1967 Guild Starfire V Semihollow Electric Guitar

Ahhh, this guitar is so good. What's not to like? It's got a worn-in Bigsby (the only type I like), that quick '60s Guild neck, those bright and chimey Guild humbuckers, and a heap of class. Even if it was maybe intended as the company's counter to Gibson's ES-335 model (right down to the cherry finish), the Starfire V has enough of its own voice and style to feel quite different when you compare the two in person. And... as of this post's date, hilariously enough, you actually can compare this '67 Starfire V to a '68 335 that's in the shop... right now.

Suffice to say, it's a breeze to play and easy on the eyes. Compared to a 335 I feel like the neck sits closer to my body and less "far out" and so it feels a little less formal and a little more "back room" to play it. A longer-armed player might disagree, though.

This has seen "the knife" a few times -- someone replaced the (admittedly terrible) original tuners with Schallers at some point and the (admittedly not very useful for unwound G) original Bigsby bridge with a TOM-style Schaller unit as well. Both are good upgrades, but not original. The pickguard is also a replacement -- I wish I knew where the old one was, but this one looks just fine at a glance.

After some glorified setup work, it's playing bang-on and is ready to go. The pots were a little scratchy so I sprayed them out as well.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress and setup.

Body wood: ply mahogany with body-length centerblock

Bridge: replacement Schaller TOM-style

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany

Pickups: 2x original Guild humbuckers

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 46w-10 or similar

Neck shape: slim C

Board radius: 9 1/2"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-lower

Scale length: 24 5/8"

Nut width: 1 5/8"

Body width: 16 1/8"

Body depth: 1 3/4" + arching

Weight: 8 lbs 6 oz

Condition notes: aside from the mentioned replacement parts (bridge, pickguard, tuners), it's otherwise original and functioning nicely. The 3-way switch was a little finicky (as seen in the vid -- the old ones get like this) but I've since yanked it out and adjusted it. There's pickwear on the top near the pickguard and pickups and average usewear throughout the body and neck, with some scuffs and dings apparent on the back of the neck in the photos. The finish overall has weather-checked as well and shows age. The Bigsby tailpiece has a broken hinge on the treble side of its mount. Fortunately, it's also secured by screws in the top, so this is a non-issue as far as playability/function goes, but it is annoying.

It comes with: a non-original but decent old hard case.