Guild X-50 Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1959), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # 11003, sunburst lacquer finish, laminated maple body, laminated mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is a plain but lovely 1959 Guild archtop, built in the old Neumann Leather building along the train tracks in Hoboken NJ. This X-50 Granada was the lowest ranked electric guitar in their line but still a very well-made instrument with a solid professional feel. The 16" wide hollow body is laminate maple throughout with a shaded two-tone sunburst finish, single bound top and back. It features a single Franz P-90 style pickup with white plastic cover typical of Guilds from the 1950s mounted in the neck position. The volume control and tone controls are topped by amber plastic skirted knobs with a G shield logo on the metal cap.
Other features include a generic Waverly trapeze tailpiece and typical Guild wooden adjustable bridge. The one piece mahogany neck has a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlay. The early-style Guild open book peghead has a dainty gold script stencil logo and small plastic truss rod cover, fitted with metal button openback Waverly strip tuners. Overall this is a very nice and extremely playable instrument, simple but sweet with a nice even sound retaining more acoustic character than some similar guitars, at least until the amp is cranked!
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a nice 60+ year old original guitar, all original and complete except for a missing pickguard. The finish is all original with some checking overall and a scattered collection of dings, dents, chipping and scrapes, most heavily to the bottom rim. These is slight buckle rash on the back. There is one larger strap burn spot into the middle of the back of neck behind the 9th fret and a feelable ding behind the 4th.
The headstock face has tight even checking and some minor loss tom the logo stencil. All the binding is tight with some minor shrinking but no cracking or crumbling. The pickguard is long gone and the mounting hole in the top has been filled. The original frets show some minor signs of play wear but have plenty of life left. This is a good looking and fine playing guitar with a good neck angle and a single excellent sounding pickup, a nice example of this plain but attractive instrument. Overall Excellent - Condition.
