Guild Starfire IV Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1968)
LOADING IMAGES
This item has been sold.
Item # 7312
Prices subject to change without notice.
Guild Starfire IV Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1968), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # EL-2180, sunburst lacquer finish, laminated maple body, laminated mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
The Starfire series has been Guild's most consistently successful electric guitar line since its inception, and was by far the company's most popular electric instrument in the 1960's. This Starfire IV from 1968 is a double cutaway semi-hollow instrument with a laminated maple body in a red/black sunburst finish- this was the standard alternative to the more common cherry red. The label is missing but the serial number on the headstock is intact, dating this guitar to mid-1968. By the time this example was made, the neck joint on the double-cut Starfire models had been moved out to the 18th fret, resulting in better fret accessibility and a feel more akin to Gibson's ES-335 series.
The two pickups are the typical 1960's Guild humbucking pickups, similar to but a bit brighter and crisper than the Gibson equivalent with a nice wide tonal range. Like Gibson's similar ES 335, the Starfire IV has a solid block running through the center of the body, cutting down on feedback and giving the guitar a tighter tone. This Starfire IV is a very versatile guitar and has been a perennial favorite among players of many styles-they are particularly well thought of as an electric blues instrument. This excellent example remains a fine player and a notable bargain compared to similar period Gibson instruments.
Overall length is 41 3/4 in. (106 cm.), 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.). A nice example with some general wear, most notably to the back of the neck, but a nice unfaded finish. The guitar remains mostly original with only a couple of small parts replaced-specifically the pickguard bracket and switch tip. Other than this the guitar shows some small chips and dings, but a good proportion of the finish on the back of the neck has been worn away-somebody played this one a lot! The plastic headstock veneer shows some typical shrinkage with some small errant glue marks from previous gluing attempts. The frets have been taken down somewhat in the lower positions but still have some meat left on them. Overall a very good playing and sounding Starfire, complete with a period HSC. Excellent - Condition.
The Starfire series has been Guild's most consistently successful electric guitar line since its inception, and was by far the company's most popular electric instrument in the 1960's. This Starfire IV from 1968 is a double cutaway semi-hollow instrument with a laminated maple body in a red/black sunburst finish- this was the standard alternative to the more common cherry red. The label is missing but the serial number on the headstock is intact, dating this guitar to mid-1968. By the time this example was made, the neck joint on the double-cut Starfire models had been moved out to the 18th fret, resulting in better fret accessibility and a feel more akin to Gibson's ES-335 series.
The two pickups are the typical 1960's Guild humbucking pickups, similar to but a bit brighter and crisper than the Gibson equivalent with a nice wide tonal range. Like Gibson's similar ES 335, the Starfire IV has a solid block running through the center of the body, cutting down on feedback and giving the guitar a tighter tone. This Starfire IV is a very versatile guitar and has been a perennial favorite among players of many styles-they are particularly well thought of as an electric blues instrument. This excellent example remains a fine player and a notable bargain compared to similar period Gibson instruments.
Overall length is 41 3/4 in. (106 cm.), 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.). A nice example with some general wear, most notably to the back of the neck, but a nice unfaded finish. The guitar remains mostly original with only a couple of small parts replaced-specifically the pickguard bracket and switch tip. Other than this the guitar shows some small chips and dings, but a good proportion of the finish on the back of the neck has been worn away-somebody played this one a lot! The plastic headstock veneer shows some typical shrinkage with some small errant glue marks from previous gluing attempts. The frets have been taken down somewhat in the lower positions but still have some meat left on them. Overall a very good playing and sounding Starfire, complete with a period HSC. Excellent - Condition.