BradHK
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2014
- Messages
- 1,044
- Reaction score
- 2,711
I got this home yesterday so this is an early impression before any deep cleaning and taking apart. I was able to see it in person and we came to a fair price given condition and such. Overall, it is in very good condition. The black, of course, shows every mark and the gold has wear. There are a few paint checks but nothing major and some scratches on the back but not through the paint. It has been played so this is not a case queen. I have been looking for a black one and I am happy the listing was posted here on LTG (thanks @Harp Tail)! No major issues other than somebody had installed an output jack plate. I am assuming damage to the original output mounting hole but I have not had the plate off yet. They did a good job and if you did not know you would think it was original and this helped the bargaining on price.
The weight is what you would expect of a late 1970’s Starfire. About 9.5 pounds. It needed a setup. I was getting a couple string buzzes that I traced to the strings vibrating on the back of the bridge between the saddles and harp tail. This has the first version of this bridge which does not have the half moon cutouts on the back for more string clearance. The action was high and the intonation was way off. I also found a piece of cardboard under The high E saddle. I am assuming to raise the saddle and give more clearance between the string and the back of the bridge to prevent a buzz? No idea. I lowered the action and set the intonation (all of the saddles were way too far forward) and removed the cardboard of course. The strings now have good clearance on the back of the bridge so all good and no buzzing!
Unplugged it has a really good punchy sound. Plugged in it sounds great. I have not even replaced the strings yet but it still sounds great. These set of HB-1 pickups sound a little hotter than my others but I have not measured resistance yet. Frets are in great shape and no buzzing anywhere up the neck with low action. Somebody had also replaced the nut and it was cut good and did not need adjustments. Everything works as expected and no surprises! Here are some photos of the guitar before a deep clean.
The weight is what you would expect of a late 1970’s Starfire. About 9.5 pounds. It needed a setup. I was getting a couple string buzzes that I traced to the strings vibrating on the back of the bridge between the saddles and harp tail. This has the first version of this bridge which does not have the half moon cutouts on the back for more string clearance. The action was high and the intonation was way off. I also found a piece of cardboard under The high E saddle. I am assuming to raise the saddle and give more clearance between the string and the back of the bridge to prevent a buzz? No idea. I lowered the action and set the intonation (all of the saddles were way too far forward) and removed the cardboard of course. The strings now have good clearance on the back of the bridge so all good and no buzzing!
Unplugged it has a really good punchy sound. Plugged in it sounds great. I have not even replaced the strings yet but it still sounds great. These set of HB-1 pickups sound a little hotter than my others but I have not measured resistance yet. Frets are in great shape and no buzzing anywhere up the neck with low action. Somebody had also replaced the nut and it was cut good and did not need adjustments. Everything works as expected and no surprises! Here are some photos of the guitar before a deep clean.
Have fun and enjoy your new guit!
