NGD - 1961 Starfire III Ebony

[BradHK]

Good catch! I was going to call them this week about that one.

I called them a month or so ago when it was first listed on their website (TR Crandall). They said it was sold but they had not taken down the listing yet. I saw it again earlier this week and called again. They said it was sold but the deal might not go through. They did not state the reason. They took down my name and said if it became available they would call me. They called Friday and said it was available and would hold it for me if I was interested. I said sure and that I would be in on Saturday. I expected it to have a bottomed out bridge or some other issue expecting that to be the reason the sale fell through. I was very pleasantly surprised with the condition and the staff and owner at TR Crandall were really nice to deal with. All around a good day!

 

[Harp Tail]

For Sale

trcrandall.com

Still up on TR's website though

 

[jp]

A thing of pure beauty! Congrats on yet another super Guild, Brad! You're amassing quite a singular collection of very special Guilds.

 

[Smiert Spionam]

I called them a month or so ago when it was first listed on their website (TR Crandall). They said it was sold but they had not taken down the listing yet. I saw it again earlier this week and called again. They said it was sold but the deal might not go through. They did not state the reason. They took down my name and said if it became available they would call me. They called Friday and said it was available and would hold it for me if I was interested. I said sure and that I would be in on Saturday. I expected it to have a bottomed out bridge or some other issue expecting that to be the reason the sale fell through. I was very pleasantly surprised with the condition and the staff and owner at TR Crandall were really nice to deal with. All around a good day!

I remembered that you had said they told it was sold -- but when it kept lingering on their site, I was starting to get itchy to call. Glad it worked out!

 

[chazmo]

It has not gone through the spa treatment with new strings and such yet but it still looks pretty good!

Wow, it sure does, Brad! Congrats. Congrats and enjoy!

 

[rbrcbr]

Man, you get all the good stuff. I'd be eyeing this one for a while too, really wanted to make this one happen but my schedule is quite literally the same as Crandall's hours, wasn't able to get in to see it. I was surprised it was still on the site after so long, tbh. Glad to hear the neck angle turned out to be good.

 

[BradHK]

It was difficult, but I actually waited until Christmas to get out the new guitar and play. It got the spa treatment yesterday with new strings and adjustments. It plays really easy with low action and no buzzing. The only item to note is that the bridge radius is flatter that the board radius. I might get a Bigsby saddle for an unwound G and match the board radius but I am not in a rush. This morning was a DeArmond equiped Guild playoff between this 1961 Starfire III, a 1962 Starfire II, and a 1963 Aristocrat. Plenty of spring reverb was used! They sound similar but different at the same time. The Starfire III has the best surf sound but it can also sound nice and thick with a few amp adjustments.

I don’t have a lot of space here in NYC but I dedicated a wall to display some of my electrics. I rotated the guitars around to make room for this one and I think the guitar wall looks better than any art I could display! Sorry for the poor photo but the lights above and the mobile phone camera didn’t want to play nice together. I need to move the lights out from the wall and add a couple more but that is definitely a project for another day!

 

[Walter Broes]

Wow. Nothing but very cool guitars in that pic!!

 

[Harp Tail]

here in NYC

Congratulations, Brad - now your space looks fully furnished. I'd call that "a wall of sound".

 

[Norrissey]

That's a dazzling set of guitars Brad. I confess to some jealousy : ) : )

 

[jp]

Huzzah--a beautiful collection, Brad! Our tastes seem to run in the same direction. Many of your choices are models I really like as well. It's a

Guild collection to be really proud of! :C)

 

[GGJaguar]

A fantastic group!

 

[HeyMikey]

Fantastic! Playable art.

 

[matsickma]

Wow! That is an excellent set of Guild guitars! I hope your homeowners or apartment insurance has an addition rider to cover those for theft or damage!

 

[twocorgis]

Wow! That is an excellent set of Guild guitars! I hope your homeowners or apartment insurance has an addition rider to cover those for theft or damage!

There’s Heritage insurance for that!