❌SOLD❌Guild X150 Savoy Cutaway Single Pickup Archtop Electric Sunburst, 1961

The Guild X150 Savoy is a single cutaway carved Spruce top guitar, built from 1954 to 1965 in single and dual pickup (X150D) models and natural or sunburst finishes.  Currently, the new Guild Guitar company under Ren Ferguson – who ran the Gibson Acoustic shop in Bozeman –  offers the Guild A-150 Savoy model, with a neck-mount deArmond pickup. 

Guild’s origins spring from the Epiphone company’s labour troubles following the death of founder Epi Stathopoulos in 1943. Two of his brothers took over management, and by 1951 Epiphone’s workers went on strike for four months. The outcome was Epiphone’s move from New York to Philadelphia. The workers who did not want to move went to the new company Guild founded in 1952 by musician and retailer Alfred Dronge and George Mann, former Epiphone executive. They immediately set to work producing arched and flat top acoustic guitars, many with pickups.

This Guild X150 Savoy was built during 1961, part of a total of just over 8,000 guitars built (derived from serial numbers). It features a laminate  Spruce top, carved Maple back, Maple sides and 3-piece Mahogany neck with a Maple center strip. The bridge appears to be Ebony and the bound fingerboard are Rosewood, likely Brazilian given the period.  The block position markers are Mother of Pearl. 

Over the years this guitar has had some modifications. The pickguard has been removed and the original Frantz single coil pickup – very close in appearance and general construction to the Gibson P-90 – was replaced with an early 1970’s Guild humbucking pickup. The original Grover Sta-Tite tuners have been replaced with Kluson Deluxe models with plastic keystone buttons. This was a working guitar, so the finish is worn in a number of expected places, such as on the upper treble side where it rested on the player’s leg. and on the top at the cutaway.  Fret wear is light, and it has been professionally refretted. It plays quite well.

This Guild X150 Savoy is sold with a padded gig bag.