DeArmond Club

When Fender bought Guild in the late 90s they came out with a budget brand of Korean made guitars named DeArmond (after Harry DeArmond, the pickup designer). In the past I've owned an M-75, an M-75T and an M-72, but ended up selling all of them for various reasons. I recently purchased an M-77T and I think I've finally found the mix a features I like. These are well made guitars with some compromises made in order to keep costs down. My only beef with this guitar are the cheesy block inlays and the obvious mismatch of grain on the top. But it sounds and feels great.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o67/echorrigan/M-77T.jpg

Starfire Special owner here, love it!

Funny this should come up.

Last night I was using an M-77T for the first time in a while. Nice instrument, but what makes it unique to me is that it is the only guitar I have ever played that has a neck that perfectly fits my hand...like it's not even there.

Never felt one like it, not even with another DeArmond.

Keith Brawley designed this line based on the classic Guilds, like the Ambassador.

I had a DeArmond Starfire Special in wine red color for several years. It did a good job at Brian Setzer, Creedence etc...I sold it to make room for other guitars, but overall a nice, interesting guitar. IMHO at the time it was a good, affordable alternative to a Gretsch 6120, until Gretsch came out with the affordable 5120.

Since yesterday I'm the proud owner of a crimson red Starfire Special III! It was a present from my wife.
Took it to the rehearsal (for a band where I play bass) tonight and this thing ROCKS. I won't let this one go anymore.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5129/5292372117_0b43f0eed2_z.jpg

Once I had a sunburst one, but that one had a few issues I couldn't solve at the time, so I sold it:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2411/2254048071_aeee673ece.jpg

There are quite a few DeArmonds in my neighborhood...
- The guitar player in my band has a DeArmond X135
- The drummer in my band has a Korean JetStar, an Indonesian JetStar and an Indonesian JetStar bass
- The singer of the main band of aforementioned drummer has a black Starfire Special II

- The singer of a previous band has a black Starfire Special III:

http://www.henkymeijer.com/mediapool/80/806238/resources/9773203.jpg

I have the Sunburst Starfire Special III. I changed the deArmond pickups for Gibson humbuckers.

Oh, here (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/jetstar). Got it for $169, new.

And here (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/m75t). Got it for $199, lightly used.

Have some others, but Mark only photographed these for a calendar.

Oh, here (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/jetstar). Got it for $169, new.

A blue JetStar, that's the one the drummer of my band has. They go for a lot more now.

And here (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/m75t). Got it for $199, lightly used.

Ah, a M75t! I'd like to get one of those too.
The local guitar store has one for sale for 750 euros... :shock:
It's on sale for more than 4 years now, wonder why. :rolleyes:

For some reason, these guitars have never done it for me.

Sure they sound nice but visually, they look so kludgy.

I have a metallic purple M75 that I got for kinda cheap ($300 maybe? hard to remember after 10 years) because apparently it wasn't exactly a popular color. I'm not a big fan of purple, but it's a nice shade of it and so I dove in on the sale.

Aside from me snapping the toggle switch like a moron, it's held up great and I generally like it quite a bit, though it's no Tele. :wink: I got it so I'd have a humbucker guitar though, and the M75 was really a darn awesome Les Paul-type guitar for pretty short money.

http://newblack.org/images/guitars/IMG_0822.JPG

I have an M-77, which I think is a LP-style stopbar version of the M-75, though I'm not sure. There was one that was a flatop and the M-77 has that almost imperceptible arched top. I got it for $169 during the closeout.

Funny, there are no pictures of these online.

It has that hideous chrome-and-gold mixed hardware and it's blue, so it's clock-stoppingly ugly.

But...it's really a beautiful sounding and playing instrument. It's really a wonderful axe, if you can just avoid looking at it.

I have a black X-155 that I hate and the Jet-Star and the M-77 all with the DeArmond GoldTone pickups. They sound awful on the X-155, OK on the Jet-Star and incredible on the M-77. Very interesting to compare.

I discussed these with Bill Turner, who designed them, and he said they were just his attempts at duplicating a generic PAF. They were made in the Fender pickup shop, along with the great 2K single coils.

