NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
User avatar
rbrcbr
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:11 am
Location: Brooklyn

NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by rbrcbr » Mon Oct 29, 2018 3:20 pm

Well, all the recent obsession I've had with old Guild Starfires has culminated and I am now the proud owner of a '62 Guild Starfire III (also my first vintage guitar, so excited)!

Image

I suppose it's an early '62, based on the lack of back binding, but so far haven't found a source to get a real ballpark of when it was made in '62. All I can find is that back binding was added to these models in '62.

I got this one from GC, turns out the original owner sold it to them (had the original receipt with it but he hung onto it) with a vintage spaghetti strap and a non original Guild case, as the original was too trashed after all these years. Aside from the case, everything on it is original. Good bit of finish checking and some dings, but pretty clean overall and the binding hasn't shrunk at all. Tuners are a bit stiff but I'm sure we can get them working well again easily. The frets are fairly worn and oxidized but still playable. It has some pretty hefty, old flatwounds on it currently and the action is a bit high further up the neck, but the neck is nicely worn in in some spots and is just the right size so it plays really well but will be even better after a set up. The bigsby is super broken in and feels great. I'm gonna take it to my tech this week to have him look over it and determine whether we should go for a refret, or just a fret dress + setup and new strings. Can't wait.

Even as it is, it sounds fantastic through my Super Reverb reissue. The amp needs a new transformer at the moment, so I'm getting some weird frequencies/harmonics over the stuff I'm playing, but I bet it will sound even better once the amp is in tip top shape. Dynasonics are some of my favorite pickups ever and these sound pretty great so far. It's super loud acoustically and has a nice woody, chimey clean tone to it. I need some more time (and a fixed amp) to get a really good gauge on how to describe these pickups and maybe a demo for you guys.

Overall, I'm loving it. It plays great, sounds great, and the thin body feels just how I hoped it would. This honestly feels like the perfect hollowbody, compared to the Gretsch's I've owned and others that I've played. It really feels like I got lucky with how good this one is.

Here are some more photos!

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

User avatar
Debaser
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 2:12 pm
Location: Phoenix AZ

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by Debaser » Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:30 pm

Congrats, that’s a real beauty. Those Dynas can’t be beat either. I was about to ‘NGD’ my Guild but I’m clearly outshined :blush:
50,000 watts out of Mexico, this is the BorderRadio...

User avatar
Despot
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5759
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:11 am
Location: Wexford, Ireland

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by Despot » Mon Oct 29, 2018 11:39 pm

That's beautiful - very similar to the early Starfire II that I had for a while - I love the older headstock and pickguard shapes too!

Happy NGD!

User avatar
PorkyPrimeCut
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 24464
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:46 am
Location: Leipzig
Contact:

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Tue Oct 30, 2018 2:50 am

I won't deny that I'm green with envy. Congratulations!

That's a really gorgeous guitar you've got yourself!
You think you can't, you wish you could, I know you can, I wish you would. Slip inside this house as you pass by.

User avatar
StevenO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 17768
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by StevenO » Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:01 am

Absolutely beauty of a guitar right there. Enjoy!

User avatar
shadowplay
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 25930
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:30 am
Location: Glasgow. Scotland
Contact:

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by shadowplay » Tue Oct 30, 2018 4:05 am

Fantastic looking guitar, well done you.

D
Are you loathsome tonight?

User avatar
garyfanclub
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 571
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2007 7:29 am
Location: NYC

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by garyfanclub » Tue Oct 30, 2018 4:16 am

Congrats, looks amazing! Can’t wait to hear some clips.

I’ve got a 66 Guild T50 (student model nom cutaway arch top) and it’s an awesome guitar with an incredible broken in vibe - I hope you enjoy yours as well!

