JB, best to think of this guitar as a longer scale Fender Jaguar with humbuckers. Same controls. I'd put money on Guild basically copying the Jag in this respect. Being a fan of oddball guitars I had to have one. Love it! The sound is early '60s heaven. The white switch does indeed engage a high-pass cap. I ended up getting a Musicman St. Vincent too. :)
i'm so jealous that you have this *AND* the st. vincent sig. what do you think about the st. vincent guitar? do you feel that it has any major pros/cons? i really want to get one, so it would be great if you could tell me what you think about it. thanks, friend!
I love the St. Vincent. Light weight, acoustically resonant. Lovely neck, plays very fast. The pickups have a thicker sound than I'd normally opt for, but they're Annie Clark's choice so I roll with 'em. :) I wouldn't mind having neck/middle and middle/bridge pickup combo options, but OTOH the neck/bridge combo and all three pickups together both sound great. And it just looks so freakin' cool!
David Kieltyka awesome, dude, that sounds great. man, i can't wait to get one; it's gonna be a while to save up that much money for me, but it's definitely my next guitar. (just out of curiosity, which color did you go with? blue, black, or that fancy sunburst one with gold hardware?)
From the Guild user guide re. the white switch: Low-cut Tone Capacitor On/Off Engages a tone capacitor into the circuit for a brighter sound in the up position
This guitar has a cool factor even though it looks like a drawer full of left over parts thrown together. I like the P90 version myself. But I'm part French and eat cheese for breakfast so go figure.
I believe Mode 1 engages a different set of pots and capacitors for the neck pickup to give you a darker rhythm tone like a Jazzmaster. In fact Guild was probably just trying to make their own version of a Fender Jazzmaster or Jaguar with this guitar considering the extra switches and tremolo on it.
Fantastic instrument played by an exceptional musician, this guy has natural and well rehearsed talent. The guitar is very unique and I'm sure it's a one of a kind, nice.
I like this guy and he's a fab player but would like to see more riffing and less shredding. Every demo should be required to give the boring but needed A, G, C, D chords to check the tone and sustain. Then shred away. Sounds like a sweet guitar.
Muddy didn't use this version of the guitar. He used the version with the DeArmond single coil pups. Not this humbucker version, which others have already pointed out was used by Zally of the Lovin Spoonful.
That's such an extraordinary video...LIVE, not synced, which is rare for Spoonful footage (only a couple other examples I have seen). Funny that John is playing autoharp on this one, as opposed to guitar like he did on the record.
It always seemed like that to me...I wasn't sure if Guild made it both ways. I think I read an interview where John stated Zal changed the pickups and had a steel guitar pickup, but I'm guessing he was confused about the details, unless Zally remove one or both of the buckers at some point, which is possible.
For some reason I always think of Gumby when I see one of these guitars. If I were Guild I'd lose the metal plates on the pick guard. I haven't played one but I have played quite a few Guilds and generally favorably impressed.
I understand keeping the original wiring is a strong selling point and many people will want just that...But I have modified mine...Since I have the equipment to make my own pickguards I made one minus the slide switches with a new wiring that works better for me...
sounds really good, looks like good quality control too, nice price point, but that tremolo ?? if it's not good enough, guess they could have redesigned or gone hard tail,
Been wanting one for ages, but the originals were wayyyyyyy too $$$$. I bought the re-issue recently. Feels and sounds fantastic. . . but won't stay in tune for shit. Replaced the tunamatic bridge with a Schaller roller bridge. .. which helped a little, but the Grover sta-tite gears suck shit and must be replaced. I'll soon be installing Grover Imperials and hoping for the best. I'll be forced to entirely disable the trem as a last resort, but I WILL be using it as my main stage guitar some kinda how. It looks very badass, and the body is the most comfortable of any guitar I've ever owned. I also had to mill the frets, which sucks for a brand new guitar, but oh well. Plays, sounds, looks and feels great now. Only tuning is a bitch, but not for long I hope.
