NGD! Guild Starfire IV 1964

[Maggieo]

Ohhhh! You got one with the magic pickups!

Have had some more time with it, and the bridge pickup sounds absolutely bonkers good! Like I dont want to stop playing. Jangle but with both depth and some heat.

The neck pickup I’m finding a bit murky though. Like, I’ve had to check the tone control multiple times just to make sure I’ve not turned it the wrong way kind of murky. Sounds cool with overdrive, but perhaps I wish it had some more high-end. Has this been your experience as well?

I got to play one at a store, and both PUPs were great. Super balanced. I'm stumped.

[rbrcbr]

Ohhhh! You got one with the magic pickups!

Have had some more time with it, and the bridge pickup sounds absolutely bonkers good! Like I dont want to stop playing. Jangle but with both depth and some heat.

The neck pickup I’m finding a bit murky though. Like, I’ve had to check the tone control multiple times just to make sure I’ve not turned it the wrong way kind of murky. Sounds cool with overdrive, but perhaps I wish it had some more high-end. Has this been your experience as well?

Seems to be common enough I guess? I remember hearing Danocaster put a firebird pickup in the neck position to get a brighter sound out of it because his was also muddy.

Jealous though, you've had a good month! This and the '66 JM! So sick

[alvinstraight]

…the magic pickups!

Got this back from the luthier today, and wow, now I get it.

[øøøøøøø]

these might be the most underrated electric guitar

[rbrcbr]

Prices are going up on these too unfortunately as people seem to be catching on, but yeah they're still pretty underrated. I'd really love to get my hands on a green or black one to go along with my '62 SFIII. Really love the burst on this one though.

[August]

Super nice. I've been looking for a II/III for 15 years and no dice. Passed on one that was just a little out of reach about that far back and it was the sweetest electric I've ever played, had a great neck, loved those pickups.

[alvinstraight]

these might be the most underrated electric guitar

Totally. The width of my experience is somewhat limited, but (and this might come off as sacrilegious in this forum) I can’t claim that my ‘66 Jazzmaster (which is 4-5 times what I gave up for this) is a better guitar. Different, yes, but not better (in terms of quality of the build or sound wise).

The guy who brokered the deal for me had the guitar for a while before it sold, and he said these were the best sounding and most musical pickups he had ever heard. I would second that (again, based on my somewhat limited experience).

Interesting thing is that this guitar (which is fully original) sat for quite a while at below $1900. And this is in Norway, where you would expect to pay a premium for vintage American-made guitars. So yeah, still underrated.

There is a ‘66 for sale in Sweden currently at a similar price.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

I nearly traded a much loved guitar for an early Guild Starfire III with a Guild-branded Bigsby & Dynasonic pickups (that I've long been in awe of). But, I've never heard people speak about these other Guild pickups until now, where they've been called "Magic".

What is it about them? Are they considered in the same ballpark but better than the Dynasonics or are they their own thing?

[alvinstraight]

I nearly traded a much loved guitar for an early Guild Starfire III with a Guild-branded Bigsby & Dynasonic pickups (that I've long been in awe of). But, I've never heard people speak about these other Guild pickups until now, where they've been called "Magic".

What is it about them? Are they considered in the same ballpark but better than the Dynasonics or are they their own thing?

I’m sure others who also have played dynasonics will chime in. But to me (having just had the guitar back in the house for 48hours), they sit nicely between single coils and humbuckers, seem extremely versatile, are quiet, and have that vintage 60s thing going on that just seems so hard to recreate. And I guess I just feel something. The session guy Tom Bukovac praises them a lot in one of his videos “some of the best guitar sounds I have ever recorded” bla bla (think it might be episode 19).

[øøøøøøø]

I nearly traded a much loved guitar for an early Guild Starfire III with a Guild-branded Bigsby & Dynasonic pickups (that I've long been in awe of). But, I've never heard people speak about these other Guild pickups until now, where they've been called "Magic".

What is it about them? Are they considered in the same ballpark but better than the Dynasonics or are they their own thing?

Their own thing. Many of them are a bit microphonic, which might be part of their charm at low volumes

[ffffoureyes]

these might be the most underrated electric guitar

Totally. The width of my experience is somewhat limited, but (and this might come off as sacrilegious in this forum) I can’t claim that my ‘66 Jazzmaster (which is 4-5 times what I gave up for this) is a better guitar. Different, yes, but not better (in terms of quality of the build or sound wise).

The guy who brokered the deal for me had the guitar for a while before it sold, and he said these were the best sounding and most musical pickups he had ever heard. I would second that (again, based on my somewhat limited experience).

Interesting thing is that this guitar (which is fully original) sat for quite a while at below $1900. And this is in Norway, where you would expect to pay a premium for vintage American-made guitars. So yeah, still underrated.

There is a ‘66 for sale in Sweden currently at a similar price.

Oooh, where's the Sweden one? There was one on Vend that my friend was selling, not seen one for a while. Snagged my '66 SFII for ~€1,500 here. Beautiful guitar.

[alvinstraight]

these might be the most underrated electric guitar

Totally. The width of my experience is somewhat limited, but (and this might come off as sacrilegious in this forum) I can’t claim that my ‘66 Jazzmaster (which is 4-5 times what I gave up for this) is a better guitar. Different, yes, but not better (in terms of quality of the build or sound wise).

The guy who brokered the deal for me had the guitar for a while before it sold, and he said these were the best sounding and most musical pickups he had ever heard. I would second that (again, based on my somewhat limited experience).

Interesting thing is that this guitar (which is fully original) sat for quite a while at below $1900. And this is in Norway, where you would expect to pay a premium for vintage American-made guitars. So yeah, still underrated.

There is a ‘66 for sale in Sweden currently at a similar price.

Oooh, where's the Sweden one? There was one on Vend that my friend was selling, not seen one for a while. Snagged my '66 SFII for ~€1,500 here. Beautiful guitar.

Sorry for very late reply! It was on Ljudbojen, a forum that seems to only be half working. Sold now though.