Starfire bass

fronobulax · Feb 17, 2011

saemola said:
mellowgerman said:

saemola said:

btw, I got a reply from the seller of that ebay auction:

"There are no repaired cracks structure is good. The starfire plaque appears to be original but headstock was oversprayed and logo put back on. There is a replaced trc that is glued on to prevent access to the truss rod. no problems with the bridge"

Click to expand...

Well then, this may be the only factory-original-starfire-dog-tag-on-headstock bass in existence! That easily makes it worth 3x what he's asking!

Click to expand...

ehm, I may appear a little stupid but... that's sarcasm, right?

You're not stupid. Sarcasm doesn't always translate well in print. I think it is safe to say that the silver tag never saw the inside of the Guild factory. In other words we don't agree with the seller when he says it "appears" to be original as interpreted to mean "came from the factory that way". Doesn't make that much difference - the headstock has been reworked anyway.

saemola · Feb 19, 2011

ok, thanks for the thorough explaination. :mrgreen:
that tag is horrible, but I have to say that the auction just doesn't seem to be skyrocketing.
aesthetic is just not relevant for me.
this might turn out as an interesting auction.

Yggdrasil · Feb 21, 2011

so - did you go after it - the price it sold for could almost justify buying it as a parts bass, if the pups are in good shape.

saemola · Feb 23, 2011

no I did not.
the binding and the crack is what finally kept me away.
also I've got to admit it was probably worth bidding 800$.

mikko · Mar 2, 2011

mellowgerman said:
My favorite strings (and I'm pretty sure I've tried all the flats out there) have always been the old formula Fender flats. They just recently started getting them from a different manufacturer and the new ones are pretty crappy. The old ones were heavy, high tension, and sound soooo good once they're broken in; though the breaking in took a much longer time than most strings in my experience. I'm dreading the day that one of these strings breaks because I can't get a new set like em anymore :'(

I read from here that Hoover Music (Springfield, MO) might still have old formula Fender flats in stock.

twocorgis · Mar 4, 2011

Saemola, this one just surfaced on the New Haven CT craigslist. It looks like it might be missing the thumb rest, though it's hard to tell from the tiny pictures. We have some troops on the ground in the area that may be able to vet it out for you if you're interested.

fronobulax · Mar 4, 2011

twocorgis said:
Saemola, this one just surfaced on the New Haven CT craigslist. It looks like it might be missing the thumb rest, though it's hard to tell from the tiny pictures. We have some troops on the ground in the area that may be able to vet it out for you if you're interested.

Looks like a stock '67 Starfire I, with the thumb and finger rests removed, from before the switch to the curved bridge (which could make it a '66 but why not believe the seller's date?). Brad Little is in a northern suburb of New Haven although Shelton looks to be 10 miles East or so.

Could be a good buy if the price is not firm. That said, I seem to recall Saemola was interested in a Starfire II, not a Starfire I (for reasons that obviously don't apply to me).

saemola · Mar 4, 2011

I just spotted that on CL.
since the rarity of SFII, I'm considering starting out with a I.
it should be pretty fast to resell anyway.
got in touch with the seller asking about a price reduction. I'm not sure I want to spend 1400$ on a SFI.
let's see what he says.
also I'm in Boston and I could reach new heaven with a bus, so...
thanks for the headsup guys!

by the way, this just popped up again.
I wonder what's the story...

twocorgis · Mar 4, 2011

saemola said:
I just spotted that on CL.
since the rarity of SFII, I'm considering starting out with a I.
it should be pretty fast to resell anyway.
got in touch with the seller asking about a price reduction. I'm not sure I want to spend 1400$ on a SFI.

Frono might correct me here, but I don't think $1400 is an unreasonable price for a SFI bass in good condition. I guess you could knock some points off for the missing thumb and finger rest, though the seller may have them. I took the bridge and pickup covers off my P-Bass as soon as I bought it, but always kept them in the case, hopefully that's the case here.

I paid a little less than $1300 and close to $1400 with the new strings and setup for mine (which has a non-OEM tone control), and couldn't be more pleased. I don't think I'll ever sell it, so I'm not worried much about resale value anyway. In reality these basses seem to be getting more and more scarce all the time, so value should do nothing but increase, providing you don't bastardize it like the one on eBay.

saemola · Mar 4, 2011

I think what you say makes perfect sense.
I think I might ask an extra price reduction because the case is not original though.

saemola · Mar 4, 2011

the guy replied and turns out he has a gig in Boston on tuesday.
I'll have the chance to see the beauty in person.
awesome.
I was thinking about asking 1200$ (1100 might be too low, right?).

twocorgis · Mar 4, 2011

saemola said:
the guy replied and turns out he has a gig in Boston on tuesday.
I'll have the chance to see the beauty in person.
awesome.
I was thinking about asking 1200$ (1100 might be too low, right?).

I would think $1100 would be too low if it's nice, though the fact that it doesn't have an OHSC is a bargaining chip. The worst he can say is no.

saemola · Mar 9, 2011

didn't get the chance to try the bass.
the guy had a gig early in the morning and I had to work.
planning a trip to New Heaven...

fronobulax · Mar 9, 2011

saemola said:
didn't get the chance to try the bass.
the guy had a gig early in the morning and I had to work.
planning a trip to New Heaven...

Good luck.

Starfire bass

fronobulax

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods

saemola

Junior Member

Yggdrasil

Member

saemola

Junior Member

mikko

Junior Member

twocorgis

Venerated Member

fronobulax

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods

saemola

Junior Member

twocorgis

Venerated Member

saemola

Junior Member

saemola

Junior Member

twocorgis

Venerated Member

saemola

Junior Member

fronobulax

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods