Guild Starfire I SC Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar - Snowcrest White Reviews
The single-cut Starfire I SC is based on a classic Guild design. Its arched center-block construction supplies the airy, resonant quality of some timeless Guild semi-hollow electrics, while at the same time helping to neutralize squealing and squelching in a loud performance setting. This turns out to be quite an asset onstage, especially for rock music. Standard-sized HB-2 alnico humbuckers — which build off of Guild's iconic HB-1s — supply a warmth and bite that compares favorably to some classic PAFs. Not only that, but push-pull pots unlock a distinct single-coil cluck that suits blues, surf, country, and rock music superbly. This Guild Starfire I SC features a Guild-branded vibrato bridge that's built for expressive players. Considering its price and pedigree, the Guild Starfire I SC is one of the most appetizing electrics to come out this season. Get your hands on one today — order now through Sweetwater.
Earn $33 back in Bonus Bucks† OR pay $28/month with 24 month financing*
$33 Earn $33.00 back in Bonus Bucks† on this purchase when you use your Sweetwater Credit Card without financing. Select your offer in checkout. Terms
As low as $28/month
with 24 month financing*
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While this isn't an item we normally stock, we can still get it to you as fast as possible due to our great relationship with Guild. Go ahead and place your order and we'’ll follow up shortly to let you know when to expect it.
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Highest Rated Reviews
New customer
Just bought a Guild Starfire1 and a gator case. I am very pleased with my purchases and love the customer service. The Starfire is top quality and better than I expected. I highly recommend this guitar.
Quite impressed.
This was the least expensive semi hollow I could find with a trem and coil splitting, so figured what the heck.
I love how light these are, was the first thing I noticed right off the bat. No complaints on the finish at all. No cracks or flaws to complain about. Maybe a slight imperfection here or there, but really nothing to scoff at. I expected it to be worse by a lot, and for the price I'd have been okay with it. I considered it a mostly fixer upper purchase.
But really all I found that this guitar needed was a rolling bridge. Not required, but the original bridge would snag a string on occasion and pull it out of tune. Then I lowered the bridge and those were the only adjustments I had to make. It now holds tune perfectly, and I am free to shake the bejesus out of the trem and not worry. From out of box to ready to rock, it was about 30 minutes, and a good chunk of that was just waiting for the fretboard oil to dry.
The cleans on this are wonderful. I had no clue what to expect, as I had never done research on the humbuckers they come equipped with, but I expected them to be kinda muddy like a lot of Epi buckers tend to be. But they are surprisingly warm. I generally prefer the PAF tone, but like having the option of a single coil if the situation presents itself. Really liking the bridge in PAF and the neck in single coil mode. But meh, they all sound good really.
Very happy with this purchase. ^^
A superb value
Having ordered an Epiphone some 6 months earlier and growing impatient, a quick search of Sweetwater's inventory for a hollow or semi-hollow with a bigsby at or under $1000 led me to the Starfire I range from Guild. Knowing that the brand was a legacy maker from the 60's that had been in and out of production, changed ownership several times, and that they were currently under the Cordoba umbrella, I had no idea what to expect. I pulled the trigger on this white Starefire I SC preferring the single cut to it's double cut sister (mostly to differentiate it from my army of Casinos) half expecting to dislike and return it.
I received the guitar in the dead of July, and did nothing more than tune it, admire it's looks, and let it sit for two weeks to settle before judging it. Once it had stretched in, a quick truss adjustment was needed and the action was lowered a bit... and that was it. Intonation is spot on. Fit and finish is excellent. Nut is cut well, it holds tuning much better than my Les Paul or my Gretsch 6119 '62. The neck is very comfortable, Gibson 60's slim taper -esque. Frets are slim, fretboard was very dry (some Music Nomad Oil took care of that) but the edges are rolled well and not a sharp fret end anywhere. The Guildsby is a fun addition, OEM bigsby knock off, but it is smooth and returns the strings to their correct pitch.
The HB2 pickups are their own thing, kind of if a TV Jones Hilo'tron and a Gibson PAF had a baby. Low output, but some bite, very mid rangy. Probably not a guitar for aggressive rock, or metal, but excellent for jazz, blues, indie, country, or anything where jangle is appreciated. The split feature I am sure will be a huge plus for many players, I've never been much of a fan though... I have a strat... but it is very versatile.
The only critique, and it is minor, is the jack. Crackles and occasionally cuts out in the neck position. If used professionally this will need to be replaced.
Other than that, I cannot complain about anything on this guitar. It sounds wonderful acoustically, is a great couch guitar, very comfortable, and a joy to play. I am quite impressed!
Amazing semi-hollow
It feels above average, sounds above average, and is a great value for this quality of semi-hollow guitar. I wanted a semi-hollow with a tremolo so there aren't all that many options that fall into the "affordable" category. In the single cut the only color options are white and green, neither is especially desirable to me. I chose the white because green while perfect for an offset solid body "surf" guitar just seemed wrong on a rockabilly instrument. I'd love to see it in red, walnut or even natural blonde.
The sounds that come out of this thing are beautiful. I play it through a small 5 watt tube amp and it just sounds awesome. The coil split option is what really pushed me over the line for this particular guitar. You can nurse just about any kind of tone you want out of this thing. I'm not a jazz player but I'd bet a good jazz player would love this.
all in all, Guild hit a home run with these Starfire I guitars.
