The Starfire III was produced between 1960 and 1973. Most of the Specials were from the '65-'69 range, but there were some earlier models. The Starfire Special was a center-block semi-hollow made to be more durable for extended gigs. It featured dual DeArmond 2K pickups and a DeArmond Vibro tailpiece which just happens to look a lot like the old Guild harp. Some of the earlier Specials even had the harp tailpiece and dual Guild humbuckers.

There is some disagreement as to which pickups were more popular, but due to the fact that the Starfire III used humbuckers exclusively from '63-'73, they probably win the day. The body was laminated mahogany or maple, with a mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, and dot inlays.

The most significant difference between the Starfire III and the Special was the body construction - fully hollow on the III; semi-hollow on the Special. Like most semi-hollow archtops, the center block made the Special easier to play because it made the guitar more forgiving. Interestingly, when DeArmond took up the Special line they used the same semi-hollow body with the center block. Yet many players have remarked that it's noticeably heavier than the original.

Both the original Starfire Special and its DeArmond cousin have their fans. And while they may disagree over which is better, the one thing we do know is that you can't consider buying a vintage guitar without considering the Guild Starfire Special.