New member with a Starfire IV

[tele4tone]

Hello,

I've got 1965 Starfire IV rescued from a pawn shop for $300. My brother gave it to me for my birthday. I had it refretted and cleaned up. What a great guitar. I believe it to be all original(except for frets). I even have the pickguard, but have removed it because those things get in the way.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=875050&l=4f99d46382&id=576271364

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1059428&l=7316fbe6c8&id=576271364

Can anyone offer any extra info on this? I don't see a lot with bigsby's.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Does the inside label say Starfire IV?

If so, somebody added the Guildsby.

A Starefire V comes standard with the Guildsby.

Oh yeah, and welcome to the forum!

 

[tele4tone]

Well that is what confuses me. The label def. state IV, but right after that is has something else handwritten that is kind of hard to read but is in the same ink and handwriting. I'll try to get a photo of it and post it.

Any help would be much appreciated

btw ANYBODY SEE THIS?

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/msg/1110034321.html

 

[hansmoust]

The label def. state IV, but right after that is has something else handwritten that is kind of hard to read but is in the same ink and handwriting.

Hello tele4tone,

Welcome! Does the writing on your label looks anything like this?

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Damn! Forgot to mention the "Spec." thing.

Would that be that a Starfire IV Spec.(ial) with the guildsby came before the Starfire V?

 

[hansmoust]

Would that be that a Starfire IV Spec.(ial) with the guildsby came before the Starfire V?

Not really! A Starfire V not only has the Bigsby (and the Bigsby bridge) but also a Master Volume, block inlays and higher grade machineheads.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Qvart]

btw ANYBODY SEE THIS?

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/msg/1110034321.html

Welcome! Nice looking git and quite a score at $300!

I guess no one warned you yet not to get me started on the S-100's...

oh well...

That one in Indianapolis has been posted for a couple months now. A couple things about the ad: 1) It's a phase switch - as we all know - not a coil tap; 2) It's not the same guitar used by Kim Thayil - he used vintage '70's S-100's, which have Guild pickups (not Seymour Duncans) and a different neck. Technically, they're both S-100's but the reissues are a bit different and definitely have a different sound. One more thing: If it was white they might be able to get 1K for it. Since it's red I doubt it. Somewhere in the $800-$900 range. Probably closer to $800.

Both guitarists in Kylesa use the reissue S-100's so you can check them out on Myspace if you want to hear what the Duncans sound like. I saw them live and that's what got me hooked on Guilds.

Now having said all that, I have the exact same guitar (from 1996 - see below) and I love it. I would recommend it if you can get the seller to drop the price ("OBO"). Unless of course you find one from the '70's in good condition then I would recommend getting that instead. Or both.

 

[capnjuan]

Can anyone offer any extra info on this? ...

Hi tele4tone and welcome to LTG; fine guitar, mighty fine! CJ

 

[tele4tone]

The label def. state IV, but right after that is has something else handwritten that is kind of hard to read but is in the same ink and handwriting.

Hello tele4tone,

Welcome! Does the writing on your label looks anything like this?

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

EXACTLY!!! yes!!

Spec? That is what is says.

 

[hansmoust]

OK! Spec. is short for Special. The 'Special' model designation suffix was used when a guitar had certain features that were not standard for the model. That could be upgraded machineheads, different fingerboard inlay, a master volume, higher grade pickups, gold hardware or, as it seems to be on your guitar, the addition of a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece and bridge.

Could you give me the serial number of your guitar for my Guild database? If you would rather not post it, you could let me know in a Private Message (PM).

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[tele4tone]

Thanks for the info guys. I have been a tele man for years, but I am playing heavier stuff as well now. The Starfire IV is great for the ambient and and ballad stuff and the tele works pretty good for the rest.

I guess I am looking for a solid body that can handle some drop d w/.105-11 guage strings and have good low end with definition.... I always liked Kim Thayil's sound so maybe a s-100.

Qvart... It seems you may be know what I really need. I just know it is not a Les for more Paul.

 

[tele4tone]

OK! Spec. is short for Special. The 'Special' model designation suffix was used when a guitar had certain features that were not standard for the model. That could be upgraded machineheads, different fingerboard inlay, a master volume, higher grade pickups, gold hardware or, as it seems to be on your guitar, the addition of a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece and bridge.

