GEAR REVIEW
GUILD STARFIRE 1 12-STRING | Eric Dahl
KEY FEATURES
• 12-string electric
• Double cutaway
• Mahogany archtop and center block
• Semi-hollow body
• Guild HB-2 Humbucker pickups
A 12-sting can really fill out the sound of a Worship band ’ s sound and not conflict with guitars on stage if EQ-ed correctly . Guild has a reputation for delivering incredible 12-string sounds from their acoustic jumbo body guitars and their electrics . At the NAMM show in June of this year I was able to play one of the early production models of the new Guild Starfire 1 12-string that we received for review . I have always been a fan of Guild ’ s Starfire guitar configuration and this 12-string model is a true pleasure to play . The mahogany center block deters all the feedback that you can typically achieve while playing a 12-string on stage .
This is a well-constructed archtop with mahogany top , back and sides . The scale length is 24-3 / 4 ” and the neck joins the double cutaway body at the 18 th fret . The neck shape is a thinner shaped “ U ” which is easy to maneuver and chord on and the nut width is 1 & 11 / 16 ”. The Guild Starfire 1 12-string features a Tune-o-Matic bridge with a stop tail piece . Electronics wise the Starfire has a pair of Guild HB-2 pickups with Alnico II magnets . Controls are straight forward with a three-way toggle for pickup selection and two volumes and two controls over the pickups . The machine heads are mini-chrome enclosed . The white binding on the front and back of the body accents the Cherry Red translucent finish nicely . The 12.5 ” rosewood fretboard also has white binding . The Guild knobs , headstock logo and three step pickguard are a nod to classic Guild instruments from the past .
WORSHIP
GUITAR PLAYER