UK viewer here. Back in the mid 70's I knew someone who had one of these. As I recall it was black and chrome. He was an outstanding guitarist and got sounds from it I couldn't believe.
@CreamCityMusic Rhythm and Blues, mostly, plus some prog rock. He had the remarkable ability to play a rhythm and a lead part at the same time, something I never saw anyone else do until Wilko Johnson came along.
Great video. Some funny stuff in there. I learned so much about this model I didn't know, including that I really want one of these vintage birds. Definitely the coolest thing I've seen all day, but then the day has just begun. Much love brethren.
By the way, that is Hagstrom designed and made tremolo unit and bridge, used on most 60s Hagstroms. I have a ‘65 Impala and it’s on it, and it works fine. Little shame it’s only tremolo down, but at the same time that makes it really tuning stable.
Yeah, those Hagstroms are great little units. I have that same vibrato and bridge on my 1964 Harmony H-19. You can set them to go up, too, although it obviously cuts into the downward range of it. I think I had to swap in a softer spring in order to get mine to go up if I recall correctly. I'm not entirely sure, it was many years ago now.
I’ve always loved this guitar. It just looks cool and to me it’s just as iconic as most of the more popular or famous guitars out there. I was only 5 or 6 years old when I made drawings of me playing in an 8 piece band, holding either a black strat, a turquoise Mockingbird, or a red Thunderbird. I don’t know exactly why these were the models that drew my attention. I must have seen them when I was watching the Dutch music program Top Pop on television. A lot of videos of that program are now on RUclips and a couple of years ago I saw an old mid seventies performance by the Dutch band ‘Golden Earring’ (best known for their song ‘Radar Love’) and in that video George Kooymans played the Mockingbird, so I think that’s what I remembered. It wasn’t turquoise though. I have no idea where THAT came from. I never saw a Mockingbird in that colour. Anyway, I love the Guild Thunderbird. I was actually thinking of buying one of the reissues, just for fun. But unfortunately they don’t make them anymore (this was fairly recent). I probably would have been annoyed by the fact that it wasn’t a proper reissue anyway. I mean, who doesn’t want that brilliant guitar stand? Fender did it with their amps. I want Guild to start making them again. I think it’s ideal! You never need to think about bringing a guitar stand when the guitar itself literally IS the guitar stand. Aaaah well…., maybe one day. A man can dream. 😊 Thanks for the video! 🧡
Thanks so much for sharing your story! It's really fun to hear about those kinds of formative moments. Each of us has a story about the first time we went WOW over a particular guitar and it changed the course of our lives :)
Quirky, and it sounded great too! I remember seeing an interview with the late Ross Hannaford about his time in the legendary early '70s Aussie band Daddy Cool. He busted out one of these for show and tell. Unfortunately it was so badly in need of a setup that it was unplayable, but he raved over it, and delighted in demonstrating the kickstand. I've often toyed with the idea of butchering an old worthless guitar by squaring it off and attaching a stand like this on the back. Wouldn't be too hard to do.
I'm actually in the market for a 6121 Chet Atkins solid body. Preferably 90s or newer not a vintage one, money's tight so I was hoping to either trade or sell my 1976 Les Paul recording to obtain my dream guitar!
There was also a Dearmond re-release of this body shape in the 90s, the Jetstar. Made in Indonesia, mine is 100% mahogany and had junk pickups, so I replaced them.
Most of the lead guitar on Jefferson Airplane’s first album, surrealistic pillow, was played on a Guild Thunderbird. I love that album and I was convinced it was a telecaster, but nope. It has a very single coil sound
Honestly, the only thing I'm not keen on is the bridge design. The actual vibrato bit is fine and quite elegant, but having to adjust the screws on both sides of the saddle just seems like a massive pain that would probably lead to problems down the line. I don't know if I'd trust the rocking motion to return it to pitch consistently as compared to a roller saddle. Those have their own issues but at least they don't lose intonation due to the bridge moving out of adjustment. The rhythm circuit is the best thing about the Jazzmaster/Jaguar, so having it available on a guitar with a vaguely sensible bridge that has enough break angle without needing to re-do the neck pocket to compensate for the foolish attempt to put a bridge designed for archtops onto a flat bodied guitar with a moving tailpiece and no neck tilt back is really cool.
