idealassets
Senior Member
From an owners' and players' view (sound, construction, and features). Whats the difference between the Guild Starfire IV, V, and VI?
Craig
Craig
Starfire IV, V, & VI.
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IV: Harp or Stop Tailpiece
V: Bigsby
VI: Magnificence
The VI is like the top of the line, no holds barred, pull out the pretty wood, model.
V: Bigsby
VI: Magnificence
The VI is like the top of the line, no holds barred, pull out the pretty wood, model.
idealassets
Senior Member
GAD,
Thanks! I spent a year of my life in Pennsville, NJ; which I did not necessarily think was the especially nice part of the state.
Craig
Thanks! I spent a year of my life in Pennsville, NJ; which I did not necessarily think was the especially nice part of the state.
Craig
Treem
Senior Member
idealassets
Senior Member
Treem,
As far as one of these beauties being around me, no sir. But you do posess a certain admirable collection of Guilds yourself. Also the most important thing, you are reportedly able to play them (or enable them) well.
For many years, I on drums was off in left field for most endeavors of sophisticated guitar work. But it is virtually never too late to dive into the real musical instruments, I suppose.
So I do admire Guild's, and thus I trudge on to become adept in the guitar arts...
Craig
As far as one of these beauties being around me, no sir. But you do posess a certain admirable collection of Guilds yourself. Also the most important thing, you are reportedly able to play them (or enable them) well.
For many years, I on drums was off in left field for most endeavors of sophisticated guitar work. But it is virtually never too late to dive into the real musical instruments, I suppose.
So I do admire Guild's, and thus I trudge on to become adept in the guitar arts...
Craig
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Hi Craig,idealassets said:
I think Grot's wonderful picture shows it almost all. A 66' SF IV, a 67' SF V and a 66' SF XII.
You clearly see what looks different.
Mind however that almost yearly something was changed on the models (neck to body joint, wood, neck inlays, pickups, master volume knob...), Hans' book is a very good first read about it. So it depends strongly what years you compare (hence I used 1966 and 1967 pictures as example only). Mid 70ties looked different, as did 80ties and 90ties models!
Now the Starfire VI is almost like a V but with Gold hardware, bound F-holes, two piece neck inlays, bound G headstock veneer, basically lots of added bling. I believe a few SF VI were also delivered without Guildby, just with golden tailpiece. At least there are examples if you Google for them.
The IV and V came in both Mahagony or Maple wood, the VI mostly is not all Maple.
See the two 66' SF VI pictures below the Grot shot. (I believe the bridge is not original in that picture, should have been a golden Bigsby bridge from the factory, like that one: http://www.guitarchives.nl/guitarsgalor ... .php?id=41 ).
Ralf
idealassets
Senior Member
I see the Starfire VI is a great looking guitar. I've also noticed they are not for sale very often.
I suppose there are all types of subtilties, such as if you really want feedback, perhaps a Stafire I, II, or III will produce more.
I'll also bet that its not as much of a science as it might appear in the sound features, but folks certainly do comment on what they look like, even if they are not big Guild enthusiasts.
Craig
I suppose there are all types of subtilties, such as if you really want feedback, perhaps a Stafire I, II, or III will produce more.
I'll also bet that its not as much of a science as it might appear in the sound features, but folks certainly do comment on what they look like, even if they are not big Guild enthusiasts.
Craig
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idealassets said:
Starfire VIs are also, so far as I've seen, always old. That's great if you like the old Starfires (and who doesn't?), but the necks are very thin. I'd kill for a blond 90s Starfire VI with a nice wide neck.
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
idealassets said:
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
I think both the Starfire V and the Starfire VI were already discontinued around 1973/1974.GAD said:
The Starfire VI was not re-introduced until 2012, when Guild came out with the limited run "GSR Starfire VI".
The Starfire V was re-introduced in 1999 I believe, but I can't remember any instruments that I have seen from that time.
There are those adds from 1999 on ebay:
rBN,rCgoZu!~~_3.JPG)
Ralf
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
SFIV1967 said:
Hello Ralf,
The Starfire 6 was still available up till the end of the '70s, but by that time the Bigsby was not standard any longer although it was available as an option.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Thanks Hans for the clarification! I should have looked in your book...hansmoust said:
Ralf
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Hi Tom,
great Guitar, isn't it! Nice 1975 model you got.
The pickguard seems to be not a 1975 original one. I believe it did not have the gold line around it in 1975. So that was replaced I think at some point in time with an old 1966/67 one (or a new replica of one).
This is how the pickguard was looking in the 70ties:
And: :shock: I hope you have in the meantime fixed that Truss Rod Cover!
Ralf
great Guitar, isn't it! Nice 1975 model you got.
The pickguard seems to be not a 1975 original one. I believe it did not have the gold line around it in 1975. So that was replaced I think at some point in time with an old 1966/67 one (or a new replica of one).
This is how the pickguard was looking in the 70ties:
And: :shock: I hope you have in the meantime fixed that Truss Rod Cover!
Ralf
tele4tone
Member
ftr there are a lot of custom things avail. I have a '65 SFIV Special that has a Guildsby added by the Factory. I'd like to play one of the SF's when the neck joint moved.
Jeff
edited
Jeff
edited
Anybody else notice the '73 at New Hope has 3-piece inlays like an early '60s Guild?
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kakerlak said:
That's because it's a Starfire VI. They get all the best appointments.
GAD said:
That's not what I mean. The abalone triangles (1 piece) go to about the midway point in the pearl blocks, which are two piece, split down the middle at the point of the triangle. This is how the inlays were after the 50s small "thumbnail" abalone triangles and before they went to big triangles that went all the way to the edge of the inlay (I guess those are still 3 piece, now that I think about it).
Anyway, never really seen those on anything but early '60s Guilds, and definitely not anything from the '70s. My '74 SF-VI has the big triangles (like vintage Epiphone inlays were on Emperors, etc.).
(The rest of the guitar is clearly '70s, though.)