Guild launches versatile new Starfire I Bass for 2021

Guild Starfire I bass
(Image credit: Guild)

Guild has updated its Starfire bass guitar lineup with the release of the new Starfire I.

Available in either a Cherry Red or Vintage Walnut finish, the new model is "a modern adaptation of the traditional Starfire bass platform", and promises to bring iconic style and versatile tone to a whole new price point.

Featuring a 30.75" scale length and a 2.4-inch-thick body, the Cherry Red option features a mahogany top, back and sides, while the Vintage Walnut offering sports a maple top, back and sides.

Elsewhere, the semi-hollow guitars are fitted with a pair of Guild's BC-I BiCoil hum-cancelling pickups – an Alnico 5-based split-coil pickup that is said to deliver a "classic biting tone".

Controlled via a master tone control and a master volume control, the latter also acts as a push-pull "vintage switch" that opens up a new sonic range, delivering vocal and classic hollowbody tones.

Guild Starfire I Bass

(Image credit: Guild)

Another new feature for the Starfire bass format is the inclusion of a tune-o-matic bridge constructed entirely from metal – previously, Starfire bass guitars exclusively opted for wooden bridge saddles. An elegant hard-shaped tailpiece caps off the new bass.

The Guild Starfire I bass will be released April 1 and will list for $599.

Head over to Guild for more info.

Matt Owen
Senior Staff Writer, GuitarWorld.com

Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.