John's a great slide player but since most of us don't play much slide that sound texture doesn't necesssarily show us what the guitar's going to sound like for us.
Disappointing that this fellow has no knowledge of Zal Yanovsky or considered him unworthy of mention. Muddy played the Thunderbird for a very short time and likely as part of an endorsement deal. Zally made history with it!
@SunHead : Never heard of the Lovin' Spoonful's lead guitarist, huh? Well, maybe that's not be a big deal for someone who's obviously very young and very dumb, but John should have known better than naming Muddy instead of Zal. That's like saying the Strat was made famous by Buddy Holly and leaving out Jimi Hendrix.
Guild built a lot of great stuff, which back when I started , were vastly underappreciated and easily affordable.Was delighted when Kim Thayil came up as a fan. The T bird was never one of these,- a odd duck, especially by Guild standards.Think JB had it right in the beginning,- made for slide, a bit awkward otherwise.
@john mcclure Not exactly the same thing, - right? Especially a Vibrato of nominal utility? I tried one of these recently, and liked it quite a bit,- good feel, light, and Tele/ Jazzmaster/ Jag vibes. And I have been playing a lot of slide.
Cool guitar. Unique design but the electronics..... Just seems too much. I could see getting it, reading up all about it, learning it then putting it on the shelf for a month or two and completely forgetting what it does.
Got to be one of the ugliest shaped guitars ever, and that headstock. The neck and guitar itself are great if you can get past that shape. The headstock should be symmetrical but it's not that bad.
Love this guitar! But, this guy is my least favorite guy on this channel. He doesn't even know what that white switch does... it bypasses the tone control by the way. Premier Guitar, please don't let this guy review things.
Thaddaeus Davidson No, the white switch puts a high-pass cap in the circuit. A la the Fender Jaguar's "strangle" switch. I own one of these & took a look at its guts. The cap is the same value as a Jag's too. JB got it right at the start of the review, but then referred to "single coil mode" (nope) afterwards.
Cody Oki Yep, JB knows his stuff. The T-bird doesn't come with any docs, so ya gotta figure it out for yourself. I "popped the hood" on mine and had a look. :)
+Thaddaeus Davidson You're way wrong, man. John is amazing, and that's not what the white switch does, it's a strangle switch; my jag and bass VI both have them. You shouldn't insult people for not knowing what they're talking about when they are correct and you are wrong.
I found out what it does by going to Guild's website for less than a minute. He's a good p,Ayer and I bet he'd be a great guy to hang out with, but he's not good at reviewing gear. If you're going to review something, know what you're talking about first.
My favorite player was Zal Yanovsky, lead guitar for the Lovin' Spoonful. May Zal rest in peace.
He rocked them country licks!!
Never a bad day when Premier Guitar posts a John Bohlinger review!
Hell yeah!
Totally. Bohlinger is amazing.
This was the trademark guitar played by Zal Yanovsky of The Lovin' Spoonful !
I fell in love with its shape when I saw Dan Auerbach play one of those.
🤮
I got to play one this weekend. Man, I love this guitar. The neck is just too sweet, and there are more buttons to push than on my ex wife.
"there are more buttons to push than on my ex wife." LAMO!!!! SO FUNNY YET TRUE!
Nice! 😆
this is the most divorced thing anyone has ever said
The “ex-wife” line is great!😆
My absolute favorite reviewer Mr. Bohlinger with his awesome playing style. Love the tones you can get with this guitar.
Dude, that was the coolest version of My Sunshine I've ever heard.
I love the SG energy of this guitar without being an SG at all.
John, your slide playing is always so pleasant to hear!
The Lead Guitar player, Zal Yanovsky of the Lovin Spoonful used one of these.
Zal Yanovsky of The Lovin Spoonfull !
I think the T-Bird would be a great guitar for Shoegaze/Dream Pop.
Dig the arrangement of " you are my sunshine".
thank you. I never really know what's going to come out.
Just happy when it works.
lol... then very well done. ...Used to sing "SunShine" to my daughter when she was a child .
