NGD: 1962 Guild "Black" Starfire II (or III) - wow!!

valcotone

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hi folks,

Here are some photos of the '62 Black Starfire that arrived today. I'm not sure if it's a II or III... the label appears to have III but it has the harp tailpiece.... I haven't taken that off to check for extra holes but there are some scuffs on the top that might indicate it had a Guildsby at some point. More investigation is needed.

It needs a few things (frets, new bridge with better string-spacing, tuners, pots cleaned, etc) but so far so good!

It came with ONE correct gold Guild volume knob, so I need to find another Vol and 2 Tone knobs... anyone have extras I can buy? :)

Enjoy the photos!

starfireiii_0003.jpg


starfireiii_0005.jpg


starfireiii_0008.jpg


starfireiii_0010.jpg


starfireiii_0012.jpg


starfireiii_0007.jpg


starfireiii_0022.jpg


starfireiii_0024.jpg
 

jcwu

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Very nice!!!

That black almost looks green. And if you think it originally had a Guildsby, then the bridge shouldn't be original, either. Is the string spacing too close together?
 

valcotone

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Very nice!!!

That black almost looks green. And if you think it originally had a Guildsby, then the bridge shouldn't be original, either. Is the string spacing too close together?



hi jcwu, Yes it does have a green tinge to the black doesn't it? Yes, string spacing is too close for me...
 

walrus

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Bee-you-ti-full! I love the way the finish has faded!

walrus
 

hansmoust

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I'm not sure if it's a II or III... the label appears to have III but it has the harp tailpiece.... I haven't taken that off to check for extra holes but there are some scuffs on the top that might indicate it had a Guildsby at some point. More investigation is needed.

Hello valcotone,

Nice score! That particular guitar is listed in the Guild ledgers as a BS-III ( for Black Star III) and even though it has a '62 serial number, it was completed in 'final assembly' on Wednesday January 9, 1963, so it had its 50th birthday a little over a year ago

That means that apart from the knobs, you need to go searching for a Guild Bigsby and Bigsby bridge to get the guitar back to original specs.

The Grover SlimLine tuners are not original either, but it should not be all that hard to find a proper set. Actually, if the SlimLines work well, you might as well leave them on.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

Jeff Haddad

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That is a great-looking guitar, congrats!

I used to have a '70 SF III that was green and usually looked black in photos.
 

valcotone

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Hello valcotone,

Nice score! That particular guitar is listed in the Guild ledgers as a BS-III ( for Black Star III) and even though it has a '62 serial number, it was completed in 'final assembly' on Wednesday January 9, 1963, so it had its 50th birthday a little over a year ago

That means that apart from the knobs, you need to go searching for a Guild Bigsby and Bigsby bridge to get the guitar back to original specs.

The Grover SlimLine tuners are not original either, but it should not be all that hard to find a proper set. Actually, if the SlimLines work well, you might as well leave them on.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl



hi Hans,

Thanks so much for the details above, I appreciate you posting that info... good to know it's a '63 "Black Star III".

Is there a pattern or time frame when Guild called them a Black Star vs. Black Starfire or Blackfire, or something else?

The tuners don't hold well, so I'll replace those... I'll keep the harp tail for now (I'm not a big fan of Bigsbys overall for my playing style).


Walter - KILLER DILLER playing on those clips, great sounds too. What an honour to play with Wanda J. too!

cheers,
Sean
 

ladytexan

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valcotone,

So glad you brought this one into the LTG family! What a wonderful guitar (and for such a great price, huh?)! Enjoy it in good health!
 

mbrindell

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Congrats on a great find. I too have a '62 Blackstar III that came to me almost original. I had to find the opriginal tuners and the guildsby and bridge but as you can see in this photo, it is all original now. I love the dynasonics too. Out of all four of my Starfires, the black just seems to play and sound the best. A real jewel. Congrats to you.


I also have an original bigsby bridge that will go just fine on your starfire. If you would like it, PM me and it's yours.
 
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