Guild Starfire V Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1964), ser. #33582, original black hard shell case.

Guild Starfire V Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1964), made in Hoboken, serial # 33582, sunburst lacquer finish, laminated maple body, laminated mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.

The Starfire series has been Guild's most consistently successful electric guitar since its inception in the early 1960's. This relatively early Starfire V from mid-1964 is a double cutaway semi-hollow instrument generally reminiscent of Gibson's ES-335 series but with many subtle and distinctly Guild touches. Like the ES-335, the Starfire V has a solid block running through the center of the double-cutaway thin hollow body, cutting down on feedback and giving the guitar a brighter tone. The wiring is also basically Gibson-style with the useful addition of a master volume knob just behind the selector switch. The Starfire V was introduced as the most expensive Starfire series guitar at the end of 1963, although the even more deluxe (and very rare) Starfire VI was soon added in mid-'64.

This Starfire V carries a stock Guild Bigsby tailpiece and bridge and the recently introduced Guild Humbucking pickups. The thinline body has a bright black-red-orange sunburst finish and is triple bound top and back. The bound fingerboard has pearloid block markers; the plastic-faced headstock carries the Guild "Chesterfield" inlay and stock German-made Kolb tuners with diamond-shaped imitation pearl buttons, used only around this time on higher-end Guilds. This style of Starfire has been a perennial favorite among players of many styles, and is particularly well thought of as an electric blues instrument. Vintage Starfires remain one of the most comparatively affordable classic American guitars; this is a nice early example of one of the best.

Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.). Some general wear overall-a prominent scratch to the right of the tailpiece, smaller finish chips on the back and by the switch but overall a pretty clean guitar. Some small marks on the headstock edges from a less-than-expert re-glue of the plastic headstock facing; it is solid but slightly shrunken at the edges, typical of this era Guilds. A little binding shrinkage in the cutaways, no deterioration anywhere-all original except switch tip and master volume knob. A very good player with an excellent neck angle; a little fret wear but nothing excessive. Includes a battered but functional alligator-grain original HSC. Excellent Condition.