Not so hot on the Korean Starfire VI and thinking of the x-175B

vastier

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I got the Starfire VI about a year ago. I think its stunningly beautiful and probably bought it because of looks and the desire to own a bit of history even if it was an imitation of the original. I had lot's of set up problems until I found the right guy to give a pro set up. It plays nice now, and switching to medium strings helped as well but, you know, I'm just not warming up to it. It doesn't have the sound I want. I can't get used to the weight distribution. I play sitting down and it pulls me down on the lower bout. All that weight there is due to the Bigsby? Or something else?

I was eyeing the 175B, but wondered if the Bigsby would do the same thing with the weight on that model. I know the pickups are totally different with a different sound as well and that might be refreshing. Any thoughts on this from users, your preferences with either, or solutions to the weight problem?

Thanks
Rick
 

JohnW63

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I have an NS X-175B and a non Bigsby NS X-175. The second one is lighter. Feels more like an acoustic. A bit more midrange tone comes out. I think the mass of the Bigsby dampens the top in those frequencies.
 

dbirchett

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I got the Starfire VI about a year ago. I think its stunningly beautiful and probably bought it because of looks and the desire to own a bit of history even if it was an imitation of the original. I had lot's of set up problems until I found the right guy to give a pro set up. It plays nice now, and switching to medium strings helped as well but, you know, I'm just not warming up to it. It doesn't have the sound I want. I can't get used to the weight distribution. I play sitting down and it pulls me down on the lower bout. All that weight there is due to the Bigsby? Or something else?

I was eyeing the 175B, but wondered if the Bigsby would do the same thing with the weight on that model. I know the pickups are totally different with a different sound as well and that might be refreshing. Any thoughts on this from users, your preferences with either, or solutions to the weight problem?

Thanks
Rick

Rick, read this review http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?181016-Got-my-NS-X175!! and then read this review http://www.gad.net/Blog/2016/07/18/guild-2015-newark-street-x-175b-guitar/. By the time you get through, I'll bet most of your questions will be answered. If not, then the authors are frequent contributors and will probably be happy to answer any of your questions.
 

GAD

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Hey there.

The weight your feeling is largely due to the center block down the middle of the body of the Starfire VI.

If you like the shape and especially the thickness of the Starfire, then look for a Starfire III. It's a single cutaway, but it's hollow and thin like the Starfire VI. It doesn't have the bling, but they're crazy light. The X175B is thicker and has different pickups so it will sound quite different than a Starfire.
 
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