67 Green Starfire.

[lungimsam]

Not mine. Interesting looking bass. Tons of pics:

Original 1967 Guild Starfire Bass, rare green finish, good condition, plays great, original case. | Reverb

This is an original 1967 Guild Starfire bass, in rare green finish. This bass shows normal playing wear, plus a previous owner sanded the finish off the back of the neck, and started to sand some on the front cutaway horn area, as seen in the close-ups. There&nbs...

reverb.com

 

[mavuser]

sold. that was a good one

 

[chazmo]

Wow, big price for a guitar that was poorly sanded.

 

[lungimsam]

Could it be bought, sanded totally down to wood, and then do a Tung oil finish?

 

[fronobulax]

Could it be bought, sanded totally down to wood, and then do a Tung oil finish?

An original, green finish on vintage Starfire bass commands a premium. Anything other than restoring the back of the neck would convert a playable and collectable bass to a merely playable one. Think patina and "original" paint in the antique furniture market. IMO $2,500 is a reasonable price for a vintage Starfire I in playable condition and no serious cosmetic issues. If this bass had playwear but not a botched sanding job I'd price it at $4,000 and expect to get that within a few months because of the color. IMO. YMMV.

 

[mavuser]

this bass sold over a year ago

 

[chazmo]

this bass sold over a year ago

Hahaha... Right you are. I guess Mr. Lungimsam got fooled into posting it! Good catch.

 

[lungimsam]

I know it sold. I was just posting it because of the cool pics!

 

[lungimsam]

Think patina and "original" paint in the antique furniture market.

That statement makes sense. I guess that's a good way to think about it.

If that isn't a neck break that the black paint is covering and structurally everything else is fine, then that is a really nice bass. Its only the paint that's messed up. Those vintage Starfires have several nice features that you can't get on an NS Starfire, like original Hagstrom pup and small shaft tuners, symmetrical bridge plate, cooler looking truss rod cover, probably nicer rosewood board (look at that one!).

You don't see many vintage greenies. Do we know how many were made in that color?
I still love my NS greenie. Got TI Flats on it now. Sounds great.

Veer: For those who were there: What did that green look like on the vintage greenies when they were new? Many aged greenies look army green to me. Olive drab. It this the same color they looked like back then?

 

[fronobulax]

By "symmetrical bridge plate" I assume you mean the straight top? I call them the straight bridge as distinct from the other style which I call the harp bridge. Generally all bass models with the straight bridge date to sometime in 1967 and later bass models had the harp.

I have never seen any data on finish numbers other than there were more red/cherry than any other finish - probably more than all other finishes combined.

My recollection is that the green one I played briefly in the '60's was bright, perhaps even slightly lighter than the Newark Street green. Other people had different recollections. One explanation that does not require someone's memory being wrong is that the lighter, brighter finish was on maple bodies and the darker on mahogany. I cannot recall seeing a vintage bass appear as bright as I remember, 50+ years later so the finish may get darker with age or an emerald green maple Starfire bass may be the rarest of the rare.

@twocorgis got his "Greenie" at what most people thought was a bargain price because the seller advertised it as black.

 

[lungimsam]

I assume you mean the straight top?

Yes.

the lighter, brighter finish was on maple bodies and the darker on mahogany

That would make sense..

50+ years later so the finish may get darker with age

as the nitro aged...

@twocorgis got his "Greenie" at what most people thought was a bargain price because the seller advertised it as black.

I thought I read that, too! I think he's the only one on this group that has a green vintage Starfire bass.

 

[twocorgis]

@twocorgis got his "Greenie" at what most people thought was a bargain price because the seller advertised it as black.

Actually, the seller didn't advertise it as any particular color. In fact, she knew very little about the bass, as she had inherited it from her uncle who had passed away. Mine is a very dark green though (despite its maple body), and looks black in anything other than bright light, and that included the photos in the original eBay listing.