EXACTLY. Fred Cole, he rocked that Guild like no other. Before Dead Moon, he used to play a Gretsch for a while (don't know the type), but he destroyed it by accident on stage. Now Fred and his wife Toody had a guitar store, captain Whizeagle's (later Tombstone), and there was this Thunderbird that had remained unsold for years... so Fred picked it up himself. He ditched the neck pickup, replaced the bridge pickup, put on a Bigsby tremolo, added a booster circuit (for a while), the replacement pickguard was mismatched but it did its job, the band name DEAD MOON was spray painted on the back of the body... and that Thunderbird lasted for 30 years, with Fred doing a refret after every three of four tours. (These tours were long and intense... ) I was SO happy when DeArmond released reissues of this guitar for a very reasonable price. The JetStar (2 pickups, 2 vol, 2 tone, toggle), the JetStar Special (2 pickups, 1 vol, 1 tone, toggle) and even a baritone, bass, and 7-string version (ouch) were on the market. Guild rereleased the Thunderbird, yes also with the complete original electronics layout, but without the kickstand. I think the stripped versions you mention came later, with some variations including one with P90s... and, well, that sounds fine to me. (So does the DeArmond JetStar Special, it has been my go-to guitar for years now. And not just because Fred Cole signed it 🙂 To all of you who want to see what I'm raving on about, check out Dead Moon, they are of course on RUclips. Best live band I have ever seen, and I've seen a few.
That's a great question! Legend has it that it was such a skinny kick stand that it wasn't very stable and the guitar would get knocked over pretty easily but when a wider version was considered, the added weight proved to be too much.
I kind of want one of these after watching this. I've seen them before..but hadn't bothered to look into the eletronics or specs. Did they make a lefthanded version? hehe
Ever come across a Guild or a Dearmond( subsidiary) check one out! Very durable/ playable. A gem you may acq at a deal, folks. I just sub'd and appreciate you covering these gems.
I actually have one, its very awkward to play, but it sounds cool. I don't trust the kick stand for shit. My grandfather bought it new in 1963 and it was his primary gigging guitar during that time period.
About the reissue, I think you are showing not the "exact" reissue; I got one, a sunburst S-200 t-bird and it has the imho the exact bodyshape, headstock AND jaguar circuit minus the metal kickstand in the back of the body. Lots of the original models broke because this kickstand was not really reliable and the guitar could fell. The picture you are showing is not the S200 t-bird but the Guild T-Bird ST Vintage white, which has indeed no jaguar circuit. Google s-200-t-bird-antique-burst, and you'll see
@@CreamCityMusic The nice thing on vintage guitars is, that they offer more dfferent sounds than only the typical Strat, Tele, Les Paul, ES-335 sounds. The vintage guitar world already has been more creative and different decades ago, as it is today. Often not very successful, nevertheless the right thing for someone certainly. The other thing is, If I eg.listen to a Billy Gibbons, he hardly sounds different, no matter, if he plays a Les Paul, (custom) Tele or Gretsch or whatever else. His tone comes out of his hands and fingers, and his mind, of course, and then you can play everything. But this is the exception, I think, meanwhile. Unfortunately. Others still look for the "perfect" guitar, to activate, what maybe is inside, maybe also not...
Zal Yanovski, lead player of The Lovin’ Spoonful, rocked one of these back in the day. Rocked it like a big dawg, in fact.
Yup! It's awesome
I have a reissue. Only missing the kick stand (which many players didn't like anyway). Won't be missed.
