Bought a 1953 X-330...

X-330 · Dec 15, 2008

...but it's going to need a little work. I don't know much about these archtops; I'm more familiar with Gibsons and Epiphones from the 30s and 40s. I'd like to restore it back to "original" as much as possible, but I'm guessing finding the original pickup (I understand these were made with one, but there is a bridge route on this one) and tuners/tone-vol knobs may be difficult. Anyone know if the tailpiece and pickguard look original? The frets are pretty low, so it may get a re-fret. There is some binding missing and pulling away from the body, so that will get repaired. If I can't track down some original pickups, I'll install other P90s (maybe Lollars or vintage Gibson?). Can anyone recommend a particular hardshell case brand/model that will fit this guitar? Any and all comments welcome! Some pictures:

hansmoust · Dec 15, 2008

X-330 said:
I'd like to restore it back to "original" as much as possible, but I'm guessing finding the original pickup (I understand these were made with one, but there is a bridge route on this one) and tuners/tone-vol knobs may be difficult. Anyone know if the tailpiece and pickguard look original?

Hello X-330,

Welcome! You have a rare guitar. These were only made for about a year, so they are not that common. Not sure if you have my book ( The Guild Guitar Book ) but there is a photo of a similar X-330 on page 65. Unfortunately it's missing the original pickguard and truss rod cover. Since both the pickguard and the truss rod cover are original on your guitar, it should give you a pretty good idea what the guitar must have looked like.
The tailpiece is a modern replacement and obviously the ring around the pickup switch is not original either, since it originally was a 1-pickup guitar.
Machineheads should be Kluson Deluxe tuners w. Keystone buttons. There are modern replicas available these days but I guess if these tuners work, you might as well leave 'm alone.

All in all a nice guitar that's definitely worth putting some work and money into.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Walter Broes · Dec 15, 2008

Shame about the modifications, but then there's nothing there that can't be fixed. Glad you're not putting humbuckers on it - beautiful guitar, congratulations! Post some pics when you're done making it playable again please!

valcotone · Dec 15, 2008

Beautiful guitar, with lots of potential. It looks like it had humbuckers installed in it because even neck pickup route is wider than normal and the typical Franz mounting platforms are missing. I don't think the stock style pickup covers (or P90s) will cover that, so you might need some repair there or maybe pickup rings or spacers to cover the gaps.

BTW, I've got exactly the same headstock design on my X-175.

jp · Dec 15, 2008

Quite the rare bird! Good luck with the resto.

X-330 · Dec 16, 2008

Thanks for all the comments. Looks the the "restoration" will have to be with non-original parts. I never thought finding parts would be so difficult (or maybe I'm not patient enough). I'm used to restoring Gibsons and the parts are easy to find. Plus, the more I read about these Franz pickups, they don't seem to be the sound I'm looking for.

billydlight · Dec 20, 2008

What sound are you looking for?

Zol · Jan 7, 2009

That's a beauty x-330. Good luck with your project bringing her back to life. I hope you're happy with the end reslut - bet it sounds and plays great.

guildzilla · Jan 8, 2009

Lots of the players on here swear by the Franz pickups, including a few of the most accomplished guys, like Walter, BillyD and JP. But they are difficult to find and expensive. I've seen them go higher than $300 apiece on e-Bay.

AlohaJoe · Jan 8, 2009

That is a beautiful guitar! BTW, the Lollar P-90s are excellent.

Walter Broes · Jan 8, 2009

guildzilla said:
Lots of the players on here swear by the Franz pickups, including a few of the most accomplished guys, like Walter, BillyD and JP. But they are difficult to find and expensive. I've seen them go higher than $300 apiece on e-Bay.

Thanks 'Zilla, but with guys like Frosty, Steelpickin', and who knows who else I'm forgetting, I'm far from one of the more accomplished players on this forum!!!

Franzes are nice for some things, and I love them for what I do with them, but they àre kind of a specific pickup that's not for everyone.

guildzilla · Jan 9, 2009

I really like your licks and your sound, Walter, so I ain't retracting. There are, of course, a lot of fine players on LTG, and I'm sure it was understood that I wasn't excluding others, but I associate all three of you guys with Hoboken archtops with Franz pickups. And I've had just enough exposure to those guitars to appreciate your take on the virtues thereof.

Walter Broes · Jan 9, 2009

Well, thanks - the check's in the mail! :lol:

billydlight · Jan 9, 2009

My most humble thanks Guildzilla!! To be even mentioned in the same sentence as WB is an honor indeed! I do love the Franz P'ups. If you talk to Lollar I think he makes a P90 that is supposed to have a Franz like sound and output. Check it out.

BluesDan · Jan 9, 2009

Billy..........don't let this go to your head....but your "Massacre" CD has not left the CD player in my truck since I got it. AWESOME stuff. Really.

....sorry for thread veer..........

billydlight · Jan 9, 2009

Thanks Dan!! I appreciate it. Glad to know your enjoying it.

X-330 · Jan 30, 2009

Well, guitar is finally in the shop! I bought a set of Lollar P90s, new wiring harness from RS Guitarworks (Superpots with Jensen caps), correct model tuners, etc. Guitar did not need a neck reset, but it is getting new frets. I bought a Guild case for it (probably from the 60s or maybe 70s?). I'd still like to know what the original cases were for these--I'm guessing a Lifton with the brown exterior? I'll post some pix when it's back--I'm looking forward to playing this! If anyone has any other info on this model, I'd be interested. Is there a listing anywhere of production #s by model and year for Guilds?

AlohaJoe · Jan 31, 2009

That guitar with the Lollar P-90s is going to be great... I can't wait to see the pics!

mbeeks · Feb 1, 2009

That is a very nice guitar, I hope you post pictures after the repair. I just posted a link to pictures of my X 110, you might find them instructive as they share a few features although mine is not as fancy.

X-330 · Feb 4, 2009

mbeeks said:
That is a very nice guitar, I hope you post pictures after the repair. I just posted a link to pictures of my X 110, you might find them instructive as they share a few features although mine is not as fancy.

very cool--our serial #s are very close--probably made the same week (?) or month. If you don't find a local luthier I'd highly recommend mine--archtops are his specialty and he does binding work everyday. I've known him for 5 years and he's worked on dozens of guitars for me. Here's his website: http://www.lemuelguitars.com/.

Bought a 1953 X-330...

X-330

hansmoust

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Walter Broes

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valcotone

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jp

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X-330

billydlight

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Zol

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guildzilla

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AlohaJoe

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Walter Broes

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guildzilla

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Walter Broes

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billydlight

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BluesDan

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billydlight

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X-330

AlohaJoe

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mbeeks

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X-330