{"product_id":"guild-starfire-ii-thinline-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1961-7654","title":"Guild Starfire II Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1961)","description":"Guild Starfire II Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1961), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # 17935, cherry lacquer finish, laminated mahogany body and neck' rosewood fingerboard, hard shell case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is an extremely fine example of an early Starfire II, fitted with the cool white-topped DeArmond Dynasonic pickups (the same pickup Gretsch employed on their 1950's classics) used only for the first couple of years on this model. This guitar has a beautiful medium dark cherry finish, less bright-hued than later examples but which appears to have hardly faded at all. The body is triple bound on the front with the early pattern unbound back (like a T-100) and the dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard is single bound. Other features include the early style \"open book\" headstock shape, a rounded-edge, back-painted acrylic pickguard with Guild logo and star emblem, amber \"G-logo\" tone and volume knobs, the Guild \"harp\" tailpiece and the original Hagstrom-made \"Adjust-O-Matic\" bridge. This is a sharp looking, great playing and spectacular sounding guitar, with a tone you could describe as a 1950's Gretsch crossed with a Gibson ES-330, with an additional high-end 'snap' and clarity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Starfire series has been Guild's most consistently successful electric guitar line since its inception in 1960, and these often under-appreciated 1960's guitars have in recent times become much better respected. This guitar dates to 1961 and would be one of the first full production year Starfires. These early models equipped with DeArmond pickups are far less common than the 1963 and after version carrying Guild's own humbuckers, and are often considered the best playing and sounding of all Starfires. This is a very classy and versatile thin-body electric; one of Guild's absolutely classic designs and compared to many similar period Gibson or Gretsch models still rather undervalued.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 1\/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 in. (5.1 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.). This Starfire is all original and extremely clean, as nice an example of this early model II as we have seen in a very long time. The finish is still shiny with no apparent fade; there only some scuffing, light scratches and small dings overall. The are no alterations or repairs, and the guitar plays extremely well with just some very light fret wear. We got this instrument from its original owner-it was shipped from Hoboken to Sam Ash here in Brooklyn in 1961 and has never left since! The only oddity is was provided originally from there with not a Guild but a high grade Gretsch two-tone HSC, which it still resides in. A great playing and sounding guitar, one of our shop favorites and a cool New Yawk story instrument. Excellent Condition.","brand":"Guild","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853026414732,"sku":"7654","price":3250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_3ba2ef92-7d80-423a-8a6f-0ecd2faa428b.jpg?v=1774331056","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/guild-starfire-ii-thinline-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1961-7654","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}