Guild Starfire V w/Bigsby

The guitar is stunning, let's get that out of the way. I had played both the starfire III and IV in a local shop and loved both, but this SFV exceeded my expectations in terms of feel, stability and attention to detail.

From my experience, the Newark street guitars are among the best in their price range. They are not cheap, but you feel and hear the quality.

Pros:
- looks
- clear, articulate pickups
- the finish, the tall frets, the bigsby, the inlays, the the dot markers on the knobs are all part of what makes this instrument so special
- The neck width and depth
- incredible sustain

Cons:
- yellow cover on pickup switch: looks off to me, swapped for a cream coloured tip from my sorrento
- floating bridge
- bit heavy for a semi hollow guitar (mahogany...)

Highly recommended

The initial Guild Starfire that arrived was a mess - there were blemishes and scratches on the finishing and the neck join to the body was at a slight angle. It took awhile to return and receive a replacement - and I considered seriously just not trusting internet shopping for a guitar - but the guitar that finally did arrive was excellent. It's just so versatile in its play-ability and tone and feels a quality instrument. It's fast become my favourite guitar, and though cheaper than my Elite Strat, I probably take better care of it for how beautiful and delicate looking it is.

Pickups are bright and there's a nice clarity that growls nicely with some gain - but you will need to use the EQ and find the sweet spot as the sound will get a little 'mushy' with too large a pedal chain.

Great sound for jazz, blues and rock - and through my cranked Marshall DSL40c, you can get heavy metal (Black Sabbath, not Shadowsfall) sounds.

Very easy to play - surprisingly fast. Frets will nicely spaced and really help explore the neck and express yourself as it's very dynamic.

Overall, great guitar though I do sometimes long for another Fender.

Love this guitar. I’m using it in a covers band when we get to 60’s stuff. It’s a good all round performer and has been a good talking point with punters.
Initially i had to set it up as the original setup wasn’t good, nothing unusual there. But after that it plays like a dream. I use a Line 6 DT25 amp (Don’t scoff unless you’ve tried one) which i can dial in different tones and the Starfire sounds great whatever sound i choose. The pickups have a good output but not too hot. That said they will still scream if you want them to.
This guitar has a master volume which is a great idea, each pickup has its own volume but both can be overridden by the master.
The Bigsby gives a good wobble and works well.
Apart from the poor setup the only gripes i have with this guitar is the orange pickup selected switch which looks completely out of place and more annoyingly is the floating bridge. That said it is a wonderful instrument, looks and sounds great.