Starfire IV

greenman

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Hi folks, I have a Westerly made Starfire IV in natural. Great guitar that I bought used, but I have a couple questions. The pickguard sits above the pickup rings instead of going around them. Is this correct? It is a stairstep pickguard with gold Guild script. I'm also wondering if this particular guitar has the SD-1 Duncan pickups or standard Guild pickups. The serial number is AG001159. Thanks for any help anyone can give.
 

hansmoust

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greenman said:
The pickguard sits above the pickup rings instead of going around them. Is this correct? It is a stairstep pickguard with gold Guild script. I'm also wondering if this particular guitar has the SD-1 Duncan pickups or standard Guild pickups. The serial number is AG001159.

Hello greenman,

The pickguard on your Starfire IV, which by the way is from 1999, should have a little cutout around the cover of the pickups but it should rest on the mounting ring. There is also a little cutout so you can get to the height adjustment screw on the treble site of the pickup..
The pickups on your guitar should be the regular Guild humbuckers. Of course I cannot see if they have been replaced, but if you loosen the 4 screws of the mounting ring, you can take a look at the bottom of the pickup and if they say Guild, then you know what they are.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
 

greenman

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Thanks Hans, the pickguard has the cutouts as you described, which makes me happy. The pickups are the originals, I believe. A nice guitar. I'm considering adding X170, and I wonder how different the hollow, thicker body will sound from the Starfire. I think both guitars have the same pickups. Anybody have both?
 

Squawk

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greenman said:
Thanks Hans, the pickguard has the cutouts as you described, which makes me happy. The pickups are the originals, I believe. A nice guitar. I'm considering adding X170, and I wonder how different the hollow, thicker body will sound from the Starfire. I think both guitars have the same pickups. Anybody have both?

I have a '95 X170 and a '99 Starfire 3 - different from the Starfire 4 as there is no center block and it has a Bigsby. The sound is very different. I also keep them strung differently as the X170, with its carved rosewood bridge, has flats and the Starfire 3 has light rounds. the X170 does have a small wood block connecting the top under the bridge with the back - the Starfire 3 is thinner, but totally hollow.
 
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greenman, I too have a natural Starfire IV. Mine has been dated by Hans as a 2001, but still a Westerly. My pickguard rests exactly like yours. Believe me, you will be happy with the stock Guild pickups. If you have any trouble at all, it will be the selector switch. Mine is fine for a while, but then it needs to have the contacts cleaned up. I keep telling my tech-guy to pop-in a real Switchcraft switch...and he keeps telling me that it IS a Switchcraft switch and he won't change it.
I traded this Starfire IV straight from my 1994 X-170 Manhattan. Beautiful guitar, but not for me. In fact many guitarists picked up my Manhattan and always felt it was missing something. Oddly, I see them being well-used out there by happy owners. Spend as much time with one as you can before buying. Anyway...these are just opinions...

Steve
 

greenman

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hi steve, after playing the X170 this weekend, i've decided to keep my Starfire IV. it just feels more comfortable to hold and play. i guess i also like the stability of the stop tailpiece. but both guitars are very cool. the X170 i tried was a used Westerly model in tennessee orange with nice flame, but it had a few dings and scratches, which made the decision to keep the Starfire easier.
 
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Good move greenman. However, ultimately, we all want one of everything anyway. When I get into photos in a couple of weeks, I'll post some of my pieces.
 
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