Dirty bridge sounds killer!
JB, best to think of this guitar as a longer scale Fender Jaguar with humbuckers. Same controls. I'd put money on Guild basically copying the Jag in this respect. Being a fan of oddball guitars I had to have one. Love it! The sound is early '60s heaven. The white switch does indeed engage a high-pass cap.
I ended up getting a Musicman St. Vincent too. :)
i'm so jealous that you have this *AND* the st. vincent sig.
what do you think about the st. vincent guitar? do you feel that it has any major pros/cons? i really want to get one, so it would be great if you could tell me what you think about it. thanks, friend!
I love the St. Vincent. Light weight, acoustically resonant. Lovely neck, plays very fast. The pickups have a thicker sound than I'd normally opt for, but they're Annie Clark's choice so I roll with 'em. :) I wouldn't mind having neck/middle and middle/bridge pickup combo options, but OTOH the neck/bridge combo and all three pickups together both sound great. And it just looks so freakin' cool!
David Kieltyka thanks for the info! i really appreciate it. how does it hang on a strap? is it pretty balanced?
Yeah, it's nicely balanced. I get the sense they paid attention to the ergonomic aspect.
David Kieltyka awesome, dude, that sounds great. man, i can't wait to get one; it's gonna be a while to save up that much money for me, but it's definitely my next guitar.
(just out of curiosity, which color did you go with? blue, black, or that fancy sunburst one with gold hardware?)
Zal Yanovsky brought me here.
I'm hoping to get one to do Spoonful covers on my channel, Zal's great.
In the history of the Guild T-Bird, you left out Zal Yanovski who played it during his time with the Lovin’ Spoonful.
Thank you for your rock knowledge. Check out the old Spoonful videos.
The only reason I know the guitar
Man, that's pleasing on the ears !
She's one of my favorite electric guitars! 😍 A beauty and a futuristic design
Muddy Waters' guitar. Such a cool axe.
every guitar that is not a regular shape is "george jetson's style" lmao
As an owner of gretsch astro jet i know exactly what you mean
So, pretty much a Guild Jaguar. Cool!
mpactdesignmedia yeah, but with full hummbuckers
Great review and that opening tune was the best I’ve ever heard it played! 👍✌️
JB: That's a bass cut switch IIRC…I had an original one thru my shop a while back…
Cool Gtr, & a fine review as aways…!!!
man thats just awesome playing john
Never thought I'd like this one, but now I want one.
I got one smoking
Awesome guitars, very Jaguar vibe to it. I need to get one ASAP. The white switch is a tone cut switch, just like on a Jaguar.
It's a humbucker Jaguar! I approve.
I had no idea you could play so good!!!
Great playing john
From the Guild user guide re. the white switch:
Low-cut Tone Capacitor On/Off
Engages a tone capacitor into the circuit for a brighter sound in the up position
Note that it is missing the guitar stand bar in the back like the 60s models.
This guitar has a cool factor even though it looks like a drawer full of left over parts thrown together. I like the P90 version myself. But I'm part French and eat cheese for breakfast so go figure.
If it wasn't for the humbucker version being so great I'd agree. Huge P90 fanboy myself
Totally agree,I have the black humbucker version which by the looks freaking awesome,if they had a p 90 version I’d roll with that🕺🏿👍🏿
I keep turning my phone around to try to see what it looks like right side up.
I believe Mode 1 engages a different set of pots and capacitors for the neck pickup to give you a darker rhythm tone like a Jazzmaster. In fact Guild was probably just trying to make their own version of a Fender Jazzmaster or Jaguar with this guitar considering the extra switches and tremolo on it.
Nice looking & sounding ax
I NEED ONE OF THESE IN MY LIFE
Did you get one?
I just bought a T-Bird from Sam Ash and it only has a tone, and volume and a toggle switch. I love the guitar and rarely play my other ones.
thank you very much for the review....
Looks like a pale green Goya I saw in a hock shop years ago & always regretted not buying. Foot-long tremelo bar.
