Guild Starfire IV USA Corona Sunburst Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar w/ HSC

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Guild Starfire IV – Corona, CA USA – Sunburst 

Condition

Excellent condition with light cosmetic evidence of normal use. The body shows minor fine surface scratches and wear commensurate with normal handling and playing. There is one slightly deeper but still minor scratch on the lower front bout near the binding. There are small, shallow dents and surface scratches in the upper and lower cutouts.  None of the dents or scratches go through the finish or are highly visible in normal light. Lighting of close up photos intended to make cosmetic wear more visible, please see photos for detail.

The body and neck binding are intact, with no signs of gaps or separation from the body. Frets are in excellent, near-new condition with few signs of prior use. The truss rod operates correctly with adjustment room in both directions.

A professional setup and inspection have been completed with medium-low action and no buzzing, appropriate neck relief, accurate intonation, and pickup height set for balanced output and response. Electronics function correctly.

Includes a non-original Washburn hardshell case in good condition with a quality, secure fit.

Specifications

• Model: Guild Starfire IV
• Serial Number: CW000038
• Era: Early Corona production, circa 2002
• Made In: Corona, California, USA
• Finish: Sunburst
• Construction: Semi-hollow, double cutaway with center block
• Body: Laminated maple
• Top: Highly figured flame maple laminate
• Neck: Three-piece mahogany/maple, set neck
• Fingerboard: Bound rosewood
• Scale Length: 24.75"
• Fingerboard Radius: 12"
• Frets: 22
• Pickups: Dual Fender-era Guild HB-1 humbuckers
• Controls: Individual volume and tone controls, 3-way pickup selector
• Bridge: Tune-o-matic style with stop tailpiece
• Tuners: Grover
• Nut Width: 1.73"
• Width at 12th Fret: 2.07"
• Neck Depth at 1st Fret: 0.88"
• Neck Depth at 12th Fret: 0.98"
• Neck Profile: Rounded C
• Weight: 8 lbs 6 oz
• Case: Non-original Washburn hardshell case

Professor’s Notes

There’s something deeply satisfying about this Starfire: the substantial but easy neck, the warmth and density of the HB-1s, and a flame maple top that makes an already uncommon USA Guild feel genuinely special. It can be soft, round and almost luxurious clean, then turn snarling and aggressive with remarkably little encouragement—less a 335 alternative than a distinct semi-hollow voice with real personality.

Description

This Starfire IV comes from Guild’s brief Corona, California period, after Fender moved Guild production from Westerly, Rhode Island to its Corona facility in late 2001. American Guild electric-guitar production in Corona lasted only a few years, making these instruments a relatively small chapter in the history of the USA-made Starfire.

Serial number CW000038 places this among the very early Corona-numbered instruments. Surviving Guild serial-number documentation does not provide sufficiently granular year-by-year records to date Corona guitars precisely from the serial alone, but the low sequence number and known production timeline are consistent with an early example, circa 2002.

Construction follows the classic Starfire IV formula: a thin double-cutaway semi-hollow maple body with center block, three-piece mahogany/maple set neck, bound rosewood fingerboard, 24.75" scale, dual humbuckers, and individual volume and tone controls.

This example is particularly striking in Sunburst, with a highly figured flame maple top that shows considerable movement as the guitar catches the light.

The neck is another standout feature. It measures 1.73" wide at the nut and .88" deep at the first fret, growing to .98" at the 12th. In hand, it feels like a rounded C with genuine substance but very little sense of bulk—less shoulder than a vintage Fender-style U, with somewhat more depth than a typically slim Gibson-style C. It fills the hand comfortably without feeling oversized.

Electronics & Tone

These Corona-era instruments use the Fender-produced version of Guild’s HB-1 humbucker. They retain the distinctive Guild double-hump appearance while representing a different iteration of the design from the earlier vintage HB-1 pickups.

The voice of this guitar is warm, full and distinctly mid-forward. Compared with a typical ES-335, it feels denser through the mids, with a slightly softer top end and less of the open upper-mid bite and air many players associate with a 335.

Clean, it excels at soft, round sounds with plenty of body and a smooth attack. Add gain or dig in harder and the character changes quickly: the bridge pickup develops real bite and snarl, while the strong midrange keeps the guitar articulate and present rather than simply becoming thicker.

That gives the Starfire a surprisingly broad range without losing its own identity. Jazzier cleans and softer chord work come naturally, but so do blues, roots rock, indie, alternative and considerably more aggressive driven sounds.

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