Could you give me the serial number of your guitar for my Guild database? If you would rather not post it, you could let me know in a Private Message (PM).

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

That is the least I could do for that info. Thanks, Hans

This is a great forum!

 

[stclrob]

Thanks for the info guys. I have been a tele man for years, but I am playing heavier stuff as well now. The Starfire IV is great for the ambient and and ballad stuff and the tele works pretty good for the rest.

I guess I am looking for a solid body that can handle some drop d w/.105-11 guage strings and have good low end with definition.... I always liked Kim Thayil's sound so maybe a s-100.

Qvart... It seems you may be know what I really need. I just know it is not a Les for more Paul.

If you're looking for an S 100, the first question to ask is reissue or vintage. There was a nice discussion about that on this thread - http://letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11446. Bump that thread for more questions, the Solid/Chambered section has been quiet for a while. :wink:

 

[tele4tone]

If it is a 70's...I would feel guilty messing with the pickups. My SFIV I leave stock. The 90's seem easier to swap out pups and do a little experimentation. I really like those s-300's as well.

 

[stclrob]

If it is a 70's...I would feel guilty messing with the pickups. My SFIV I leave stock. The 90's seem easier to swap out pups and do a little experimentation. I really like those s-300's as well.

I have a '79 S 300 A (ash body, guild pickups) and reish S 100. The HB-1s have a much clearer sound, but both sound good playing Never the Machine Forever which is tuned C-G-C-G-B-E and I've never worried about sounding too muddy. If you want to play with pups, particularly duncans, the S 100 would be a good candidate. It has a 59/JB combo on the later years. Try to play both the reish and vintage S 100s as each has a different feel to them. I've played a couple vintage S 100s in shops but never on my rig so I'm not the best judge of tone there. Qvart would be a good source there, he has a vintage S 90, S 100, and a reish S 100.

The 300 has much smaller frets and the neck feels thinner to accommodate 2 octaves. If you do more rhythm work, the 100 may have a better feel, but the 300 is fantastic for leads. Phase selection on the middle selector on both guitars gives quite a bit of range. You can get a low-end Paulie sound or a treble that in my opinion sounds 100% every time like the beginning of the Spoonman lead before the wah kicks in (2:09). No joke. The 300 has an ebony vs rosewood fretboard on the 100 if that makes a difference to you.

 

[danerectal]

If it is a 70's...I would feel guilty messing with the pickups.

If it's a 70s, you won't need to mess with the pickups. I've got a few, and they all sound beautiful. I'm always on the lookout for the next Guild. It looks like I'll have to find a hollow/semi or a Bluesbird next as I've covered the other basic bases.

 

[Qvart]

Qvart would be a good source there, he has a vintage S 90, S 100, and a reish S 100.

I've struggled with a good concise way to describe the differences. The best terms really are "vinatage" and "modern," as broad as that may be.

The HB-1's are "warmer," "rounder," ...

The Duncans are "brighter," "sharper" ...

The difference is sorta like this: Do you want modern crunchy sound or a smoother Sabbath sound?

Although they both scream, screech, and crunch. Either one would be good for your drop-D needs. I've played them both tuned down a whole step and both sound great.

If I had to choose I'd take the '74 every time. If I had to choose which one to lug around to gigs all the time, I might choose the '96 instead.

The neck/fretboard on the '96 is slightly thicker and I like the feel of the '74 a little better.

But, once again, I wouldn't part with either one.

You need to get your hands on one of each to try out. Either way I think you'll be happy.

Or, if you can't try them out yourself, go to YouTube and look up "S-100." There are videos of a guy playing a reissue (AC/DC covers) and a guy playing an S-100C (clean channel). Or you can compare Soundgarden and Kylesa for distortion/heaviness.

 

[Qvart]

...go to YouTube and look up "S-100." There are videos of a guy playing a reissue (AC/DC covers) and a guy playing an S-100C (clean channel). Or you can compare Soundgarden and Kylesa for distortion/heaviness.

There are quite a few videos of the Duncans on YouTube - 59NL (neck) and JBL (bridge).

 

[krysh]

welcome,
nice guitar.