NGW(eek) - Late '90s Starfires

[Tuberous]

I really didn't plan it this way, but this week I bought two (2) late-'90s Starfires. I'd been watching YT videos of Ted Greene, Adam Levy, and Sandra Sherman, wishing I had a light-weight single-cutaway hollowbody guitar, so I went looking on Reverb. The Gib's were just too expensive for anything nice, and when I searched for "thin hollowbody", up came the Starfires. I found this site, learned a LOT (Thanks GAD and ALL!), and committed to a black SF2 from Westerly. Then I saw the red one with a Guildsby. Click. Sigh. They're both in excellent condition; almost afraid to handle and play them. Does this constitute a collection? Serial numbers are in the AG301 series, just over 200 apart. One interesting curiosity is that the red guitar's label clearly says SF2. The Guildsby and bridge look original to me. Is this something others have seen? Thanks and so glad I found this forum.

 

[GAD]

Outstanding! That’s definitely the start of a collection.

 

[GGJaguar]

A beautiful pair, congrats!

 

[beatcomber]

I bet they sound kind of different too, due to their respective bridges.

I'd be interested in trying a '90s SFIII, if only to compare it to my '64.

 

[Boneman]

HNGD x2! That is a lovely pair, and welcome to LTG!

 

[sailingshoes72]

I don't know about a collection, but that is certainly a beautiful pair of Starfires. And they both look to be in excellent shape. It's possible that the red guitar had the label glued in before final setup (bridge/saddle/tailpiece/strings). One way to find out is to take off the Bigsby and see if their are holes drilled for a standard harp tailpiece. Enjoy playing those beautiful axes!

 

[Default]

Both tailpieces have the exact same hole pattern, btw.

 

[Harp Tail]

Congratulations for your impressive entry into Guild-dom... I myself bought a SFIII recently (not my first Guild though) and like it over my ES 135 because of the slimmer body.

There are an amazing amount of knowledgeable enthusiasts on these pages, but I'm afraid we also involuntarily contribute to raising the quotations of our beloved Guilds.

 

[jp]

That era of Westerly Starfires have excellent build quality. Congratulations on acquiring two of them. :C)

The Guildsby and Bigsby bridge were probably added afterward. As Default states above, the mounting holes line up exactly for both the Bigsby and harp tailpieces.

 

[GGJaguar]

Everyone needs a pair.

 

[Jeff Haddad]

Welcome and congrats! Maybe not a "collection" yet, but give it time!

 

[Harp Tail]

Very attractive Westerly twin set, GGJag - ideal for any occasion.

 

[Shakeylee]

what's better than a starfire? two starfires!

 

[matsickma]

Hey GG, did your red SF 3 start out as a SF2? The rosewood bridge base suggests it did.
M

 

[bobouz]

Congrats on a pair of beautiful guitars! You absolutely have the start of a collection, and just need to add a few more instruments to complete it. You'll know the collection is complete when you no longer have any place to put a guitar without tripping over it!

As for tailpiece swaps, my '97 Starfire is labeled as an SF-III, but had it's tailpiece swapped-out in the opposite direction, effectively turning it into an SF-II. As you can see from the photo, the original aluminum SF-III bridge was retained.

 

[DeArmond Hammer]

Beautiful Starfires! I have a weakness for those guitars, too. And I say, if you have more instruments than you can play simultaneously, you have a collection.

 

[Tuberous]

Congrats on a pair of beautiful guitars! You absolutely have the start of a collection, and just need to add a few more instruments to complete it. You'll know the collection is complete when you no longer have any place to put a guitar without tripping over it!

As for tailpiece swaps, my '97 Starfire is labeled as an SF-III, but had it's tailpiece swapped-out in the opposite direction, effectively turning it into an SF-II. As you can see from the photo, the original aluminum SF-III bridge was retained.

Thanks. And yours is truly gorgeous. 'Reminds me of my 60s CA-100, which I foolishly sold in the 80s.