Starfire Question

[Brad Little]

From somebody having trouble accessing LTG:
>I am new into Jazz and I am mostly using my 1967 Guild Starfire III. Unfortunately, my Guild does not have the original Guild small Humbucker pickups and the current pickups are not great for Jazz. Way too much twang. Does anybody know if a mini humbucker will fit into this Guild without modifications to the guitar? If so, any recommended jazz pickups for a small hollow body? Anybody have any of those older Guild humbuckers that you'd like to sell?
I am also trying to find a pickguard to fit on this guitar. I don't have one to use as a template. Any recommendations?<

Brad

 

[fronobulax]

You realize, of course, that the preferred solution would be to work with the person and resolve their trouble accessing LTG :wink:

No answers but I think they are here someplace.

 

[Brad Little]

You realize, of course, that the preferred solution would be to work with the person and resolve their trouble accessing LTG :wink:

Passed on the one suggestion from a different thread, maybe it will help him get on.
Brad

 

[Default]

The pickgard on mine was replaced with a replica in plexy. I can scan it in, but it'll take a couple of days to send you. Pickguardian can make a repro, although I don't think the logo will be on it. Can't help with the pup question, though. :?

 

[fearless]

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-PICKGUARD-1 ... _941wt_905

Not sure if is the exact one, but looks roughly right. Hans would know.

 

[Walter Broes]

Not sure if you'd even like the originals for Jazz, they're loud, bright, twangy pickups, at least for a humbucker. You might want to look into something different altogether.

 

[AlohaJoe]

Not sure if you'd even like the originals for Jazz, they're loud, bright, twangy pickups, at least for a humbucker. You might want to look into something different altogether.

Walter's right about the (relative) brightness of those pickups, but by using the neck pup only and rolling off the treble I can get a decent jazz tone from mine, and I know a few excellent pro jazz players that now prefer a little brighter sound to the traditionally darker jazz tone.

I've seen Ted Greene play beautiful fingerstyle jazz on a Telecaster and he played it so well nobody cared about his pickups.

 

[fearless]

Did you see this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... _500wt_922
It's a reproduction

 

[MojoTooth]

Not sure if you'd even like the originals for Jazz, they're loud, bright, twangy pickups, at least for a humbucker. You might want to look into something different altogether.

Walter's right about the (relative) brightness of those pickups, but by using the neck pup only and rolling off the treble I can get a decent jazz tone from mine, and I know a few excellent pro jazz players that now prefer a little brighter sound to the traditionally darker jazz tone.
.

i agree with this, i use the neck pup almost exclusively on my SFIV and with the tone rolled off it is really dark, warm and creamy. Love the tone of that neck pup, even with the tone rolled all the way up it is still so smooth.

 

[fearless]

And these. They are overpriced but you could contact with an offer.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 500wt_1156

 

[teleharmonium]

too much twang for jazz, to me sounds more like a string issue (roundwounds) than a pickup issue.

Lots of classic jazz was (and in many cases still is) played on guitars with single coil pickups that are quite capable of being twangy, when accompanied by roundwound strings and the right amp. But put some nice flatwounds (Thomastik - Infeld being my preference) and turn the treble down to '50s levels - not all the way off, just down somewhat - and you've got a classic jazz tone.

 

[MojoTooth]

And these. They are overpriced but you could contact with an offer.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 500wt_1156

there is a 69 SFIV here for sale locally with the mini's in it, I am gassing out of control for it...i alwyas loved the tone of mini buckers.

 

[Smiert Spionam]

I'm trying to figure out what kind of pickups would have been installed as replacements for '60s Guild mini-buckers that would be twangier than the originals. That doesn't really compute, for me -- they're pretty bright (though nasal in the upper mids, rather than open and bright like a single coil). This leads me to...

Is there a chance that the pickups he thinks are replacements are actually original DeArmonds?

If so, he should send me his guitar, and I'll find him a nice SF-III with humbuckers.

;- )

As an aside, and relevant to the original inquiry, a wooden bridge and saddle would go a long way toward a fat and, well, woodier tone without any substantive modifications.