Guild T-100D Slim Jim Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1958), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # 7496, natural lacquer finish, laminated maple body, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This 1958 T-100 "Slim Jim" represents the fairly rare earliest ancestor of Guild's best known 1960's stand-by, the Starfire series. The T-100 was Guild's first thinline F-hole hollow body electric, following a trend set by Gibson in 1955. Single and double pickup versions were introduced in 1958, marking this T-100D as one of the first ones made. It has had some binding restoration (as many period Guilds have, or need) but remains relative bargain in a 1950s professional grade electric guitar.
The thinline 16" single-cutaway T-100 is just under 2" deep, finished in natural clear lacquer overall; the laminated maple body is triple-bound top with an unbound back. The one-piece mahogany neck has a bound, dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard and the headstock is the earlier "open book" shape topped with a Guild-inlaid plastic overlay with "Chesterfield" column inlay. It is fitted with the Guild "harp" tailpiece, unusual barrel knobs specific to Guilds in this period and Waverly strip tuners.
The double pickups in this first-year version are Guild's 1950's white plastic-covered P-90 style single-coil units made by Fransch electronics in Woodside, Queens. While used on most of the company's early electrics they were replaced in the early '60s with various DeArmond or Guild-specific pickups. The Franz brand units are fairly microphonic but good sounding, similar to but clearer sounding than Gibson P-90s and offer a different tone than later DeArmond or Humbucker equipped Guilds. This is quite a sweet sounding instrument, a very nice player and cool medium-rare 1950's vintage hollow body guitar.
Overall length is 41 1/4 in. (104.8 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Overall this is a nice example especially for 67 years on, with some restoration caused by deterioration of the often-unstable 1950s celluloid binding but no heavy wear or notable damage. Overall the finish shows some checking with small dings, chips and rubs. The back of the body has heavy checking and some flaking with light staining along the base, looking to have been in a moist environment at some point. The binding on the top edge of the body and the fingerboard has been neatly redone with grained ivoroid, not exactly correct for this model but an very clean job and better looking than many. There is a thin clear overspray on the top, sides and back of the neck associated with this, which is visible on close inspection but not intrusive.
The hardware are original including the original metal-button Waverly strip tuners, double white plastic covered Franz pickups, adjustable rosewood bridge, Guild harp tailpiece, unusual amber barrel knobs and laminated plastic pickguard. The label is torn but serial number is visible stamped on headstock. The original frets and fingerboard show some wear in the lower positions but still play well. Overall this is a fine playing guitar, a versatile early thinline electric with a good sound, especially at lower volume. It resides in a more modern HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.
