My introduction to the Guild Pilot bass...I now have 2 of them...

Last winter, I bought a DeArmond Pilot bass that needed work - got it very cheap. Put it in a corner and forgot about it while doing other things, till late April. Found it needed a new battery connector - it's an active bass - and did that in a few minutes, and found it to be a pretty good bass...but I wondered what the REAL Guild Pilot bass was like, if the imitation was so good. I found one for sale online, and bought it, and immediately loved it...



Turned out this basic black bass was made in Rhode Island in 1987. Passive EMG pickups, J type bridge pup and reversed P type neck pup, beautiful, fast neck, and incredible tones. O liked IT so much, I found another-Fretless, in Royal Blue-and bought it and it just got her Friday...

Nice! A lot of Pilot fans here, I assume that you've read this post? Welcome to the nuthouse!

Default-Thanks. I actually used to work in a nuthouse before retiring a few years ago, so I feel right at home.

These Pilots are the best production basses I have ever played, period, since I started playing bass in 1962. They will shade any Fender I am familiar with, and they even beat my now-second-favorite bass, my '90's US made Peavey Foundation, which is another hidden treasure among American made basses. I have never played a fretless before, except to just try one in a store many years ago...Going to be interesting to learn it.

I can not imagine why these things are not more popular and insanely expensive, but I'm glad they are not. BOTH of these fine instruments together cost me less than $600, including the hard case with the fretless. They were both made in 1987, as near as I can figure and are 118 serial numbers apart.

Thanks again. Hope to spend some time here.

Welcome. We should compare serials, except my black '87 is active.


When I was but a college lad, my college roommate's Precision hurt my hand after long playing sessions. I blamed that on a 34" scale instead of abysmal technique. Fast forward about 30 years and folks keep raving about the Pilot and finally Default brings his for me to play and I like it. It was the neck profile on the Precision that I could not deal with. I mention that I might buy a Pilot if the right one comes along and suddenly ladytexan finds me one in Austin at the right price.

fronobulax said:

Welcome. We should compare serials, except my black '87 is active.

When I was but a college lad, my college roommate's Precision hurt my hand after long playing sessions. I blamed that on a 34" scale instead of abysmal technique. Fast forward about 30 years and folks keep raving about the Pilot and finally Default brings his for me to play and I like it. It was the neck profile on the Precision that I could not deal with. I mention that I might buy a Pilot if the right one comes along and suddenly ladytexan finds me one in Austin at the right price.

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SN's are BE 102323 - the black one

BE 102205 -the royal blue fretless

I understand 87 was the peak year for these, in terms of the highest number made...there were only around 6,000 TOTAL ever made, so they are not exactly very common 20+ years after production ended.
I owned a then new Fender Telecaster bass re-issue in the 1970,s, and liked that best of all Fenders I have ever played...but I found an old Aria Pro II in the '80's that was easily as good, a 1990 US made Peavey Foundation that was better, and the Pilot, which is far far better. Fender lives on its trade name, IMO, although some of the older Squiers are very good instruments.

old mark said:

... Passive EMG pickups, J type bridge pup and reversed P type neck pup...

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Hmmm... As far as I know, they never came with passive EMGs. The passive option was DiMarzio at first, then un-named P/J PUPs. But the EMGs were always the US made active pickups. Passive V/V/T control circuit but active PUPs. Can you confirm they're passive?

jte

jte said:

Hmmm... As far as I know, they never came with passive EMGs. The passive option was DiMarzio at first, then un-named P/J PUPs.

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I think EMGs are always active pickups. I am not sure what "unnamed" P/J pickups you mean, according to Brian Bowdren's article there was a 3rd option in 1988-1990 in the SB-902 and SB-905 only, which were Bartolini active pickups in P/J (SB-902) or J/J (SB-905) configuration.
Ralf

SFIV1967 said:

I think EMGs are always active pickups. I am not sure what "unnamed" P/J pickups you mean, according to Brian Bowdren's article there was a 3rd option in 1988-1990 in the SB-902 and SB-905 only, which were Bartolini active pickups in P/J (SB-902) or J/J (SB-905) configuration.
Ralf

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I just took the control cover plate off and there is a battery in there - Imagine my surprise! The pups are EMG's with most of the lettering worn off...Glad you made me look...I would have been stunned when the battery ran out and the bass died...

old mark said:

I just took the control cover plate off and there is a battery in there - Imagine my surprise! ...Glad you made me look...I would have been stunned when the battery ran out and the bass died...

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Ha, ha, good story! Hope the battery was not as old as the bass is, I would definitely note it down somewhere that it is replaced frequently.
Ralf

I had asserted, incorrectly, that all Pilots had active PUs. Guilds of Grot's gigging bass is a Pilot with passive PUs and it is the gigging bass precisely because he doesn't have to worry about a battery. I suspect a motivated searcher could find the post where I was corrected and possibly even the specific brand of the passive PUs. I've heard that bass but never played it so I'm not sure how the sound compares.

fronobulax said:

I... a motivated searcher could find the post where I was corrected and possibly even the specific brand of the passive PUs. I've heard that bass but never played it so I'm not sure how the sound compares.

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Well, the different pickup types are all in Brian Bowdren's article, right? (and were mentioned above already).
Ralf