Guilds at Woodstock

fronobulax

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This thread got me thinking...

What Guilds were at Woodstock?

Obviously Richie Havens' D40 and Jack Casady's Starfire II, but there have to be others.

I have no idea how the Newark Street Starfire basses are selling, but now that there is an SF II, an ad campaign alluding to Woodstock could be interesting and might move new product :)
 

adorshki

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This thread got me thinking...

What Guilds were at Woodstock?

Obviously Richie Havens' D40 and Jack Casady's Starfire II, but there have to be others.

I have no idea how the Newark Street Starfire basses are selling, but now that there is an SF II, an ad campaign alluding to Woodstock could be interesting and might move new product :)

The Grateful Dead were there, so maybe Phil's bass? Maybe Bob Weir's guitar? (remember they both had custom jobs from Guild right around that time)
I think Jerry had moved on from his Starfire was actually dabbling with an SG there.
As a matter of fact, here we go:
prev32.jpg

Can't find a comparable pic of Phil

Also Creedence was there, even though John Fogerty apparently figured "they didn't need to be in the movie" and never let 'em use the footage.
Tom Fogerty:

LPLL50i.jpg

(I don't know where that's actually from,but it's "period correct" and a nice SFVI)
 
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Sal

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It's kind of rough footage but this video of Creedence Clearwater Revival at Woodstock contains a few short clips of Tom Fogerty with his Guild Starfire.



Here are a few screen grabs:

p8Bck1r.jpg


DfbeYw4.jpg


OBAYTWP.jpg
 

matsickma

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Guild did have an advertisement out a while back that touted that Guild guitars are so good they "open festivals". May have had a picture if Richie Haven playing his Guild.
M
 

matsickma

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The guitar player from Big Brother and Holding Company played a S50 Jetstar. Don't know if they were with Janis Joplin's at Woodstock.
M
 

adorshki

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Cool, Sal! Thanks!

walrus

Yep.
Kinda surprising they seemed to like their harp tailpieces, one'd sort of expect a love for Guildsby's at the time.
Also just realized the pic I posted of Bob Weir at Woodstock probably isn't an SF-based custom at all but probably from one of the "ST-30x's" based on the Florentine cutaways.***
Still his and Tom Fogerty's guitars all show G-shields, which I can't find in combination with harp tailpieces in a quick image search.
Since Bobby's was ordered as a custom and he also ordered an F50 with an oversized headstock around the same time, that's easily enough explained.
Fogerty's are a bit more of an eyebrow raiser but given Guild's flexibility about special orders at that time, I'm guessing that's what's going on with his.
Funny what suddenly jumps out at you when you've been hanging around here long enough.

***Having said that, I think now Hans might confirm it in his book, but don't have it handy here where I post from.
 

adorshki

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The guitar player from Big Brother and Holding Company played a S50 Jetstar. Don't know if they were with Janis Joplin's at Woodstock.
M

"One of 'em", (Sam Andrew, who stayed with her in the "Kozmic Blues Band" that was at Woodstock) and no, and he'd already dropped the Jetstar for an SG at Monterey Pop.

But it gets screen time in some old TV footage of a studio concert they performed in SF in '67:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCAIAucN4E

Hmmmm... for some reason that's dated as '68 but it's actually April '67, just before Monterey, as correctly noted here:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-...7/kqed-studios-san-francisco-ca-1bc78d54.html
 
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SFIV1967

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Also just realized the pic I posted of Bob Weir at Woodstock probably isn't an SF-based custom at all but probably from one of the "ST-30x's" based on the Florentine cutaways.***
Early Alembic modified ST-402 I'd say...
Ralf
 

adorshki

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Bumping a necro-thread due to new sightings.
So far:
1,2: Richie Havens D40 and his backing guitarist with an F47.
richie-havens-02.jpg

3 Jack Casady
5bbb584b7cfb572c8b64a8d932a15e48.jpg

4 Tom Fogerty Credence Clearwater SF-VI
5 Bert Sommer F50 (From here):
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?199846-Woodstock-All-Of-It&p=1850552#post1850552
That was a good listen.
I was intrigued to learn about Burt Sommer, what a voice. Some internet search found this YouTube video, which seems to show him playing a maple Guild?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aGhIWnFc7w
29bb948fb2429edfc70bb792d3f25322.jpg

It do like a 3-pc neck and flat heel.
Ah, here it is:
Bert%20Sommer.jpg

F50.
6,7(?) Bob Weir & Phil Lesh(?) Grateful Dead
While I found this nice shot of 2 Guild headstocks together, it's cited as Columbia University 1968 and I wasn't able to find a Woodstock shot that I could confirm was the SF bass
3459d789b10edda5674540c1c3ab954f.jpg

Assuming it's accurately cited as Woodstock this is the clearest one I could find:
f3d03e49b95fc62ab41dd87e04d89263.jpg

I'm not well-versed enough to be able to tell if that's the Big Brown.
 
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mavuser

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Al, ^^^that is a photo of Phil’s modded Gibson EB bass, which still would have been quite new at Woodstock, but was definitely in the mix...also Big Brown may have still been Big Red at that point, but not for much longer, if so!
 

