Post by grayn on Feb 21, 2015 19:35:39 GMT
Now, it's over 2 weeks since my last NGD and some of you (Wiggy) may be thinking, "what's he up to, lazing around, not going to guitar shops and spending his wife's hard earned cash". Well blow me down, but another one of my guitars sold, relatively unexpectedly. So there was some cash burning a hole in my pocket and I'm really buzzing about my latest guitar, the Guild Manhatten. So it made sense to go out and check out some other Guilds. Well it made sense to me.
The first I tried was a Starfire V. Similar to the a 335 semi, with a Bigsby style trem. Very nice sounding guitar and a feast for the eyes. But something about it's layout didn't work for me.
Next came an A-150 Savoy. A large, single cutaway, jazz box, with a nice sunburst finish and a single, floating, DeArmond pickup. I'd like to own one of these but really couldn't justify the expense, for the amount of use it
would get. Even with flatwound strings, it sounded good but not a guitar I'd have a huge amount of use for.
Then I played a Guild Starfire III. A very slim, in depth, semi. With a single, florentine cutaway, it looks a bit ES 175-ish. The dark cherry colour and all mahogany body, with lovely off-white binding, really makes for a quite a
looker. Neck, fretboard and scale are all the same as my Manhatten, so it feels really comfy, straight away. But with the slim body and lower action, this feels more of a rocker. The pickups have the sound of mini-humbuckers. To the un-initiated, that means like a HB but sharper and snappier, with more cut and even jangle. After P90s, probably my favourite. The standard of build and finish on this beast is outstanding. It's joy to play and hear. I don't think it'll ever overtake the Manhatten, in my affections but it's a superb alternative.
PECS:
Body Shape: Starfire III
Bracing: Parallel Tone Bars
Finish: Gloss Polyurethane, Cherry Red
Body Depth Upper Bout: 1.75 ins (44.45 mm)
Body Depth Lower Bout: 1.875 ins (48 mm)
Body Length: 20.25 ins (514 mm)
Body Width Lower Bout: 16.5 ins (419 mm)
Body Width Upper Bout: 11.75 ins (298 mm)
Overall Guitar Length: 41 ins (1041mm)
Guitar Weight: 6.25 lbs
Body Binding: Ivory White
Purfling: Black/Ivory White
F-Holes: Unbound
Neck Material: 1-Piece Mahogany
Neck Shape: Vintage Soft “U”
Neck Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
Bridge: Guild Adjusto-Matic with Rosewood Base
Strings: D’Addario EXL115 Nickel Wound, Medium/Blues-Jazz Rock, (.011-.049 Gauges)
Case: TKL Deluxe Hardshell
Bridge Pickup: Guild “Anti-Hum” Dual-Coil
Neck Pickup: Guild “Anti-Hum” Dual-Coil
Pickup Switches: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2.
Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Control Knobs: Black Plastic
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Strap Buttons: Vintage-Style
Pickguard: Black with Guild Logo
Scale Length: 24.75 ins (628 mm)
Nut Width: 1.650 ins (42 mm)
Nut Material: Bone
Neck Binding: 1-Ply Ivory White
Fingerboard Material: Indian Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 9.45 ins (240 mm)
Fingerboard Inlays: Pearloid Dot
# of Frets: 20
Fret Size: Narrow Jumbo
Tuning Machines: Grover Sta-Tite, Die-Ca
Truss Rod: Dual-Action
Truss Rod Wrench: 7mm Hex
The first I tried was a Starfire V. Similar to the a 335 semi, with a Bigsby style trem. Very nice sounding guitar and a feast for the eyes. But something about it's layout didn't work for me.
Next came an A-150 Savoy. A large, single cutaway, jazz box, with a nice sunburst finish and a single, floating, DeArmond pickup. I'd like to own one of these but really couldn't justify the expense, for the amount of use it
would get. Even with flatwound strings, it sounded good but not a guitar I'd have a huge amount of use for.
Then I played a Guild Starfire III. A very slim, in depth, semi. With a single, florentine cutaway, it looks a bit ES 175-ish. The dark cherry colour and all mahogany body, with lovely off-white binding, really makes for a quite a
looker. Neck, fretboard and scale are all the same as my Manhatten, so it feels really comfy, straight away. But with the slim body and lower action, this feels more of a rocker. The pickups have the sound of mini-humbuckers. To the un-initiated, that means like a HB but sharper and snappier, with more cut and even jangle. After P90s, probably my favourite. The standard of build and finish on this beast is outstanding. It's joy to play and hear. I don't think it'll ever overtake the Manhatten, in my affections but it's a superb alternative.
PECS:
Body Shape: Starfire III
Bracing: Parallel Tone Bars
Finish: Gloss Polyurethane, Cherry Red
Body Depth Upper Bout: 1.75 ins (44.45 mm)
Body Depth Lower Bout: 1.875 ins (48 mm)
Body Length: 20.25 ins (514 mm)
Body Width Lower Bout: 16.5 ins (419 mm)
Body Width Upper Bout: 11.75 ins (298 mm)
Overall Guitar Length: 41 ins (1041mm)
Guitar Weight: 6.25 lbs
Body Binding: Ivory White
Purfling: Black/Ivory White
F-Holes: Unbound
Neck Material: 1-Piece Mahogany
Neck Shape: Vintage Soft “U”
Neck Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
Bridge: Guild Adjusto-Matic with Rosewood Base
Strings: D’Addario EXL115 Nickel Wound, Medium/Blues-Jazz Rock, (.011-.049 Gauges)
Case: TKL Deluxe Hardshell
Bridge Pickup: Guild “Anti-Hum” Dual-Coil
Neck Pickup: Guild “Anti-Hum” Dual-Coil
Pickup Switches: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2.
Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Control Knobs: Black Plastic
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Strap Buttons: Vintage-Style
Pickguard: Black with Guild Logo
Scale Length: 24.75 ins (628 mm)
Nut Width: 1.650 ins (42 mm)
Nut Material: Bone
Neck Binding: 1-Ply Ivory White
Fingerboard Material: Indian Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 9.45 ins (240 mm)
Fingerboard Inlays: Pearloid Dot
# of Frets: 20
Fret Size: Narrow Jumbo
Tuning Machines: Grover Sta-Tite, Die-Ca
Truss Rod: Dual-Action
Truss Rod Wrench: 7mm Hex
Jo whoever he is.
