Many of the top guitar makers of '50s & '60s realised the importance of having their own amplifier lines in their catalog each year, and Guild were no different. Starting with the 1950s 'Masteramp' models manufactured in New York and aimed at the same Jazz market that their electric guitar range catered for at the time, Guild adapted their designs in the 1960's to compete more with the reverb and tremolo equipped Fender models. This 1962 Guild 98RT is a wonderful example of a Guild amp from this period. Compared to the brighter sound of Fender amps of this period, this Guild has a rootsy, darker tone that sounds more akin to the Valco made amps of the period. Some are of the opinion that these 98RT models were made by Ampeg at the time, due to the proximity of the two companies factories in New Jersey. While there are some close similarities to the Ampeg Reverberocket, it is likely that these 98RT amps were actually built by Guild at their Elizabeth, NJ factory.
This amp is in very good condition for its age, with the original Jensen Blue Label speaker and wooden footswitch. It was serviced last year, at which point it had its reverb tray replaced along with other maintenance to keep it running as it should. It has also had its transformer changed at some point in its life so that it runs on 240V with a 3 pin UK plug.
