Description
Guild's Thunderbird series were only made for a short period of time, from about 1963 until '68. The first version, featuring a pair of humbuckers, were only produced between '63 & '65, so this ultra cool example from '64 is quite rare indeed! Additional features include a built-in stand in the back of the body & an elaborate circuitry system, most likely inspired by Fender's Jaguar. Fully inspected & professionally set up so it's ready to play straight out of the case.
Cosmetic Condition: Various nicks, chips, dents & dings; scratches, weather checking & some finish wear. Overall the guitar has a great look to it with an authentic vintage vibe & beautiful patina.
Neck: Nicely rounded, semi-chunky mahogany neck with cream binding & black side-dots. Rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl block inlays. Frets show some wear, but have plenty of life in them. Mother of pearl Guild & Thunderbird headstock inlays. Grover open-gear nickel tuners & Thunderbird truss rod cover. 1 11/16" nut width; 24 3/4" scale length. Neck is straight & truss rod works perfectly.
Body: Offset, contoured, solid alder body finished in cherry sunburst with Pat Pend built-in stand in the back. Tremolo tailpiece & fixed bridge with adjustable saddles. Four-ply black pickguard & nickel/chrome hardware. Guitar weighs 8 lbs 2.8 oz & is exceptionally resonant!
Electronics: Dual Guild humbuckers. The large knobs are tone & volume controls for the "lead" circuit, with double-pickup selection controlled by the bank of switches near the cutaway. The single switch under the lead pickup selects that set of controls or a separate "rhythm circuit": the neck pickup, controlled by two smaller knobs above the first set. The 3 switches on the lower panel include the Jaguar-inspired "strangle" switch marked with a little white dot to distinguish it from the pickup selectors. All electronics are in good working condition.
Case: Original hardshell case included along with original paperwork from the factory & an old pack of Guild strings - now how cool is that!
