I popped into a guitar shop near me today 'just for a look' (ha) and, surprise surprise, they had a cherry 1967 Starfire IV. It is beautiful and sounds amazing.
There are only a few issues with it:
-no pickguard -- this seems to have been removed at some point
-no original case (it comes with a 'Gibson period case' I am told)
-the covers of the pickups have been removed
None of these things really bothers me that much, I guess. I'd like to replace the pickguard, I think, as I really like the look of the 60s ones. Ideally, I'd like to get a Guild case for it, too, but this wouldn't be a priority. I have no idea if it'd be worth finding covers for the pickups or if I even could.
The only other thing is there's checking all over the guitar. This doesn't really bother me and I think it looks lovely with the cherry red color, but it made me wonder if it might indicate other issues with the guitar or if it'd be better to try and find a Starfire without checking. Do most Starfires this old have checking?
So does this sound like a guitar worth buying and if so, how much do you think it's worth? I'm in the UK so prices for Starfires are unfortunately a bit skewed here (they seem to be significantly more expensive). And are there any little things I should look out for before I buy that I might overlook? (I've never bought a vintage guitar before.)
I love the guitar already but it's a lot of money for me so I'm really nervous! I've wanted a Starfire for ages, too, so I keep wondering if this is 'the one'...
There are only a few issues with it:
-no pickguard -- this seems to have been removed at some point
-no original case (it comes with a 'Gibson period case' I am told)
-the covers of the pickups have been removed
None of these things really bothers me that much, I guess. I'd like to replace the pickguard, I think, as I really like the look of the 60s ones. Ideally, I'd like to get a Guild case for it, too, but this wouldn't be a priority. I have no idea if it'd be worth finding covers for the pickups or if I even could.
The only other thing is there's checking all over the guitar. This doesn't really bother me and I think it looks lovely with the cherry red color, but it made me wonder if it might indicate other issues with the guitar or if it'd be better to try and find a Starfire without checking. Do most Starfires this old have checking?
So does this sound like a guitar worth buying and if so, how much do you think it's worth? I'm in the UK so prices for Starfires are unfortunately a bit skewed here (they seem to be significantly more expensive). And are there any little things I should look out for before I buy that I might overlook? (I've never bought a vintage guitar before.)
I love the guitar already but it's a lot of money for me so I'm really nervous! I've wanted a Starfire for ages, too, so I keep wondering if this is 'the one'...
