The back cover is dedicated to the various Guild Starfire models available circa 1963. The page is illustrated with the Guild Starfire III, with descriptions of the Starfire I and II. These guitars were all available in a range of finish options: Cherry Red, Emerald Green, Honey Amber and Ebony Grain, all at the same price. The differences between these models are summarised in the table below:
Pickups | Tailpiece | |
---|---|---|
Starfire I | 1 | harp |
Starfire II | 2 | harp |
Starfire III | 2 | Guild Bigsby |
A striking beauty in high-gloss Cherry-Red, Emerald Green, Honey Amber, or Ebony Grain! The "Starfire" is equipped with unusual features of extra advantage to the rock 'n roll guitarist who seeks a combination of flashy appearance and unique tonal possibilities. Guild's "Starfire" is made both in single pick-up and double pick-up models, with a Guild Adjusto-Matic 6-Way Bridge and special deluxe individual magnet pick-ups for each string. Its extra-thin ivoroid bound body is 163/8" wide, 201/4" long, 2" deep. The "Starfire" has a slender, fast-action Honduras mahogany neck, reinforced by Guild's adjustable steel neck rod. Its rosewood fingerboard is inlaid with pearl position markers. The single pick-up model has separate tone and volume controls. The double pick-up model has 2 tone controls and 2 volume controls, with a toggle switch for pick-up selection. For the ultimate in versatility, the double pick-up model is also available with the Guild Model Bigsby Vibrato Tailpiece, as illustrated. This tailpiece and bridge assembly gives the player unlimited possibilities in creating manually an exciting, pulsating true vibrato. All "Starfire" models are expertly factory-fitted with Guild EA-610 Strings ... the final touch in a most unusual instrument!
Another Starfire variant, the Guild Stratford Starfire, or SF-350 is shown at the foot of this page. On the face of it, this guitar was a Cherry Red Guild X-350: it had exactly the same body dimensions and Venetian cutaway (17" wide x 21" long x 3 1/8" deep) of the X-350, and the same electronics with push-button pickup selectors - but with DeArmond pickups (rather than the older Franz pickups used on most Guild hollow bodies), and the new Guild Adjusto-Matic bridge of the Starfire. However, whilst the X-350 body woods were maple/spruce, the Stratford Starfire body was all-mahogany. The darker wood of the mahogany gives the characteristic translucent Cherry colour; over maple, the guitars would appear a much more vibrant red.
1963 US prices for these guitars were as follows: Guild Starfire I $275; Guild Starfire II $340; Guild Starfire III $395; Guild Stratford Starfire $625.
This page is identical (other than price) to the corresponding page in the 1962 Guild catalog.
$850
$3495
$5000
$5000
$2799
$3000
$2699
$700
$2499
$2795
$2599
$1299
$3349
$3500
$2495
$2695
$1900
$4250
$2200
$1000