Starfire V bridge: please help

slidincharlie

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I have just bought a '66 Starfire V from a US shop through the web (I live in Italy). The guitar unfortunately isn't in perfect shape.
Among other things, I have serious doubts that the bridge is original.
Can anyone post (or email me) a picture of their Starfire V bridge?
Or maybe point me to a web source for such picture?

Below is a photo of my bridge.
I don't have any previous experience with Guild guitars, and I don't know if this one is stock. It also has two metal washers beneath each thumbwheel.

TIA,
Carlo
[img:600:450]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-9/1080251/Starfire_V_bridge.JPG[/img]
 

dklsplace

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Carlo, that looks like a Hagstrom adjustomatic which probably would be original to your '60's SF.
 

slidincharlie

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Thanks.

What made me doubtful is that this bridge does not stay perfectly firm and steady: it tends to lean towards the pickup under the string pression. Also, it tends to move back and forth when I use the vibrato bar.
Is all this normal for such bridge in such guitar?

Carlo
 

Walter Broes

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After so many years, it's not odd for a tall-ish archtop bridge to start leaning under string pressure. You could replace it with a newer similar bridge, something like a Gibson style tune-a-matic bridge on a rosewood base, you wouldn't have to modify the guitar any as bridges like these are floating.

I'm not entirely sure a Starfire V would have come with that bridge, I thought all Bigsby-equipped Guilds came with an aluminum Bigsby bridge, but it's entirely possible it's original to the guitar, and it's what Starfire IV's or II's from the 60's would have had from the factory.
 

slidincharlie

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Walter Broes said:
I'm not entirely sure a Starfire V would have come with that bridge, I thought all Bigsby-equipped Guilds came with an aluminum Bigsby bridge, but it's entirely possible it's original to the guitar, and it's what Starfire IV's or II's from the 60's would have had from the factory.

Do you mean one like in the photo below?
This is a '64 SF IV listed on ebay.[img:600:450]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-9/1080251/starfire_V_bigsby_bridge.jpg[/img]
 

slidincharlie

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Aluminum bridges

Walter,
are you talking about this type of aluminum bridge? (see below)
It seems like there are two types: flat-base (first photo) and arched-base (maybe the second photo).
Will only the arched base type fit a Starfire?

Carlo
[img:712:491]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-9/1080251/aluminumbigsbybridgeflat_base.jpg[/img]
[img:400:300]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-9/1080251/aluminumbigsbybridgearched_base.jpg[/img]
 
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