New 1964 Starfire V - A Few Questions & Looking For Harp Tailpiece to Replace Bigsby
Hey folks, I'm new to the forum... Last week I maxed-out the ol' credit card and got myself a 1964 Starfire V from a seller online through gbase. It's all original except for a replaced pickup toggle switch, a new bridge, and a missing master volume knob. It's my first Guild, and having always played cheap Silvertones & Harmony guitars, it's amazing to finally have a guitar with this kind of build quality and craftsmanship! I also got Hans's Guild Guitar Book to learn everything I can about my new purchase... I just have a few questions (I apologize if they've been asked before):
1. I don't really have much use for the Bigsby, so I want to replace it with a harp tailpiece. Are all the Guild harp tailpieces the same size, shape & configuration? Including across all the different Guild models, and throughout the years? In other words, if I find one, can I automatically assume that it will work on my guitar? I'll be having a professional luthier do it for me. Does anyone know where I can get one?
2. The guitar came with a recent Gibson ABR-1 bridge on it. I don't think the slotting is exactly the same as the original bridge, because the strings don't line up with the pole pieces on the pickups. But then upon closer look, I don't think the pole pieces for the bridge & neck pickup line up with each other exactly anyway. (See pics). Was this common on these early Starfire V models, and does it even matter? Would there be any noticeable difference in sound if the strings lined up? Does my high E string look like it's a little close to the edge of the neck? It seems a hair close to me.
3. I want to replace the top of the bridge anyway (gonna keep the wood bottom), because the saddle on the G string has two slots in it, and the string jumps into the other slot when I bend hard. Soooooo... What kind of bridge should I get to replace the Gibson ABR-1 that would be a good fit & have the correct string spacing on it? I could go new or vintage, whatever is easy to find (and relatively cheap).
4. Finally, anyone know where I can get a replacement master volume knob?
Thanks!
-keith
Hey folks, I'm new to the forum... Last week I maxed-out the ol' credit card and got myself a 1964 Starfire V from a seller online through gbase. It's all original except for a replaced pickup toggle switch, a new bridge, and a missing master volume knob. It's my first Guild, and having always played cheap Silvertones & Harmony guitars, it's amazing to finally have a guitar with this kind of build quality and craftsmanship! I also got Hans's Guild Guitar Book to learn everything I can about my new purchase... I just have a few questions (I apologize if they've been asked before):
1. I don't really have much use for the Bigsby, so I want to replace it with a harp tailpiece. Are all the Guild harp tailpieces the same size, shape & configuration? Including across all the different Guild models, and throughout the years? In other words, if I find one, can I automatically assume that it will work on my guitar? I'll be having a professional luthier do it for me. Does anyone know where I can get one?
2. The guitar came with a recent Gibson ABR-1 bridge on it. I don't think the slotting is exactly the same as the original bridge, because the strings don't line up with the pole pieces on the pickups. But then upon closer look, I don't think the pole pieces for the bridge & neck pickup line up with each other exactly anyway. (See pics). Was this common on these early Starfire V models, and does it even matter? Would there be any noticeable difference in sound if the strings lined up? Does my high E string look like it's a little close to the edge of the neck? It seems a hair close to me.
3. I want to replace the top of the bridge anyway (gonna keep the wood bottom), because the saddle on the G string has two slots in it, and the string jumps into the other slot when I bend hard. Soooooo... What kind of bridge should I get to replace the Gibson ABR-1 that would be a good fit & have the correct string spacing on it? I could go new or vintage, whatever is easy to find (and relatively cheap).
4. Finally, anyone know where I can get a replacement master volume knob?
Thanks!
-keith