'66 Starfire IV

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I've got a question about a '66 Starfire IV I just bought. It doesn't appear to have been messed with but it's doing a weird thing I haven't experienced before with any other humbucker guitar.(this is my first Guild) With either pickup on I get a crazy buzzing sound if I touch the cover or mounting adjustment screws with my picking had. The cover is not grounded. Is this normal and if not anyone have any ideas? thanks in advance!
 

sailingshoes72

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Welcome to LTG! I am not an electrical guy, but it is possible that the grounding wire to the tailblock/Harp-tailpiece has come loose. A '66 Starfire IV... sweet! Like all guitar Forums, we like photos around here. Others, with more knowledge about electronics and pickups, should be along shortly. Be patient.

Bill
 

walrus

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Yes, more info from experts to come, I'm sure - and pictures would be welcome! Sounds like a cool guitar!

Welcome to LTG!

walrus
 
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Thanks for the comments. I'll get a couple pics up later today. The tailpiece, pots, jack, strings, etc. are all grounded, the pickups aren't. It doesn't buzz unless I touch a pickup with my hand. I rest my picking hand by and around the bridge and it hits the pickup cover frequently causing the buzz. Other than that it sounds normal and great. I didn't know if this was normal or not and was hoping that maybe someone with one of these old ones with the original small humbuckers might be around. I've not experienced anything like this before, I'd imagine the pickups would have to be grounded someway to work. thanks again for commenting.
 

Quantum Strummer

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Hmmm, I've come across this with single-lead pickups where the lead covering/ground mesh has either come loose from the pot it was (poorly) soldered to or never was soldered to begin with. Pretty sure I've seen some '60s Guild anti-hums with single leads of this type (though never any that, to my knowledge, were improperly wired).

-Dave-
 
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Here's some pics. I'm going to open it up this weekend. One of the mounting screws for the pickups is wrong so I'm guessing someone has messed with it. It's out of phase in the middle position as well.

IMG_0124.jpg


IMG_0129.jpg


IMG_0127.jpg
 

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Fwiw, my Sfill's pup covers were never soldered to the base. From 1968 to a couple of years ago, they were held on by friction!
 
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Hopefully I'll get it figured out this weekend. It's a 50 yr old guitar, who knows it's trials and tribulations:tickled_pink:
 
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Well, I finally got a chance to work on my SF today concerning the buzzing when you touch the pickup covers. Somebody had swapped the hot lead and the shield on the two lug stand off mounted to the back of the bridge pickup. I guess to get the out phase, Peter Green deal which it did have. Swapped the wires back to normal and all is well.
 
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Well, after owning and playing this guitar for a while I'm really happy with it. Coming up in the '60's these guitars and Gibson ES's were considered by most musicians as "old man" guitars. So, I've spent a lot of years on a self imposed hiatus from owning them. After picking up a couple killer old Gibson ES guitars some years ago this style has become my favorite. Sound wise this guitar sounds every bit as good as the Gibsons. Which surprised me because of it's tailpiece. I've always preferred a stop. When I bought this I fully intended on converting it to a stop but after playing it I decided that would be silly. Playing wise it's really good until I get up around the 17 fret and higher. The notes there sort of choke out a bit and it's hard to get them to sustain. My Gibsons are fine there. I'm guessing that may be the floating bridge kicking in but I can live with it. With some gain the guitar has such a rich, full tone I was amazed when first cranking it up. Anyway, old dog, new tick, killer guitar!!
 

bluesypicky

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Well, after owning and playing this guitar for a while I'm really happy with it. Coming up in the '60's these guitars and Gibson ES's were considered by most musicians as "old man" guitars. So, I've spent a lot of years on a self imposed hiatus from owning them. After picking up a couple killer old Gibson ES guitars some years ago this style has become my favorite. Sound wise this guitar sounds every bit as good as the Gibsons. Which surprised me because of it's tailpiece. I've always preferred a stop. When I bought this I fully intended on converting it to a stop but after playing it I decided that would be silly. Playing wise it's really good until I get up around the 17 fret and higher. The notes there sort of choke out a bit and it's hard to get them to sustain. My Gibsons are fine there. I'm guessing that may be the floating bridge kicking in but I can live with it. With some gain the guitar has such a rich, full tone I was amazed when first cranking it up. Anyway, old dog, new tick, killer guitar!!

