Guild with your name on it.

 

[jte]

I was a Guild dealer from '77-'88. My recollection is that the Liberator, Aviator, etc. were available in several pickup combinations, with either passive or active pickups. So, if it had the EMG PUPs, it'd have the battery compartment, but if it had the Schaller or DiMarzio PUPs, there wasn't one. Plus they were available with S/S/H, two 'buckers, and I think a H/S/H arrangement too.

GREAT guitars, and SOOOOOOOO much better than the plywood import Kramers that were hot at the time. But the Kramers sold better, primarily because at that time you could put Eddie Van Halen's picture on a sack of dog turds and kids would buy it...

John

 

[Thunderface]

Larry,

I couldn't help myself, but with your last name, my thoughts immediately went to potential avatars ...

By the way, I'm partial to the red Tony Esposito Blackhawks jersey.

 

[fronobulax]

at that time you could put Eddie Van Halen's picture on a sack of dog turds and kids would buy it...

Set it on fire on someone else's front porch and emulate Hendrix...

 

[Thunderface]

Wow, that was fast. Nice avatar! I hope you didn't pick that particular one just for me. 8)

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Let's see if we can help you out with a "side-by-side" comparision.

Liberator Elite;

Detonator;

Aviator;

As jte said, there were all kinds of pick-ups, and pick-up combinations available so your guitar may differ then that shown!

 

[Thunderface]

Love the fretboard inlays on that Liberator Elite.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Love the fretboard inlays on that Liberator Elite.

I bet when they first saw the design in the fretboard department they didn't love it! :lol:

Probably went something like "Who's great f*cking idea is this?" :evil:

 

[Larry Esposito]

Thanks guys for the info.


fronobulax - I didn't want to say it, but that is exactly why I can't remember! :lol:

jte - I'm glad it was not just Nostagia. I loved that gutiar. I will have to keep an eye on the FS/FT section.

The Guilds of Grot - Thanks for the pics! I think it was the Aviator. Defenitely was that color. I know it just said Guild on the headstock. My memory is bad, but I think I would have remembered a model name..that is why I didn't know the model, it never was written anywhere obvious on the guitar. The only other difference, is that mine had the big fat platic humbucker covers that said EMG on them. That is the shape though...not quite a strat shape. It must be that one! Are these hard to find?

Thunderface - Yep, just for you...you like? Thanks for the pic and the idea.

A funny story for you:

Back when I was a wee lad, my Dad call's up a motel in New Hampshire to make a reservation.
His name is Tony..but he knows nothing about hockey. Of course, NH is hockey land...The guy on the phone says "THE" Tony Esposito". My dad says "Yeah", thinking WTH is wrong with this guy? Poor guy was majorly disappointed when my Dad showed up. It was Tony Esposito the hunter, not the hockey player.

 

[Thunderface]

Your dad should have milked that one for all it was worth. And yeah, I do like the choice. Glad I could be of help. For some reason, whenever I think of the traditional goalie number, Esposito's No. 35 immediately comes to mind. Just like with I think of a classic pitcher's number, Tom Seaver's No. 41 comes to mind.

 

[GAD]

Let's see if we can help you out with a "side-by-side" comparision.

Liberator Elite;

I want this guitar. You want to sell it to me. You know you do. Is this working?

 

[Thunderface]

On an ordinary man, perhaps. But on a man such as Grot, I'm guessing .... not. :?

 

[fronobulax]

I want this guitar. You want to sell it to me. You know you do. Is this working?

No. If it did, this would probably be a few hundred miles south of its current location.