Guild Starfire III opinions

[Badger]

Because I've seen guys who have tried to do exactly what you proposed and they STILL didn't like the sound after the mods.... and that was after they drilled holes and completely trashed the guitar's original value.

Trust me on this.... keep it all-original!

Theres a finite number of these things still in original condition, and it will only go up in value.

 

[philboyd studge]

I've got to agree with these guys, it's best to sell it as is and not mess with it. Then you've got lots of cash for something that will serve your needs.

When I changed the pickup in my Guild it was the mid '70's and I wasn't hurting the value of the guitar at the time.

 

[mikedaul]

OK - all the mods I've suggested are totally reversable (except the refret) and require no new drilling, etc -- provided that they are done correctly. I hate the idea of devaluing a vintage instrument, but I think it's insane to say that changing out the pickups will hurt its value. If you keep the originals and put them back in when you sell it, no harm no foul.

I'd say the value of your guitar is somewhere between $750 and $1250 depending on the condition and who wants to buy it. Then again, a new one will set you back $1650:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...3185547610/search/g=home/detail/base_id/85608

If you wanted to sell it and get a nice sounding hollowbody, I'd suggest something like a hamer artist:
http://www.hamerguitars.com/?fa=detail&mid=383&sid=177
(seems like it's harder to find places selling hamers online these days, but I recall these being around $1500 or so)

 

[Badger]

changing the pickups wont(if you save the old ones), but the tailpiece will, because you cant reverse that.

 

[Buck62]

changing the pickups wont(if you save the old ones), but the tailpiece will, because you cant reverse that.

True.

With the money made from the Starfire, you can get a Samick LaSalle for about $700 street price... (click on LaSalle)
http://www.samickguitar.com/electric.html

And if you think they're not highly rated QUALITY guitars, check out the reviews @ Harmony Central....
http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Samick/JZ-2-LaSalle-01.html

So you'd have a better playing, better sounding, better looking Archtop AND money left over for more recording gear!

 

[mikedaul]

I agree about the samick - it's a great guitar, especially for the price.

As for the bigsby, provided that you get a replacement tailpiece with the same screw pattern it's very easy to replace. You might be thinking of the flat-top style bigsby (as on an SG) where it attaches via holes in the body behind the bridge.

 

[Al Sim]

The Sound

Here's another consideration: in my experience, a guitar that sound lousy unplugged never sounds good plugged in. So all the mods in the world won't do a damn thing for it.

 

[Al Sim]

And here's another suggestion: find out what the specs are on that neck you love so very much -- we all understand about neck love -- and shop for guitars with the same or similar neck dimensions.