Bert Weedon Starfire

[F30]

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.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Fully hollow Starfire

 

[parker_knoll]

It's a very rare bird. I saw it at the time but was miles away from having the cash for that

 

[GAD]

Very cool! Crazy rare especially here in the US.

 

[GGJaguar]

I'd love to play one. I wonder how it sounds compared to other maple archtops with DeArmonds, like a 6120?

 

[SFIV1967]

Lots of discussion about Bert Weedon here in the past, just a few examples:

How rare is the 'Bert Weedon'-model?

Hi everybody, I have a quick question about Guild's 'Bert Weedon'-model, which as far as I know was only produced between 1963 and ca. 1965 - has anyone here (especially forumites from the UK) actually seen one of these (for sale)? I'm pretty sure that Hans Moust has one of these rare birds in...

letstalkguild.com

¿Quién es más macho?

Duane Eddy or Bert Weedon? P.S. - not mine

letstalkguild.com

Your favorite picture(s) of an artist playing a Guild?

Hank Hill’s “1963 Guild” named "Betsy" is an interesting model! :love: Nice Guild harp tailpiece and stairstep pickguard! One could say a Frankenguild! Ralf And slotted headstock!

letstalkguild.com

Ralf

 

[DrumBob]

I was rummaging around among the old catalogs at Guild years ago and came across information on the Bert Weedon model. I asked Neil Lilien who Bert was, and his response was, "Some British guy who was like Mel Bay. We endorsed him for about five minutes."

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

I was rummaging around among the old catalogs at Guild years ago and came across information on the Bert Weedon model. I asked Neil Lilien who Bert was, and his response was, "Some British guy who was like Mel Bay. We endorsed him for about five minutes."

Must have taken more time then five minutes to make whatever number of Bert Weedon model guitars!

 

[DrumBob]

Must have taken more time then five minutes to make whatever number of Bert Weeded model guitars!

Obviously, it was a sarcastic statement on Lilien's part. Or didn't you understand?

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Obviously, it was a sarcastic statement on Lilien's part. Or didn't you understand?

I got the sarcasm, not sure I understood the reason for it. Bert seemed like he could offer a good ROI in Britain. So do you have any idea how many Bert Weedon guitars were made?

 

[SFIV1967]

I got the sarcasm, not sure I understood the reason for it.

I think to remember that Hans explained something like that the model did not sell well in the UK at all because the Beatles were popular at that time and Bert Weedon not any longer.

Ah, here it is:
"When I was doing the research for the book I interviewed the owner of one of the bigger music stores in England and he claimed that they could not sell the Guild 'Bert Weedon' model. At that time (remember the Beatles were the 'big thing') nobody in his right mind wanted to be associated with Bert Weedon, so eventually the store owner ordered new pickguards (without the Bert Weedon name) from Guild hoping that it would help selling the guitars. That is why some of the very few Bert Weedon models you might come across, have the Bert Weedon name on the label and the truss-rod cover, but not on the pickguard. "

Ralf

 

[parker_knoll]

I'd love one. Is it fully hollow?

 

[SFIV1967]

Is it fully hollow?

Yes, that is the difference to the "normal" one.
But be careful and read here from Hans:

"Yes, it was completely hollow but during the mid-'60s the Starfire V was still referred to as the Bert Weedon Model in the U.K. Guild literature and it is at all possible there are some Starfire Vs (with the centerbloc) from this period that have the Bert Weedon model designation on the label."

Ralf

 

[DrumBob]

I got the sarcasm, not sure I understood the reason for it. Bert seemed like he could offer a good ROI in Britain. So do you have any idea how many Bert Weedon guitars were made?

I have no idea how many were made, but there weren't many. They didn't sell well here in the USA. I guess they didn't sell in England either. Bert Weedon wasn't very hip at the time, as has been pointed out.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

I have no idea how many were made, but there weren't many. They didn't sell well here in the USA. I guess they didn't sell in England either. Bert Weedon wasn't very hip at the time, as has been pointed out.

Thanks, got it!

 

[dreadnut]

My Dad had every record Jim Reeves ever made, I think.

 

[Shakeylee]

any guitar with original dearmond 2000's is fantastic in my book.

 

[Prince of Darkness]

Bert's "Play in a Day" guitar tutor book was legendary in the UK and reckoned to have helped start the careers of many noted musicians, such as Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Brian May. I had a copy, but have to admit it didn't really work for me. In his later years Bert's band included hius old friend Jim Marshall, of amplifier fame, on drums; Bert died just over a fortnight after Jim. They were also both prominent members of the Grand Order of Water Rats, a show business charitable organisation

 

[SFIV1967]

They were also both prominent members of the Grand Order of Water Rats, a show business charitable organisation

Bert Weedon:

Biography of a Water Rat

www.gowr.co.uk

Dr. Jim Marshall:

Biography of a Water Rat

www.gowr.co.uk

Ralf

 

[Prince of Darkness]

Interesting, though they did make a mistake crediting Bert as the writer of Apache. He recorded the first version, but it was written by Jerry Lordan.