corona built starfire lv serial number date

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i just purchased a guild starfire lv corona built serial number cw000052 and i think its a 2001 but how do i verify that?
 

adorshki

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Hi Soneal, welcome aboard!
The for sure expert on those questions is our member Hans Moust.
If he doesn't see this within a day or 2 then he can be reached at his website:
http://www.guitarchives.nl/guitarsgalore/
He prefers that method because his mailbox here fills up too often.

That s/n is so low that I believe 2001 will turn out to be correct, I believe what you have is the 52nd SF built in Corona.
Westerly was closed at the end of '01 but electric models were being built in Corona in '01 prior to the closure, I just don't know when SF production started there.
I'm not as well-versed in the electrics myself but I seem to recall there are a couple of small spec changes in size and different pickups appeared in 'em which some folks like and some don't.
 
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Hans dated my Starfire lv as a 2003,thanks for your help on this Hans and adorshki
 

adorshki

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Hans dated my Starfire lv as a 2003, thanks for your help on this Hans and adorshki
I'll be darned, I didn't realize they were being built so late there. (Corona closed in mid-to-late '04, as Fender had purchased Tacoma Guitar Company and was preparing to move Guild production there and halt Guild electric production completely)
Great feedback, not sure if other SF fans here are aware of that.
 

GAD

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Hey there!

It really depends on condition and if there's anything special about it. Can you post pics?

This era Starfire IVs go anywhere from about $800-1400. I know that's a big range, but like I said: condition counts. They're by no means rare but they're GREAT guitars. For me the sweet spot is ~1200 in mint condition unless there's something about it that's unusual.
 
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I bought a 2003/4 SF III for $700 and always felt it was an amazing deal the construction and finishing are perfect. Only issue is the bland pickups in my opinion. I read they were shipping unfinished hollowbody kits from Westerly to Corona to keep production going. Anyway, very happy at the time I couldn't see if the finish was solid or translucent, when it was delivered I was rewarded with a highly flamed, translucent red example.
 

adorshki

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I bought a 2003/4 SF III for $700 and always felt it was an amazing deal the construction and finishing are perfect. Only issue is the bland pickups in my opinion. I read they were shipping unfinished hollowbody kits from Westerly to Corona to keep production going.
Hi Car-Guild, welcome aboard!
That's the first time I've ever heard that hollow-body kits were shipped from Westerly to Corona, and "to keep production going" doesn't seem to follow.
It sounds like a myth based on the known fact that acoustic kits were sent to Corona to give the novice flattop builders something to practice with, but they were unrelated to the electric shop, they got their own brand new dedicated Guild (acoustic) assembly area.
As I mentioned earlier in thread, I believe there were some minor size differences between the Westerly and Corona builds, and Corona was building the Guild electrics BEFORE they started building acoustics, while Westerly was still technically "open", but Westerly was completely shut down by end of '01.
They actually stopped new production in ether August or September (I forget which), and spent the last quarter clearing out finished inventory (my F65ce was shipped out in December of '01, one of the last shipments to leave) and shipping parts and equipment to Corona.
I suppose it is possible that unfinished electric instruments were sent to Corona early on, but that just couldn't have happened after end of '01.
And all of that doesn't "prove" that perhaps Corona Starfires were built from Westerly bodies and it took a couple of years to use 'em up..?
I think the only person I'd trust to tell reveal the truth right now might want to save it for future publication, that's our member Hans Moust, author of "The Guild Guitar Book".

Anyway, very happy at the time I couldn't see if the finish was solid or translucent, when it was delivered I was rewarded with a highly flamed, translucent red example.
Well we do know that Guild had some pretty darn magnificent spruce and maple in their inventory even before Corona opened, and I always suspected at least some of the Corona-builts must have used leftover Westerly raw materials.
Bluesbirds in particular received the benefits of that high-grade maple, see this thread:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/sh...ds-Owners-amp-Long-Time-Borrowers-List/page13
Particularly posts 82-92.
Oh yeah folks around her are suckers for pics.
And let us know when you get your Bluesbird! (It's almost a forgone conclusion).
:glee:
 
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