Perhaps it’s the smell of Halloween in the air or the buzz about town due to AC/DC’s return to global stages, but three of Guild’s most popular electric guitar models are back in black!
STARFIRE III BLACK
The Guild Starfire III has been an icon in the Guild electric guitar lineup since the early 1960s, delivering incredible tones, playability, and style to guitarists for many decades. Blending the warm, organic tones of its hollowbody design with a thinline body depth and Florentine cutaway, the Starfire III has something for every type of player and musical style. Over the years it has enjoyed several iterations, and the current reissue models that reside in the Newark St. Collection blend the best of all eras with modern refinements, premium build quality, and value.
Mahogany is known for its sweet and warm tonal characteristics, with beautiful sustain. The Starfire III is designed with an arched mahogany top with two period correct f-holes, arched back, and mahogany sides built in a thinline body depth with Florentine cutaway.
The thin depth controls feedback while still delivering classic hollowbody warmth and richness, and the Florentine cutaway provides a comfortable and ergonomic playing experience with 14 frets to the body and 24.75” scale. Altogether the Starfire III is incredibly lightweight and resonant compared to typical hollowbodies.
Guild “Little Bucker” LB-1s were first introduced in the early 1960s as alternatives to single coil pickups. They offer an output that sits somewhere between a single-coil and a vintage-style PAF humbucker, offering more jangle than a PAF, but a little more warmth than a traditional single-coil. With Alnico V magnets and a narrower size format than a traditional humbucker, LB-1s have become the secret weapon of many guitarists over the years, delivering a wide range of coveted boutique quality tones that can drive, sustain, shimmer, and spank.
With a Ebony fingerboard, Mother of Pearl headstock Guild “Peak” and “Chesterfield” inlays, volume and tone controls for each pickup, a hardshell case and many more features, the Starfire III is professional level instrument. A Guild Floating Vibrato tailpiece allows for smooth bends, tremolos, and nuances, while 18:1 tuning machines ensure accurate tuning.
The Guild Starfire III comes standard with a transparent Cherry red finish in high gloss. The grain pattern of the mahogany body is visible, and the finish coating is ultra-thin for maximum resonance.
*New for 2023, Guild has re-released a limited run of the Starfire III in all black gloss.
STARFIRE BASS II BLACK
This dual-pickup, semi-hollow bass guitar adds both legendary style and a modern range of sonic options to Guild’s iconic Starfire Bass. Originally debuting in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, the Starfire Bass II quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane), Chris Hillman (The Byrds) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). The recent addition of the BiSonic BS-1 neck pickup has expanded tonal options, giving bassists a warm, smooth sound for added flexibility and the fat, warm hollowbody bass tones not typically found in solidbody basses.
The Guild BS-1 BiSonic pickup was originally found in many of the solid and hollow bodied Guild basses in the 1960s and 70s. The BS-1 has developed a cult following resulting in several reissue versions and designs, including the famous Darkstar by Fred Hammon and BS-DS by Curtis Novak. Wound to 6.4K Ohms, similar in specification to a Hammon Darkstar, the Guild BS-1 utilizes Alnico 2 magnets and provides a refined modern tone in a classic package.
With a thinline semi-hollowbody design, the Starfire Bass II is comfortable to play and delivers the organic, resonant sound and lush overtones of a hollowbody instrument. A short (30.75″) scale length makes navigating the fretboard a breeze, and is perfect for all types of players, including beginners and players with smaller hands.
Premium materials include a Ebony fingerboard and Mother of Pearl Guild “Peak” and Chesterfield inlay on the neck. Other features include Grover Sta-tite tuners, 500K individual volume, tone, and master volume knobs, and a hardshell case. Starfire Basses come with D’Addario EXL165 Nickel Wound Bass strings in Custom Light (.045 – .105), and some players enjoy with flatwounds for a smooth and unique playing experience.
The Guild Starfire II comes standard with a transparent high gloss finish in natural. *New for 2023, Guild has re-released and limited run in all black gloss. An Emerald Green gloss finish is available on a maple bodied model, and the Starfire Bass II Flamed Maple is an elevated option with an eye-catching body wood and clear finish.
*This is a running spec change to comply with CITES regulations. More information.
M-75 ARISTOCRAT BLACK
The welcome return of a true Guild Classic featuring mahogany back and sides with a chambered body and arched Spruce braced top. The compact and lightweight M-75 Aristocrat model expertly evokes its predecessor of the early 1950s, with a historic Guild single-cutaway hollow body specifically designed to produce the resonance of a larger instrument. Additional features include a bound Ebony fingerboard, Grover Sta-tite tuners, a comfortable, rock-solid three-piece neck, and vintage reproduction Guild Franz P90 pickups. Ships with a hardshell case. *New for 2023, Guild has re-released and limited run in all black gloss. Also available in Antique Sunburst.