I need a semi-hollow in my life and am considering a Starfire. But which one?

[J.G.2024]

The electronics are not US made, in mine. The pup is, but not everything else. The switch is particularly cheap, and actually broke off in my fingers.

Thanks for the feedback. What year is yours? SF-IV?

 

[J.G.2024]

Learning how to change out a pot and switches on a semi-hollow is not that bad and it is a skill worth knowing if you enjoy guitars. I would get the one you like and do the work yourself. Does your guitar friend know how to solder? If so, buy him a beverage of his choice and have him teach you. Worse case scenario is that you end up taking it to a luthier to fix if it all goes completely wrong.

My brother can actually solder. He's just a hobbyist and seldom does it. To be honest he is a bit sloppy with all he does. But better than me for sure who never done it.

I'm liking this idea more and more. As you say, I can always run to the luthier as a last resort. Hopefully without having ruined the electronics. But learning to do this would indeed be a good skill to have and free me from depending on a tech all the time. Might open some doors to some good guitar deals as well. I mean, it can't be that difficult right?

Although the soldering is surely the easy part? Maneuvering the stuff inside is the trouble I guess. Saw some videos on YT a while ago with folks tying threads to the parts, in order to be able to pull them back to the correct holes. I also remember something with clear flexible tubbing but don't remember how it was used. I need to start looking at some tutorials and how-tos.

I could start with replacing just the one pot and if it goes well and I manage it without too much trouble, maybe I consider a full overhaul. But I would guess changing a pot or a full harness is a whole different ball game. Not sure if it would be worth it changing only pots ad switch and leaving original harness. The little that I know about guitar electronics, it seems the harness is a main point of difference for the quality of the electronics.

But what should I get? I only know CTS. I found a full Allparts CTS kit for ES-335. I thought that would fit and it comes with wiring instructions. But found some people complaining in the reviews that it didn't fit the Epiphone version of the 335. The switch was too short, holes had to be re-drilled to make them larger and the pots didn't fit the knobs, which makes sense since CTS is probably imperial and imports like Epiphone are normally metric. DA being made in Korea is probably metric too I would guess. Unless the electronics are USA, which we have at least one report saying they aren't. So question is what to get. Maybe CTS sells metric if bought separately. They do make metric as I have an Epiphone with CTS pots and the knobs are metric.

 

[Smiert Spionam]

You guys do know that I wasn't seriously considering this, right? And that my friend was joking and basically being sarcastic, as in "if the color is the big deal to refuse a perfectly perfect guitar for a great price and a gift hardcase, just take a power sander to it. "

It was all tongue in cheek. Maybe I didn't use enough smiles?

To be fair, your level of overthinking some of these elements made it seem plausible.



String works for pulling pots back into place, but rubber tubing is good, too.

 

[J.G.2024]

To be fair, your level of overthinking some of these elements made it seem plausible.



String works for pulling pots back into place, but rubber tubing is good, too.

Yeah. Plus sarcasm never really comes across in writing.

If changing the whole harness, it would probably be a good chance for going 50's wiring. Never tried that on a semi-hollow but I guess it would have the same "advantages" as with a Les Paul.

 

[GAD]

My brother can actually solder. He's just a hobbyist and seldom does it. To be honest he is a bit sloppy with all he does. But better than me for sure who never done it.

I'm liking this idea more and more. As you say, I can always run to the luthier as a last resort. Hopefully without having ruined the electronics. But learning to do this would indeed be a good skill to have and free me from depending on a tech all the time. Might open some doors to some good guitar deals as well. I mean, it can't be that difficult right?

Although the soldering is surely the easy part? Maneuvering the stuff inside is the trouble I guess. Saw some videos on YT a while ago with folks tying threads to the parts, in order to be able to pull them back to the correct holes. I also remember something with clear flexible tubbing but don't remember how it was used. I need to start looking at some tutorials and how-tos.

I could start with replacing just the one pot and if it goes well and I manage it without too much trouble, maybe I consider a full overhaul. But I would guess changing a pot or a full harness is a whole different ball game. Not sure if it would be worth it changing only pots ad switch and leaving original harness. The little that I know about guitar electronics, it seems the harness is a main point of difference for the quality of the electronics.

But what should I get? I only know CTS. I found a full Allparts CTS kit for ES-335. I thought that would fit and it comes with wiring instructions. But found some people complaining in the reviews that it didn't fit the Epiphone version of the 335. The switch was too short, holes had to be re-drilled to make them larger and the pots didn't fit the knobs, which makes sense since CTS is probably imperial and imports like Epiphone are normally metric. DA being made in Korea is probably metric too I would guess. Unless the electronics are USA, which we have at least one report saying they aren't. So question is what to get. Maybe CTS sells metric if bought separately. They do make metric as I have an Epiphone with CTS pots and the knobs are metric.

Don’t buy anything until you know what you’re replacing.

Also learning to solder on guitar pots is a bad idea, especially if you don’t have a powerful soldering station. Soldering is a wonderful skill, but beginners get frustrated when trying to solder pots.

 

[J.G.2024]

Don’t buy anything until you know what you’re replacing.

Also learning to solder on guitar pots is a bad idea, especially if you don’t have a powerful soldering station. Soldering is a wonderful skill, but beginners get frustrated when trying to solder pots.

You mean until I decide if I want to replace only the pot or the whole thing? Because if you mean until I know for sure the pot needs to be replaced, I will or can only know after I buy it and look deeper into it.

