Starfire V with Guild Vibrato Review

Great semi hollowbody!

I had been thinking of buying this guitar (in black) for quite some time since I was looking for a semi-hollow style guitar. I messed around and bought a couple other Gibson's that didn't meet my expectations sad to say. From the unboxing process to the time I had the guitar in my hands everything was top notch. The feel of this guitar was solid, and met my standards of quality… read more control (and I'm picky). It was setup perfectly right out of the case. And the looks on this guitar are absolutely killer! Smooth and stylish with the Guildsby which adds a certain flare. Feels great in the hand. Not too big of a neck and not too small like a toy. There are plenty of guitars out there that are twice the price and half as nice. The sound is an original one coming from these little buckers. They can be very delicate and then growl when you need them to. This guitar is not the brightest sounding one in the world due to the mahogany build. Slight buzz on the first few frets (low notes) that went away with a few tweaks. That's the reason for the 4.5 stars. That being said, this is one the best playing hollowbodies I've ever played. Glad I finally decided on this one. You will be too if you buy it.

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My Favorite Guitar

When this arrived, it beat expectations. The guitar is beautiful in looks and sound. Plays like a dream right out of the box. Everything is of quality, including the nut. Stays in tune. Wish my Fender Vintera 70s Telecaster was this good, but it's not (Fender quality is lacking, especially with cheap nuts on expensive guitars). My first semi hollow and I just cannot put this down.… read more Pickups are incredible and the frets and neck just feel so good. I own a few Fenders (94 American Strat, 70s Vintera Tele, Pawn Shop 51 Tele), a couple Danelectros (Korea from 1999), and a G&L ASAT Classic. The Guild Starfire is The One I would keep, if I could only have one. The hardshell case is of high quality. The price is right for what you get and I am so much happier as I think Gibson are too expensive and I almost got a Gretsch. Based upon where the guitars are made and looking at reviews, I am content that I went with the Guild.

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Aweaome

This is a great guitar. Sounds great and easy to play. I recommend.

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Guild Starfire V

My guitar is GREAT and my experience with Sweetwater by far exceeded my expectations. Follow-up all the way through the sale, order and delivery process. They care.

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Beautiful Guitar

It's a great guitar, feels amazing and I love playing it. I'm by no means a professional so I dont have any anecdotes to make but as a personal guitar I play at home, I love it. My other is a fender strat texas special, and it's a completely different feel. I love them both for different reasons. I was initially worried I wouldn't like the ergonomics of it, but it feels great to… read more play. For me, it's a perfect alternative guitar.

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Great service - great guitar - great price

Great service great guitar I have to admit It did not start out well,my first guitar arrived damaged. However, Jon, my sales rep, immediately got a replacement to me the very next day and I sent the damaged one back. This guitar is a replica of what I originally learned to play on in the 60s. It sounds great, the action is fantastic and it’s light as a feather… I’m very happy… read more with my Guild. Over the years I have purchased several items through Jon and I am very pleased and highly recommend Sweetwater

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Incredible Guitar

If you want an awesome sounding semi-hollow guitar at a reasonable price, this is as good as it gets.The neck plays wonderfully, the finish looks great, it comes with a great-quality hardshell case, all the hardware and electronics appear to be top-notch. My '91 LP Standard has been napping in its case for a few months now because of this thing. Definitely plays and sounds like… read more a guitar 2-3x the price. Has a nice warm tone that is suitable for jazz, rock, blues, etc. With a little more dirt it can get pretty mean too and do harder rock.

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Can I just copy the last guy's review!?!?

Nah...I won't do that, but I'm equally ecstatic about this guitar!!Disclaimer: I've been drooling over a white Gibson ES-335 since first seeing Alex Lifeson sporting one decades ago but couldn't afford one then, and still can't in 2018. In fact, I've never gotten around to putting an ES-335 in my hands but just can't imagine it feeling or sounding $3,508 dollars better... than this… read more beauty!!I've heard it classified as a 'poor man's ES-335'. So be it. I feel 'richer' just owning it!!Guitar arrived set up perfectly, and perfectly in tune out of the box! Amazing!I can't wait to get home everyday to play it! Haven't felt like that since I was 5 and had just gotten a new puppy!!Highly recommended!!

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Dream Guitar

First, I would like to state that I'm probably the last person who thought they would buy a semi-hollow. Second, this review is completely biased. I freaking love this guitar and I'm so happy I bought it after about a month of drooling over it. It feels like perfection the moment you pick it up and sounds amazing even unplugged for some quiet practice time. The only issue has been… read more with tuning stability but since this is my first Bigsby I'm willing to call it user error or it just needs more lubrication at the nut and saddles. Besides that, I'm quite content with the hours I've lost track of since purchasing this beauty and Guild will be my first stop for future purchases.

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What an awesome sweet sound it makes

You will be amazed of how much better and easier is to make beautiful music come out of this instrument, is comfortable is not as heavy as my les paul, it has presence, if you need crunch you got it if you need clean you got it, it ready to be played right out of the box, there are not enough words to express my gratitude to Sweetwater and their team

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Wonderful Guitar

Simply a fantastic instrument. I'd been looking for a guitar for some time, and after many hours of research finally settled on the SF V. When it arrived from Sweetwater it was pretty much ready to play right out of the box! No scratches or dings, the guitar was clean and clearly well-cared for. I am playing it through an Orange amp, so I can really get that jangly sound. This… read more is my first electric (played acoustic for about 10 years, bass for 15), so I'm enjoying fiddling with the different settings. I can get quite the broad range of sound. The guitar does tend to err towards a brighter sound, but wise management of the pickups and tone allow a dedicated player to get whatever he or she wants. Only issue so far is mild intonation issues after using the vibrato tailpiece, but this is to be expected. It's frankly more my responsibility to use it more judiciously (which is hard to do, because it's so fun!). Ah, one last note: as anyone with eyes can see, the guitar is simply beautiful from the photos online. These photos are inaccurate: the SF V is EVEN MORE gorgeous in real life. I bought mine in white - and it looks astounding. Long atory short, I'd highly encourage anyone to pick this guitar up!

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Starfire V Black

I have owned many makes and models but this time I hit the jackpot. I owned a Guild back in the late 60"s and loved it but at the time I was playing in a band and the shape of the guitar didn't fit the look we were trying to portray and I swapped it for a Strat. Now I'm a retired guitar player and It's my turn. It is absolutely gorgeous and plays like a dream. I am completely amazed… read more with the attention to detail from Sweetwater. They are the best at what they do and my sales engineer Mike has really taken good care of me. Thanks guys keep up the great work.

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