Guild Starfire III Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (2013), made in Corona, CA, serial # 000185, Copper Gold lacquer finish, Laminated mahogany body, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.
This 2013 guitar is a contemporary and slightly unique US-made take on a vintage Guild Starfire III. This guitar is a limited edition example made for and sold at the 2013 NAMM show, one of only two produced for the occasion. It is finished in a snazzy "Copper Gold" lacquer that still shines like it did coming out of the Fender/Guild custom department over a decade ago. Despite remaining more of a blue-collar option than a top of the line Gibson (both in their day and decades later on the vintage market), Starfires were quality made and wonderfully versatile instruments originally born in Hoboken. The company having been acquired by Fender at the time, this custom Guild was made in Corona, California.
In the 1960's the Starfire III was the top of the fully-hollow half of the Starfire line, Guild's most popular line of thinline hollowbody electrics. Much like the original Starfire III, this is a fully hollow thin-body, single cutaway guitar with a triple-bound top and back and a Guild-logo Bigsby vibrato and bridge. The electronic controls are the same: a 3-way switch with a volume and tone knob for each pickup with Guild G-shield knobs. The big departure this III makes from the original is the substitution of Gibson-style P-90's for the vintage spec Guild humbuckers. Also slightly different are the Grover tuners, rather than the Grover or Japanese-made tuners typical of the originals. This Starfire is a unique specimen, a US-made model never actually produced in any numbers. A fine playing guitar and a cool piece of (recent) Guild history.
Overall length is 40 11/16 in. (103.3 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This limited edition Starfire is untouched looking, practically mint condition showing nary a scratch, ding or scuff anywhere in the sparkling gold lacquer. Even the back looks as though it has never sat in a lap, completely free from any evidence it's been out of the case since it was purchased in 2013. The electronics are untampered with, all hardware is original, and the original frets have no wear whatsoever. It resides in its original Guild hardshell case with a 2014 Guild catalogue tucked inside, likely included when it was purchased at the NAMM show for the company's upcoming season. Near Mint Condition.
