1961 Guild Starfire III

From 1956 to 1966, Guild guitars were made in Hoboken, New Jersey. During that period, Guild developed its reputation for archtop guitars, producing perhaps the finest archtops in the company's history. Hoboken Guild archtops reflect a blend of traditional design and innovative features that rival the best of their time. This Guild Starfire III dates to 1961, and as the label makes clear, it was made in Hoboken, New Jersey. Introduced in 1960, the Starfire III features a fully-hollow thinline body with a single cutaway. It features two pickups with volume and tone controls, and what sets the III apart from the other Starfire models is that the Bigsby vibrato, which adds another range of expression. Guild used different pickups from year to year, but in 1961, the Starfire III shipped with white-top DeArmond Dynasonic pickups. Famously used on Gretsch guitars in the '50s, these single-coil pickups produce bold, articulate tone with sparkling highs, rich lows, and a dynamic, almost acoust