Fantastic instrument played by an exceptional musician, this guy has natural and well rehearsed talent. The guitar is very unique and I'm sure it's a one of a kind, nice.
I like this guy and he's a fab player but would like to see more riffing and less shredding. Every demo should be required to give the boring but needed A, G, C, D chords to check the tone and sustain. Then shred away. Sounds like a sweet guitar.
ZAL!
that's a sexy geetar! Sounds like a Jaguar to me
Great playing! Cool guitar!
Muddy didn't use this version of the guitar. He used the version with the DeArmond single coil pups. Not this humbucker version, which others have already pointed out was used by Zally of the Lovin Spoonful.
TheMrturn1 I've read that Zally had the single coils replaced with steel guitar pickups or humbuckers or some combination thereof.
AndyRGuitarGuy No, it's just a standard humbucker driven tbird as you can see in so many of their videos. ruclips.net/video/OpLXCa9AOO0/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/ZcL8yFzHd8o/видео.html
That's such an extraordinary video...LIVE, not synced, which is rare for Spoonful footage (only a couple other examples I have seen). Funny that John is playing autoharp on this one, as opposed to guitar like he did on the record.
It always seemed like that to me...I wasn't sure if Guild made it both ways. I think I read an interview where John stated Zal changed the pickups and had a steel guitar pickup, but I'm guessing he was confused about the details, unless Zally remove one or both of the buckers at some point, which is possible.
Zal Yanovsky played this!
a pointy bit carved where the forearm sits, then contoured? don't put the pointy bit there in the first place. easier
For some reason I always think of Gumby when I see one of these guitars. If I were Guild I'd lose the metal plates on the pick guard. I haven't played one but I have played quite a few Guilds and generally favorably impressed.
The guitar is from the 1960s,so silver stays😊
I understand keeping the original wiring is a strong selling point and many people will want just that...But I have modified mine...Since I have the equipment to make my own pickguards I made one minus the slide switches with a new wiring that works better for me...
Wow...great guitar!!
Cool guitar. Great review
sounds really good, looks like good quality control too, nice price point, but that tremolo ?? if it's not good enough, guess they could have redesigned or gone hard tail,
Totally agree man , I'm not a fan of the trem ( both the aesthetic and sound).
Also the pickup selection is a pain.
mark norris you can get a stoptail and no switches
while that intro was playing, i could picture alan wilson having a jam with canned heat.
Nice, I want one.
Gonna get this guitar for zally 😊
The outro kinda sounded like "They're Red Hot" by RHCP :D
„I think one of the reasons Muddy Waters did grab a tit.... uuuhhh gravitate“ :D
Been wanting one for ages, but the originals were wayyyyyyy too $$$$. I bought the re-issue recently. Feels and sounds fantastic. . . but won't stay in tune for shit. Replaced the tunamatic bridge with a Schaller roller bridge. .. which helped a little, but the Grover sta-tite gears suck shit and must be replaced. I'll soon be installing Grover Imperials and hoping for the best. I'll be forced to entirely disable the trem as a last resort, but I WILL be using it as my main stage guitar some kinda how. It looks very badass, and the body is the most comfortable of any guitar I've ever owned. I also had to mill the frets, which sucks for a brand new guitar, but oh well. Plays, sounds, looks and feels great now. Only tuning is a bitch, but not for long I hope.
i want one.
cool guitar good review and some Stevie ray v riffs
john u are a bad ass ..great playing
that opening riff sounded very close to the Full House theme for a split second.
There is no denying that this is a cool guitar. I like it but probably not enough to buy one.
Faaantastic played and a great Korean Git!
10 cosas que nunca tendrás en tu vida
1. Esa hermosa guitarra
always great love this dude
Is there any style John CAN'T play?!?
They haven't invented one yet. Some say they never will.
That guitar makes me think of Lovin Spoonful.
Fred cole.
I knew it! Muddy waters🙌
Dig your playing John Bollinger
John's a great slide player but since most of us don't play much slide that sound texture doesn't necesssarily show us what the guitar's going to sound like for us.
