When Guilds were still made in Hoboken, New Jersey, they produced a diverse variety of archtop guitars, and all of them are good, hard-working axes. Many players agree the best Guild archtops were made in Hoboken, before the company moved to Westerly, R.I. and focused more on acoustics.
Guild introduced the thinline "Slim Jim" model in 1958, and its 16-1/4"-wide body is only 2" deep which makes it much more comfortable than full-depth models. Available with either a single pickup or two pickups, the T-100 offered a lot of the same professional-grade features of the Starfire series, but at a more reasonable price.
This 1966 Guild T-100D has been beautifully preserved over the years. It sports its original sunburst lacquer finish, and it was made the first year of Guild's rectangular single-coil pickups. Relative to the DeArmonds and other pickups Guild used over the years, these white plastic and metal covered pickups are more similar in design to Fender pickups, which gives this T-100D a flavor you won't find on many archtops (Guild, Gretsch, Gibson, etc.). It's a brighter, snappier tone with a lot of bite from the bridge pickup.
This '66 T-100D has its original pickguard in tact, original tailpiece, original bridge, and all of the electronics are original, too. The tuning machines are original, but the button on the 3rd string has been replaced with a later (probably early '70s) slightly oversized button. It has been re-fretted, and it plays nicely with low action. It includes a high quality Guardian hardshell case that fits its unique body shape nicely.
This 1966 Guild T-100D is a great vintage player with a lot of character. Thanks to the thinline design and Guild single-coil pickups, it captures a vibe and inspiration you don't find on many archtop guitars. It's in nice shape cosmetically, but the finish is fairly worn around the back edge and some of the top edge as well (see photos).
This old Guild would be a great workhorse, but its unique flavor will add new dimensions to anyone's collection.