cestlamort
Junior Member
This a bit of a longwinded story, but Monday was an unusual day. And a disappointing one.
I've had a 60s Starfire for 18 or so years now, buying it with some graduation money as my first "real" guitar. Others have come and gone (70s Gretsch, various Fenders, random junkers) and I recently returned to playing the Guild as my main guitar. It does feedback a bit at the volumes we play. Maybe time to look for a SFIV. Keep an eye out on craigslist, guitar stores, pawn shops. Something might turn up.
And something did.
I found a Tennessee Orange 90s Guild X-170-T at a chain pawn shop near my house. Normally, they might have a Peavey or some Mexican Fenders. Maybe an ESP pointy guitar. But a USA Guild?! There were some issues (such as the bridge nearly touching the bigsby/guildsby, upside down truss rod cover), but nothing a good setup and cleanup couldn't fix. It was cheap. Maybe the pawn shop had looked up the pricing for the DeArmond equivalent and priced the Guild accordingly. (It reminded me of the pre-internet era in some ways.) Needless to say, I was really excited and bought it.
New guitar day! I put on new strings and set up the guitar (learning how to deal with the floating bridge -- my Starfire's must be tacked/taped down, it seems, as it doesn't move), and played it a bunch at home. A truly lovely guitar and a joy to play (Guild -> Roland RE201 space echo -> old Fender Bronco/Vibro champ = lovely). I had to admit, though, that it was a bit strange playing a guitar in such nice shape (not a scratch on it!) and I worried that it probably would need to be babied when playing out, if it could be taken out at all. I'd hate to be the first to scar it, and I've never had a new (or even new condition) guitar. Additionally, I am not really a fan of gold hardware, in general, although I know some people flip for it. However cool it is, maybe this wasn't the guitar for me (not the first time that's happened). I gave it a lot of thought over a few weeks and made a tough call. I had been considering trying to track down a Starfire IV or V, and figured that this would be a good jump start to that process.
I listed it on craigslist and fielded the normal sort of questions and random trade offers over a week or so, eventually talking with a nice guy, John, who was looking for a Gretsch or a Guild. We ended up meeting Monday morning and I had a really nice chat with him, one of the friendlier deals I've done on craigslist.
I soon got a call from my wife (who was at home, thanks to the holiday), asking whether I'd already sold the guitar. (?!) The police had come by our house around noon and were looking for the Guild. It turns out that the Guild (as part of an entire collection) had been stolen in Eastern Washington last year and the info had just trickled through the system. I'd sold it maybe an hour before they came by. Nice timing, to say the least.
A few calls later (and some panic, as this wasn't a pleasant situation: "Uh, hey... that guitar you just bought... well, I have some bad news..." ), the buyer was extremely understanding and immediately agreed to help to set things right. I drove to meet him and we undid the sale. We both agreed that it was just terrible that someone had all his guitars stolen and we were happy to help it get back to its owner.
I then took the guitar to the police station, where it is now waiting for its original owner. I asked whether I could put a note in with the guitar, expressing that I was glad to see it get back home, but the officer said it would probably not make it through the evidence process, so I didn't. This post here is, in a way, that note.
Conclusions:
As the first 90s Guild I've played (well, since the 90s), the X170T is a fantastic guitar. Lovely neck, resonant, very warm and clear. Personally, I will always take chrome over gold, but that is just a taste thing. I didn't check whether the pickups were pseudo-HB1's or Duncans. They sounded good in either case.
Obviously, it's disappointing that it didn't work out. John (the buyer) had a whirlwind two hours of Guild ownership. But the original owner is getting his guitar back. And that should be the most important thing. It is also encouraging that, on some level, the system did work as it should. (I'm waiting for the paperwork to go through to complete the process.)
I'm not sure what I could have/should have done differently (or if I should even ask myself that question). We all buy used guitars and there is some level of trust involved. We have to assume that the store has done due diligence for the guitar's provenance or, in the case of craigslist, you make a judgment call (i.e. is this person sketchy? Do they know their stuff? Are the serial numbers obscured?). Pawn shops have the reputation for having hot merchandise, but I don't know if that still holds true (for the most part). They have to go through a process of checking that the stuff they buy (and sell) is not stolen, which includes a waiting period for numbers to be check with the police, etc. (As do guitar stores and even Guitar Center). If it checks out and makes it to the floor, you have to assume that it's clear. That was the case here and I'm just glad that it looks like things have worked out in the end.