UK viewer here. Back in the mid 70's I knew someone who had one of these. As I recall it was black and chrome. He was an outstanding guitarist and got sounds from it I couldn't believe.
That's very cool! What kind of stuff was he doing?
@CreamCityMusic Rhythm and Blues, mostly, plus some prog rock. He had the remarkable ability to play a rhythm and a lead part at the same time, something I never saw anyone else do until Wilko Johnson came along.
I always love seeing Guild get some recognition! Wildly underappreciated electric guitars
Great video. Some funny stuff in there. I learned so much about this model I didn't know, including that I really want one of these vintage birds. Definitely the coolest thing I've seen all day, but then the day has just begun. Much love brethren.
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Appreciate it!
Muddy Waters 1966 Denmark video has 3 guitar players playing that oddball Guild, which I like.
It's a great vid
By the way, that is Hagstrom designed and made tremolo unit and bridge, used on most 60s Hagstroms. I have a ‘65 Impala and it’s on it, and it works fine. Little shame it’s only tremolo down, but at the same time that makes it really tuning stable.
Yeah, those Hagstroms are great little units. I have that same vibrato and bridge on my 1964 Harmony H-19. You can set them to go up, too, although it obviously cuts into the downward range of it. I think I had to swap in a softer spring in order to get mine to go up if I recall correctly. I'm not entirely sure, it was many years ago now.
Very cool!
I’ve always loved this guitar. It just looks cool and to me it’s just as iconic as most of the more popular or famous guitars out there. I was only 5 or 6 years old when I made drawings of me playing in an 8 piece band, holding either a black strat, a turquoise Mockingbird, or a red Thunderbird. I don’t know exactly why these were the models that drew my attention. I must have seen them when I was watching the Dutch music program Top Pop on television. A lot of videos of that program are now on RUclips and a couple of years ago I saw an old mid seventies performance by the Dutch band ‘Golden Earring’ (best known for their song ‘Radar Love’) and in that video George Kooymans played the Mockingbird, so I think that’s what I remembered. It wasn’t turquoise though. I have no idea where THAT came from. I never saw a Mockingbird in that colour.
Anyway, I love the Guild Thunderbird. I was actually thinking of buying one of the reissues, just for fun. But unfortunately they don’t make them anymore (this was fairly recent). I probably would have been annoyed by the fact that it wasn’t a proper reissue anyway. I mean, who doesn’t want that brilliant guitar stand? Fender did it with their amps. I want Guild to start making them again. I think it’s ideal! You never need to think about bringing a guitar stand when the guitar itself literally IS the guitar stand. Aaaah well…., maybe one day. A man can dream. 😊
Thanks for the video! 🧡
Thanks so much for sharing your story! It's really fun to hear about those kinds of formative moments. Each of us has a story about the first time we went WOW over a particular guitar and it changed the course of our lives :)
I feel like I'm watching a re-run of The Price is Right. 😄
Haha! Bob Barker eat your heart out! (Or Drew Carey for the next-gen) ;)
Quirky, and it sounded great too! I remember seeing an interview with the late Ross Hannaford about his time in the legendary early '70s Aussie band Daddy Cool. He busted out one of these for show and tell. Unfortunately it was so badly in need of a setup that it was unplayable, but he raved over it, and delighted in demonstrating the kickstand. I've often toyed with the idea of butchering an old worthless guitar by squaring it off and attaching a stand like this on the back. Wouldn't be too hard to do.
Hey Cream City Music, just discovered your Channel. Great and interesting Content... Thanks for sharing. Best Regards Nik
Thanks Nik! We're just a bunch of folks at a guitar shop having fun with guitars :)
Guild needs to make a proper Thunderbird reissue with all its bells and whistles.
Great review!!! Thanks :) I didn't know a lot of this
Always loved Guild guitars! I had a B302 Bass. My favorite. I wish I never put it in pawn😢
Oh dang...we've all been there!
Guild thunderbird, super rare guitar with a built-in guitar stand I'd still like to have one for my collection.