It's interesting that Bill Turner was trying to recreate a generic PAF-style humbucker with the Goldtone. To my ears, they're anything but a generic PAF. I think they're the twangy-est humbucker this side of a Filter'Tron. I agree that the 2Ks are great pickups. I've never heard a DeArm-O-Tron and wonder what they sound like.

It's interesting that Bill Turner was trying to recreate a generic PAF-style humbucker with the Goldtone.
Yeah. Sounds like a typical blow-off answer, really.
I agree that the 2Ks are great pickups.
Bill said that was his attempt at a P-90 sound.

Again, that sounds like a blow-off answer.

Hi All
:grin:
Today I have bought my first guitar – I have always wanted to play but now at the ripe old age of 60 I have taken the plunge! I have bought a Guild DeArmond guitar in black and it says on the neck that it is a M70. I bought it from the local music store where I will be having my lessons. I had no idea which guitar to buy (as a newbie they all look so similar but different if you know what I mean!), but the man told me to buy the one I liked the look of. Seemed slightly strange way to select one but hey what do I know ... Well I liked the look of the DeArmond and I liked the sound it makes when he played it! I would like to play blues type music (Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd) and he said it will be fine.
There were no instructions with it so I wondered if anyone out there has a manual for the M70? If so could you PM or email me?
I also bought a practice amp - a Marshall G15RCD which although quite old is in excellent condition.
Are there any other forums that talk about the DeArmond guitars or is this the only DeArmond Owners Club?
Are there any special tips that you can pass on? I know I have just soooo much to learn but I'm keen!
I have attached a few photos of my new "baby" - I love the look of it and I keep polishing it ready for my first lesson next Tuesday! Is there anything else you can tell me about my guitar from looking at the pictures - the serial number is 9042262. What are the pickups (humbuckers?). How old is it (not as old as me though!)?

http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu151/glospete/DeArmond%20M-70/IMG_2581.jpg
http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu151/glospete/DeArmond%20M-70/IMG_2587.jpg
http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu151/glospete/DeArmond%20M-70/IMG_2588.jpg
http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu151/glospete/DeArmond%20M-70/IMG_2582.jpg
http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu151/glospete/DeArmond%20M-70/IMG_2590.jpg
http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu151/glospete/DeArmond%20M-70/IMG_2583.jpg
http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu151/glospete/DeArmond%20M-70/IMG_2589.jpg

One more question - what do you all recommend as a chair/stool to play the guitar on? I have seen this on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0030GIGW0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0EHDPWZ03WWR6TDWCANP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
and wondered if anybody had comments on it, or any other suggestions.
Sorry to ask so many questions but you know us newbies ... I guess you all had to have been in my position at some time!
Peter

M77T - i also have a royal blue one

There's an M75 sunburst at a local pawn shop for $300 around here but I passed it up for a funky blue sparkle mini humbucker epi LP that I just couldn't quit playing. Happy I got the LP but really wish I could have gotten the DeArmond as well! :(

I've got a DeArmond Starfire that I absolutely love. Best $300 guitar I've ever had. Not a great photo, but here is a photo nonetheless...

devonpete;

You got yourself a nice guitar. Those Goldtones are fine pickups. I don't believe these were issued from the factory with Bigsbys, so you have a welcome addition.

The controls are fairly straightforward. The switch on the upper part of the body is the pickup selector. Up selects the pickup closest to the neck, middle selects both pickups and down selects the pickup closest to the bridge. The two upper control knobs control the volume and tone of the neck pickup, while the two lower knobs control the volume and tone of the bridge pickup.

The "Let's Talk Guild" forum has people who are knowledgable about DeArmonds. It's at:

http://letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/index.php

Congratulations.

devonpete;

You got yourself a nice guitar. Those Goldtones are fine pickups. I don't believe these were issued from the factory with Bigsbys, so you have a welcome addition.

