X-500 Stuart vs Paladin

[BarryMClark]

Hello all.

It has been a bit... and I may FINALLY be getting into a Guild.

I am left with a question though... what is the difference between a Stuart and a Paladin. I tried the Google machine and I was only able to find that the Paladin line ended to make way for the X-700... if that's even true. haha.

Anyone?

Thanks!

 

[BarryMClark]

...and I am thinking I was all kinds of wrong.

So the X500 is the Paladin and the X700 is the Stuart?

 

[Walter Broes]

In any case, the X700 is a different guitar, not an X500. The 700 has a solid carved spruce top. X500's have always been laminated archtops, spruce for the top, maple elsewhere.

 

[AcornHouse]

...and I am thinking I was all kinds of wrong.

So the X500 is the Paladin and the X700 is the Stuart?

X-500 is Stuart and X-700 is James Arness, er, Paladin.

 

[BarryMClark]

Gotcha. Thanks guys!

 

[Los Angeles]

I'm sorry, I thought the name "paladin" was assigned to the 90s version of the X550. The only proof I have is a t-shirt.

 

[txbumper57]

I was under the impression that the Paladin was actually a X550 that was made in a limited run to pay homage to Dave Gonzalez who is the lead guitarist and founder of "The Paladins" American Blues/Rockabilly group. Dave was well known for his preference of the Early 50's Guild X500's and X550's. I think it was around the late 90's/early 2000's that Guild made the X-550 Paladin in limited numbers. It was a full hollow X500 style guitar with Dog Ear P90 pickups instead of humbuckers. I would love to get my hands on one some day as they are wonderful sounding guitars. To my knowledge they have a Laminated Spruce top and Laminated Maple back and sides just like the 50's models.

 

[Los Angeles]

I got this at a Paladins/Reverend Horton Heat Show in the early 2000's:

 

[walrus]

Right, according to the '03 Guild catalog, the "Paladin" is based on Gonzalez's 1957 X-550.

walrus

 

[guildman63]

I think tx has it right. My impression is that the Paladin is an X-500 (or 550 based on early naming conventions) that has a Bigsby and P90's.

 

[AcornHouse]

X-500 is Stuart and X-700 is James Arness, er, Paladin.

Ok, one out of three. The X-500 IS Stuart. But Richard Boone was Paladin.

 

[Steve Messenger]

X-500 is Stuart and X-700 is James Arness, er, Paladin.

close ... the X-500 is the Stuart, teh X-700 is the Richard Boone, er, Paladin, and James Arness is Matt Dillon

 

[Brad Little]

X-500 is Stuart and X-700 is James Arness, er, Paladin.

Actually, Richard Boone was Paladin from Have Gun will Travel): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_Gun_–_Will_Travel
James Arness was Matt Dillon (from Gunsmoke): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunsmoke
Neither was a guitar

Brad

 

[X-170AB]

Now we've thoroughly confused poor Barry, in all likelihood!

Forgetting the "names," the X-500 and X-700 are in most respects similar: 17" archtops with set-in pickups and fancy appointments (gold hardware, ebony fretboard, etc.). The main difference is that the X-700 had a carved spruce top while the X-500s is laminated. The X-500 had a long life in the Guild lineup, until it was replaced by the X-700.

 

[BarryMClark]

Now we've thoroughly confused poor Barry, in all likelihood!

Forgetting the "names," the X-500 and X-700 are in most respects similar: 17" archtops with set-in pickups and fancy appointments (gold hardware, ebony fretboard, etc.). The main difference is that the X-700 had a carved spruce top while the X-500s is laminated. The X-500 had a long life in the Guild lineup, until it was replaced by the X-700.

I'm good. I am well seasoned in forum topic-change. haha. I was able to follow. What threw me was the Westerly Guild site. It has the X-700 as the Stuart and the X-500 as the Paladin. Now... I had always known the X-500 as the Stuart so I figured there may be some Paladin X-500 I just wasn't aware of.

No worries. I got it all straight now.

 

[SFIV1967]

Initially (1953) there was a X-500 (sunburst) and a X-550 (a blonde X-500).
In 1954 Stuart was added to the model name (Gruhn's book page 436).
Around 1960 the X-550 designation was changed to X-500B for the blonde version.