 

[J.G.2024]

As for not learning how to solder on guitar pots, I been seeing some ready harness around. It seems they come all ready, with all the pots wired and connected. I guess then what is left is to "connect" them to the pick ups? So soldering on the pick ups is a better idea? I guess if one wanted to be lazy he could just cut the wires on the pickups and join the wires with connectors. I have had guitars with the quick connectors so it would be a similar deal. I know some say the quick connectors are not as good as soldering. But I have never had a problem.

The thing though is, these complete harness with pots I saw is for ES-335 types. But the Starfires have the 3-way switch on the horn rather than together with the pots.

 

[RVBASS]

@J.G.2024 I have a 1979 Guild Starfire IV posted in the Buy, Sell, Trade section if you are still looking for one.

 

[johnreardon]

You know, at least in that photo, it looks much more interesting than just a red guitar.

Back then I was a youngster.

These days, I'm more concerned how guitars play and sound in my hands than how they look.

 

[Default]

@J.G.2024 I have a 1979 Guild Starfire IV posted in the Buy, Sell, Trade section if you are still looking for one.

This.

 

[J.G.2024]

@J.G.2024 I have a 1979 Guild Starfire IV posted in the Buy, Sell, Trade section if you are still looking for one.

Thanks. Nice guitar. Although I have too many sunbursts already. Also way above the budget I had set.

 

[J.G.2024]

Back then I was a youngster.

These days, I'm more concerned how guitars play and sound in my hands than how they look.

Sure. But still. You had a "problem" and you found a creative way of dealing with it. And at least in that photo it looks good. Do you have a better photo? Were you going for a burst effect or just a faded look? Can't tell by that photo. And you just power sanded it and brushed on the varnish? Since I don't think Guilds were ever cheap, and for a young guy to do this with what was basically a brand new guitar back then, it's a lot of guts. Props just on that alone.

 

[J.G.2024]

Another update: I had a look around and decided the easiest way would be to get one of those pre-wired harnesses, where everything is already soldered, apart from the pickups. Th only problem is they are all for ES355 style. But the Guild and so the DA have a couple of differences, with the toggle switch and output jack being in different places than an ES335. So I'm talking to a couple of companies to see if they would lengthen the cable for the switch and jack. Then I will try to do this myself. Basically is putting it in the guitars and soldering the the wires to the pickups.

I also made an offer to the seller, now that I at least know the costs of parts etc. Let's see.

 

[johnreardon]

Sure. But still. You had a "problem" and you found a creative way of dealing with it. And at least in that photo it looks good. Do you have a better photo? Were you going for a burst effect or just a faded look? Can't tell by that photo. And you just power sanded it and brushed on the varnish? Since I don't think Guilds were ever cheap, and for a young guy to do this with what was basically a brand new guitar back then, it's a lot of guts. Props just on that alone.

It wasn't a problem as such, I just did it on a whim, probably on a Sunday morning after a gig. We didn't talk about 'burst' or 'faded' back then.

Used my dad's power sander and found a tin of clear varnish, so just brushed it on. The singer in a band I was in tidied it up a bit, removing the gouges I had caused.

Sorry no better pics. That's the only coloured pic I have. Not many people had cameras, let alone taking them to gigs.

Got these black and white ones. First is when it was still cherry red. Rest are after the sanding.

 

[JackNangle]

That’s an interesting Les Paul Junior your other guitarist is using - refinished 58 with custom pickguard and truss rod cover?

 

[johnreardon]

That’s an interesting Les Paul Junior your other guitarist is using - refinished 58 with custom pickguard and truss rod cover?

No idea of the history other than it was refinished by the previous owner, who I believe painted it a gloss white. Sadly it met its end when we were practicing in a low ceiling cellar and the singer jumped up and snapped the head off. The guitarist who owned it wasn't there, so the singer tried repairing it with a couple of screws and araldite glue.

Obviously it didn't work

 

[GAD]

No idea of the history other than it was refinished by the previous owner, who I believe painted it a gloss white. Sadly it met its end when we were practicing in a low ceiling cellar and the singer jumped up and snapped the head off. The guitarist who owned it wasn't there, so the singer tried repairing it with a couple of screws and araldite glue.

Obviously it didn't work

I don't like the ending of this story.

 

[BradHK]

No idea of the history other than it was refinished by the previous owner, who I believe painted it a gloss white. Sadly it met its end when we were practicing in a low ceiling cellar and the singer jumped up and snapped the head off. The guitarist who owned it wasn't there, so the singer tried repairing it with a couple of screws and araldite glue.

Obviously it didn't work

That sounds like a back story to a “hot mess mod”

 

[johnreardon]

I don't like the ending of this story.

The owner didn't either. My Slim Jim survived the cellar and stayed until I sold it to get a Strat

 

[J.G.2024]

It wasn't a problem as such, I just did it on a whim, probably on a Sunday morning after a gig. We didn't talk about 'burst' or 'faded' back then.

Used my dad's power sander and found a tin of clear varnish, so just brushed it on. The singer in a band I was in tidied it up a bit, removing the gouges I had caused.

Sorry no better pics. That's the only coloured pic I have. Not many people had cameras, let alone taking them to gigs.

Got these black and white ones. First is when it was still cherry red. Rest are after the sanding.

Gutsy move for sure. Were they as expensive back then as the made in USA guitars like Gibsons are today? Thanks for the photos. The B&W just doesn't do it justice though.