New SF-XII Is Here

dreadnut

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I was Jonesing after a Ric 12 string until I played one my friend owns - the fingerboard was so narrow I couldn't play it. Of course, my fingers are about the size of Twinkies.
 

SFIV1967

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Are they strung like a standard 12 string or in Rickenbacker format?
Standard:

Starfire-IV-12-ST-Cherry_Detail1.jpg


And I guess we all agree that it was the wrong decission to give her to John instead of George...(from today's point of view)

Ralf
 
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DrumBob

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Standard:

Starfire-IV-12-ST-Cherry_Detail1.jpg


And I guess we all agree that it was the wrong decission to give her to John instead of George...

Ralf

That's what Mark told me as well. A quick story: I was working at Guild one day around 1981 or so when I got a call from Tony Cox, Yoko Ono's first husband. John Lennon gave the Guild to him at one point and he wanted to sell it, so I wrote him a letter confirming it's provenance after checking the serial number. Years later, my insurance man was in the Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu and saw the guitar framed on the wall, along with my letter. He freaked out, because he saw my name on the bottom.
 

adorshki

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And I guess we all agree that it was the wrong decission to give her to John instead of George...
Ralf
I can understand it though, even if Mark realized later it might have been a mistake.
It's easy to forget that John was originally the "leader" of the band and was the media favorite for his quick wit.
It would likely have gotten a lot more publicity if John had actually used it visibly.
I bet George would have.
But who knew in '66 he'd eventually be seen as being as important as John and Paul?
He didn't really get the same respect as them from "everyday people", until "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun".
 

SFIV1967

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I can understand it though, even if Mark realized later it might have been a mistake.
It's easy to forget that John was originally the "leader" of the band and was the media favorite for his quick wit.
Oh yes, you are right, I was seeing it from today's point of view only. So back than it made sense to present the guitar to John. With George having played the Starfire the Guild brand "might" have had more success afterwards. Unfortunatelly John never played the guitar in public, she was seen only on the picture laying on the floor, so at least he seemed to use her at home or in a studio. The picture was apparently taken around October 1968 in London in Ringo Star's flat at 34 Montagu Sqaure, which he sublet to John and Yoko.

80c0e8ad2bb5d7f16b35adcf3d5b18ae.png

Source: Ethan Russel for Rolling Stone

Ralf
 
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adorshki

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Oh yes, you are right, I was seeing it from today's point of view only. So back than it made sense to present the guitar to John. With George having played the Starfire the Guild brand "might" have had more success afterwards.
Ralf

Here's what may be the supreme irony:
A convincing argument could be made that George actually WAS directly responsible for the whole "12-string jingle-jangle sound" that was finally turned into a virtual pop cliché and made popular by the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man", because McGuinn tells the story of seeing George playing a Rickenbacker 12 in A Hard Day's Night and trying to figure out what George was playing:
Initially he was thrown off by the alternating mounting angles of each string course making only 6 tuning keys visible.

He tells the story here :
"You are most closely associated with the Rickenbacker 12-string. Would you tell us how you came to use that guitar in the early days of The Byrds? Also, what that guitar has meant to you as your sonic “signature” over the years?
'We went as a group to see A Hard Day’s Night multiple times and were totally taken with The Beatles. I liked George Harrison’s Rickenbacker 12, but I couldn’t find one that looked like his with the pointy cutaways, so I bought the blonde 360 model. I thought it was beautiful, like a golden palomino and the checkerboard binding reminded me of Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. I loved that guitar and played it eight hours a day.' "
So-o-o-o......was Mark maybe worried that George would continue to use the Rick even after being presented with the 12?
From a few things I've read I don't think he was unaware of what was being used for "Mr. Tambourine Man", "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help".
After all he was supposed to be the guy who dragged Al into the pop market.
 

Los Angeles

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I was totally into Guilds at the time, and I probably would remember it better if I were drinking pepsi or coke ... instead of whatever they put in those pineapples with umbrellas sticking out of them. :very_drunk:
 

adorshki

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I was totally into Guilds at the time, and I probably would remember it better if I were drinking pepsi or coke ... instead of whatever they put in those pineapples with umbrellas sticking out of them. :very_drunk:

Probably purple seashell extract as recounted to Pat Hartley by a beachcomber right after she arrives at Waikiki, in Rainbow Bridge.
He tells her that he's collecting the little purple shells that are only found underneath the hotel drains onto the beach because if you boil up a cupful and drink the tea they get you stoned out of your gourd..
I'm guessing Jimi had some:
16122565133_71813a972d.jpg
 

Mr. Lumbergh

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Actually the Guild webpage calls it on the overview page different as "Starfire IV-12 ST" however the actualy site calls it IV ST-12 ! So it looks like they are confused as well!

c4G7jOf.jpg


https://guildguitars.com/guitars/electric-guitars/newark-st-collection/

https://guildguitars.com/g/starfire-iv-st-12-in-cherry/

Now that makes both no sense to me... The normal "Starfire IV" and the "Starfire IV ST" make sense, but why didn't they name it "Starfire XII ST" which would have matched the historical naming much better?

Ralf
Those are tasty looking...
My only semis currently are a pair of Gretsches and I think one of these would slot into my collection nicely.
 

DrumBob

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Here's a REALLY crazy thing, I think I sat under that guitar one time while I was eating a cheeseburger.

There's my letter with the guitar. Too bad you can't see it close-up. I'd like to know how much Tony Cox got for it.
 

chazmo

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I was totally into Guilds at the time, and I probably would remember it better if I were drinking pepsi or coke ... instead of whatever they put in those pineapples with umbrellas sticking out of them. :very_drunk:

And so, it's a better memory than had it been a coke/pepsi. :)
 

dbirchett

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Drumbob, I never saw your review in the magazine. I did see it online but now I can not find it. Do you have a link?
 
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