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1975 Guild Manhattan X-175B
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Serial #: 114884, stamped on peghead
Body size at lower bout:17" Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut width: 1 10/16"
Materials: Arched Adirondack spruce top; arched flame maple back and sides, mahogany neck with maple stripe; rosewood fingerboard with block inlay; G-logo peghead inlay; 3-ply body binding, bound fingerboard and f-holes, bone nut.
Hardware: 100% original hardware, including harp tailpiece and twin Guild HB-1 humbucking pickups, compensated rosewood bridge; Guild logo Schaller tuners; beveled art deco stairstep pickguard, twin tone and volume controls, master volume control, 3 way pickup selector switch.
Notes: To the casual observer, the Manhattan X-175 might be mistaken for Guild's answer to Gibson's perennial ES-175. But with its larger 17" body and contoured Venetian cutaway, the X-175 is actually better compared to Gibson's upscale ES-350. And even the legendary 350 didn't come with premium touches like bound f-holes, or the D'Angelico styled stairstep art-deco pickguard. The laminate body is crack-resistant, and offers improved sustain and feedback resistance, while the lightweight Honduras Mahogany neck makes for a better balanced instrument than most maple-necked guitars.
Introduced in 1954, the X-175 model was equipped with humbucking pickups by 1963, and manufactured by Guild until 1985. The blonde X-175B is the rarest and most highly prized version, as the natural finish option was discontinued altogether in 1976, the year after this stunning example left the factory.
This guitar is a product of the Westerly, Rhode Island plant, where Guild enjoyed its greatest years, from 1966 until its closing in 2001. In 100% original condition, the instrument retains all original hardware, warmly ambered original blonde finish, and original hardshell case. Well maintained by one owner for over 30 years, the guitar shows no cracks, pick, buckle or thumbwear, and appears all but unplayed. A classic working jazz box, the X-175 has a sleek gentle D neck profile, with smooth low action with a fresh high-precision setup, and a full-depth body that is warmly resonant yet notably feedback resistant.
A true best buy in a classic vintage US made archtop, the Manhattan X-175 is a true Golden Era standard for the performing guitarist. One only: call now.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, crowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.
This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel strings (.012-.054). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 4/64" to 5/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.
Case: Original deluxe Guild black arched plush lined hardshell case.
