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1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 1:59 pm
by i love sharin foo
It has taken me 20 years to finally get around to acquiring one of these. I have recently restarted my jazz journey where I left off over 17 years ago. This was the guitar I was set to get right before my teacher had to quit. So, I went my own direction for all the years after. Now, I am ready to really focus for once. It feels nice. I've dug out all my old books.. even tracked down my metronome. So without further ado, this is the ONE. It is a '94, made in the Westerly plant. It has the original, Guild made HB1 pickups, a maple top, back, sides, and neck, and plays super. It has rounds on it at the moment, but I'll be swapping out for some GHS Brite Flats over the weekend.

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Even the neck has some nice flame. It's hard to capture in the photos. Looks a lot better in person.
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And the made in USA stamp
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Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:43 am
by wproffitt
Wow! That Guild is stunning. From what I've heard, those are the pickups to have Ina Guild, too. Have fun with it in your studies in Jazz! Oh, how is the neck? I've been curious about what the neck profile on there is like. A buddy of mine has a Blues 90 from the same-ish period and the neck on that guitar has some heft to it. What about this one?

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 3:52 pm
by i love sharin foo
Thanks! I am over the moon to have it. Between yesterday and today I have about 5 hours solid on it. I strung it with a set of .011 flats last night and it really evened things out a lot. Those HB1s are bright by nature, and the maple top, back and sides contribute more high end too. The flats tame that and makes it really articulate, but not harsh at all. It is just really clear and present. I love it!

The nut is 1 5/8" and the profile is definitely pretty thick. Not like a baseball bat but really full, but still comfortable for chording or single note runs.

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 5:34 pm
by zakmaster
Wow! That is a beautiful guitar. Sounds like it is going to get some serious playing time. Congratulations.

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 6:14 pm
by stevejamsecono
I've always wanted one of these, but for totally different uses. I've played several of the big orange one's with the bigbys, and I thought they sounded awesome for rock. Through a Vox Night Train and a Marshall 4x12 it was instant "Won't Get Fooled Again".

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 9:18 am
by øøøøøøø
gorgeous!

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 9:46 am
by Telliot
Beautiful, congrats!! I wonder how different these sound from a Starfire II, I assume the body is deeper?

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 11:18 am
by DesmondWafers
That's the shiniest goddamn guitar I've ever seen. Beautiful.

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 5:42 am
by jagajaguar
:? :? :? :?

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 6:04 am
by øøøøøøø
Telliot wrote:Beautiful, congrats!! I wonder how different these sound from a Starfire II, I assume the body is deeper?
They're quite different. More in common with an ES-175, or even an ES-5 truthfully.

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 7:33 pm
by i love sharin foo
Thanks for the kind words everybody! I still can't believe how great this thing sounds. Everything about it is just so responsive. Each number on the tone controls can be heard.. there is variation along the entire travel. The neck pickup with the tone wide open is crisp and articulate.. but you can roll it back to be as dark and smooth as necessary. Even fully closed, it still has plenty of definition but is still as dark as you could ever need. The bridge pickup can be bright if you want it. Standard rock tones are no problem. A little rock a billy grind is there no problem. But roll the tone back a bit and there it is.. nice, smooth tone.

The playability is fantastic. I can't remember what the fingerboard radius is, but it is very comfortable and about ideal for chording. I very briefly had an Guild X500 and I am finding the X170's thinner body to be a lot more comfortable. I don't know if it is due to how much btter the 170 is setup, but it's caustic tone is much more lively and resonant and a fair bit louder. The X500 felt and sounded more like what you would expect from a newer Korean or Chinese mad arch top with a real thick poly finish and a heavy laminated top (even though both Guilds have laminated tops). It was fairly stiff and dead sounding. It just didn't have the acoustic-like quality that the 170 does. Maybe the 500 was just a poor example. I'm not sure. It was an '88 model. At any rate, I :-* the 170 though.

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:21 pm
by i love sharin foo
I suppose I will fast forward three years and resurrect this thread from the dead... Been doing that a lot lately...


I LOVED this guitar. Really loved it. Some shit came up late that year and I had to part with it. I knew from the moment I first held it that it wasn't just an ordinary guitar. It felt and played better than anything I've ever had. I've owned over 100 by this point and there were only two that I let go which haunted my dreams. This one was #1. I STILL think about it and wish I could go back and make something else work out instead and keep it. But I can't and it's gone. It's weird to feel like that about a guitar. I've been watching and waiting and trying to find another. Guild only made about 100 of these between 1990 and 1993. And about 40 more in '94. After that you start getting into transitional features and Duncan pickups, etc. Not bad guitars AT ALL. But I don't want a good one... I want a GREAT one like I had. After selling a few things and a bit more to come, I found one. A '93. Exactly like my old one but in blonde. It arrived today. Pretty much as expected but I think I have a real slight rise at the neck to body joint on the bass side. I've been messing with it and have leveled the two offending frets to compensate. I have it playing pretty well. I can't really do a decent setup yet as I am still waiting on the flats that I'll be putting on it. It's currently strung with rounds :-X There's a bit of flame, mainly the sides and neck. Overall I like the look. It's been played a bit more than my old one which I think I would prefer. It will make it easier to not agonize over it as much.

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Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 8:13 pm
by andy
Nice axe!!!!!!!

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 8:23 pm
by marqueemoon
I think you outdid yourself with the blonde one. Wow!

Re: 1994 Guild X170 Manhattan

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:55 pm
by zhivago
That is a beauty!!! I love the tailpiece!! 8) 8) 8)