The "Cherry Burst" designation refers only to the finish of the guitar and nothing else. When the Starfire line first began production in the late 1950s the two factory standard finishes were cherry red and sunburst. Cherry red was usually the finish for the Maple bodied instrument while sunburst was reserved for the mahogany-bodied guitars. But by 1962 Guild began offering a handful of other colors including black and brown. By 1967 the list of finishes had expanded to nearly a dozen.

The Cherry Burst finish was a combination of the original sunburst and cherry red finishes. It had to be ordered on a custom basis, and very few were produced. What makes it so stunning is the fact that the reddish gold tint of the Cherry Burst really came alive, especially under the glowing lights of the stage. Seeing one of these guitars in a live setting was a sight to behold. For the musician playing it, not only did the Cherry Burst live up to the Starfire reputation for tone and sound quality, but it also captured the eyes of everyone in the audience. In our opinion, the Starfire Cherry Burst is truly a work of art!