1989 Guild X-160 Hollowbody Electric Guitar

Overview: Talk about a looker, huh? This old Guild flits between Gretsch, Gibson, and New York jazzbox identities and does it well. It's got a sweet, mellow sound, a fast feel, and a ding-dong Bigsby on there. It'll do the Chet thing and the cool jazz thing and everything in-between.

Tone: Calling it "husky" might go too far but it's got a mellow, warm, even sound to it. The buckers on this aren't the brighter ones I'd expect from '60s or '70s Guilds but they're definitely more suited to the music being made on a guitar like this from the time it was made. I guess -- maybe think "mellower ES-175 with a Bigsby" and you're in the target range of this one's vibe.

Feel: The neck is fast and the body is comfy. The neck has a slimmer C profile and a flatter radius to the board. Its short scale keeps it easy and quick on the fingers.

Interesting features: The cherry-sunburst finish over the figured maple veneer on the body is pretty classy and classic. The deco-style "stairstep" pickguard is also a nice touch. The Guild-branded Bigsby whammy looks right in place and functions well. Its bridge is compensated for a wound G string so string sets with wound Gs are necessary to keep it in tune up the neck unless the bridge topper/saddle is swapped-out.

Repairs included: Gurion gave it a fret level/dress and setup work and it's playing spot-on and ready to serve.

• Weight: 8 lbs 0 oz
• Scale length: 24 3/4"
• Nut width: 1 5/8"
• Neck shape: slim-medium C
• Board radius: 14"
• Body width: 16 1/2"
• Body depth: 2 1/2"
• Body wood: ply flamed maple
• Bridge: rosewood
• Fretboard: rosewood
• Neck wood: maple
• Pickups: 2x humbuckers (original)
• Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 54w-12 or close to it, with wound G, older/tarnished
• Truss rod: adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: medium modern

Condition notes: It's really quite clean save for the odd small scuff or scratch here and there. The neck pickup's cover has some plating loss/smear near the high E pole area but its hardware is otherwise in good order. The finish shows very minor weather-check here and there.

It comes with: It's got a good, original, Guild hard case.

Consignor tag: LCL