The X-500 was "renamed" into X-700 in 1994 (Gruhn's book), now with solid spruce top.
Hence the January 1994 pricelist shows no X-500 anymore but the X-700 Stuart ($3,299)

In year 2000 Bob Benedetto redesigned it and called it simply "Stuart". Regular production from 2002 to 2007 (not sure where, in Nashville maybe?). (Gruhn's book).

The January 2001 pricelist however shows a X-500 Paladin (!) and a X-500T (with P-90) and the Guild Benedetto Signature model simply called "Stuart" ($9,000!).

Dave Gonzales of the Paladines played a 1957 X-550.
Fender's Mike Eldred and Guild/Fender's Chris Fleming copied his original 1957 X-550 and gave the prototype to Dave during the January 2002 NAMM show.
The X-500P according to Gruhn was available only in 2004 and 2005. That seems to be a typo in Gruhn's book and should read X-550P because see the T-Shirt above and:
The January 2005 price list shows no X-500 or X-500P but the X-550P ($5,499.99) and a "Stuart" (no X-700 name) for $10,000).

Again we need to wait for Hans' second book to get the facts straight.

Ralf

 

[BarryMClark]

Initially (1953) there was a X-500 (sunburst) and a X-550 (a blonde X-500).
In 1954 Stuart was added to the model name (Gruhn's book page 436).
Around 1960 the X-550 designation was changed to X-500B for the blonde version.

The X-500 was "renamed" into X-700 in 1994 (Gruhn's book), now with solid spruce top.
Hence the January 1994 pricelist shows no X-500 anymore but the X-700 Stuart ($3,299)

In year 2000 Bob Benedetto redesigned it and called it simply "Stuart". Regular production from 2002 to 2007 (not sure where, in Nashville maybe?). (Gruhn's book).

The January 2001 pricelist however shows a X-500 Paladine (!) and a X-550T (with P-90) and the Guild Benedetto Signature model simply called "Stuart" ($9,000!).

Dave Gonzales of the Paladines played a 1957 X-550.
Fender's Mike Eldred and Guild/Fender's Chris Fleming copied his original 1957 X-550 and gave the prototype to Dave during the January 2002 NAMM show.
The X-500P according to Gruhn was available only in 2004 and 2005. That seems to be a typo in Gruhn's book and should read X-550P because see the T-Shirt above and:
The January 2005 price list shows no X-500 or X-500P but the X-550P ($5,499.99) and a "Stuart" (no X-700 name) for $10,000).

Again we need to wait for Hans' second book to get the facts straight.

Ralf

Wow... so I am just going to call it an X-500. haha. Thanks for the info.

 

[kakerlak]

Hey Ralf,
Wasn't there a "Benedetto X-700" introduced in 1998-99? I swear I remember seeing those show up in Guitar Center around that timeand being largely the same as the original X-700s, but with a "Benedetto" signature inlaid towards the end of the fretboard.

 

[SFIV1967]

Hey Ralf, Wasn't there a "Benedetto X-700" introduced in 1998-99?

You are right and I missed a detail. The 2003 catalog shows a Benedetto X-700 Stuart with his signature on the fretboard. So Gruhn was wrong there as well I think. But if that signature model already existed in 1998? Not sure. According to Gruhn Benedetto only redesiged her in 2000 with some limited Westerly production before Westerly closed in late 2001. So in 1998 it would have been the X-700 with 24 3/4" scale and ebony fingerboard.

I also checked the year 2000 catalog again. It does indeed also show the X-700 Stuart, and now again with 25 9/16" scale. With the Benedetto signature under "Guild Benedetto". ("has been updated and refined under Bob's personal direction.")

The calalog also shows the X-500 and X-500T as "Paladin"! They write about the X-500: "...we have christend our new X-500 the "Paladin", in honor of...Dave Gonzales...,...and the new X-500 and X-500T were developed in collaboration with Dave."

So for some time the previous X-500 Stuart was called X-500 Paladin...as the X-700 was called Stuart when the X-500 was changed to the X-700 model earlier.

If Barry's X-500 is from 1976 it would have been simply called a "X-500". I think to remember that in the 70ies the special names for the models disappeared. The 1975 catalog shows no "Stuart" name together with the X-500: http://vintage.catalogs.free.fr/Guild/01.jpg

Ralf

 

[BarryMClark]

Thanks all! X-500 it shall be called. I was curious if maybe the two names maybe denoted some trim difference. No worries. This was made the same year my wife was born. If I call it anything but 'The 500' it'll be 'Jen'.