History of Guild Starfire Guitars
Started in 1952 as a repair shop for semi-acoustic archtop jazz guitars, Guild's high-quality acoustic guitars became very popular with folk musicians in the early 60s, prompting a sudden expansion of their range. The Starfire was their flagship electric guitar.
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Inspirations
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Clearly, the Starfire took its queues from hollow jazz guitars, the hallmarks were all present. The stop tailpieces, occasionally replaced with Bigsby vibrato bridges, and violin-style ''F-Holes." But it was much thinner, aping Gibson's popular 335 model.
Development
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The Starfire was released in several variations and finishes throughout its lifespan. Its Guild humbucker pickups were replaced with Seymour Duncan versions, and later P90s. The Bigsby tremolo bridge became a factory option, and the neck was repositioned to meet the body at the 18th fret, rather than the 16th, after players demanded more access to the upper end of the scale.
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Famous Ties
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Some of the players who used Starfires habitually include: Buddy Guy, Tom Waits, Lightnin' Hopkins, Tom Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ray Davies of the Kinks, and perhaps most famously, The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit guitar player image by Snezana Skundric from Fotolia.com
