Guild Starfire III Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1961), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # 17943, cherry lacquer finish, laminated mahogany body, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown hard shell case.
A nice example of an early Guild Starfire III, equipped with the extremely cool white-topped DeArmond Dynasonic pickups (the same pickup Gretsch employed on their 1950's classics) used only for the first couple of years of this model. Medium cherry finish has faded on the front, body triple bound front, unbound back and fingerboard is single bound. Early style rounded back-painted pickguard with Guild logo, amber "G-logo" knobs, early-style switch surround and Guild logo Bigsby. A 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'.
The Starfire series has been Guild's most consistently successful electric guitar line since its inception in the early 1960's, and these often under-appreciated 1960's guitars have recently become better respected. This guitar dates to 1961 and is an early style Starfires. A much rarer guitar than the mid-'60's version, this is a very classy thin-body electric; compared to equivalent Gibson or Gretsch models these are still a rather undervalued guitars.
Overall length is 41 1/2 in. (105.4 cm.), 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). Some average wear overall; mostly to the back; cherry top finish has faded a bit to a more red/brown hue. Tuners replaced with old Grover Imperials (one of the few instances of tuner replacement we actually don't mind!) and Bigsby bridge is more recent, otherwise original. No other issues, a very good player with the typically fine DeArmond sound, a good playing example of one of our perennial favorite hollowbody electrics. Overall Excellent Condition.