I'm definitely sold on one of these things. Can anybody give me any Cons?
MX X it might need some setting up. I loved the sound and the neck, but the strings were set a bit high.
He's a mighty good leader.......
Disappointing that this fellow has no knowledge of Zal Yanovsky or considered him unworthy of mention. Muddy played the Thunderbird for a very short time and likely as part of an endorsement deal. Zally made history with it!
AndyRGuitarGuy I’ve never heard of him and he probably hasn’t either not a big deal.
@SunHead : Never heard of the Lovin' Spoonful's lead guitarist, huh? Well, maybe that's not be a big deal for someone who's obviously very young and very dumb, but John should have known better than naming Muddy instead of Zal. That's like saying the Strat was made famous by Buddy Holly and leaving out Jimi Hendrix.
Just played one recently, yes they djent!
Wait! Really? You can play metal on this thing? Just ordered one and was wondering. How aggressive are the lil buckers?
Reminds me of cheap trick
how does this guy review every guitar I want
Zal Yan...nevermind...
Yeah, like many people here, I see this and think Zal Yanovsky.
black keys!
I had a cheaper Gumby Guild with a built-in kickstand.
O'brother nice guitar :)
Which Guild electrics are built in the US?
Michael Craig none only acoustics ,but mine is great
Guild built a lot of great stuff, which back when I started , were vastly underappreciated and easily affordable.Was delighted when Kim Thayil came up as a fan. The T bird was never one of these,- a odd duck, especially by Guild standards.Think JB had it right in the beginning,- made for slide, a bit awkward otherwise.
Mark Ferguson amen
@john mcclure Not exactly the same thing, - right? Especially a Vibrato of nominal utility?
I tried one of these recently, and liked it quite a bit,- good feel, light, and Tele/ Jazzmaster/ Jag vibes.
And I have been playing a lot of slide.
Twangay!
Gr8!!!
'single-coil-y switch'? Uh, no. :^> Thinner sounding, yes, which is useful. It's its own thang! :^)
Cool guitar. Unique design but the electronics..... Just seems too much. I could see getting it, reading up all about it, learning it then putting it on the shelf for a month or two and completely forgetting what it does.
It’s actually not bad at all. Switch down every works switch up only neck and neck knobs which are different
I love Guild but I couldn't live with this model. Think I'll stick with my Bluesbird.
less words
Tu parle trop mec
Good review but SRV is turning in his grave
No he's not
Fender did this better.
Got to be one of the ugliest shaped guitars ever, and that headstock. The neck and guitar itself are great if you can get past that shape. The headstock should be symmetrical but it's not that bad.
This is all true except the part where you started typing words.
Yup. Needs
More whiteout.Bet this guitar was made before he was born. I have one,in black. Coolest axe .
Love this guitar! But, this guy is my least favorite guy on this channel. He doesn't even know what that white switch does... it bypasses the tone control by the way. Premier Guitar, please don't let this guy review things.
Thaddaeus Davidson No, the white switch puts a high-pass cap in the circuit. A la the Fender Jaguar's "strangle" switch. I own one of these & took a look at its guts. The cap is the same value as a Jag's too. JB got it right at the start of the review, but then referred to "single coil mode" (nope) afterwards.
He is actually very knowledgeable and this was a demo review so perhaps all of the facts weren't given to him for the review?
Cody Oki Yep, JB knows his stuff. The T-bird doesn't come with any docs, so ya gotta figure it out for yourself. I "popped the hood" on mine and had a look. :)
+Thaddaeus Davidson You're way wrong, man. John is amazing, and that's not what the white switch does, it's a strangle switch; my jag and bass VI both have them. You shouldn't insult people for not knowing what they're talking about when they are correct and you are wrong.
I found out what it does by going to Guild's website for less than a minute. He's a good p,Ayer and I bet he'd be a great guy to hang out with, but he's not good at reviewing gear. If you're going to review something, know what you're talking about first.