The controls are fairly straightforward. The switch on the upper part of the body is the pickup selector. Up selects the pickup closest to the neck, middle selects both pickups and down selects the pickup closest to the bridge. The two upper control knobs control the volume and tone of the neck pickup, while the two lower knobs control the volume and tone of the bridge pickup.

The "Let's Talk Guild" forum has people who are knowledgable about DeArmonds. It's at:

http://letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/index.php

Congratulations.

Many thanks for your comments and explanation. BTW what are Bigbys? - please excuse my ignorance!

Mr. Bigsby invented that particular tremolo tailpiece. It anchors the strings. Lotsa guitar makers copy them. Old guys like me remember.

http://www.dearmondguitars.com/images/guitarsandbasses/x155.jpg

This is a stock photo but this is what I have at my house! X-155. Great pick ups and wacky for Psycho-Billy!

I used to have a Starfire Special and a Jet Star. Still sorta wish I had the Starfire. My buddy's M-77T is amazing. I might try to track one of those down.

I have DeArmond pickups on my '63 Harmony H-74, does that count? I've always had a BAD case of GAS for one of those T-400 models.

I have a red Starfire Special, have put new "D" knobs on, (the old ones had the "volume" and "tone" inserts fall out!) Sperzel locking tuners, and I swapped the volume and tones so that they line up in line with the respective pickups - see picture - which I think is a more intuitive setup, at least for me. A beefier vibrato spring would make it perfect in every way!

I bought my first one new in 1999, sold it a few years later (the one in the 1st pic), and bought another one in 2006 that I did the mods to (the one in the 2nd pic).

Sonically versatile and beautifully built, it looks like a piece of art hanging on my wall. I love this guitar and everyone who plays it thinks it sounds and feels as good as it looks!

Guess I'm late to this party, but I'm 100% sold on DeArmonds. My 1st was a green S-73 (similar to the later-model Guild Polaras when they looked more like SG clones) - still have & love it. Best solidbody I've so far played. Got an M-72 but preferred the S-73 so sold the M-72. Got a Starfire Custom in natural finish and swore I'd keep it... but money got short. This AM, though, I fulfilled a long ambition & nabbed a 'moon-blue' JetStar (like the one pictured in #7 above by Anchoret) w/OHSC. Can't wait to compare it to the S-73. The only beef I have w/the S-73 is that it seems a tad neck-heavy, & I'm thinking from some reviews I've read that the JetStar may be more balanced.

All the DeA's I've had have had the GoldTone HB's, and I think those are just excellent. They sounded quite different in the different guitars, best IMO in the S-73, 2nd best in the SF Custom, 3rd in the M-72. Good in all though.

Just picked this baby up the other day. I'm also in the "sorta' wanted an LP, but not enough to pay Gibson prices" club. I think it's a pretty nice complement to the tele!

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w277/soccergeezer/Darmond1.jpg

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w277/soccergeezer/DeArmond2.jpg

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w277/soccergeezer/DeArmond6.jpg

Nice lookin 75, bsman! Myself, I'd much rather have it than an LP, even a Gibby LP. I had one for a while & yeah, it was a lot of guitar - but for my ears the Fender treatment on HB's, as in the GTones, is mo better than the current Gibby HB sound.

And the OHSC too... not so common to find. Congrats.

I had a Blue Sparkle M-75T. Loved that guitar and gigged with it all the time till I got my first 6120. Wish I still had it but it was stolen in Downtown Austin after a gig several years ago.
Might just be nostalgia, but I liked the way it sounded and played better than my 96 Duo Jet I bought a couple of years ago.

Having received my DeA Jetstar & A/B'd it with my S73, I've sadly concluded that the S73 will have to go. I tried to attach a pic which includes it, but the upload keeps failing. It's what I believe they called "jade green", fairly deep color but translucent enough to let you see grain. I always thought it quite a pleasing finish. Functionwise, it's 100% in all respects, & 100% stock. No dings, gouges, scratches, etc. I'd keep her, but... well, being a married man & all, you know how it is. One solid-body DeArmond w/GoldTones is explicable, but two would push it. She'll come with an as-new aftermarket SG-shaped hard case that fits like a glove.

