identify this old guitar

[Sweetfinger]

The headstock is Gibson-derived, and the tailpiece on that one is Hofner.

What I meant was the headstock logo, which looks very suspiciously like the metal Harmony Meteor logo and others. Of course, Harmony used Hofner tailpieces, which is where that reference comes from. Now that theres a picture of an early Guild that looks just like.....

I'm more interested in what thew difference is between the more common Franz pups you see on the Guilds and these with the offset poles.

[jimijamz]

I am glad someone figured it out, I know the tail piece looked like an old Guild, I never ran across one of those, we use to have a lot of Kays, Harmonys, and Airline guitars were on the ceiling all of the shop because of the name of the shop and the street we were on. It looks really clean!

[Plucky]

Just for the record, the photo I posted with the Guild branded headstock is a "transplant". Someone decided at one point to marry a Stewart body and a Guild neck, for whatever reason. If you look closely at the end of the fingerboard, it is cut off rather abruptly after the 21st fret, colliding with the pickup. It also joins the body at the 14th fret, as opposed to the Stewart, which joins at the 16th(and also has 23 frets).

[jimijamz]

Guild

I missed that pic. I have a 79 Guild S300D, with neck somewhat a lot, but much new I am sure. I love it, the neck is like some old Gibsons really thick neck. Yea if the union of that neck came out alright that thing must play well.

[Twanginarchtop]

Hi great thread, just joined up to comment on the mystery JOS guitar., great thing by the way. I have a fascination with the United Code built guitars of the mid 50s as well as Guild guitars of the same era. I own two United code built guitars and a 1956 guild X500 . This guitar is most probably is a New Jersy built United code product. The Stewart guitar is the same manufacturer for sure.
Of the two United Code built guitars i have . both are 17inch full hollow body single ply cutaway archtop electrics. Both have Gibson style open book headstocks and Franz pick ups like the mystery JOS guitar and are very good build quality .
One is branded ODELL with Vega Co. Boston. on the headstock decal. it has one of those Franz off white coloured pick ups in the neck position and the same Dakaware knobs. The pots date it 1956. The guitar is the same sunburst as the JOS guitar and it has a 25in scale neck, rosewood board and pearl dots for markers. The neck appears to be maple and is a nice 50s style Gibson profile. The whole guitar is very nice build quality. I bought it on Ebay from a dealer in Memphis fairly recently as a project. I live in Melbourne Australia by the way and this is my first pot.
The other guitar has the same body but a Mahogany neck and ebony board (which i am sure is a replacement, it also had a poorly executed neck reset, which iam getting redone). it has two Franz pick ups of the same type with offset poles (single coil NOT humbucking) and the same selector knob (like Kay used). These are coloured dark bakerlite brown. great sounding pickups (as are the Franzs on my 56 Guild..totaly killer tone!). This guitar is labeled as a Mansfield and has a decal on the headstock. I bought that from Folkway music in Canada, the guys who had the Stewart Oriphonic. pictured above.
Will post pics if I can get a tip on how to. I'm totaly facinated with the 3 pickup guild branded small bodied hollow that Plucky posted. Can some one fill me in on the story of that one, would love to know. anyway just thought i would add the little I know about these fantastic guitars, cheers from Australia.

[jrfrond]

Very cool. We're never to old to learn new things. I'm totally unfamiliar with United Code guitars, but now have some missing pieces to the old guitar puzzle. Thanks for the info Plucky, and if you have any links to United Code resources on the internet, please post them. My initial search shows little available.

[kurtdaniel]

this guitar came from a store in south jersey called saters music, it has no markings at all, i pulled one of the pick ups and looked inside, nothing. i think it is some kind of sales demo because the head stock has the letters "JOS" across the top and "SATERS" down the center. if you need more pictures let me know and ill e mail them to you.
thanks
[ATTACH=CONFIG]14880[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]14881[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]14879[/ATTACH]

i love its sunburst finish

[Plucky]

i love its sunburst finish

Charburst. Usually the result of a house fire. Seriously, though, I find it charming as well...

[kurtdaniel]

Charburst. Usually the result of a house fire. Seriously, though, I find it charming as well...

wow,,thanks for the info,, its the first time ive heard of it.. I guess its really nice to play some guitar chords on a charburst finished guitar..

[picknconk]

It's a Premier!

That's a late 50's Premier with Franz pickups...

[gtr_5155]

Being an old guy from New York-this looks like it has a selector that was not proprietory to just Kay.It was a standard part that copuld be found in most of the era's electronics catalogs.The pickups look like Franz (also made in N.Y.) that were used on early N.J.Guild guitars.Getting the clues? Mostly NY area stuff.I would suggest that it is possibly a Premier guitar,distributed by Sorkin.Check Guitar Jedi on the web.They will probably have more info.

[isabellasateriale]

Hello!! Joseph Sater was my great grandfather who owned the shop. My grandfather, my aunt and my dad also worked in the store. If you still have this guitar, I’d love to buy it off of you. My family and I have been searching for his guitars or anything with his name on it for years. We have nothing. It would mean the world if I could buy it off of you.