NGD - Starfire II Dynasonic Royal Brown - Newark Street Series

[D30Man]

Just struck a really nice deal on a B-stock from ProAudioStar / Reverb. Looking forward to receiving it!!! I have seen these a few times over the last couple of years. Just a very deluxe SFII IMO. Ebony board, Hog body, Chesterfield stock, Gold open back tuners / hardware and what I'm most excited about, Dynasonic Pickups. I have never played these pick ups and I am hoping I am in for a treat!!!

I had been stalking a Dearmond SFII on CL Dallas that had the DS pickups, but the guy was not coming down off of $950.. IMO really too high. I get that they are essentially Guild designs MIK with a Dearmond logo that pre-date NS series, but still. This checks off a lot more boxes, it's new and it is $350 cheaper.

I'll report back on this thread once recieved!!

 

[GGJaguar]

Cool guitar, congrats! I'll be interested to see what you think. I have one and I like it a lot, but it got displaced by the special run Starfire III Dyna model from Sweetwater. You can read my Starfire II ST Dyna NGD report HERE.

 

[D30Man]

Read your post. Great stuff. I was a little worried these P/U's being MIK, but I am glad you like them! Funny I am thinking of slapping a guard on mine. Looks really nice!

 

[chazmo]

Cool guitar, and great deal for a new Starfire II! Is this one built in Indonesia or Korea, @D30Man -- just curious.

 

[GGJaguar]

Is this one built in Indonesia or Korea

I'm betting it's made by Sound Professional Guitar Co. Ltd in Korea (serial number should have a "KSG" prefix). At least mine was.

 

[chazmo]

I'm betting it's made by Sound Professional Guitar Co. Ltd in Korea (serial number should have a "KSG" prefix). At least mine was.

Right... AFAIK, only SF 1s are being built in Indonesia, but it is a (potentially) fluid situation.

 

[GGJaguar]

Right... AFAIK, only SF 1s are being built in Indonesia, but it is a (potentially) fluid situation.

Yes, I think the S-100 moving from Korea to Indonesia is a hint of what's to come.

 

[D30Man]

I'm betting it's made by Sound Professional Guitar Co. Ltd in Korea (serial number should have a "KSG" prefix). At least mine was.

Right... AFAIK, only SF 1s are being built in Indonesia, but it is a (potentially) fluid situation.

Its MIK Chaz. It's discontinued as well.

 

[D30Man]

Especially with the arrival of the SFIII, SF4 Dynasonic etc..

 

[D30Man]

I'm betting it's made by Sound Professional Guitar Co. Ltd in Korea (serial number should have a "KSG" prefix). At least mine was.

GG - Where did you get the pickguard for your SF2 DS? The Guild shop has one for 3 and 4 but not 2.
Hans maybe???

 

[GGJaguar]

Where did you get the pickguard for your SF2 DS?

I used the pickguard from the Newark Street Starfire III. You'll need to get gold hardware (bracket and screws) for it, though.

 

[D30Man]

Well it made it here safe and sound. Hanging on the wall. I took receipt on Friday evening. I have probably played it an hour per day since. I am really enjoying the hell out the DS pick ups. It is maybe the best $600 I've ever spent on an electric guitar and I have test-driven several hollow / semi-hollow guitars over the past few years. To my ears there is something magical about the center position combining both pick ups. I think that is where these pick ups really show their signature. My opinion.

I am going to slap a guard on here as I think it is a nice enhancement.
Overall assessment, top notch.

 

[GGJaguar]

Glad to hear that if floats your boat! I like mine a lot and it served as a stop-gap guitar until Guild released a version of the Starfire III with DeArmonds (which they did).

 

[D30Man]

Here a few more pics. Not the best but you can still get to see that this is a really pretty instrument.
The decorative work on the back on the tuners is really interesting.. I've never seen this, but it is a nice touch,

 

[D30Man]

Glad to hear that if floats your boat! I like mine a lot and it served as a stop-gap guitar until Guild released a version of the Starfire III with DeArmonds (which they did).

They did indeed and it is a beaut. If that kingwood green model wasn't creeping up against $2k I would put my sights on it.
FYI, you were correct, the SN starts with a "KSG".

 

[GGJaguar]

The decorative work on the back on the tuners is really interesting.. I've never seen this, but it is a nice touch

Gretsch uses those tuners on some of their guitars. My 6120 made by Terada in Japan had them.

 

[HeyMikey]

I love the color D30man! It looks so rich and really makes the metal components stand out.

 

[DrumBob]

How was your experience with ProAudioStar? Don't they sell mostly B Stock guitars?

 

[LesB3]

Gretsch uses those tuners on some of their guitars. My 6120 made by Terada in Japan had them.

There's no way those tuners were on a 6120, unless someone intentionally downgraded them.

 

[D30Man]

How was your experience with ProAudioStar? Don't they sell mostly B Stock guitars?

Actually really good. They negotiated with me reasonably and shipped the guitar out pretty quickly.
Yes, they specialize in B-stock. However, I cannot see any defects on mine. Not to say there isn't. Just not obvious to my eyes. Truthfully, if I am in the sub $1k category I am looking for a deal anyhow so that bothers me none.

All this to say, they deal in pretty high volume and others might have a completely different experience.
I will say they are rated 5 stars out of 110k reviews... Not sure how accurate, but based on my experience, not bad at all.