Calling on the collective wisdom of the group here. Though I'm not a particular fan of blonde Starfires, there's one in the vintage collection at the Las Vegas Guitar Center that caught my eye.
I called the store for an in-hand description, thinking for sure that this one is in fact a Starfire IV, but the label says otherwise. Serial of 63xxx correctly dates it to 1972 as well. It's probably not as nice as it looks in the picture, as the salesman told me that the binding on the back of the heel is disintegrating, and of course it's missing the pickguard as well. the price is pretty attractive anyway, and is "somewhat negotiable" according the the guy I talked to. Also, the fretboard is rosewood, though it almost looks like ebony in the picture.
My question is that I don't think I've ever seen a SFV without a Guildsby, and also think that the bridge might not be original either, or at least I don't recall ever seeing one like that. Thoughts?
I called the store for an in-hand description, thinking for sure that this one is in fact a Starfire IV, but the label says otherwise. Serial of 63xxx correctly dates it to 1972 as well. It's probably not as nice as it looks in the picture, as the salesman told me that the binding on the back of the heel is disintegrating, and of course it's missing the pickguard as well. the price is pretty attractive anyway, and is "somewhat negotiable" according the the guy I talked to. Also, the fretboard is rosewood, though it almost looks like ebony in the picture.
My question is that I don't think I've ever seen a SFV without a Guildsby, and also think that the bridge might not be original either, or at least I don't recall ever seeing one like that. Thoughts?