Guild Jet Star Bass

Hey all,

I'm new on this forum, and a fairly new fan of Guild Guitars and bass.
I've been playing Fender bass, and Gibson Guitars, but I recently remembered seeing a photo of a weird shaped bass when I was a kid and thought it was the coolest thing...its only years later that I picked up my first bass and had forgotten all about the 'mysterious' bass I had seen back then until recently.
After researching it I found out it was a Guild Jet Star, cherry red.

I was wondering if anyone here owns one and can tell me about them.
I'd like to purchase one, but can't spend thousands. Anyone knows approx how much they go for?
Where they ever re-issued?
There's one on ebay right now, but the price is too much for me...also its not the color I'm looking for, and the top part of the neck (sorry I'm not sure how that part is called in english, I'm originally from Europe, now living in NY) anyway the part of the neck with the brand printed on it is in a different shape than the one I've seen before (on ebay it looks like a regular fender shape, not like the one on the following link:
http://vintageguitars.org.uk/graphics/jetstarbass.jpg

Finally, if anyone knows where I could find one (apart from ebay, where prices tend to go up very fast)?

Any info would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Thom

Thom, welcome to the forum!

Not to be rude, but I could never help you find a Jet Star bass.

I've been looking for one for a long time and when I find it I'll be bidding it to the moon!

I agree about the one on eBay. I think it's been refinished and I also prefer the headstock that you like.

I would think that if one came up in decent condition, it would sell for around $3000 to $4000 (US). Well that's how much I would bid for it!

Check out the link in my signature if you think I'm kidding. :wink:

DeArmond (at the time owned by Guild) reissued the Jet Star in a variety of pickup configurations and (IIRC) both long and short scale versions (the original was short, I believe). These turn up here and there with some frequency at lower prices than the Guilds. I've heard a few good things about them but maybe folks here could add more info on that. Welcome. I'm a newbee here too. :mrgreen:

Welcome.
This thread might be of interest if the trade mentioned there has not happened :?

There is a D'Armond JetStar reissue around that might be reasonably priced. However, an original will probaly cost a couple thousand dollars especially if you are bidding against Grot.

Be careful when reading descriptions without pictures because there are a lot of people who will call the SG shaped JS bass a "JetStar". They figure that "JS" stands for JetStar even though that was never official Guild policy. Indeed, I think the dealer who sold me my JS (new) called it a JetStar.

I've got one of the later 4-on-a-side headstock models (see avatar on left) w/ a single-coil pickup. I's a very good playing and sounding bass. I've used it live a few times and have always enjoyed it's easy playability. I've come close to selling/trading it a couple of times but the deals have always fallen through. Oddly enough, both times the deal was initiated by the other party after finding out I owned one.
Good luck finding one you like. I understand there were only a few hundred made.

I also have a DeArmond reissue Bajo Jet, which is the baritone Jet Star. Heaviest instrument I've ever owned but built extremely well.

A nice sunburst model with a single pickup was sold at New Hope Guitar for around $1900 last month. You don't see these very often. The $1900 seemed to be a reasonable $.

M

Hey guys,

Thanks a lot for the replies/info.
I did not realize that only approx 250 were made only. Considering this, the sunburst model you are mentionning was sold for a decent price.
I wouldn't bid as much as Grot (don't worry Grot, if one shows up on ebay it'll be all yours ;-) just make sure to post plenty of pics on your site!).

It would be great to own an original, but for now I think I'll be concentrating on finding a Dearmond reissue 4 strings.
When were these made? Anyone knows?
I think i saw one on ebay a few weeks ago but it was a 6 strings.

The reissues were made in the late 90s/early 2000s if I remember correctly.

There've been a few DeArmond reissues around lately - at least one on Craigslist (not sure what city, so download one of the CL surfer/search programs). Here's one - but local pickup only (I 'll bet you could entice the seller to ship if you paid a premium price). http://ithaca.craigslist.org/msg/922797723.html.

This one's on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/DeArmond-Jet-Star-B ... 240%3A1318.

Hey bassman, thanks a lot for the links.
That black one on craigslist looks really nice. It seems to be in almost mint condition.
I'm tempted to try and see if the seller would ship it...but I still would like to find it in cherry red, so I'm torn.
In any case, it looks great and I love the headstock...that's the one I want!

I actually have an original (4-on-side) mahogany Cherry one with a Hagstrom pickup from 1967. Took me years to find. Sounds great, very lightweight, very mid-rangey.

DS

mgod, i want pictures!

Pictures are difficult here.

DS

or a link perhaps
pretty please

Best shot of it I have:

Are the thumb and finger rests not parallel to each other? Is that stock?

Yes.

DS

mgod said:

Best shot of it I have:

Click to expand...

Wow! Thanks for posting. I'll try and resist asking questions (which are DarkStars and which are Hagstroms?, what are, for example, the differences between the Starfires (strings)?, which bass do you use when and why?, I only count 13. What's missing?) and expecting an answer, but anything you'd like to write would be read with appreciation :wink:

This is pre Dark Star, so all are original. But its 5 years ago. This day was the meeting of me and Fred; I liked his attitude in the Pit and contacted him and off we went. He brought over 3 and we got out all the ones I had at home (not all of them) and took this shot. I think that's his hand holding the Coronado IV. This is the day that the Dark Star idea was born. The two left sunburst SF-IIs are Fred's (a 70 and modded 71 or 72) and the dark red up on the right of the couch with some other p/u's is also his. I'm not sure if he still has them. Since the inception of the Dark Star, he's had a tendency to gut things. The black SF-II of mine has been at his place for a few years - god knows what the state of it is.

The 73 M-85 is as I got from Jay it in this shot, but it got the first pair of Dark Stars later that year, and it became my main electric. The red 65 SF is gone (had a bad neck) replaced with a beautiful sunburst 64. 5 years later, Chris Fleming at Fender still has a 68 M-85 and there are two Starfires still at Rick Turner's.

Why use what when? I never know. What I feel like carrying? Its all whim, unless I'm recording and then its instinct - what my hands want after I hear the tune. Sheryl Crow's album (92/93) was done with the two center M-85s and a custom graphite Music Man. Rosanne Cash's "Black Cadillac" got the solid black M-85DS on 2 songs and the hollow fretless on another (and a few non-Guilds). I used the solid M-85DS on the road with Bernie Leadon and it was just incredible, so it moved to the front of the line, but it was always an exceptional instrument acoustically - it just needed those dead-weight chrome magnetic blocks replaced.

DS

PS - if you look here (http://badassbassplayers.com/forum/view ... 272#p89272) you can see my current flatwound-strung bass of choice.