Bert Weedon Starfire

[Mapleman54]

Here’s my ‘English’ ‘63 (maybe early ‘64) SF5 with the full Bert Weedon spec but no name on the guitar. The label says SF V. Hans explained the likely story to me. The guitar is hollow but has had a sound post added to reduce feedback. The chap I bought it from in England was selling it on behalf of the 90 year old original owner, a jazz guitarist in the midlands. He smoked, cigars I reckon! It’s in the original chipboard case. Refret by Martin Booth, a great UK maker, who has used original fret gauge. Otherwise original. Just a great sounding guitar. Incl is a pic with my ‘66 SF IV special (fully hollow)

 

[Mapleman54]

Actually now that I think about it, Hagstrom bridge is probably an early addition for intonation as would have had Bigsby?

 

[Mapleman54]

BTW it would feel respectful to the memory of an influential English guitarist to spell his name correctly on the thread... it’s Bert Weedon

 

[wileypickett]

I first heard of Bert Weedon in the late '60s, via the Bonzo Dog Band's "We Are Normal"



The Shadows had the hit of "Apache" in the UK.

In the U.S it was Jorgen Ingmann. The Ingmann version was one of the first singles I owned on 45. Found it on the railroad tracks near our house in suburban New Jersey.

 

[GGJaguar]

Beautiful guitars, thanks for sharing!!

 

[parker_knoll]

Here’s my ‘English’ ‘63 (maybe early ‘64) SF5 with the full Bert Weedon spec but no name on the guitar. The label says SF V. Hans explained the likely story to me. The guitar is hollow but has had a sound post added to reduce feedback. The chap I bought it from in England was selling it on behalf of the 90 year old original owner, a jazz guitarist in the midlands. He smoked, cigars I reckon! It’s in the original chipboard case. Refret by Martin Booth, a great UK maker, who has used original fret gauge. Otherwise original. Just a great sounding guitar. Incl is a pic with my ‘66 SF IV special (fully hollow)

I would love that "English" SFV. It would find a happy home in London SW9

 

[Rich Cohen]

I first heard of Bert Weedon in the late '60s, via the Bonzo Dog Band's "We Are Normal"



The Shadows had the hit of "Apache" in the UK.

In the U.S it was Jorgen Ingmann. The Ingmann version was one of the first singles I owned on 45. Found it on the railroad tracks near our house in suburban New Jersey.

Suburban NJ? Where? I grew up in Maplewood, Essex County.

 

[wileypickett]

Waldwick, Bergen County, 07463.

Town or two over was Ramsey, where Les Paul lived with his family. I only knew of him at the time because Les's son jammed in a rock band with the brother of a friend of mine, in the Paul's studio.

It was only years later that I got clued in to who Les Paul was. Hard to believe now. At the time -- late '60s -- he was sort of in between being the hitmaker he'd been in the '40s and '50s and the "living legend" he became.

He recorded adverts for Thom McCann shoes, something of a N.J. institution at the time. I used to get a new pair of Thom McCann's at the start of every school year.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Pretty amazing how many NJ people are on this forum. Is it because Guild was in Hoboken?

 

[Mapleman54]

I would love that "English" SFV. It would find a happy home in London SW9

Pretty amazing how many NJ people are on this forum. Is it because Guild was in Hoboken?

Well that Starfire/Weedon often hangs out near you as since 1990 (until COVID) I've spent most Saturdays at CYM which is in Morley College! However it always is going to make the trip back to east Anglia!

 

[GGJaguar]

Pretty amazing how many NJ people are on this forum. Is it because Guild was in Hoboken?

Funny you mention that. When I was learning to play and going through stacks of acoustic guitar catalogs that my friend/mentor gave me, I fell in love with the Guild aesthetics. I only knew they were made in Rhode Island. But, I also remember seeing bar bands in NJ using "those blue checkerboard amps". I learned they were made in NJ by Ampeg when I jammed with a guy who had one when I was in grad school (him on electric, me on my Madeira acoustic). The NJ connection resonated with me and, many years later, led to my involvement with the Ampeg book. With Guild I just really liked them regardless of where they were made.

