guild starfire bass

**neatomic** · 01-09-2020, 06:47 PM

got a new guild sf on the bench..doing string change from rounds to chromes flats and setup...

guild sf is iconic old school 60's bass...lovin spoonful, felix pappalardi, chris hillman with byrds, airplane with jack casady and phil lesh of dead...

smooth playing, short scale, wonderfully toned...big but not overly heavy..thin topped with loud acoustic sound...

another very nice new guild reissue...wouldn't mind having one! good stuff

cheers

**Rob MacKillop** · 01-09-2020, 07:29 PM

And proper thumb and finger holders for the right hand. That's the way to play bass! Is there a fretless version, I wonder?

**neatomic** · 01-09-2020, 07:50 PM

no fretless version i know of rob...but there is a 2 pickup version...i'd prefer to have a neck pup!!...

thumb and finger rests are in perfect spots...( tho ...none on the 2 pup version...drats)...upper rest is perfect for finger players...and under is good for macca thumb or pick playing...really nice bass...and can be found heavily discounted...owner of this one got it new for a bit more than 600$..good deal!

cheers

sf II

**Rob MacKillop** · 01-09-2020, 07:55 PM

Yeah, the two-pup version is better, but also lament the absence of the rests.

**neatomic** · 01-09-2020, 07:57 PM

pups are great too...very full sounding and quiet...based on the original hagstrom bisonics that were used on the originals...and the more recent darkstar pickup by fred hammon..who sort of redesigned the old hagstrom pickup to great and popular results...

cheers

**Rob MacKillop** · 01-09-2020, 08:02 PM

Imagine basing a pickup on a bison

only kidding!

**neatomic** · 01-09-2020, 08:06 PM

burns bison bass...shadows!

cheers

**neatomic** · 01-10-2020, 05:11 PM

one last thing...the guild bridge was also a hagstrom design..and bears some resemblance to the danelectro bridges...but has individual wooden saddles..and accompanying tiny screws for backwards and forwards motion...for intonation!!...wooden saddles are nice touch

bass is back with owner...but i enjoyed it!

cheers

**Rob MacKillop** · 01-10-2020, 05:22 PM

Yeah, the bridge on my Dano bass is not the most sophisticated, but sophisticated enough to work ok. The Starfire bridge looks like an upgrade from that. I'm not looking for a bass just now, but if I were...this or the Allen Woody.

**neatomic** · 01-10-2020, 05:26 PM

yeah woody is a nice bass too..similar tonal area...that vintage 60's sound...tho woody is a bit heavy and the qc of the guild is wonderful!

woody is considerably less $$$ however

hope you still looking into standup or eub, rob!

cheers

**Rob MacKillop** · 01-10-2020, 05:29 PM

Still looking. Prefer the DB sound over the EUB any day, but practicalities are overwhelming. There's a shop in Glasgow with 12 DB's at various price points, so I need to get through there at some point. It will be an education, for sure.

**neatomic** · 01-10-2020, 11:42 PM

Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop

It will be an education, for sure.

what we like best!!!

go!!

luck/fun

cheers

**Cunamara** · 01-17-2020, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop

And proper thumb and finger holders for the right hand. That's the way to play bass! Is there a fretless version, I wonder?

There is... if you own a pair of pliers.

A similar and excellent option along these lines is the Epiphone Jack Casady signature bass.

**Rob MacKillop** · 01-17-2020, 05:17 PM

The Epiphone website has this to say about the Jack Casady:

"an instrument with super electric tone and the response of an acoustic bass. Featuring the Casady-designed JCB low-impedance pickup."

I wonder what they mean by response of an acoustic bass? Response?

With flats or tapes, it might has something of an upright sound...a little.

**neatomic** · 01-17-2020, 05:36 PM

sure that's just guitarspeak reference to the fact that its a semi hollow bass...epi casady is ok bass...first big difference is its a 34" long scale bass...starfire is short 30"...lot heavier than guild starfire...and not at all as loud acoustically...the starfire has super thin top..pretty loud acoustically..and great with flats..and nothing beats the bisonic pickups..that's the sound they were going for when they designed the epi pups...unfortunately guild was gone...certainly not making basses..and casady hooked up with epi

but if u see pics of casady..throughout his career...even when playing custom flying v basses etc..he always had the bisonic pups in them...the new version of the pickups are even better!!!

i'd love to stick a bisonic in the neck position of a violin hofner!!

cheers

**Rob MacKillop** · 01-17-2020, 05:37 PM

I trust you, my friend! I'm all for the bisons!

**neatomic** · 01-17-2020, 05:48 PM

ps- for epi bass, closest would be the allen woody..short scale...similar tonal intent...

cheers

**neatomic** · 02-20-2020, 10:51 PM

well...got the guild starfire bass back again

the stainless steel/hex d'addario chromes (flats) were way too bright and klanky...(as i warned!!)

now replaced with a handwound custom set of pyramids..(thanks max!!)...beautiful strings..pure nickel flats on round core...sound beautiful..feel smooth and like flats should...much mellower and thunk

pyramid is making some great strings! and very accommodating!!..they had a custom length handwound sent out within a few days of order!! international! bravo!

nice havin it back...gonna be sorry to see it go

cheers

ps- i see the bass section of the forum has been dropped...and i guess some threads incorporated into gear section..& elsewhere?..oh well bassplayers!!! rip..hah

**Hammertone** · 02-21-2020, 12:38 AM

Shortscale strings, pure nickel wrap over round core:
Pyramid makes the Hofner strings with a lighter low E.
All really good.
All really expensive.

IMO th best less-costly alternative is by Labella, which has a steel wrap/hex core.

**Rob MacKillop** · 02-21-2020, 03:04 AM

This forum has often been de-bassed!

How about Rotosound tapes? I have them on my Dano - sound great.

**Hammertone** · 02-21-2020, 03:36 PM

Tapewound strings sound quite different, IMO.
Their sound really depends on whether the outer tape layer is wound over a roundwound or flatwound string.
I installed a set of TI tapewound strings on one of my Beatle basses and it sounds great. I think these are wound over a roundwound string, but not sure. Time to do some digging....

**neatomic** · 02-21-2020, 05:05 PM

i have used all the bass strings mentioned ^...and like them all (my faves)...but this guild has close to a 31" scale...and the way the bridge is designed complicates too...so to get the right string length from ball end to silk was difficult...some short scale strings were too short and some mediums too long!...that's why max at pyramid, custom wound the pure nickel flats on round core with the proper length to silk...so that the wound string is not being wrapped around the tuning posts...with a bass string and especially a pure nickel on roundcore, you want just the silk wrapped around the tuner...not the nickel wrap...or the winds can come apart

after stringing and letting it sit overnight, i had to adjust the trussrod slightly as the pyramids have less tension than the chromes as well

they sound & feel wonderful on this bass!! a homerun!

cheers