Guild Starfire VI Flamed Maple Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar With Guild Vibrato Tailpiece Blonde

Very well made, attention to detail, weight is good, great value.

I have had a Starfire III in the past as my first electric guitar in the mid '60's. I ended up selling it to a friend in the early '70's. Since I have always appreciated Guild. Now in my 70's I have another Starfire. I like it a lot. It looks good, plays good and is a quality instrument. I only had one dissappointment with this guitar: the treble pickup was not coming on. But with a little gentle jiggle of the treble/bass switch I was able to get it to play. So far it seems to be working correctly. But I have a concern that the switch might quit working again. I have a collection of different guitars of various brands, including Gibson, Gretch, Ibanez, Taylor and others. This one has become my favorite. I particularly like the blonde color. It makes my other natural/blond finish guitars look pale. There was one other minor issue: The thrust rod nut cover and the pickguard appeared to be scuffed like someone had been playing it. BUT, at first I couldn't see the protective film. Once I figured out that there was protective film on the thrust rod nut cover and the pickguard I took it off. The apparent scuffing and scratches were on the protective film. But the film was hard to detect. I had to look closely and try to start peeling it off with a fingernail.

I bought this guitar for its classic appearance, on impulse, a real beauty to behold. I did discipline myself to test play it on my Polytone amp with my vintage MXR Uni Vibe vibrato/chorus effect pedal in a Guitar Center practice room, before taking delivery. I was amazed by the play-ability of this guitar, even with a set of 11 gauge strings. I had a guitar center sales rep check the the tuning and intonation with my Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Clip-on Chromatic Tuner, and it was dead on right out of the case, which, by the way, is a very nice case with purple lining. I play mostly finger style guitar with a mellow touch of jazz. This guitar lends it self well to my solo playing style, as an amateur, that still plays by ear, after 52 years, and still can't read a single note. Needless to say, I took this guitar home with me.

This guitar was even more impressive than I thought it would be and it's an absolute blast to play. I love the looks, sound, and feel of this instrument. The guitar has great balance and the neck is very comfortable with pleasing intonation at all points. The pups are nice and responsive, with sharp trebles and roomy bass, and the three-way switch and control pots allow for a nice mixture of tones. Comes with a nice, solid hard-case. Overall: this instrument package is very, very impressive for the money.