 

[SFIV1967]

Thanks Everybody for your enthusiasm for the project - very inspiring. I'm thinking Green BTW! I look forward to keeping you informed.

I guess that post is in the wrong thread now ! (hope you are not planning to refinish the Bert Weedon one !) But a green Nightbird sounds cool! Did you notice that Frono fixed the thread title?
Ralf

 

[Mapleman54]

I guess that post is in the wrong thread now ! (hope you are not planning to refinish the Bert Weedon one !) But a green Nightbird sounds cool! Did you notice that Frono fixed the thread title?
Ralf

Thanks, yeah I noticed the thread had changed... sorry for confusion! Indeed I did notice the name and felt good about that. Thanks Frono!

 

[Mapleman54]

Guild Bert Weedon semi-acoustic 1962/63 Cherry Red | Reverb

This is a beautiful guitar that I bought from the guitarist in a band called The Colourfield, 30 years ago. It's a limited edition from the early 1960's, endorsed and played by Bert Weedon himself. It may have a few scratches, as you would expect from a guitar over 50 years old, but it has all of...

reverb.com

I just noticed this in The Guild Guitar Book. Pretty slick ...had to look him up

Had to look him up.
DeAmonds look really cool on that Starfire.

BTW it would feel respectful to the memory of an influential English guitarist to spell his name correctly on the thread... it’s Bert Weedon

Thanks for changing name!

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

 

[parker_knoll]

i dress the same when I play

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

i dress the same when I play

Yes, I can see that from your avatar!

 

[parker_knoll]

I hadn't got "togged up" yet.

 

[Mapleman54]

What a great picture!! Thanks so much for posting..So ‘60’s Britain, Jetson style furniture, textured wallpaper, and that Selmer amp!! An interesting thing in the part of England where I live (East Anglia) is that a lot of the top instrument builders all worked for Selmer who were in Chelmsford, Essex. Martin Booth, Con Rendall, and Robbie Gladwell (who’s doing my Nightbird project) are all still active in the area. Selmer were the Gibson agents in the ‘60’s and all the guys spent most of their time correcting Kalamazoo horrors.. all 3 wax eloquent on the subject if prodded! Robbie then went on to work for Gibson as a senior tech after leaving Selmer, and collaborated with George Gruhn in the process, hence the Nightbird link! Just a bit of British guitar trade history from the time...

 

[guildedlilly]

Hi, thanks for allowing me to register.
In the mid sixties in the UK I was in a "Showgroup" and we toured of the many working mens clubs around the North and mid England and my first good guitar was a Guild Bert Weedon spec Guitar with twin Dynasonic pickups. I was told that my guitar, purchase from Kitchens in Leeds, was a prototype and was sold off from Boosey and Hawkes (Musical equipment distributor).
It was a graet sounding fully hollow guitar and used to attract many complimentary comments from audiences and other musicians. I fittted a Bigsby B3 because I used to play Shadows instrumental covers and it could sound similar with the tremolo option.
Foolishly I traded the guitar once (then bought it back!) and finally traded again for I think a telecaster in 1979 (new one) turning down a 1957 Strat! because it looked "knocked about", if only I could go back in time Ha Ha.
I remember one of the pickups suddenly lost a pole piece and on inspection was due to the brass elevator failing, I noticed that all of them were in fact cracked. I ended up wrapping the spring around the pole piece and carried on gigging until I traded it in.
I would love to find out where that guitar ended up but I expect that is a long shot.
I am now retired and as a treat during this crap we are now in, I purchased a Dearmond Starfire Special in Black which seems a great guitar with Dearmond 2K pickups, not the same sound as my old guitar but still good although it has had a neck break repair. Unfortunately the repairer sprayed over the headstock rear with nitro and covered the S/N etc and so I am debating trying to recover this if possible by rubbing the finish off (any advice would be welcome?).
Any way Glad to be on the site and look forward to been amongst fellow followers of these great guitars.