new to the guild scene!

[jbd5015]

Hey guys/gals,

Just popping into this board to get some info on these basses and meet a few people that are interested in these beauties as much as i am!

recently acquired a '68 Starfire II and have fallen in love with it! Ill get some photos of it up soon.

I picked it up locally (State College, PA) at the end of the summer. A buddy of mine at the local shop made me aware of the bass as it was traded in with a 5 string carvin for a USA 5 String Jazz.

Im pleading ignorance to the bass as I never knew much about guilds to begin with. Ive been on a p-bass kick the last couple years. But after getting a hold of this bass (Blanche as I've named her), plugged into my V4-B, its just the tone i've been looking for.

Anyhow, looking forward to learning from you all about this bass.

cheers!

-Jeff

 

[chazmo]

Welcome to LTG, Jeff!

 

[killdeer43]

WELCOME TO LTG!
The bass men will be along soon, so stick around and enjoy the only place you need to be/get Guilded. :wink:

Joe

 

[jbd5015]

thanks guys!

heres a crappy photo just after i got it.

i gigged it the day i bought it, havent been able to put her down since. havent changed the strings, im thinking they are at least 15 years old. they sound too good to change. apparently it was in a closet during those years not being played...for shame.

-Jeff

 

[twocorgis]

Jeff,

Welcome to LTG! Say hello to my '68 Starfire II AKA "Greenie"

I see yours is a sunburst; very nice, and I don't know that I've seen a burst quite like that on another one.. Some suggested mods might be to bypass the bass boost (AKA "suck") switch that boost bass to the neck pickup. Bypassing it seems to improve the tone of the neck pickup substantially. I also had our own Fixit change the value of the tone caps while he was doing that, and it improved the thump quite a bit. Also, while they're expensive, a set of TI Jazz Flats seem to be the consensus for best strings around here if you decide to change them. Definitely worth a try!

 

[Thunderface]

thanks guys!

heres a crappy photo just after i got it.

-Jeff

Jeff, welcome aboard, and for the record, there's no such thing as a crappy photo of a Guild. :wink:

 

[dapmdave]

Yowza! Nice lookin' bass, there.

And welcome to LTG.

Dave

 

[fronobulax]

Welcome. Some of use are guilty of using 30+ year old strings, but we are not supposed to be proud of that.

Starfire bass p0rn here.

 

[jbd5015]

I REALLLY love that green finish!! Reminds me of my friends old fender coronado(sp?)

Blanche has definitely been around the block a few times. The headstock is starting to peel, and there are a few nicks here and there. There are no cracks in the body, and the wiring is great, pots arent crunchy or anything.

Currently i feel that im getting the tone that i really like with the 'suck switch'. the tone is rather thin to me without it.

Ive also noticed the bridge pickup is considerably hotter. ive been using it in the neck position most of the time, but when i need a little more clarity and volume ill put it in the center position, but dont really like the bridge on its own.

Id love to hear what these mods would do for the bass, but alas dont really have the knowledge to do so. Ive got a few local luthiers and guitar techs that im sure could help me out with it.

cheers,

-Jeff

 

[twocorgis]

I REALLLY love that green finish!! Reminds me of my friends old fender coronado(sp?)

Blanche has definitely been around the block a few times. The headstock is starting to peel, and there are a few nicks here and there. There are no cracks in the body, and the wiring is great, pots arent crunchy or anything.

Currently i feel that im getting the tone that i really like with the 'suck switch'. the tone is rather thin to me without it.

Ive also noticed the bridge pickup is considerably hotter. ive been using it in the neck position most of the time, but when i need a little more clarity and volume ill put it in the center position, but dont really like the bridge on its own.

Id love to hear what these mods would do for the bass, but alas dont really have the knowledge to do so. Ive got a few local luthiers and guitar techs that im sure could help me out with it.

cheers,

-Jeff

A little honest wear is just fine Jeff! What you say about the bridge pickup is true too, but a combination of lowering the bridge pup (by sanding down the base), bypassing the suck switch, and changing the values of the tone caps, my SFII was improved immensely. Hopefully Tom (Fixit) will chime in here, as he was the one responsible for finding the sweet spot with tone caps by experimenting on Greenie. Whatever he did sure worked! You can always do what I did when the time comes; just put it in a box and ship it to him in FL. 8)

 

[Luckie]

What knucklehead traded that in for a 5 string jazz?

 

[jbd5015]

Got some better shots of Blanche and her friends! Insurance wanted some photos!

-Jeff