Guild Starfire I SC w/GVT Vibrato - Snowcrest White

I bought this during Better Music's annual sale. At the price I paid, it is simply the best value electric guitar I've ever purchased - out of a total of at least 50 guitars over several decades. The guitar arrived in Brisbane in less than a week, despite very inclement weather (heavy rain and flooding in Qld). Delivery was via StarTrack, which in my experience is easily the best courier operating in a world full of Mickey Mouse couriers. The delivery driver actually rang my doorbell rather than dump the parcel, photograph it, and run away.

The guitar's fit and finish are virtually flawless. The paint is perfect. To be hypercritical, the frets could do with a 10-minute polish to remove some black marks from them and really make them shine. I'll do that when I change the strings, which are 11s and rather too heavy for my liking, as I'm used to 9s and 10s. I lowered the action significantly, which was a two-minute task using the thumbwheels on the bridge. The fingerboard, described on Guild's website as Indian rosewood, and by Better Music as pau ferro, is of good quality if a little light in colour if it's rosewood. The tuners are absolutely excellent, holding tune even when Guild's version of its Bigsby is used vigorously. The pickups sound really, really good, giving excellent bass and treble response. To me, they sound better when not coil split but splitting them obviously adds additional variety to the guitar's sound. I've played Telecasters almost exclusively for the last few years but the Guild's humbuckers make me think I've been missing out tonally. Unlike some Gibson humbuckers, the Guild's are never dull and in need of a treble boost.

In terms of overall quality, this Indonesian Guild is equal to, or possibly better than, a Korean Gretsch Electromatic 5020t I've owned and loved for at least a decade, yet it cost several hundreds of dollars less than that Gretsch's current retail price. It's not as loud acoustically as the Gretsch - the Guild's body is thinner and its f-holes are narrower. I tend to keep the Gretsch on my couch and play it acoustically. However, if you're looking for a versatile, retro looking guitar which sounds great, I can recommend the Guild without reservation.

P.S. I note from Guild's website that this colour is now discontinued, which might explain why it was such a bargain price in the recent sale. It's my only white guitar and looks great with its contrasting black fittings/headstock.