What type(s) of music do you play on your Starfire?

fadedhour · Dec 2, 2011

I don't own a Starfire, but I dream of one day owning a III or a V. I'm always keen to learn more about them. I've been thinking about what types of music they are most suited to -- for those of you who own or have owned one, what do you think?

I would love to use them for some jangly guitar parts -- early Beatles or more chorus-y Smiths-type sounds. Does anyone here use their Starfire mainly for this kind of music?

I'm really curious as to what sort of music flatters a Starfire (and even what doesn't sound so great). I've seen demos on YouTube and of course heard the sound on records but I'd love to hear from people directly.

Can't wait till I can experiment with all this myself

guildman63 · Dec 3, 2011

Not much jangly stuff with mine, although it can do jangly for sure. I play mostly jazz and some blues, and it's great for both!

fearless · Dec 3, 2011

My '68 Starfire had the mini-HB-1 pickups. Very suited to gritty blues and dirty rock, but not sure if it would give you jangly. A friend's 1980 model with solid tailstop and later HB-is much more full and rounded sounding. Ideal for jazz, jazz blues, rock etc. I've never heard much jangly done on one, but I'm sure it can be done with the versatile later pickups. It's amazing what a bit of chorus and EQ can do too. Great guitars.
I would hesitate to say that a III would produce the jangly sounds you're looking for. I only owned one briefly and it was chalk and cheese to a Rickenbacker 360 I owned at the same time. I believe the V was discontinued in 1973 and that they were mostly (or all) produced with mini-HB1s. The much more ubiquitous Starfire IV (or 4) might be better suited. YMMV

Walter Broes · Dec 3, 2011

I have a '61 Starfire III with the DeArmond pickups that works great for Rockabilly, Honky-Tonk Country, and other twangy things, but I think it would probably work great for the jangly things you're decribing.

krysh · Dec 3, 2011

my starfire

sorry, you didn't ask for bass.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

bluesypicky · Dec 3, 2011

Plug time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbFSBkPA ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZyuPawd ... re=related

And yes, those are the mini humbies (both).

And for the hell of it (since the comparison topic came about before) here's a bitty bonus with the 335 just uploaded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9dLEowb ... ideo_title

krysh · Dec 3, 2011

bluesypicky said:
Plug time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbFSBkPA ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZyuPawd ... re=related

And yes, those are the mini humbies (both).

And for the hell of it (since the comparison topic came about before) here's a bitty bonus with the 335 just uploaded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9dLEowb ... ideo_title

well done, as usual pascal, but to my ears the es can't hold up with the starfires. 8)

Default · Dec 3, 2011

Maybe a T-100 with the mickey mouse pups would get you closer to jangley. :? Been a long time since I had mine, so I can't really say.

GAD · Dec 3, 2011

My SFIII was used mostly for Brian Setzer and similar music.

My SFIVs are used mostly for blues/rock.

fadedhour · Dec 3, 2011

Thanks for your responses, everyone -- and guildman63, your guitar is gorgeous!

Here is a jangly song using a Starfire V -- this was the sort of thing I had in mind. I know the Starfire used on that album is from the 60s but I don't know the specs beyond that.

I love Bigsbys (I have a Gretsch with one) so I haven't really considered the Starfires that don't have one, but I'd like to try them to compare. I'd like to try a T-100, too, but I rarely see Guilds over here (the UK) so I'm not very hopeful on that one.

bluesypicky · Dec 3, 2011

krysh said:
well done, as usual pascal, but to my ears the es can't hold up with the starfires. 8)

Thanks Michael, yeah if I had a gun to my head and forced to pick one, it would be the Starfire, but I won't trash the 335, it does have a distinctive sound reminiscent of my hours spent listening to Larry Carlton...

Zelja · Dec 3, 2011

fadedhour said:
I would love to use them for some jangly guitar parts - Does anyone here use their Starfire mainly for this kind of music?

I haven't got mine in my hands yet but I will be using it hopefully for jangly & semi-overdriven tones - something like what this SFIV is being used for : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3slPegMJec

fadedhour · Dec 3, 2011

I really like the tone of that guitar on the video, Zelja. Will your Starfire be a IV?

fearless · Dec 3, 2011

I watched that for a while thinking - what? Tim Rogers isn't left-handed!

Fadedhour - I think you are going to enjoy the tone of all the guitars you mentioned. I used to have a T-100 with Mickey Mouse pick ups and it would have done the sounds you're looking for very well indeed. It sounds like you are not after that really full-one jangle you'd get from a Rickenbacker and in that case I'd say a Stafire will certainly suit well.

Zelja · Dec 3, 2011

fadedhour said:
I really like the tone of that guitar on the video, Zelja. Will your Starfire be a IV?

It's a 90s SFIV so will have the SD-1s (standard sized humbuckers) rather than the smaller Guild mini-HBs which I believe are on that guitar, which I'm pretty sure is a 60's model.

fearless said:
I watched that for a while thinking - what? Tim Rogers isn't left-handed!

Actually Tim's pretty talented & sometimes plays left-handed. When he does, he plays a DLIUG.

fearless · Dec 3, 2011

bluesypicky said:
krysh said:

well done, as usual pascal, but to my ears the es can't hold up with the starfires. 8)

Click to expand...

Thanks Michael, yeah if I had a gun to my head and forced to pick one, it would be the Starfire, but I won't trash the 335, it does have a distinctive sound reminiscent of my hours spent listening to Larry Carlton...

I used to have a 335 and I agree with this. If I had to have one or the other I'd go with the Starfire, but the 335 was also a great guitar.

jte · Dec 4, 2011

"There are only two kinds of music; music that sounds good, and whatever you want to call that other stuff." - Duke Ellington

Not that what comes out of my fingers is always the stuff that sound good however...

John

Jahn · Dec 8, 2011

Well for 12-string Starfires, I found that it was a bit more middy/dark than a Ric, so that bright jangly thing that you get for the Beatles/REM/Smiths sound may not come as easy. You can get kinda close if you have the pickups wired out of phase, then select the middle selector to activate both, then turn the vol knobs to taste, I've found.

That said, the Starfires I've had may not jangle brightly, but they sing sweetly when played clean with a great mid presence, and when you turn it up, it cuts through with this garagey type roar that i couldn't find anywhere else but in the 60s Mini HB-1 buckers. awesome pickups.

2bornot2bop · Dec 11, 2011

guildman63 said:
Not much jangly stuff with mine, although it can do jangly for sure. I play mostly jazz and some blues, and it's great for both!

There's a beauty I'd love to create some sultry jazz on!

fearless · Dec 12, 2011

Lucie Thorne, an Australian artist:
Her Starfire seems to have a non-original tailpiece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bx4G2bD ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_r7HWTzuT4

Not the only sound you can get from a Starfire III, of course.

What type(s) of music do you play on your Starfire?

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