Guild Starfire XII 12 String Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1966)
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Item # 9741
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Guild Starfire XII Model 12 String Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1966), made in Hoboken, NJ, serial # DC-515, cherry lacquer finish, laminated maple body, laminated mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
The Starfire series models have been Guild's most consistently successful electric guitars since their inception, and by far the company's most popular electric instruments in the 1960s. This Starfire XII is one of the more obscure variations, a product of the mid-1960s boom in electric 12-strings driven by the Beatles and the Byrds. Guild had seen solid success with their flat top 12-strings, so it must have seemed a no brainer to adapt the thin-line electric Starfire to the format. The Starfire XII appeared at the end of 1965 in time to enjoy fairly good sales in 1966 although it never equaled the 6-strings in popularity.
This is a fairly early production 12-string Starfire, with some hardware modifications but a fine-playing example. It uses mostly the same layout as the 6-string Starfire IV, a double cutaway, twin pickup semi-hollow instrument with a laminated maple body and laminated mahogany neck. The obvious difference is the long headstock fitted with two banks of tuners. When this XII was made, the neck joint on the double-cut Starfires had not yet been moved out from the 16th to the 18th fret giving this one a slightly better balanced feel.
Although this model was not officially discontinued until 1974, the electric 12-string boom had petered out by the late '60s. Very few if any Starfire XII's were made after 1969. It appears just slightly over 800 XII's were made in total, nearly all of them in 1966-7.
The twin pickups are the typical 1960s Guild humbuckers, similar to but a bit brighter and crisper sounding than the Gibson equivalent with a nice wide tonal range that work well on a XII. Like Gibson's similar ES-335 series, the Starfire XII has a solid block running through the center of the body, cutting down on feedback and giving the guitar a tighter tone. Other hardware is shared with the rest of the Starfire line includes the "harp" tailpiece, G-shield tone and volume knobs and metal-tipped switch.
This Starfire XII has a fairly narrow 1 5/8 nut but a chunkier feeling neck than some electric 12's, offering more to hold on to than the typical Rickenbacker or Fender XII. It is a very versatile guitar, one of the best-playing electric 12-strings we have had. Although this model is not generally thought of as a blues instrument, Robert Jr. Lockwood played a Starfire XII for some years. This cherry example looks sharp, is a fine player, and is a real bargain compared to similar period Gibson, Rickenbacker or Fender 12-strings.
Overall length is 42 1/2 in. (108 cm.), 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a fine player's example of this fairly rare guild, with some modernized hardware but showing only light wear for its 55 years on the planet. The finish shows typical checking and small chips, dings, and dents but no large areas worn away. There is a pickwear spot on the face where the missing pickguard once sat; showing why guitars were made with pickguards. The back of the neck is relatively clean, with just some small marks. The plastic headstock overlay has shrunken slightly and is separating just a bit at the top as many do. The original frets show some very little wear and still play well.
Hardware alterations include added Mini-Schaller tuners, which definitely work better then the original Japanese-made strip tuners but do add some weight. The bridge is a heavy cast fully-adjustable unit, mounted solidly on posts like a Gibson semi-hollow ES model. This is again more functional than the original two-piece wooden bridge Guild fitted but not period correct. The pickguard is missing; all other fittings are original and intact and everything works as intended.
Considering the hardware changes this is a fine player's guitar, not 100% authentic but somewhat more functional for the average player than a fully original example. While not strictly "collectible" this Starfire would make a truly excellent studio or performance electric 12-string. The original case is not present, the guitar is housed in a 1970's Japanese HSC that is not as stout as the original but works fine. Very Good + Condition.
The Starfire series models have been Guild's most consistently successful electric guitars since their inception, and by far the company's most popular electric instruments in the 1960s. This Starfire XII is one of the more obscure variations, a product of the mid-1960s boom in electric 12-strings driven by the Beatles and the Byrds. Guild had seen solid success with their flat top 12-strings, so it must have seemed a no brainer to adapt the thin-line electric Starfire to the format. The Starfire XII appeared at the end of 1965 in time to enjoy fairly good sales in 1966 although it never equaled the 6-strings in popularity.
This is a fairly early production 12-string Starfire, with some hardware modifications but a fine-playing example. It uses mostly the same layout as the 6-string Starfire IV, a double cutaway, twin pickup semi-hollow instrument with a laminated maple body and laminated mahogany neck. The obvious difference is the long headstock fitted with two banks of tuners. When this XII was made, the neck joint on the double-cut Starfires had not yet been moved out from the 16th to the 18th fret giving this one a slightly better balanced feel.
Although this model was not officially discontinued until 1974, the electric 12-string boom had petered out by the late '60s. Very few if any Starfire XII's were made after 1969. It appears just slightly over 800 XII's were made in total, nearly all of them in 1966-7.
The twin pickups are the typical 1960s Guild humbuckers, similar to but a bit brighter and crisper sounding than the Gibson equivalent with a nice wide tonal range that work well on a XII. Like Gibson's similar ES-335 series, the Starfire XII has a solid block running through the center of the body, cutting down on feedback and giving the guitar a tighter tone. Other hardware is shared with the rest of the Starfire line includes the "harp" tailpiece, G-shield tone and volume knobs and metal-tipped switch.
This Starfire XII has a fairly narrow 1 5/8 nut but a chunkier feeling neck than some electric 12's, offering more to hold on to than the typical Rickenbacker or Fender XII. It is a very versatile guitar, one of the best-playing electric 12-strings we have had. Although this model is not generally thought of as a blues instrument, Robert Jr. Lockwood played a Starfire XII for some years. This cherry example looks sharp, is a fine player, and is a real bargain compared to similar period Gibson, Rickenbacker or Fender 12-strings.
Overall length is 42 1/2 in. (108 cm.), 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a fine player's example of this fairly rare guild, with some modernized hardware but showing only light wear for its 55 years on the planet. The finish shows typical checking and small chips, dings, and dents but no large areas worn away. There is a pickwear spot on the face where the missing pickguard once sat; showing why guitars were made with pickguards. The back of the neck is relatively clean, with just some small marks. The plastic headstock overlay has shrunken slightly and is separating just a bit at the top as many do. The original frets show some very little wear and still play well.
Hardware alterations include added Mini-Schaller tuners, which definitely work better then the original Japanese-made strip tuners but do add some weight. The bridge is a heavy cast fully-adjustable unit, mounted solidly on posts like a Gibson semi-hollow ES model. This is again more functional than the original two-piece wooden bridge Guild fitted but not period correct. The pickguard is missing; all other fittings are original and intact and everything works as intended.
Considering the hardware changes this is a fine player's guitar, not 100% authentic but somewhat more functional for the average player than a fully original example. While not strictly "collectible" this Starfire would make a truly excellent studio or performance electric 12-string. The original case is not present, the guitar is housed in a 1970's Japanese HSC that is not as stout as the original but works fine. Very Good + Condition.