I thought I had enough guitars, but sometimes things just happen. About a year ago a dear friend and bandmate passed away. He also liked Guilds so even though I never got to see it (he was the steel player in our Hawaiian band), he often spoke lovingly of a Starfire II he bought for his first successful band back in 1965, Fat Jack. A few of you know who I'm talking about. His bandmate got the Starfire III. They both liked the color they had, but my friend wanted the 'Guildsby' and the other guy didn't so they swapped tailpieces. Anyway, to make a long story short, he left behind a number of nice instruments, which his wife is now ready to part with, including the Guild.
My friend worked as a musician all his life, supplementing his income doing instrument repair at a music store, so some years ago when he ran across a set of neck inlays for a vintage Epiphone DeLuxe he used them on his Starfire. He also replaced the tuners with Schallers, but left the rest of it alone. He LOVED the pickups in that guitar!
I went over to her house the other night for a look. The case was battered and looked like somebody left it in the Grizzly cage at the zoo for a week. Taking the guitar out of the case and holding it in my hands was a very emotional experience. I'm sure he was the last one to touch it. His wife said "take it home... if you decide to buy it we'll make it work".
I cleaned it, I polished it and I played it... a lot!
The neck is wonderful. It's the perfect analog to my '65 D-50, the guitar that taught me how to play. I know now why he loved these pickups... they have a sweetness and a 'bloom' that is remarkable. This guitar will make me a better player, in part because I can't put it down. Sorry for such a long post, but the guitar and the story are inseparable.
I sent some pics to Hans, who verified it as a 1964 Emerald Star.
My friend worked as a musician all his life, supplementing his income doing instrument repair at a music store, so some years ago when he ran across a set of neck inlays for a vintage Epiphone DeLuxe he used them on his Starfire. He also replaced the tuners with Schallers, but left the rest of it alone. He LOVED the pickups in that guitar!
I went over to her house the other night for a look. The case was battered and looked like somebody left it in the Grizzly cage at the zoo for a week. Taking the guitar out of the case and holding it in my hands was a very emotional experience. I'm sure he was the last one to touch it. His wife said "take it home... if you decide to buy it we'll make it work".
I cleaned it, I polished it and I played it... a lot!
The neck is wonderful. It's the perfect analog to my '65 D-50, the guitar that taught me how to play. I know now why he loved these pickups... they have a sweetness and a 'bloom' that is remarkable. This guitar will make me a better player, in part because I can't put it down. Sorry for such a long post, but the guitar and the story are inseparable.
I sent some pics to Hans, who verified it as a 1964 Emerald Star.
