GGJaguar
Reverential Member
I’m finally getting around to jotting down my “compare and contrast” thoughts for these two guitars. My initial thinking was they would be similar enough to offload one, but it turns out they are more different than I anticipated. They both weigh about the same (within an ounce or so). The 1992 model differs from the 2001 by virtue of its thinner body, narrower/shallower maple neck, ebony board, Müller bridge/tail, and most importantly, HB-1 pickups. The gold hardware and 5-ply stairstep pickguard we’ll call cosmetic differences only.
In a nutshell, I prefer the larger neck on the 2001 Starfire, but I have absolutely no issues or problems playing on the smaller necked ‘92. The biggest difference is, of course, in tonality. The HB-1s on the ’92 are bright, but have a “bloom” of harmonic overtones which make them sound richer while retaining clarity. Not thick and muddy like a PAF type can be. They work well for a variety of musical genres.
The FMIC buckers on the 2002 Starfire seem 2-dimensional in comparison. They are bright, but don’t have the richness of the HB-1s. In addition, the mids and highs are hard and a little brittle. However, in this particular guitar (and for me), this is not a bad thing. That “hard” sound works really well for a lot of classic rock and it lets effect pedals color the sound nicely. All good! And it means I get to keep both guitars. :smile-new:
As an aside, while I like the FMIC pickups in the SF-4, I don’t find them so nice in a fully hollow guitar like my X-150D and X-180. If the new Guild HB-2s sound close to original HB-1s or even to the mid-late 1990s Duncan SD-1s, they would be good replacement candidates for those guitars.
In a nutshell, I prefer the larger neck on the 2001 Starfire, but I have absolutely no issues or problems playing on the smaller necked ‘92. The biggest difference is, of course, in tonality. The HB-1s on the ’92 are bright, but have a “bloom” of harmonic overtones which make them sound richer while retaining clarity. Not thick and muddy like a PAF type can be. They work well for a variety of musical genres.
The FMIC buckers on the 2002 Starfire seem 2-dimensional in comparison. They are bright, but don’t have the richness of the HB-1s. In addition, the mids and highs are hard and a little brittle. However, in this particular guitar (and for me), this is not a bad thing. That “hard” sound works really well for a lot of classic rock and it lets effect pedals color the sound nicely. All good! And it means I get to keep both guitars. :smile-new:
As an aside, while I like the FMIC pickups in the SF-4, I don’t find them so nice in a fully hollow guitar like my X-150D and X-180. If the new Guild HB-2s sound close to original HB-1s or even to the mid-late 1990s Duncan SD-1s, they would be good replacement candidates for those guitars.