GGJaguar's Guitarium and Ampeteria 2002 Guild Starfire III-90

All images and text copyrighted and property of Greg Gagliano.

FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

In 2001, Guild decided to offer the Starfire III with single coil pickups - the first time since the switch to humbuckers in 1963. To be really accurate, Guild should have chosen the fabulous DeArmond Dynasonic pickups made for Gretsch or possibly the DeArmond 2000 pickups, but instead the Starfire III was fitted with P-90 pickups. This new version is identified by the "-90" suffix in the model name. The Seymour Duncan P-90s that Guild uses in the Starfire III-90 is a custom version of Seymour's “Antiquity” P-90 for both neck and bridge. The pickups are just like stock Antiquitys, except they lack the cosmetic aging and the neck is also reverse wound/reverse polarity (RW/RP) for hum cancellation when both pickups are selected. These pickups use Alinico II magnets unlike Gibson P-90s which use Alnico V magnets. Interestingly, the earliest examples of this model, made in Guild's Westerly facility, have the neck pickup placed directly against the end of the fingerboard. The majority of the guitars produced had the neck pickup located about 3/8 inch from the end of the fingerboard as shown on the guitar here. And speaking of the guitar shown here, it was made shortly after production moved FMIC's Corona, California facility. And a final tidbit - the Corona-made Starfires have a narrower headstock that is the same width as the mid-1960s Starfires.

GUILD STARFIRE III-90 (2002)

Body: Hollow; laminated 1-piece flame maple top, back, and sides; double bound top and back