Dearmond Starfire Mod Jack Style

Hello Guilder’s, I’ve been away for a while wanted say hi and get some feedback on a project Im about to start.

I snatched a tobacco sunburst Dearmond Starfire on the Bay. My intent is to mod the bass visually similar to Jack’s second Amebic from 1970. The tabacoo sunburst model that has the strips of maple laminated with the eight or so volume-tone knobs.

My first question is does anyone know how it was wired and what was the intent? I've read that they were primarily volume controls for the individual poll pieces. I feel pretty strongly about keeping this passive and 9volt battery free. My plan is to install Novack Bisonics or I could put in a pair of Dark Stars that I have. I also have a vintage bridge and of course...plenty of saddles.

Im pretty open to anything, even the front control area looking like Jacks, or I may just put in the pickups and call it a day. So what do you guys think?

PeteyBass @lat 62

Hey Petey, I would not bother with all that extra knob madness. Maybe change the pickups if you prefer the Dark Stars over the DeArmonds and leave the rest. That's just what I would do. Good luck !
Cheers Mate
Rob

PeteyBass said:

of course...plenty of saddles.

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*snicker*

Glad to know you are still in business.

Everything I have read about the experiments where each string (pole piece) has some kind of individual control has come to the conclusion that it just isn't worth it. The system gets too fiddly for use in live situations and, unless you are doing something where you might want to (say) feed the E string through a fuzz but none of the other strings and adjust your playing accordingly there doesn't seem to be much point.



So, what are you trying to accomplish? If you want something that is a visual representation I would drop something that looked like a Bisonic in it (perhaps Newark Street PUs because of the lower cost) and mod the body with a faux control panel and know that only a couple of the knobs did anything.

If you are going for the sound I think you will get pretty close with something that sounds, to your ears, like a Bisonic and you may have the option to add some kind of offboard processing if you can identify what is missing from the sound.

All that said, my personal belief is that bass was experimental and people learned from it but if wiring it that way was the only way to obtain a sound, we would have seen instruments like that become "mainstream" during the late 1970's. Since we didn't the options would be to make a playable, visual reproduction of that specific bass or just ignore the similarities and treat this as updating a D'Armond to a Guild just because you can.

Hummmm common sense is prevailing! No question that tone is the most important issue. In fact, if I went to all that trouble and didn't like the tone, the bass would be gone in a week. Fronobulax, and Hagmeat your wisdom is showing. My idea sprouted from sheer boredom during my job on the Arctic Ocean working 12 hours a day 7 days a week. I return to Latitude 70 on Saturday and the bass has not yet arrived, so i have no idea what it sounds like stock. I get back home in three weeks.

However...I'm still curious, if you guys could do anything (MOD), what would it be?

Peteybass

maybe just put your dark stars in there. can always take them out. heres a couple videos of mellogerman playing his dearmond SF bass w dark stars. thanks for the saddles btw!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO8PrqW0JtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=debuRbwVM-U

Thanks Mavuser, and excellent vids. Can anyone explain mellogerman's wiring setup in his black
Dearmond?

Don't be a candyass! Make it active!

Actually, no. That's prolly not a reversable mod.

BTW, a long while back I pm'd you a reply about metal saddles.

mavuser said:

maybe just put your dark stars in there. can always take them out. heres a couple videos of mellogerman playing his dearmond SF bass w dark stars. thanks for the saddles btw!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO8PrqW0JtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=debuRbwVM-U

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Member bassmyf's main rig is a DeArmond Starfire with Dark Stars, and it sounds great with TI Flats and a Kickback 12. Being that Dark Stars are basically unobtanium, you might want to consider Curtis Novak's equivalent if you don't already have a pair. Good luck with the project!

fronobulax said:

*snicker*

All that said, my personal belief is that bass was experimental and people learned from it but if wiring it that way was the only way to obtain a sound, we would have seen instruments like that become "mainstream" during the late 1970's. Since we didn't the options would be to make a playable, visual reproduction of that specific bass or just ignore the similarities and treat this as updating a D'Armond to a Guild just because you can.

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I wonder if it wasn't the wiring that failed to become mainstream but the sound. By the late 70s, everyone was into a much snappier tone, whether the resurgence of the jazz bass or Alembics played like Stanley. Not to mention Jaco's influence. The 60s hollow body with flats sound was a dinosaur at that point.

But then, I've gone the route of doing the routing and the modding to get that sound and it has worked out for me.

As far as what was in Jack's bass, they were strips of metal (I recall reading titanium, but that seems nuts) on which were mounted what were essentially the input strips for recording consoles. It was about as far from passive as you could get. I think that's necessary, if for nothing else than buffering the pickups, to get that tone. Not that other tones aren't equally awesome, but if you want that tone, there are things that must be done.

edwin said:

As far as what was in Jack's bass, they were strips of metal (I recall reading titanium, but that seems nuts)

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I spoke with Ron Wickersham of Alembic about this bass the other day - he did the modifications - and I believe he told me the rails were magnesium. They are unequal lengths because he didn't have time to cut them!

Hey hieronymous, it's good to see you back here.

hagmeat said:

Hey hieronymous, it's good to see you back here.

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Thanks! In the process of Alembicizing my M-85 II, been digging around for info, started checking back in here. Had some pertinent info to share! Lots has happened since I've been gone...

hagmeat said:

Hey hieronymous, it's good to see you back here.

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What Hagmeat said! Good to see you here Harry. Don't be a stranger. :welcoming:

hieronymous said:

I spoke with Ron Wickersham of Alembic about this bass the other day - he did the modifications - and I believe he told me the rails were magnesium. They are unequal lengths because he didn't have time to cut them!

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That was it, magnesium. It was a rush job, as I recall. I like the sound of that bass.

hieronymous said:

Thanks! In the process of Alembicizing my M-85 II, been digging around for info, started checking back in here. Had some pertinent info to share! Lots has happened since I've been gone...

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Looking forward to hearing about that project.

edwin said:

That was it, magnesium. It was a rush job, as I recall. I like the sound of that bass.

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+ 1,000,000

PeteyBass said:

Thanks Mavuser, and excellent vids. Can anyone explain mellogerman's wiring setup in his black
Dearmond?

Click to expand...

Hi Petey, my starfire in the other side of this life video was pretty much stock, with just a master volume knob added if I remember correctly. The instrumental jam came later though, at which point the controls were (from front to back, all passive)
1. 3-way selector switch
2. master volume
3. 6-way mid-notch selector switch with different capacitors
4. push-pull mid contour; corresponding with whatever capacitor is selected from the mid-notch switch
5. passive fuzz control
6. volume for neck pickup
7. tone for neck pickup
8. volume for bridge pickup
9. tone for bridge pickup
10. mini-toggle phase switch