Is the bridge on this 66 Starfire V original

[Kslam]

Are the bridge and saddle on this 66 Starfire V original? I ask because my 67 Starfire V came with an aluminum bridge and non-adjustable compensated saddle. I'd like for my my SFV to sound more like my SFIV, so I'm probably going to replace the alumimum bridge and saddle with a wooden bridge and adjustomatic saddle, which is how my IV is equipped. When I came across the 66 Starfire V at Southside I wondered whether someone had made the same mod on this guitar that I was contemplating for mine or whether certain guitars left the factory with that set up.

Thanks in advance to anybody who might know the answer! Oh, who am I kidding? Thanks in advance to Dr. Moust.

 

[matsickma]

I have never seen a SFV with the Hagstrom Bridge on a wood base before but this was not uncommon on other Guilds around this time. I remember seeing them on T100's; not sure about Starfires. They were typically used on guitars without a vibrato.

The Hagstrom bridge used with the Hagstrum tremar vibrato does not have holes drilled all the way through bridge as shown on this guitar. The hagstrum bridge used with a Hagstrom vibrato has a little knotch only. This allows it to pivot when rocking during the vibrato motion.

Only Hans can answer the origionality question on this one!
M

 

[Kslam]

And here's another Guildsby equipped Starfire -- also a 66, like the one at South Side -- with a wooden base. Interesting. Perhaps Guild didn't start using the full Bigsby kit till 67.

 

[Kslam]

I have never seen a SFV with the Hagstrom Bridge on a wood base before

I don't think I had either, but maybe I just hadn't noticed. I'm especially attuned to it now since I'm planning that mod. And, I know purists will scold me for changing anything about the SFV. I just like the way my IV sounds better so I thought I'd try to eliminate some variables. I'll keep the old parts, of course.

Only Hans can answer the origionality question on this one!

Indeed!

 

[Zelja]

I've been eyeing that SFV in the OP for a while now. Not in too bad condition but a bit plain looking. Neck was 1 21/32" I think, so not too skinny.

 

[Kslam]

I've been eyeing that SFV in the OP for a while now. Not in too bad condition but a bit plain looking. Neck was 1 21/32" I think, so not too skinny.

Sorry, a little confused. Which one are you eyeing? I played the natural one at South Side. It's nice!

 

[matsickma]

The 2nd Starfire 5 bridge looks like a tuneomatic type installed on a wood bridge. So I would assume this was modified.

BTW I have been planning to mod a extra bridge so I can instally a bigsby bridge on a wooden base with the intent to reduce the brightness of the tone.

M

 

[Zelja]

I've been eyeing that SFV in the OP for a while now. Not in too bad condition but a bit plain looking. Neck was 1 21/32" I think, so not too skinny.

Sorry, a little confused. Which one are you eyeing? I played the natural one at South Side. It's nice!

Yep, that that one, that you linked to in your Original Post. Was admiring it from afar & asked some questions about it.
How does it look like in person?

 

[hansmoust]

Are the bridge and saddle on this 66 Starfire V original?

Hello Kslam,

The AdjustoMatic bridge on a Starfire V would not be standard, but it was available as an option.
If it was factory ordered on that particular guitar, it should have the 'Special' designation on the label. If it hasn't, we can pretty much assume that it was added at a later date.
Keep in mind that the AdjustoMatic bridge was also avalable to the consumer as an add-on accessory, so it is not unusual to see an AdjustoMatic bridge on a Guild guitar that was not supposed to have one. It should not have any influence on the value of the guitar, since the modification can be reversed in minutes without leaving any traces; ...... well hardly any!

Here's a partial scan of the '66 price list:

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Kslam]

I've been eyeing that SFV in the OP for a while now. Not in too bad condition but a bit plain looking. Neck was 1 21/32" I think, so not too skinny.

Sorry, a little confused. Which one are you eyeing? I played the natural one at South Side. It's nice!

Yep, that that one, that you linked to in your Original Post. Was admiring it from afar & asked some questions about it.
How does it look like in person?

Ah, Original Post, got it.

It was a very cool guitar -- more attractive in person than in the pictures and the neck felt terrific. Plugged in the store's 60s Princeton Reverb, it sounded great, but then again a First Act would sound awesome through that amp. The action is perfect now, but the thumb screws are as low as they can go, I think, so it's possible it'll a need a reset in the future. Hope that helps.

 

[Kslam]

Are the bridge and saddle on this 66 Starfire V original?

Hello Kslam,

The AdjustoMatic bridge on a Starfire V would not be standard, but it was available as an option.
If it was factory ordered on that particular guitar, it should have the 'Special' designation on the label. If it hasn't, we can pretty much assume that it was added at a later date.
Keep in mind that the AdjustoMatic bridge was also avalable to the consumer as an add-on accessory, so it is not unusual to see an AdjustoMatic bridge on a Guild guitar that was not supposed to have one. It should not have any influence on the value of the guitar, since the modification can be reversed in minutes without leaving any traces; ...... well hardly any!

Here's a partial scan of the '66 price list:

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Thanks so much, Hans! Very interesting. I didn't notice the "Special" designation on the label, but I wasn't looking for it, so it's very possible it's there. Does the color itself suggest that it might be a "Special" guitar?

I'm looking forward to hearing how my SFV sounds after the mod!

 

[hansmoust]

Does the color itself suggest that it might be a "Special" guitar?

No, it's just a regular 'blonde' finish. Nothing 'special' about that!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Kslam]

Does the color itself suggest that it might be a "Special" guitar?

No, it's just a regular 'blonde' finish. Nothing 'special' about that!l

Gotcha. I haven't seen too many blonds from the 60s. Seems like it was much more common later. Anyway, I'm usually partial to other colors, but this one really looked great in person.

 

[Zelja]

It was a very cool guitar -- more attractive in person than in the pictures and the neck felt terrific. Plugged in the store's 60s Princeton Reverb, it sounded great, but then again a First Act would sound awesome through that amp. The action is perfect now, but the thumb screws are as low as they can go, I think, so it's possible it'll a need a reset in the future. Hope that helps.

Thanks. Good to know. Like you say the only downside may be the neck angle, but who knows, it may stay stable for long time.

 

[Kslam]

It was a very cool guitar -- more attractive in person than in the pictures and the neck felt terrific. Plugged in the store's 60s Princeton Reverb, it sounded great, but then again a First Act would sound awesome through that amp. The action is perfect now, but the thumb screws are as low as they can go, I think, so it's possible it'll a need a reset in the future. Hope that helps.

Thanks. Good to know. Like you say the only downside may be the neck angle, but who knows, it may stay stable for long time.

There may have been an issue with the binding too -- I can't recall. As I said, I was mainly looking at other guitars. You should probably ask for a few more pictures if you're serious about pursuing it.

Edit: I checked in with my friend who was with me in the store. His recollection: "If recall correctly, the binding was intact. I think the neck joint looked a little...abraded, but that was cosmetic only - as far as I could tell, anyway."