Buy this one! :)
I'm actually in the market for a 6121 Chet Atkins solid body. Preferably 90s or newer not a vintage one, money's tight so I was hoping to either trade or sell my 1976 Les Paul recording to obtain my dream guitar!
The Guild Thunderbird is a 1964 model, but what year is Jacob's hair in?
Clearly it's all 70s with him
Corleone's bit was epic
Appreciate that haha
There was also a Dearmond re-release of this body shape in the 90s, the Jetstar. Made in Indonesia, mine is 100% mahogany and had junk pickups, so I replaced them.
Most of the lead guitar on Jefferson Airplane’s first album, surrealistic pillow, was played on a Guild Thunderbird. I love that album and I was convinced it was a telecaster, but nope. It has a very single coil sound
Love that 60s retro futurism, have the equally bonkers gretsch astrojet and love it
Honestly, the only thing I'm not keen on is the bridge design.
The actual vibrato bit is fine and quite elegant, but having to adjust the screws on both sides of the saddle just seems like a massive pain that would probably lead to problems down the line. I don't know if I'd trust the rocking motion to return it to pitch consistently as compared to a roller saddle. Those have their own issues but at least they don't lose intonation due to the bridge moving out of adjustment.
The rhythm circuit is the best thing about the Jazzmaster/Jaguar, so having it available on a guitar with a vaguely sensible bridge that has enough break angle without needing to re-do the neck pocket to compensate for the foolish attempt to put a bridge designed for archtops onto a flat bodied guitar with a moving tailpiece and no neck tilt back is really cool.
We're with you 100% regarding the bridge. When we were doing that section of the video we all let out a collective groan 😆
I’d love one of these, Supercool.
They're pretty phenomenal!
RIP Fred Cole of Dead Moon, my favorite guild thunderbird player
EXACTLY. Fred Cole, he rocked that Guild like no other. Before Dead Moon, he used to play a Gretsch for a while (don't know the type), but he destroyed it by accident on stage. Now Fred and his wife Toody had a guitar store, captain Whizeagle's (later Tombstone), and there was this Thunderbird that had remained unsold for years... so Fred picked it up himself. He ditched the neck pickup, replaced the bridge pickup, put on a Bigsby tremolo, added a booster circuit (for a while), the replacement pickguard was mismatched but it did its job, the band name DEAD MOON was spray painted on the back of the body... and that Thunderbird lasted for 30 years, with Fred doing a refret after every three of four tours. (These tours were long and intense... )
I was SO happy when DeArmond released reissues of this guitar for a very reasonable price. The JetStar (2 pickups, 2 vol, 2 tone, toggle), the JetStar Special (2 pickups, 1 vol, 1 tone, toggle) and even a baritone, bass, and 7-string version (ouch) were on the market.
Guild rereleased the Thunderbird, yes also with the complete original electronics layout, but without the kickstand. I think the stripped versions you mention came later, with some variations including one with P90s... and, well, that sounds fine to me. (So does the DeArmond JetStar Special, it has been my go-to guitar for years now. And not just because Fred Cole signed it 🙂
To all of you who want to see what I'm raving on about, check out Dead Moon, they are of course on RUclips. Best live band I have ever seen, and I've seen a few.
Honestly, the magnetic closure kickstand is slick! Why is this the only one I've seen?
That's a great question! Legend has it that it was such a skinny kick stand that it wasn't very stable and the guitar would get knocked over pretty easily but when a wider version was considered, the added weight proved to be too much.
Muddy Waters, "Electric Mud".
Classic
His actual Thunderbird is on display at the MoPOP in Seattle right now
Early70s my boss at Burger Chef had one of these. That bridge looks similar to a Hagstrom bridge
Burger Chef is an awesome name for a burger place
Thanks man :) I really didn't knew that
The controls and what they do are exactly the same as a Jaguar, just slightly moved around a bit.