The Guild/Gibson comparison is inevitable, given the obvious similarities (in appearance at least) between some of the most popular electric models (S100 Vs SG, Bluesbird Vs Les Paul, X-175 Vs ES-275, & SF-IV Vs ES-335)
As far as I'm concerned, and as player of each of these, I will say that with the exception of the Bluesbird/Les Paul duel, Guild has been winning end of the contest.

I have found that playability of vintage Guild at the highest part of the neck, as you get closer to the body and beyond, is often a bit less comfy than it is on Gibson's, but the tone has allowed me to overlook this minor detail in most cases, and I believe. as you mention that it is a tailpiece issue, that has actually been addressed/remedied on the S-100, when the gap between tailpiece and bridge was adjusted.
Unfortunately I do not own one of these "adjusted" guitars, but be that as it may, the magic of the HB1's, combined with the neck ergonomics, has always made the S-100 a big time winner over the SG in my house.

The x-175 Vs ES-275 is probably where it gets as close to a tie to me, but again, the HB1's work their magic on that jazz box , and the fact that one can own a (vintage) Guild X-175 for a fraction of the cost of a Gibby, makes it a no brainer.

As far as my exception (B-Bird/Les Paul) note that I am comparing models from the modern era, as I have not owned a vintage Bluesbird, or a vintage Les Paul (in this price range I prefer buying a house, sorry) to compare both.
But on the ones I've owned, neck profile and pick up's punch have decisively tipped the balance in favor of the Les Paul. (I will now retire to my quarters where I shall endure my penance)

Glad to hear you enjoy the 66!
 
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Quantum Strummer

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As far as my exception (B-Bird/Les Paul) note that I am comparing models from the modern era, as I have not owned a vintage Bluesbird, or a vintage Les Paul (in this price range I prefer buying a house, sorry) to compare both.
But on the ones I've owned, neck profile and pick up's punch have decisively tipped the balance in favor of the Les Paul. (I will now retire to my quarters where I shall endure my penance)

I've been exploring LP-type guitars a bit since getting a lovely Heritage (documented elsewhere on LTG) last summer. This year I've got hold of a fab trio of Japanese LP copies (more or less) that I'd put up against any originals I've played, new or old. Only one, a Greco JS-65*, strives to be genuinely authentic construction-wise but they've all got the goods sonically. The pickups in all three are killer. The Maxon U-1000/"Super 70"s in particular are closer to an authentic PAF sound than any repro I've heard. Interestingly they're not quite vintage-accurate as they use AlNiCo VIII magnets. But the sonics, particularly the airy treble response, are right there. They make you want to play clean so you can hear all the detail & nuance they can deliver. The other two guitars are a Greco EG-420 (bolt neck, pancaked & chambered body, U-1000s) and an Ibanez Artist 105 (set neck, double cut, lovely burl mahogany top, AlNiCo III Dry Z/"Super 58" pickups, lower wind than the U-1000s and also not as "single-coil" tonally). Some of the guitars I see on Reverb and elsewhere have had their pickups replaced with darker Duncans or DiMarzios that come closer to what many folks seem to associate with "the PAF sound." Hmmph!

Re. Starfires: for many years I've resisted getting a IV or V 'cuz I have a lovely 335 that's both a treasured gift from a friend who's now gone and a terrific guitar in its own right. (It's a converted stop tail, BTW.) But given my increasing embrace of YOLO as I get older, I really should get a IV. I've had my hands on a bunch of 'em…they're consistently fine instruments.

-Dave-

(*The JS stands for John Sykes, as good an example as anyone of everything I disliked about '80s rock & roll. The guitar is an unauthorized artist model in that the artist had no say in its design and made no money off it. Perfect! :) The pickups are Fuji-Gen Gakki made "Dry 1982"s, same AlNiCo III design & same sound (to my ears anyway) as the Maxon Dry Zs.)
 
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