1960s Guyatone LG-130T Electric Guitar
Guyatone guitars are simply cool. This one drips it all over in the form of a metal pickguard and control plate, Bigsby-like whammy, and in-depth control layout that gives plenty of tonal options -- and judging by the length of the demo, perhaps too many? Wait -- is too many a thing?
These were made in Japan and are a little higher quality than the average Teisco or Kawai product for the time, though they still share the odd styling of those lovable import brands. The necks on these are a little more practical and functional, though, and the pickups absolutely roar. The ones on this guy sound a lot like DeArmond DynaSonics mixed with a bit of an aggressive Fender sound. It even has a Jaguar-style "strangle" switch which removes a bit of bass from the sound and thus gives it a bit of a strummy, Strat-style vibe.
So, yep -- I like it. You definitely have to be a fan of medium-bigger necks to rock this, however, and the pickups are microphonic for sure -- you can hear yourself tapping the body through every one of them -- so these are things to think about if you're looking lustfully at this guitar. The whammy actually works pretty decently and, as long as you treat it like a Bigsby and don't dive over and over and over, it seems to keep in tune well-enough. The original bridge was compensated for wound-G stringing but I filled/recut the bridge top to get 3-wound, 3-plain modern stringing compensation out of it.
Repairs included: a fret level/dress, minor wiring repairs, whammy lube/adjustments, recompensation of the bridge, cleaning, and setup.
Weight: 6 lbs 15 oz
Scale length: 24 3/4"
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Neck shape: medium-full D
Board radius: 10"
Body width: 13"
Body depth: 1 3/8"
Body wood: unsure
Bridge: original plastic (modded for 3-wound, 3-plain compensation)
Fretboard: rosewood
Neck wood: unsure
Pickups: 2x non-adjustable single coil, 1x adjustable single coil
Truss rod: adjustable
Neck relief: straight
Fret style: medium-low
Condition notes: it's all-original with the exception of the jack and volume pot (both of which I replaced). For those not used to microphonic pickups, it might be something worth thinking about if you plan to play really loud right next to your amp. I think, though, that the tradeoff of body sensitivity added to your sound is worth it as it makes a guitar like this so very fun and expressive. Other than that, the body has mild usewear throughout via scratching, scuffs, and small nicks here and there throughout but overall it looks nice.
It comes with: sorry, no case.
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