1966 was the last year before Guild moved production from Hoboken, New Jersey to Westerly, Rhode Island in 1967. For aficianados, the Hoboken guitars more deeply embody Guild's NYC roots and archtop tradition. With that in mind, a Hoboken-made Starfire may be the perfect guitar for 1966.
In 1963, Guild debuted the double-cutaway Starfire, which is a semi-hollow electric guitar made with the style and design considerations of a jazz-box archtop. The Starfire V was Guild's attempt to compete with the Gibson ES-335. Its double cutaway body measures 16-3/8" at the lower bout, and until 1967, its neck meets the body at the 16th fret. One key design element that sets the Starfire V apart from the Gibsons is the master volume control located next to the switch. This small, accessible knob is particularly useful in the middle position. As you blend the pickups with their individual volume controls, you can quickly adjust the overall output without affecting the blend.
Proudly made in Hoboken, NJ in 1966, this Starfire V features a sunburst finish, block inlays on the Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, and Guild's Chesterfield inlay on the peghead. The pot codes date to the 42nd week of 1965, and its original humbuckers sound fantastic. It has a period trapeze tailpiece and a Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge, which is a bit of an upgrade from the janky Guild Adjustomatic. Its three-ply Mahogany/Maple neck meets the body at the 16th fret, and its original "Pat. Pend." Grover Rotomatic tuning machines keep everything honest.
This 1966 Guild Starfire V has a nice, low setup, and the frets are in really nice shape. The tone is excellent. The pickups are nicely balanced, and the controls lend a wide range of sounds. There's a darker tone than other semi-hollow guitars that reminds us of full-bodied archtops, but it's a comfortable thin line size. The binding has sprung off inside of the cutaways, and it looks like someone reglued some spots in the past. There are various scuffs and finish chips, especially around the edges of the peghead. In the bass-side cutaway, someone tried to drop-fill some minor paint chips, but that's the only event finish repair. The back of the neck is nicely worn-in and feels right at home in your hand. The volume knobs are the correct Guild knobs, but the tone knobs are these very cool vintage radio knobs. The previous owner installed strap buttons for Dunlop sale strap locks. It includes a more modern hardshell case.