Please help identify

[Snoopycaster]

I'm trying to track down an unusual old Guild solidbody from our high school days. It was marked as a Guild S-300, but it was quite different from the rest of the 300's: it had a smaller body, black, with a white pickguard that covered most of the body. And it did not have the double octave neck, which was fine. Large rectangular inlays on the fretboard, with the full handsome Guild headstock. Two standard humbuckers, four knobs, 3 way switch, and phase switch too. Great sound, with a wide variety of tones, and it played like a dream. I let myself get talked into loaning it to younger family members, and they turned it into firewood. Never saw another one like it since. Maybe it was a fake, but any clue about it would be greatly appreciated. This was the only photo I could find. Many thanks in advance!

 

[GAD]

X80 maybe?

 

[GAD]

 

[Snoopycaster]

Hi GAD, we appreciate it, but I don't think that's it. You have a great site for Guilds. Thanks!

 

[GAD]

The shape of the upper horn doesn’t look like an S300, and S300s don’t have block inlays and neck binding. One of the only S400s I’ve seen has a bound neck but not blocks, but that really doesn’t look like one.

It could just be the angle but that top horn really looks like the shape of the X80, though I don’t recall seeing one with a pick guard like that, either.

 

[GAD]

No other photos?

 

[wileypickett]

3 X 3 tuner headstock, not 6 in line.

 

[jp]

Maybe it's was an S250 or S275 with a custom pickguard? It has a somewhat pointy upper horn, the 3x3 tuners and came in 80s "brown sunburst guitar" brown.

Guild S250

Or better yet, it could be an S-60! They have the pickguard extending up into the upper horn.

 

[Snoopycaster]

No other photos?

That's all I could find. It was the late 70's/ early 80's.

 

[Snoopycaster]

3 X 3 tuner headstock, not 6 in line.

Maybe it's was an S250 or S275 with a custom pickguard? It has a somewhat pointy upper horn, the 3x3 tuners and came in 80s "brown sunburst guitar" brown.

Guild S250

Or better yet, it could be an S-60! They have the pickguard extending up into the upper horn.

Hi JP, the body had the same basic shape as the S-60, but smaller. I remember those. If it was a mod, someone did an incredible job.

 

[Snoopycaster]

Hey group, here's what I was able to bash quickly together in Photoshop. I think it's pretty close. It had a pickguard like the S-60D, and the body was like the S-300, but smaller. I appreciate all the help.

 

[hansmoust]

I'm trying to track down an unusual old Guild solidbody from our high school days. It was marked as a Guild S-300, but it was quite different from the rest of the 300's: it had a smaller body, black, with a white pickguard that covered most of the body. And it did not have the double octave neck, which was fine. Large rectangular inlays on the fretboard, with the full handsome Guild headstock. Two standard humbuckers, four knobs, 3 way switch, and phase switch too. Great sound, with a wide variety of tones, and it played like a dream. I let myself get talked into loaning it to younger family members, and they turned it into firewood. Never saw another one like it since. Maybe it was a fake, but any clue about it would be greatly appreciated. This was the only photo I could find. Many thanks in advance!

Hello Snoopycaster,

Welcome! What you had was one of the prototypes for the Guild S-300 that was done earlier in the year 1976, before the S-300 got its final shape. Only a few were made so good luck finding one of those.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Nuuska]

A prototype - turned into firewood by younger family members - OUCH !!!

 

[GAD]

Oh mama!

@Snoopycaster, if you're not familiar, @hansmoust literally wrote the book on Guild guitars. He's not often wrong, and when it comes to stuff like this, you can consider it fact.

 

[GGJaguar]

S-300 prototype. Firewood. Wow!

 

[Snoopycaster]

Hello Snoopycaster,

Welcome! What you had was one of the prototypes for the Guild S-300 that was done earlier in the year 1976, before the S-300 got its final shape. Only a few were made so good luck finding one of those.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Whoa. Well, thank you Hans Moust. I guess it belongs to the ages now.

 

[SFIV1967]

@GAD: Now that all makes more sense! So that was the missing iteration between the 50603 and the S-300! Guess that prototype was a screw on neck as well. One piece of the puzzle after another...

Ralf

 

[hansmoust]

Guess that prototype was a screw on neck as well.

Well, you guessed wrong!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Snoopycaster]

S-300 prototype. Firewood. Wow!

The guitar was passed around like some cheap toy, and I had moved out of state. My fault for not keeping closer tabs on it. When I came back some years later, I asked about the Guild. It was just gone.

 

[Snoopycaster]

@GAD: Now that all makes more sense! That was a step by step iteration towards the S-300! Guess that prototype was a screw on neck as well. One piece of the puzzle after another...



Ralf

That S-300 had a glue on neck. It starting warping before we bought it. We were still new to buying serious instruments.