Is this a 1996 Starfire -strange S/N & neck width.

[Zelja]

I want to jump all over this guitar as they have reasonable shipping to Australia so am prepared to give the acution a good 'ole tonk.

A couple of things are strange though. The seller says the Serial No. is A0000032. I asked if it is actually AG000etc, which would make it a '96 but he says A0000etc. So, :?: .

Also said neck width at the nut is 1 5/8" when I generally thought these were 1 11/16" from the '90s (if it is indeed a 90's one). Did they manufacture different neck widths at this time?

Was else can anyone tell me?
Mahogany body?
If it is a '96 is it likely to have SD1s in it?

Here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0840171872

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[SFIV1967]

I saved the picture of the headstock with the serial number and zoomed in. It looks like AG to me, not a A0. The seller simply might have looked at the low resolution picture and not the actual guitar when you asked him, it looks like A0 but the G is written in such font that looks like a 0 from a distance. That's just my best guess, I can't be sure.

The body wood is laminated maple as it looks very light in the f-holes and you see the nice "flames" on the side. Mahogany would look dark brown in the f-holes.

I think the nut width was disscussed in a previous thread where you participated recently, search for "TPR" (the famous Transparent Red) and you find it. The seller seems to not have looked at the guitar when he answered your questions. But the guitar looks nice!

Ralf

 

[GAD]

That guitar could be the twin of mine, only mine has gold hardware. Mine is s/n AG00000x made in 1994.

Mine has a 1 11/16" neck with Ebony board. The pickups in mine are HB1s as certified by Hans. It could be the lighting, but the board doesn't look like Ebony on the one in the Ebay listing. The pics are terrible though. I can see hints of killer flame.

Ask for a high-res pic of the back of the headstock. Hans would know for sure based on the S/N. Actually I'd ask for hires pics of everything.

Here's mine for comparison:

 

[NEONMOONY]

Gotta love the red and gold combo.

 

[Zelja]

Thanks Ralf & GAD. I have asked for some more pics. I would probably prefer a hog SF IV as I already have an Ibanez AS200 from 1980 which is a great guitar (especially with the TV Jones Classic Plus I put in the bridge). A hog would be another differentiator which I could use to justify the purchase.

A smaller neck would be a deal breaker probably, though.

GAD, the pickups in this are unlikely to be HB1s if this is a 1996 model, are they? SD1s maybe?

Yes, GAD's guitar looks stunning in the black & gold but for some reason he won't sell it to me. :lol:

 

[GAD]

Thanks Ralf & GAD. I have asked for some more pics. I would probably prefer a hog SF IV as I already have an Ibanez AS200 from 1980 which is a great guitar (especially with the TV Jones Classic Plus I put in the bridge). A hog would be another differentiator which I could use to justify the purchase.

A smaller neck would be a deal breaker probably, though.

GAD, the pickups in this are unlikely to be HB1s if this is a 1996 model, are they? SD1s maybe?

Yes, GAD's guitar looks stunning in the black & gold but for some reason he won't sell it to me. :lol:

I'll sell it - for $10,000 US. Hell, I'll take $5,000 - call it the LTG Discount.

I can't say with certainty what pickups are in what years. Any time I've tried I've been corrected. All I can tell you is what I've seen first hand in my own guitars:

1973 SF4 - HB1s
1976 SF4 - HB1s
1994 SF4 - HB1s
1998 SF3 - SD1s
1999 X170 - Fender HB1s
1999 X170T - Fender HB1s
2000 SF4 - Fender HB1s

FWIW the pickups in my '94 SF4 look different than the 70s HB1s, but Hans says they're the real deal and they sound great.

I can't remember when the "originals" stopped and the "reissues" began, but the one in the eBay ad looks like an original to me. My '94 is thinner than my '73, '99 and '00 models - significantly so. Even my daughter commented on it when I picked it up. I don't know if this is a useful fact, but every reissue I've played has had the pick guard wrap around the pickup rings, while the originals have the pickup on top of the pickup rings (which I dislike).

Also don't trust any on-line S/N dating sites. Almost every one I've researched has been wrong. Trust only Hans when it comes to S/Ns.

 

[GAD]

BTW I don't trust anyone with neck width measurements. Most people do a search, find a page that says "Starfire IVs have 1 5/8" necks" and quote that as gospel. Many people have no idea how to read a caliper or do the math either.

The difference between 1 5/8" and 1 11/16" is about 1.5mm, and it's easy to misread, especially with a dial caliper that has those infernally tiny markings.

Mine was advertised as having a 1 5/8" nut, but I took a chance. The second I picked it up I knew it was 1 11/16".

 

[Zelja]

Thanks GAD. I'll be copying all that pickup info into my "Guild Files"!

Yeah, hard to understand the problem people have with measurements. With the D50 I bought, I asked how high the action was at the 12th fret, specifically the distance between top of the fret & bottom of "E" string, & was told, "one US quarter". Of course, I thought he meant the thickness of the quarter & but it seems he meant height...OK , I exaggerate, but it was considerably more...

Neck width is really important to me though, more than actual depth of the neck. It would be great to know exactly what it was too feel comfortable about bidding. No reply to my request for further pics - I guess I must be asking too much!

I also appreciate the offer of the LTG discount. I'll have a think & get back to you.

 

[GAD]

I see the auction ended at about $1250, which I think is just about the right price. I paid $1200 for mine, but I also got to play it and inspect it first.

Did you score it?

 

[Zelja]

I see the auction ended at about $1250, which I think is just about the right price. I paid $1200 for mine, but I also got to play it and inspect it first.

Did you score it?

No. I got up at 3.45am (15 minutes before the auction end) to have a look if I had got any more info from the seller, pics etc & didn't so I didn't feel that good about it.

The neck width bothered me & the fact that I was also taking two of my Guilds to a luthier later that morning with possible neck resets on the cards also weighed on me (the JF30-12 needs a reset & the D50 looks like it will be OK without one , though it needs major bridge work - all up the two repairs will cost me $1000).

The guitar looks great but if it had a thin neck I wouldn't of kept it. I probably could have bid, won it & flipped it for a profit here but guitars aren't commerce to me so...

Hope whoever got it enjoys it & it works for them. Meanwhile I will be looking at the hog IV which is still available.