I've had a 60s Starfire for 18 or so years now, buying it with some graduation money as my first "real" guitar. Others have come and gone (70s Gretsch, various Fenders, random junkers) and I recently returned to playing the Guild as my main guitar. It does feedback a bit at the volumes we play. Maybe time to look for a SFIV. Keep an eye out on craigslist, guitar stores, pawn shops. Something might turn up.
And something did.
I found a Tennessee Orange 90s Guild X-170-T at a chain pawn shop near my house. Normally, they might have a Peavey or some Mexican Fenders. Maybe an ESP pointy guitar. But a USA Guild?! There were some issues (such as the bridge nearly touching the bigsby/guildsby, upside down truss rod cover), but nothing a good setup and cleanup couldn't fix. It was cheap. Maybe the pawn shop had looked up the pricing for the DeArmond equivalent and priced the Guild accordingly. (It reminded me of the pre-internet era in some ways.) Needless to say, I was really excited and bought it.
New guitar day! I put on new strings and set up the guitar (learning how to deal with the floating bridge -- my Starfire's must be tacked/taped down, it seems, as it doesn't move), and played it a bunch at home. A truly lovely guitar and a joy to play (Guild -> Roland RE201 space echo -> old Fender Bronco/Vibro champ = lovely). I had to admit, though, that it was a bit strange playing a guitar in such nice shape (not a scratch on it!) and I worried that it probably would need to be babied when playing out, if it could be taken out at all. I'd hate to be the first to scar it, and I've never had a new (or even new condition) guitar. Additionally, I am not really a fan of gold hardware, in general, although I know some people flip for it. However cool it is, maybe this wasn't the guitar for me (not the first time that's happened). I gave it a lot of thought over a few weeks and made a tough call. I had been considering trying to track down a Starfire IV or V, and figured that this would be a good jump start to that process.
I listed it on craigslist and fielded the normal sort of questions and random trade offers over a week or so, eventually talking with a nice guy, John, who was looking for a Gretsch or a Guild. We ended up meeting Monday morning and I had a really nice chat with him, one of the friendlier deals I've done on craigslist.
I soon got a call from my wife (who was at home, thanks to the holiday), asking whether I'd already sold the guitar. (?!) The police had come by our house around noon and were looking for the Guild. It turns out that the Guild (as part of an entire collection) had been stolen in Eastern Washington last year and the info had just trickled through the system. I'd sold it maybe an hour before they came by. Nice timing, to say the least.
A few calls later (and some panic, as this wasn't a pleasant situation: "Uh, hey... that guitar you just bought... well, I have some bad news..." ), the buyer was extremely understanding and immediately agreed to help to set things right. I drove to meet him and we undid the sale. We both agreed that it was just terrible that someone had all his guitars stolen and we were happy to help it get back to its owner.
I then took the guitar to the police station, where it is now waiting for its original owner. I asked whether I could put a note in with the guitar, expressing that I was glad to see it get back home, but the officer said it would probably not make it through the evidence process, so I didn't. This post here is, in a way, that note.
Conclusions:
As the first 90s Guild I've played (well, since the 90s), the X170T is a fantastic guitar. Lovely neck, resonant, very warm and clear. Personally, I will always take chrome over gold, but that is just a taste thing. I didn't check whether the pickups were pseudo-HB1's or Duncans. They sounded good in either case.
Obviously, it's disappointing that it didn't work out. John (the buyer) had a whirlwind two hours of Guild ownership. But the original owner is getting his guitar back. And that should be the most important thing. It is also encouraging that, on some level, the system did work as it should. (I'm waiting for the paperwork to go through to complete the process.)
I'm not sure what I could have/should have done differently (or if I should even ask myself that question). We all buy used guitars and there is some level of trust involved. We have to assume that the store has done due diligence for the guitar's provenance or, in the case of craigslist, you make a judgment call (i.e. is this person sketchy? Do they know their stuff? Are the serial numbers obscured?). Pawn shops have the reputation for having hot merchandise, but I don't know if that still holds true (for the most part). They have to go through a process of checking that the stuff they buy (and sell) is not stolen, which includes a waiting period for numbers to be check with the police, etc. (As do guitar stores and even Guitar Center). If it checks out and makes it to the floor, you have to assume that it's clear. That was the case here and I'm just glad that it looks like things have worked out in the end.
