Factual Frank
Junior Member
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2022
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 14
- Guild Total
- 1
Hello folks
I recently picked up a 1981 Starfire IV in good condition. It does not have the Guild HB-1 pickups. It also does not have an original case.
But I really like the build quality, neck, and weight of the guitar. I also prefer the regular tail piece. I noticed there are not a lot of used SF-4 guitars from the 80's available on the market (mostly 70's and 90's).
I went through the wiring. All of the pots are original except for the neck tone. It had an old dimarzio 250k in there and I replaced that with a 500k. I left the original 200k Guild tone in the bridge. I also rewired it to "bright mod" from a schematic I found on this site.
It had a set of Ibanez pickups from an ArtCore and Gibson sized rings. Once I saw the asking prices for a set of used original Guild pickups, I decided to install some Diamarzios I had on the shelf. I ordered a set of new rings from Guild which fit perfectly and included screws. I was happy about that. All I had to do was drill an extra center hole which was easily done by placing the two rings face to face. I also added some orange drop caps while I had everything apart (220 neck, 330 bridge).
I started with a set of Air Classics. I really liked the neck but not so much the bridge. So I swapped out the bridge for a Tone Zone. At first I thought this might be a little much but it sounds good. I had the pickups on the shelf so I figured let me just try it before I spend any money. I play mostly 70's classic rock (Cream, ABB, ZZ Top, etc) and blues. I use the neck pickup mostly. Switching to the bridge is like adding a boost pedal so it works well for some solos or if I need a hard rock sound. Both pickups do clean up nicely when I roll down the volume and the neck does not get too dark.
My amp is a 90's Mesa DC-5 combo. The Dimarizo "F" spaced fits in the ring no problem. I noticed that a SD "trembucker" chrome cover would not fit. The only thing else I needed to do was add a some piece of sponge under one side of the bridge pickup to level it with the strings. The wiring still goes to the pickup cavities so swapping is a breeze.
I have a few questions if folks would like to share their opinions:
1. Do you think the HB-1 pickups would be good for the music I play? How about the new HB-1s? I am not completely against spending a few hundred for a set but if they are more for jazz/mellow rock than I'm not sure I should bother. I do, however, like the idea of the guitar being all original.
2. While I had the guitar apart, I cleaned it up and took some measurements. It appears that the fretboard is a compound radius going from 7.25" to 9.5". Is this a factory option or standard neck? I really like it so I don't really care but I was curious because I didn't think compound necks were common back then.
3. For those of you who own multiple Guilds, do you notice a big difference with a maple vs mahogany neck (besides the weight)? I originally wanted to get a 335 (which I believe has a mahogany neck) but this guitar was offered to me at a price that was significantly cheaper than a Gibson so I took it. I see that some of the Starfire guitars did have mahogany necks.
Thanks again for this forum. I have already used it to help wire the guitar.
I recently picked up a 1981 Starfire IV in good condition. It does not have the Guild HB-1 pickups. It also does not have an original case.
But I really like the build quality, neck, and weight of the guitar. I also prefer the regular tail piece. I noticed there are not a lot of used SF-4 guitars from the 80's available on the market (mostly 70's and 90's).
I went through the wiring. All of the pots are original except for the neck tone. It had an old dimarzio 250k in there and I replaced that with a 500k. I left the original 200k Guild tone in the bridge. I also rewired it to "bright mod" from a schematic I found on this site.
It had a set of Ibanez pickups from an ArtCore and Gibson sized rings. Once I saw the asking prices for a set of used original Guild pickups, I decided to install some Diamarzios I had on the shelf. I ordered a set of new rings from Guild which fit perfectly and included screws. I was happy about that. All I had to do was drill an extra center hole which was easily done by placing the two rings face to face. I also added some orange drop caps while I had everything apart (220 neck, 330 bridge).
I started with a set of Air Classics. I really liked the neck but not so much the bridge. So I swapped out the bridge for a Tone Zone. At first I thought this might be a little much but it sounds good. I had the pickups on the shelf so I figured let me just try it before I spend any money. I play mostly 70's classic rock (Cream, ABB, ZZ Top, etc) and blues. I use the neck pickup mostly. Switching to the bridge is like adding a boost pedal so it works well for some solos or if I need a hard rock sound. Both pickups do clean up nicely when I roll down the volume and the neck does not get too dark.
My amp is a 90's Mesa DC-5 combo. The Dimarizo "F" spaced fits in the ring no problem. I noticed that a SD "trembucker" chrome cover would not fit. The only thing else I needed to do was add a some piece of sponge under one side of the bridge pickup to level it with the strings. The wiring still goes to the pickup cavities so swapping is a breeze.
I have a few questions if folks would like to share their opinions:
1. Do you think the HB-1 pickups would be good for the music I play? How about the new HB-1s? I am not completely against spending a few hundred for a set but if they are more for jazz/mellow rock than I'm not sure I should bother. I do, however, like the idea of the guitar being all original.
2. While I had the guitar apart, I cleaned it up and took some measurements. It appears that the fretboard is a compound radius going from 7.25" to 9.5". Is this a factory option or standard neck? I really like it so I don't really care but I was curious because I didn't think compound necks were common back then.
3. For those of you who own multiple Guilds, do you notice a big difference with a maple vs mahogany neck (besides the weight)? I originally wanted to get a 335 (which I believe has a mahogany neck) but this guitar was offered to me at a price that was significantly cheaper than a Gibson so I took it. I see that some of the Starfire guitars did have mahogany necks.
Thanks again for this forum. I have already used it to help wire the guitar.