Guild Starfire III Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1966), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # EK-1603, cherry lacquer finish, laminated mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
Here is yet another fine Guild 1966 Starfire III, the highest-ranked single-cutaway guitar in the Starfire line. This particular guitar has one modification; t,he original openback tuners were replaced with Schallers long ago. Other than that, it remains original in in very nice shape. The Starfire III is a fully hollow thinline body guitar with a cherry finish, triple bound top and back, and equipped with Guild's 1960s Humbucking pickups and a Bigsby vibrato.
These are great '60s Rock and Roll guitars from the end of the "Beat Boom" era, and one of the few remaining comparatively affordable original classic American guitars. This model was extensively used by many mid-1960s groups including the Kinks, Beau Brummels, Music Machine, Dakotas, and many more, and was easily Guild's most popular professional grade electric guitar in the era.
Overall length is 41 1/2 in. (105.4 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Overall this guitar presents nicely in clean and *almost* all original condition. As noted, the tuners have been upgraded to Schallers, leaving some filled holes in the back of the headstock. While we often reverse this modification, in 1966 the Starfire III originally mounted Japanese openback single unit tuners that were fairly poor quality, so in this case we have left the replacements intact. Other than this, the guitar is completely original with no repairs or modifications.
The finish still maintains a nice bright cherry hue, with only small dings and dents. There are dings to the back of the neck through the finish behind the fifth and ninth frets, and some finish rubbed off the sides of the neck near the nut. There is some typical fret wear in the lower positions, but the guitar still plays well. Overall a very nice example, cleaner than most with a better neck angle than many, and a great-sounding guitar as well. The original HSC is included, with some moderately heavy external wear to the covering, but still fully intact and functional. Excellent - Condition.