Jennifer's Starfire V

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The Grateful Dead were there, so maybe Phil's bass? Maybe Bob Weir's guitar? (remember they both had custom jobs from Guild right around that time)
I think Jerry had moved on from his Starfire was actually dabbling with an SG there.
As a matter of fact, here we go:
prev32.jpg

Can't find a comparable pic of Phil

Also Creedence was there, even though John Fogerty apparently figured "they didn't need to be in the movie" and never let 'em use the footage.
Tom Fogerty:

LPLL50i.jpg

(I don't know where that's actually from,but it's "period correct" and a nice SFVI)
Re: Studio photo of Tom Fogarty with clear maple finish Starfire. ( Insert EDIT: Hans has spoken.. he says this is really a white Starfire VI. It sure could be, because of the overall color tint in the photo, it looks like natural unstained maple color. I stand corrected, the rest of my original comment is intact following, but is not correct. I went off the tint of the color photo, and lack of clear details that would clarify it as a VI, textured harp and 3 piece neck inserts END EDIT) .... his is actually a Starfire V (5) Bigsby delete. The Starfire VI (6) had multi piece 2 tone neck inserts and the chrome harp on the VI etched with a pattern, not smooth polished. At least two of these were made in 1966, in clear finish, as I own the other one just like this one, and have had it since new. Mine has a Haggstum floating bridge, but cannot verify if Tom's seen here has a Haggstrum or a different one. (EDIT: the part here about the photo being from an album cover IS correct. If I can find the photo if the whole album jacket, I will post it here later END EDIT) This photo is a soft focus scan of a portion of a much larger montage of images that appeared on an album cover. Later, Tom had a red stained Starfire, seen for many years, and that red one was indeed a Starfire VI (6)
 
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Jennifer's Starfire V

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The Columbia university footage is very interesting. I found 3 youtubes of the set, each slightly different. I did some forensic screen shots to learn more about the Starfire guitar. I believe it is a VI. The VI had 3 piece mother of pearl inserts, the V one piece. We cab see the darker V shape in the inserts. The switch and master volume are not in stock position, the PU switch is now located on the upper bout, and the master on the lower where the switch normally was. The pick guard is removed. I cannot see if there is a patch or repair where the master was originally placed, about 2-1/2" inches from the switch, near the pick guard. The wood is nicely cross flamed, often seen on VI, whereas the V was more often low grain, more clear maple. This only applied to clear finish guitars. Obviously most were stained and some were mahogany. Truss rod cover missing too. 1641303413468.jpeg

1641303485805.jpeg
 

Jennifer's Starfire V

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The Columbia university footage is very interesting. I found 3 youtubes of the set, each slightly different. I did some forensic screen shots to learn more about the Starfire guitar. I believe it is a VI. The VI had 3 piece mother of pearl inserts, the V one piece. We cab see the darker V shape in the inserts. The switch and master volume are not in stock position, the PU switch is now located on the upper bout, and the master on the lower where the switch normally was. The pick guard is removed. I cannot see if there is a patch or repair where the master was originally placed, about 2-1/2" inches from the switch, near the pick guard. The wood is nicely cross flamed, often seen on VI, whereas the V was more often low grain, more clear maple. This only applied to clear finish guitars. Obviously most were stained and some were mahogany. Truss rod cover missing too. 1641303413468.jpeg

1641303485805.jpeg
1641303606597.jpeg
 

hansmoust

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Re: Studio photo of Tom Fogarty with clear maple finish Starfire. This is actually a Starfire V (5) Bigsby delete. The Starfire VI (6) had multi piece 2 tone neck inserts and the chrome harp on the VI etched with a pattern, not smooth polished. At least two of these were made in 1966, in clear finish, as I own the other one just like this one, and have had it since new. Mine has a Haggstum floating bridge, but cannot verify if Tom's seen here has a Haggstrum or a different one. This photo is a soft focus scan of a portion of a much larger montage of images that appeared on an album cover. Later, Tom had a red stained Starfire, seen for many years, and that red one was indeed a Starfire VI (6)
No, the light colored Starfire that Tom Fogerty is holding in that photo is a white finished Starfire VI Special, that was ordered without a Bigsby. Later on he also had a darker finished one ( walnut or dark cherry) with the same features.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 
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Jennifer's Starfire V

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I sure does not look white in the color album photo, but .. the tint of the whole photo IS severely biased to the yellow. I have never seen another color photo of this one, only grainy black and white. Non of the photos have been good enough to discern the details of the inlay on the neck, or if the harp is smooth chromed or is etched pattern as seen on the VI. I always assumed it was clear natural like my V, as it came from same time period. We exchanged emails some years ago about mine, including a photo of the serial number and the interior label. You asked me at the time if I would provide publication quality photos of it if you were ever to do a Volume 2, or a updated edition, which I answered yes of course. Back to Tom, the 'light one' seems to disappear after the dark one arrives. Of the dark one, no question whatsoever, its a VI. Has anyone direct specific knowledge of what happened to Tom's Guilds? Did he keep or trade the light one? Does his family/heirs have his guitars or have they entered the marketplace, hopefully with documented provenance??? 1641316903496.jpeg
 

Jennifer's Starfire V

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Hans, while you are here, ( and thanks for the clarification in Tom's light Starfire) what are your thoughts or knowledge on the Starfire VI of the Grateful Dead at Columbia, in May of 1968? Until yesterday, I had never known of it. I find the re-positioning of the pickup switch, and what I assume is the master volume, now out in the lower bout, fascinating. This VI is interesting. It should have its own new thread. Do you have any knowledge of its specifics? Does it appear in other photos or film/video either before or after?
 

Jennifer's Starfire V

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Excellent!!! Thanks for the color photo of Tom's light one, absolutely clears it up, and will go in my collection of Fogarty photos. Where are these 3 guitars today? Its been over half a century.
 
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