I'd like to get $350 plus UPS shipping (likely about $50, give/take, in the lower 48). If anyone's interested, reply & we can go to e-mail & I can send you the pic. Gracias!

nice guitar seems to have a sound that I like :grin:

Took my son to a local used/consignment shop as he's looking around for a metal/shredder guitar. He didn't find anything to his liking, but I did:

M75T in Champagne Sparkle - missing its pick guard, but otherwise in great shape. This thing sounds great - the pickups sound like P90s, but twangier. I've always wanted, but never had, a guitar with a Bigsby, too. It'll take a little getting used to but, so far, I am lovin' it. This is my second DeArmond - I also have a Starfire w/Goldtones - and I dig 'em both.

Recently made amends for letting a number of really nice DeArmond's go over the past 8 years... at one time or another I had an X-135, X-155, Starfire, M75, M65 and ANOTHER M-75... Last weekend I was trying to rationalize going after a used Gibson hollow-body and it occurred to me that I should just try to snag another DeArmond and save a chunk of money. E-bay was slow that day so I checked Craigslist and found a seller not 30 miles from me who was unloading a '99 X-135. I'd only had (and seen) natural finish 135's so I was downright excited to find that the instrument had a sunburst finish. Excellent condition, fast neck, and I've pretty much quelled the g.a.s. for awhile (how long remains to be seen!). I'm not saying this guitar is as good as a Gibson ES-175 or anything, but I'm much more inclined to play the DeA without having to handle it with kid gloves and in terms of overall satisfaction, playing a lot with an inexpensive well-made guitar trumps having an expensive guitar that I'm afraid to play - and I've had more than a few in that category. Anyway, I can't say enough about the quality of this (sadly) short-lived series of guitars.

So, I just nabbed an M75T that I love (pics two posts above) but I'm having a hard time finding a case that will fit it. LP cases are too small, ES-style are too big. Any of you DeArmond owners know where I might find a case that fits? Or, if not a hard case, a robust gig bag? I'm finding the more protective soft cases don't fit well either.

epiphone wildkat case will fit.

Having received my DeA Jetstar & A/B'd it with my S73, I've sadly concluded that the S73 will have to go. I tried to attach a pic which includes it, but the upload keeps failing. It's what I believe they called "jade green", fairly deep color but translucent enough to let you see grain. I always thought it quite a pleasing finish. Functionwise, it's 100% in all respects, & 100% stock. No dings, gouges, scratches, etc. I'd keep her, but... well, being a married man & all, you know how it is. One solid-body DeArmond w/GoldTones is explicable, but two would push it. She'll come with an as-new aftermarket SG-shaped hard case that fits like a glove.

I'd like to get $350 plus UPS shipping (likely about $50, give/take, in the lower 48). If anyone's interested, reply & we can go to e-mail & I can send you the pic. Gracias!

hi ComradeBob
i'm very interested in your dearmond s-73, do you still have it?
if you do and still wanna sell it, please email me junkiecore@gmail.com
thanks

2001 M-77 with Harmonic Design Z-90s replacing the Gold Tones.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o67/echorrigan/M-77_Front_Full.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o67/echorrigan/M-77_Left_Oblique.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o67/echorrigan/M-77_Front_Close.jpg

This is my girlfriend's guitar. She bought it before we met. When I saw this beauty, I know this would be my girl. Well, she never heard the brand and bought it cheap, she loves it. And also, I've never seen this guitar before, so I searched on the web. There were a few pages of info about this guitar, strange enough though. I picked up the guitar, it plays lovely acoustically. I wondered that it is chambered. It is a strange guitar, Gibson LesPaul shaped, Gretsch pickups, Bigby like tremolo, Guild case with Fender strap. When I plugged it to my Fender Princeton Reverb, I love the sound of 2K single coils.
this is the guitar that we will never sell, I can sell my fenders's, gibsons, but not this. This is a special guitar that can not be found easily. It will be legendary twenty years from now. Grab a M77T before it is too late.

Got this a week ago. Love it. Thought I'd share pix here.
BTW I got it with the factory plastic still on it