User avatar
Maggieo
Expat
Expat
Posts: 13446
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:36 am
Location: Nebraska, USA
Contact:

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by Maggieo » Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:22 am

Looks way better than the one i had! Well played!!!!
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

User avatar
Telliot
Mods
Mods
Posts: 12202
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:38 pm
Location: CA

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by Telliot » Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:52 am

That's beautiful, congrats! It's hard to say just by the pics, but if you're having issues with the neck angle, you may need a reset. It's pretty common on these. Mine was borderline, and so I opted not to have it done, and it played fine. Yours is in great condition. I guess having one owner all its life has been good for it. I love the sound of those pickups, too. Mine had the mini-humbuckers, which were great, but I always preferred the look and sound of the Dynasonics.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

User avatar
nanamour
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 791
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:22 pm
Location: Hell's Kitchen

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by nanamour » Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:47 am

Congrats, that's a gorgeous guitar indeed. Those early Starfires with the Dynas are one of the very few guitars I still pine for, and this certainly isn't helping those pangs of desire. Here's to many years of enjoyment with its second(!!!) owner!

User avatar
rbrcbr
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:11 am
Location: Brooklyn

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by rbrcbr » Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:11 pm

Debaser wrote:
Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:30 pm
Congrats, that’s a real beauty. Those Dynas can’t be beat either. I was about to ‘NGD’ my Guild but I’m clearly outshined :blush:
Thanks man! And nah don't let that get you down! Any New Guild Day is a good day!

User avatar
rbrcbr
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:11 am
Location: Brooklyn

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by rbrcbr » Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:20 pm

Thanks everyone! Loving it so far.
garyfanclub wrote:
Tue Oct 30, 2018 4:16 am
Congrats, looks amazing! Can’t wait to hear some clips.

I’ve got a 66 Guild T50 (student model nom cutaway arch top) and it’s an awesome guitar with an incredible broken in vibe - I hope you enjoy yours as well!
Funny enough, Daniel Rossen's work with an old T-50 in Grizzly Bear is actually what reignited my desire for an old Guild. I'm sure yours is amazing! I'll probably still keep my eye out for one of those in the future.
Maggieo wrote:
Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:22 am
Looks way better than the one i had! Well played!!!!
Hahaha, I don't know about that, it seemed like you had a really good one! Thanks for the inspiration too, those photos of your '61 helped me make up my mind on this one.
Telliot wrote:
Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:52 am
That's beautiful, congrats! It's hard to say just by the pics, but if you're having issues with the neck angle, you may need a reset. It's pretty common on these. Mine was borderline, and so I opted not to have it done, and it played fine. Yours is in great condition. I guess having one owner all its life has been good for it. I love the sound of those pickups, too. Mine had the mini-humbuckers, which were great, but I always preferred the look and sound of the Dynasonics.
Thanks! Yeah I'm gonna swing by the tech tomorrow and see what he thinks. Hopefully it doesn't need a reset, and that having one owner has lessened the chances of it needing one. Worth it either way for the shape it's in. So psyched.
nanamour wrote:
Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:47 am
Congrats, that's a gorgeous guitar indeed. Those early Starfires with the Dynas are one of the very few guitars I still pine for, and this certainly isn't helping those pangs of desire. Here's to many years of enjoyment with its second(!!!) owner!
Hahaha thanks, maybe you'll get into one sometime soon ;)

User avatar
cestlamort
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5176
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:01 am
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by cestlamort » Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:41 pm

Awesome. Great to hear that you got it.

Welcome home, SFIII.

User avatar
wproffitt
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1263
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:48 pm
Location: Ellicott City, MD, USA

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by wproffitt » Tue Oct 30, 2018 5:37 pm

That’s one sweet looking guitar! The dynasonicsbare really a great sounding pickup. Billy Zoom can’t be wrong about that, right?

User avatar
rbrcbr
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:11 am
Location: Brooklyn

Re: NGD! 1962 Guild Starfire III

Post by rbrcbr » Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:32 pm

cestlamort wrote:
Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:41 pm
Awesome. Great to hear that you got it.

Welcome home, SFIII.
Yeah! Thanks for all the feedback and input. I totally see what you meant by this one being a keeper and better than everything else you've tried in the same realm. It's so good. I have a feeling it'll be the last to go of all my guitars as well.

Post Reply