When I was a kid, I got my first good guitar. It was a Guild Starfire V (the shop where I took lessons was a Guild dealer, so of course…) I played that guitar all through high school and into college. Around my second year in college, I was fortunate to meet and study with Joe Pass. I remember, at the end of my first lesson, he said “Mike, you gotta get yourself a real jazz guitar.” So I did what Joe said.
At the time, I was teaching at a local music store (also a Guild dealer…fate?) and was engaged to the owner’s daughter. Needless to say, I got the deal of a lifetime on a blonde 1972 Guild X-500. (Still have the guitar, at least.) 🙂 Maple neck and back, spruce top, ebony fingerboard—it was heaven! It’s been over 50 years (yikes!), and this is still my go-to arch top. It’s still blonde… I am not. 🙂
