NGD-Care of 2nevets

[JohnW63]

I know have in my possession a late 90s SFIV, in Maple, care of 2nevets all the way out in NY. I believe it has the Seymour Duncan pickups that look just like the HD-1s.

It was a bit of a nail biter, as the tracking number didn't work the whole time. Steve couldn't get any info at the PO. The web site never showed the tracking number existed. Would it arrive ? When ? It actually showed up a day ahead of time, to all is well.

Pictures , when I get home.

 

[txbumper57]

Congrats! Sounds like you have an exciting evening ahead of you. Looking forward to pics and your impressions.

 

[JohnW63]

I might wish to find a better fitting case for it. The tail end sits low, which pivots the headstock up. When I close the lid, it makes me wonder if there is pressure on the neck from the headstock being pushed down, which would lift the body of the guitar up. The pivot point being the ridge for the neck, next to the storage compartment. It's a nice TKL hard case, but not a perfect match for this guitar. I wonder if the ones for the NS line would fit a bit better ?

 

[txbumper57]

They might fit better John. One way to find out would be to go to a Dealer that sells the Newark street line and ask if you could compare cases. Just and Idea, Also Guild lists all the measurements for the cases they sell through their website store. If you use the coupon code GUILDOOPS you can get 20% off and free shipping from Guild for a new case through 12-31-15.

 

[JohnW63]

Because, " It didn't happen without pictures ", here is a quick shot of the SFIV, in it new place of residence. I'll get some better shots, when I can get it in some good light.

I'm still trying to learn what it needs to coax tone out of it. It doesn't seem as "hot" as I thought it might be, but the pickups are 7.5K and 8k, fretboard and bridge respectively, which seems about right, from what you guys have typed. I haven't done an A/B comparison with the NS X175 I have with the Franz like pickups, yet. The action is nice and low and sounds well intonated. My guitar teacher has me working on the jazz standard "Blue Bossa" , so I am messing with more of the jazz sounds right now. I would like to get the guitar to be in the tone range of Larry Carlton's "Blues Force" that he did with Four Play, when I get the hang of it.

This guy gets a bit speedy with his solos, which I don't think adds to the tune. "Slower with feeling", would be my choice.
Blue Bossa

The goal for me, with Blues Force is to be able to play up to the point were he gets down and dirty and fast.
Blues Force

 

[Guildadelphia]

Congrats. That's a sweet looking guitar for sure. If the pickups are in fact SD-1's they are still excellent and miles better than the Fender 'buckers. The output is very similar to the Duncan Seth Lovers that are in my Edwards Les Paul clone. I prefer lower output humbuckers.....they sound better clean IMO (especially the neck) and retain much more clarity and don't mush out when overdriven and distorted. Just spend some time dialing in the pu heights and your rig settings and they will get you where you want to go tonewise.

 

[Asteri2]

That is a good looking guitar! I always wanted one!eaceful:

 

[GAD]

Beautiful! I love the fretboards on the late-90s Starfires. Just lovely. That's a lot of guitar right there.

Did you remove the pickups to measure them? It doesn't really matter. Too much measuring leads to too little practicing.

 

[JohnW63]

Nope. Just did the ohm meter on the cable with the volume knob turned up and flipped the toggle switch trick.

There is a lot I need to learn about electrics, amps, stomp boxes, etc to get the sounds I want. Right now, it's been me , the SF, and a Vintage 16 Carvin amp, or that big Randall amp. Finding the tone with my fingers will take awhile.

 

[walrus]

A beauty! Enjoy!

walrus

 

[dapmdave]

You have a terrific guitar, there. As you can see from my avatar picture, I have one that's almost a twin. It's a 2001 and I replaced the Fender-Buckers with Gibsons. But the overall build quality of these Fender-era Westerly guitars is really good.

As already mentioned, just dial it in with your entire rig and you'll get your reward!