To start, I am a quiet old metal head with more than 20 years of guitar behind me (gigs, bands and albums). I bought this guitar to have some flexibility because I didn't had single coils and I wanted some for not so much money.
I started to use it as a clean tone machine because the single coils are really good. Highly reactive to your playing and just enough microphonic to had high feeling to your sound (it is a compliment, really, the three pickups aren't sterile at all !). Seriously these DeArmond pickups rocks. The humbucker is good but a little flat to my taste.
Then I started to seriously setup the guitar when I discover that what it seems to be wrong seemed to be intended. The string are a bit high but not to much, harmonica are ok, output volumes are equilibrated between all pickups (no jump of level when you use the humbucker), etc...
AND THEN ... I TRIED THIS GUITAR FOR WHAT IT REALLY SEEMS TO BE DESIGNED FOR !
Guild is synonym of rock, real rock, not only clean bluesy stuff.
I put the guitar un B standard (with 11-50 flatwound strings), used a huge fuze (a pharaoh) and : MAGIC !!!!!
The single coils are BETTER than a lot of P90's, reactive, highly washing grit and distorsions. THIS GUITAR IS MADE FOR STONER/SLUDGE AND DOOM. You don't have to setup anything, you got Sabbath for 300 bucks.
I FALLED IN LOVE FOR THIS GUITAR. AND WILL SURELY BOUGHT OTHER ONES !
P.S. : If you set it with the right pedals, it's a go straight to the old school black metal record on tape if you like it !
Chapeau bas monsieur Guild !
