I'm not Worthy... the VI

[F30]

What a seriously nice guitar

 

[F312]

Yours?

Ralph

 

[F30]

I wish...

 

[Wulfthar]

A guy is selling his own in my town...the lack of Guild shield prevents me to buy it.

 

[mavuser]

A guy is selling his own in my town...the lack of Guild shield prevents me to buy it.

at least they have kept some things sacred. if that is really the only reason that stops you from buying one, you may not truly want it in the first place, as these are super nice guitars, especially to play.

F-30, you are worthy! it does take time to bond with any guitar. some longer than others. once it clicks though, on one of these...all the feels brah

 

[F30]

"...the lack of Guild shield prevents me to buy it...."

Those didn't have a Guild Shield - did some of the vintage ones have the shield?
Pretty Stunning nonetheless

 

[Wulfthar]

"...the lack of Guild shield prevents me to buy it...."

Those didn't have a Guild Shield - did some of the vintage ones have the shield?
Pretty Stunning nonetheless

AFAIK ALL mark vintage VIs before these had the shield, ebony fingerboard with the same inlays used on the high end Guilds like the F50, D55, F512/412 etc...

I also understand the Mighty VI was discontinued in 1979 and never offered back until now...I fancy about a vintage sunburst one...along with the original Epiphone Sheraton and the ES 355 the classiest semi-hollow IMO.

 

[F30]

Wow that is really fine looking. Thanks for the info and pic.

 

[GGJaguar]

AFAIK ALL mark vintage VIs before these had the shield, ebony fingerboard with the same inlays used on the high end Guilds like the F50, D55, F512/412 etc...

And the original SF-VI had a 1-piece back and top. The reissue uses a 2-piece book-matched back and top.

 

[Wulfthar]

I wish they make a MIUSA Starfire VI, years ago they made a limited edition but besides the prohibitive price ($5000) it didn´t really look like the original one.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

I wish they make a MIUSA Starfire VI, years ago they made a limited edition but besides the prohibitive price ($5000) it didn´t really look like the original one.

You mean the NH GSR Starfire? we were just discussing them here: https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index...steve-erle-starfire-4500.204984/#post-1913772

 

[GAD]

I love Starfires but the NS SF6 leaves me cold.

 

[Wulfthar]

You mean the NH GSR Starfire? we were just discussing them here: https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index...steve-erle-starfire-4500.204984/#post-1913772

Yes, it was sold as Starfire VI...as you can see the body is a perfect match of the 3X5, while the original Starfire VI had a completely different shape, much more alike the Hagstrom Viking for instance.

 

[bobouz]

I also understand the Mighty VI was discontinued in 1979 and never offered back until now...I fancy about a vintage sunburst one...along with the original Epiphone Sheraton and the ES 355 the classiest semi-hollow IMO.

If you ever see one of these available, they’re well worth checking out. It’s a John Lee Hooker Sheraton from it’s initial year, 2000 (not to be confused with a Korean JLH model that preceded it). The nitro-finished bodies were made by Terada in Japan, then sent to Gibson in Nashville for installation of pickups & hardware. Construction is a notch above the well regarded Epi Elitist Sheraton, which was fully made by Terada in Japan. Neck playability is superb, and overall imho, this model is as good as it gets beyond scoring an original (and very expensive!) Kalamazoo Sheraton.

 

[Wulfthar]

I am looking for one of them but they are very rare...I was able to track one AIUSA (that is a JLH produced after he died without his signature) but the seller refused to ship it outside the US, that was a real bummer for me.

P.S. Everytime I see a Sheraton I realise how much input Guild received from Epiphone before it was bought by Gibson.

 

[bobouz]

I am looking for one of them but they are very rare...I was able to track one AIUSA (that is a JLH produced after he died without his signature) but the seller refused to ship it outside the US, that was a real bummer for me.
P.S. Everytime I see a Sheraton I realise how much input Guild received from Epiphone before it was bought by Gibson.

Yes, they are rather rare indeed. My apologies if I'm covering ground you're already aware of, but to clarify, mine pictured above is also the AIUSA (Assembled In USA) version. The only thing that changed on the instrument was that in 2001 after JLH passed away, the references to him on the pickguard, truss rod cover, and label were removed, and the serial numbering sequence was changed. Additionally, there was a second AIUSA-JLH model with a stopbar tailpiece instead of the Frequensator, along with two AIUSA John Lennon Casino models (original sunburst, and the natural Revolution version). These four models comprised what Epiphone (Gibson) called the USA-Series, and as mentioned above, all had bodies made by Terada with nitro finishes, which were then shipped to Nashville for pickups, hardware, and final assembly.

You are also certainly correct about Guild's connection to Epiphone. When Guild initially came into being and began production, they hired a number of employees away from Epiphone for their new venture, and a number of Epi styling cues found their way into the wonderful world of Guilds. As for the Sheraton, it was a product wholly developed by Gibson, which bought out Epiphone in 1957 and then released the Sheraton in 1958, along with the first ES-335 model. Thankfully, while creating a new line of Epiphone instruments to be built on Gibson's production lines in Kalamazoo, Gibson retained many of Epiphone's original styling cues, as so beautifully seen on the Sheraton!

 

[Wulfthar]

Yes, they are rather rare indeed. My apologies if I'm covering ground you're already aware of, but to clarify, mine pictured above is also the AIUSA (Assembled In USA) version. The only thing that changed on the instrument was that in 2001 after JLH passed away, the references to him on the pickguard, truss rod cover, and label were removed, and the serial numbering sequence was changed. Additionally, there was a second AIUSA-JLH model with a stopbar tailpiece instead of the Frequensator,

Yes that is the less desirable Sheraton II (stopbar). Also the AIUSA and JLH have binding over the frets that I love...recently I sold this guitar:

That was Chinese made, I paid 600 euros for it in 2011 and sold it used for more, so from a financial point of view it was a bargain but still I miss her and I am looking for a USA model with those "improvements".

That is also the reason why I don´t jump on the Korean Starfire VI but I foolishly hope they will make a USA version as I would like to have a more high end model with nitro finish, Guild shield and hopefully a sunburst finish.

Finding a pre-1979 SF VI in decent condition for decent price that ships outside the US is very very difficult today.

 

[bobouz]

That was Chinese made, I paid 600 euros for it in 2011 and sold it used for more, so from a financial point of view it was a bargain but still I miss her and I am looking for a USA model with those "improvements".

I never had the opportunity to play one, but that ‘62 Sheraton reissue model with Gibson mini-humbuckers seemed to be very well featured for the price.

Best of luck in both your Guild & Epi quests!

 

[parker_knoll]

Finding a pre-1979 SF VI in decent condition for decent price that ships outside the US is very very difficult today.

Guild Starfire VI 1979 Sunburst https://reverb.com/item/36636290-gu...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=36636290

 

[Wulfthar]

Yup it's in my watchlist...that girl needs serious restoration, in particular it needs a pickguard and possibly a Guild Bigsby.