Hi all,
First of all, thank you for all your comments and giving a glimpse into your favorite amps for Starfires: "something Voxy or Fendery", "Vox Pathfinder 15R", "Fender blues jr tweed, and a fender pro jr tweed", "Fender tweed of any flavor", "Vox AC10 and... Ampeg Jet II J12T", "1962 Fender Vibrolux... 66 Ampeg Gemini", "Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket", "Carvin Vintage 16", "Axe-FX", "Deluxe Reverb", "Fender Princeton", "Gibson Scout" and "Gretsch Executive". Dumble, Standel, right! Oh yeah, and whatever Jimmy Hendrix was playing through.
Thanks also for your suggestions, 5-15 watts, clean headroom. I have heard of some of these amps but many I hadn't, so your list put many new ones on my radar. I'll try to play a few if I'm able at stores or I'll be watching the local craigslist.
After all that, you may laugh or cry when I say that for now I might grab a... wait for it... a $100 Epiphone Valve Jr. I'm going to try it first, but it seems to get good reviews. And it is the only tube amp that I can afford for now, because I just spent all my money (and my wife's good will) on...
... a 1997 Westerly Starfire 4! "SF4 - TPR mahog, AG000370" (Transparent Red I learned from Hans- thank you Hans. Believe it has the SD pickups GAD likes.). Very good/ Excellent condition. Original case. No scratches that I could see. No repairs. Low action. "Set up in Nashville in 2012" he told me.
Drove two hours through the rain and wind Wed night up to Portland (Oregon), played it, loved it, bought it ($950), and drove two more hours back home. The man I bought it from, A----, was a very nice man who was happy to see it go to someone who appreciates it (me!). He loves these Guilds, too, and still has a chestnut '77 Starfire that he showed me also.
I am thrilled! The only conundrum is now I don't have anything to play it through, since I had to sell my only amp (a '66 Gibson Minuteman that was okay, but I didn't love) for $300 to help finance the Starfire. I may try to rig up a way to play my new acquisition through my 80s marantz receiver and '70's Dynaco speakers (on low volume), or borrow a friend's solid state amp for awhile. I think my wife will forgive me soon, and I can probably get a cheap amp soon that will last me awhile (maybe that Epiphone Valve Jr. if I like it).
But eventually, I will get a better, more prestigious amp that pairs well with my new starfire. Now that I actually have an electric guitar I love, I can test out amps with my guitar and not other people's. So I do appreciate all your amp recommendations. Someday soon...
Thanks again to all of you!
Andrew (drewg)
PS- I'd like to post pictures but haven't taken any yet; and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to upload pictures yet, as a newbie...
First of all, thank you for all your comments and giving a glimpse into your favorite amps for Starfires: "something Voxy or Fendery", "Vox Pathfinder 15R", "Fender blues jr tweed, and a fender pro jr tweed", "Fender tweed of any flavor", "Vox AC10 and... Ampeg Jet II J12T", "1962 Fender Vibrolux... 66 Ampeg Gemini", "Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket", "Carvin Vintage 16", "Axe-FX", "Deluxe Reverb", "Fender Princeton", "Gibson Scout" and "Gretsch Executive". Dumble, Standel, right! Oh yeah, and whatever Jimmy Hendrix was playing through.
Thanks also for your suggestions, 5-15 watts, clean headroom. I have heard of some of these amps but many I hadn't, so your list put many new ones on my radar. I'll try to play a few if I'm able at stores or I'll be watching the local craigslist.
After all that, you may laugh or cry when I say that for now I might grab a... wait for it... a $100 Epiphone Valve Jr. I'm going to try it first, but it seems to get good reviews. And it is the only tube amp that I can afford for now, because I just spent all my money (and my wife's good will) on...
... a 1997 Westerly Starfire 4! "SF4 - TPR mahog, AG000370" (Transparent Red I learned from Hans- thank you Hans. Believe it has the SD pickups GAD likes.). Very good/ Excellent condition. Original case. No scratches that I could see. No repairs. Low action. "Set up in Nashville in 2012" he told me.
Drove two hours through the rain and wind Wed night up to Portland (Oregon), played it, loved it, bought it ($950), and drove two more hours back home. The man I bought it from, A----, was a very nice man who was happy to see it go to someone who appreciates it (me!). He loves these Guilds, too, and still has a chestnut '77 Starfire that he showed me also.
I am thrilled! The only conundrum is now I don't have anything to play it through, since I had to sell my only amp (a '66 Gibson Minuteman that was okay, but I didn't love) for $300 to help finance the Starfire. I may try to rig up a way to play my new acquisition through my 80s marantz receiver and '70's Dynaco speakers (on low volume), or borrow a friend's solid state amp for awhile. I think my wife will forgive me soon, and I can probably get a cheap amp soon that will last me awhile (maybe that Epiphone Valve Jr. if I like it).
But eventually, I will get a better, more prestigious amp that pairs well with my new starfire. Now that I actually have an electric guitar I love, I can test out amps with my guitar and not other people's. So I do appreciate all your amp recommendations. Someday soon...
Thanks again to all of you!
Andrew (drewg)
PS- I'd like to post pictures but haven't taken any yet; and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to upload pictures yet, as a newbie...