Guild J-66

[powerwagonjohn]

I am thinking about buying a Guild J-66 amp that appears in very good condition. I have 14 + amps already but you know how it goes. I don't need another but.... What can you tell me about this amp.
Thanks John

 

[Bill Ashton]

People may say it sounds like a Fender tweed Deluxe. If it is operating properly, it does not at all! Presuming its speaker is
good, it is a very clean sounding amp all the way up. Think Fender Princeton non-reverb, but louder and better bass.

Proud owner since March 1968

 

[mavuser]

the ones I have heard (owned one of them), sounded like the tweedy cream. Definitely not "clean sounding all the way up." Maybe they changed the circuit at some point, which Guild was known for doing in their amps. For sure some 66J's came with a ceramic speaker, but most came with an alnico. The ones I played were from the 50's, and had alnicos. They were operating properly. But again, Guild was very inconsistent with amplifiers. The 66-J is generally regarded as one of their very best. Even if people have different experiences with them.

 

[Bill Ashton]

Mine came originally with a blue Jensen AlNiCo, P12-something, cannot remember...maybe "R" ?? No magnet cover, sticker on magnet frame.

AND...if it does not have a domed, frosted green pilot lamp, and "ball-end" switches, it is not right!

Based on pot codes and catalog pictures, I am thinking mine is a '63.

Also, mine came with a black, Fender Tweed-like carry handle, not the modern flat plastic handle. A circuit schematic should be stapled inside the top back chassis cover.

 

[powerwagonjohn]

Bill, are you talking about the one at Dave's ? I am more of a player than a collector but that would be hard to tell with 14 amps!

Thanks John

 

[Bill Ashton]

I got mine out of an ad in the old Boston Globe Marketplace, which at that time (March of 1968) was a great
place for finding used equipment; father and I drove to Alewife Circle end of Route 2 in Cambridge, where for
$40 we bought it out of a white van that met us there (!!!) Always wondered exactly how hot it was, though
that did not cross our minds at the time, seemed like a fair price for an "old" amp, not knowing it was only
5 years old at the time...

From Day 1 she has always been loud and clear. It is possible with a pair of 6V6 output tubes, as I referenced
above, very similar to the Fender BF/SF non-reverb Princeton...though I think the Guild is slightly more powerful
output-wise than that. Actually not unlike the 99-J I had (now @Default 's), though that was louder with its 6L6
tubes and 15" speaker...

 

[Soul Tramp]

I'm a bit late here, but.... I found it to be a somewhat unremarkable amp that was made with some low quality components, and a temperamental layout. It's a mid-tier amp from the 60's (mine was a '62, if I remember correctly). Nice cleans. A bit ugly looking.

 

[Default]

Every one I've had used the same components that most of the East Coast companies used. I don't ever hearing the the Ampeg, or Magnatone complaint about the parts. And it is a jazz amp that was paired with very bright pickups for most of it's run.

 

[Soul Tramp]

Every one I've had used the same components that most of the East Coast companies used. I don't ever hearing the the Ampeg, or Magnatone complaint about the parts. And it is a jazz amp that was paired with very bright pickups for most of it's run.

The Sangamo caps were junk.

 

[Default]

Yeah, those caps aren't great, but the caps in most amps at this point are on the cusp of failure. All the micamold caps leak. All the filter caps are far beyond their service life, even if they sat in a closet.
Oh, and the Illinois caps in all the modern Fenders are garbage and on the verge of failure from day one.

 

[Soul Tramp]

Yeah, those caps aren't great, but the caps in most amps at this point are on the cusp of failure. All the micamold caps leak. All the filter caps are far beyond their service life, even if they sat in a closet.
Oh, and the Illinois caps in all the modern Fenders are garbage and on the verge of failure from day one.

Clearly all the electrolytics from the 60's are way beyond their life expectancy, and the Illinois caps are horrible. However, most of the coupling caps from the early Fender amps (50's - 60's - 70's) are still going strong. Many were replaced by unscrupulous amp techs (taking them to re-sell), and other were replaced during a shotgun approach to a re-cap (sad to see these amps).