Yup!
isn't that the Ricky Wilson guitar, the guitarist from the b52s in the early 80's? edit- YES, featured in the Legal Tender video.
Incredible!
No doubt!
Happy new year from Canada have a wonderful weekend 🇯🇵🇺🇸🇬🇧🏴🇨🇦🎄🎸🎂🌲🙏
I like weird guitars. Thanks for the great showcase
Thanks for watching!
I really regret not getting one of these when they were somewhat affordable.
Totally feel that. We're shocked at how high the value has gone but there are so few of them still out there, so we're not surprised.
@@CreamCityMusic yeah, add to that the fact that there are so few truly quirky vintage guitars that are actually good, lol.
I kind of want one of these after watching this. I've seen them before..but hadn't bothered to look into the eletronics or specs. Did they make a lefthanded version? hehe
Great question. We've never seen one in person.
Jorma Kaukonnen, Zal Yanofski, Muddy Waters, and Peter Lewis [Moby Grape] all played them in the mid-'60s
Ever come across a Guild or a Dearmond( subsidiary) check one out! Very durable/ playable. A gem you may acq at a deal, folks. I just sub'd and appreciate you covering these gems.
We've had those come through our shop many times in the past! Thank you for the sub! :)
heres a bucket list guitar for me
muddy waters used one of these didn't he?
He did!
It's grown on me over the years
We can understand why :)
Remember Dan Auerbach used to play this and I always felt it looks like a wonkier Jaguar
Spot on
Looks like something from the Jetsons.
It does!
I thought that was a Bo Diddley model.
It has that vibe
Redd Kross!
Yes. Jeff MacDonald.
Great call out!
I actually have one, its very awkward to play, but it sounds cool. I don't trust the kick stand for shit. My grandfather bought it new in 1963 and it was his primary gigging guitar during that time period.
hagstrom design vibrato on there i think. easy to lose those bridge saddles when you break a string!!! but pretty damn decent vibrato IMHO.
0:21 damn that's ugly
Haha! It's definitely not for everyone
$6000 for a vintage guitar that's not Fender or Gibson is a lot!
It's true!
About the reissue, I think you are showing not the "exact" reissue; I got one, a sunburst S-200 t-bird and it has the imho the exact bodyshape, headstock AND jaguar circuit minus the metal kickstand in the back of the body. Lots of the original models broke because this kickstand was not really reliable and the guitar could fell. The picture you are showing is not the S200 t-bird but the Guild T-Bird ST Vintage white, which has indeed no jaguar circuit.
Google s-200-t-bird-antique-burst, and you'll see
NOOOOOO I WAS JUST ABOUT TOBUY ONE AND NOW THEY'RE GOING TO BE EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE
Built in a hall of mirrors.
There ya go!
Harley Benton👍
Zal of the loven' spoonful
Yup!
What a babe 😍 and how does She sound so cool!?
he sounds like napoleon dynamite
Fair 😂
That’s the ugliest shape I’ve seen and I’m chopping up a body right now for a custom build 😂
Haha! It's not for everyone ;)
And we’ll never know what it sounds like.
Alone if I see the string height in the video, this is nothing for me. Does not sound bad, I must admit, but I certainly would not want to buy one.
That's fair :)
@@CreamCityMusic The nice thing on vintage guitars is, that they offer more dfferent sounds than only the typical Strat, Tele, Les Paul, ES-335 sounds. The vintage guitar world already has been more creative and different decades ago, as it is today.
Often not very successful, nevertheless the right thing for someone certainly.
The other thing is, If I eg.listen to a Billy Gibbons, he hardly sounds different, no matter, if he plays a Les Paul, (custom) Tele or Gretsch or whatever else. His tone comes out of his hands and fingers, and his mind, of course, and then you can play everything. But this is the exception, I think, meanwhile. Unfortunately.
Others still look for the "perfect" guitar, to activate, what maybe is inside, maybe also not...