Bummer

Just got an absolutely mint Starfire for from mid-late '90s and the bridge pickup volume appears to be wonky.

Maybe it's an easy fix; loose wire or bad switch. Hope so!

shihan said:

Maybe it's an easy fix; loose wire or bad switch. Hope so!

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There's no such thing as an easy fix when it comes to guitars like a Starfire.

It could be a bad solder joint on the volume pot, but I don't expect to see things like that on a Westerly Guild. Still, things happen so who knows. Whatever it is I can fix it so it's not the end of the world. It's just a bummer to have to.

Look on the bright side - don't you have all those extra pickups to play with? Good excuse to try a few!

walrus

You think it might be on the switch end instead of the pots? I have had a few switches go out over the years on Westerly models and one of them was causing the Bridge pickup volume to fluctuate making it sound like a bad pickup. It's a long shot but the switch is a lot easier to pull and check out rather than the pots. Probably a long shot but just a suggestion to check out. I don't envy you having to pull the pots on that semi hollow.

TX

walrus said:

Look on the bright side - don't you have all those extra pickups to play with? Good excuse to try a few!

walrus

Click to expand...

That's actually why I bought this guitar. I'm working on a huge pickup comparison article (or three) and decided to get a Starfire to do pickup swaps in. The plan is to convert the wiring to have quick-release connectors to facilitate swapping. I would *really* like for the guitar to be otherwise stock, so if I have to replace one of the pots then it won't be which is what I'm most bummed about.

I can do all the work, but working on a semi-hollow like this is a huge PITA. As the managers in corporate America like to say, it is what it is.

Spray a little contact cleaner in the pot and roll that knob a BUNCH of times to see if its just dust or a little corrosion inside the pot itself.