NGD ST-302

[BradHK]

I came home from dinner last night and made the mistake of looking at Reverb. I should never do that after a few glasses of wine. A 1969 ST-302 in black was just listed. Looks pretty good and I am a sucker for black guitars…fingerprints and all! The price was appropriate so I pulled the trigger. I have never played an ST model so I am looking forward to the unboxing when it arrives. Here is a photo from the Reverb listing and I will post more photos once I have it in hand and have cleaned it up.

 

[GGJaguar]

Fantastic, congrats! I reckon it will be very Starfire II-ish in tone (since it's basically a double cutaway SF II). Looking forward to your NGD report!!

 

[Norrissey]

Ah, the perils of late night Reverb and wine!
But it looks great! I am rather jealous! Congrats!

 

[GAD]

Congrats! Quick tip - if you’re worried that the top is collapsing near the neck when you first look at it, it’s probably not.

 

[Walter Broes]

Oh wow, that looks badass in black! Congratulations!

 

[matsickma]

Never saw a "studio" model in black before! Very cool! I likely couldn't resist either. Congrats!

 

[walrus]

Congratulations! Love it!

walrus

 

[HeyMikey]

Those pointy “devil’s horns” are so wicked. Love it in black. Looking forward to seeing more.

 

[davismanLV]

Is the headstock bound or has the overlay just shrunk uniformly? What a super cool guitar!!

 

[GGJaguar]

the overlay just shrunk uniformly

This.

 

[mushroom]

Never seen a black one before but that’s awesome. Congrats.

 

[chazmo]

This.

Really? Why are we seeing a white background then instead of mahogany? Just seems odd to me. I would've guessed bound headstock and fingerboard.

 

[BradHK]

There was another thread on the headstock overlay but I can’t find it right now. They are two piece. The black top and a whitish layer below. The black shrinks over time but the white does not so it leaves a white edge visible around the outside. A few of mine have done this and my late 1960’s Guilds seem to be the most effected.

 

[GGJaguar]

hey are two piece. The black top and a whitish layer below. The black shrinks over time but the white does not so it leaves a white edge visible around the outside.

Yes, I think Ralf @SFIV1967 described it.

 

[SFIV1967]

Really? Why are we seeing a white background then instead of mahogany? Just seems odd to me.

Yes, I think Ralf @SFIV1967 described it.

Advice on d35 headstock

Howdy everyone, Can anyone tell me what’s going on around the headstock under the veneer on this old d35? If you look at the photos you’ll see a straight “crack” (if you want to call it that) that goes from the nut all the way around the headstock back to the other side of the nut. Any ideas...

letstalkguild.com

Ralf

 

[richardp69]

My dream is to someday be as smart as Hans and Ralf.

 

[BradHK]

It arrived last night, I let it acclimate overnight and opened this morning. No shipping damage! I have never seen a Studio in black and I really like it with the double Florentine cut outs. It needed a good cleaning and polish. The finish cleaned up really well. Some minor marks on the back but nothing through the finish. There is some binding shrinkage in the cutouts but with the black finish it does not jump out at me when I look at it. I polished the frets and oiled the board and the rosewood is not crazy dark but it has a great pattern. It needed some nut slot clean up and I adjusted the action. I was pleasantly surprised that it has a 1 11/16” nut.

As others noted, it sounds similar to a Starfire II but feels like a Starfire IV with the upper fret access. A great combo. I have only been able to play it a little while but it is very loud unplugged and sounds great through and amp. All in all, I am very happy!

 

[Norrissey]

Nice score! Looks like it is in great shape. And there is room to lower the saddle a bit! Beautiful. That's some gorgeous rosewood on the fretboard.

 

[Boneman]

That is one sexy guitar, HNGD!

 

[Ongo Gablogian]

Wow! That is beautiful!