Guild introduced a pair of thin-bodied archtops with a pointed cutaway in 1958, so the Starfire models of 1960 were not really new – they were just better looking. Their cherry-stained “Starfire red” finishes set them apart from the traditional sunburst and natural finishes on every Guild that preceded them.

The Starfire I had a single pickup, the II had a pair of pickups, and the III featured two pickups plus a vibrato made by bigsby. In 1963, the Starfires were further distanced from the more traditional thinline models when their single-coil pickups were replaced with humbuckers. By that time, all three Starfires were offered in such eye-catching finish colors as Emeral Green, Honey Amber and Ebony Grain.

The Starfire name worked well enough that Guild used it on a series of double-cutaway semi-hollow models – The Starfire IV, V, VI and XII – beginning in 1963.

The single-cut Starfire III was discontinued in 1974 but Guild brought it back as a reissue from 1995-2005.