it cometh: 67 SFB-I beauty queen

mellowgerman

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PT 1: Anxiously awaiting the arrival of big brown truck.

Mello is about to be back on the Guild bass wagon with a real stunner... an exceptionally clean, all-original 1967 Starfire Bass I, that has spent most of its life safe and sound asleep in its cozy original case.

The story goes back almost exactly 7 years to early February 2010, when a dear (fellow-Casady/Guild-fan, Starfire-slinging) friend of mine, who lives on the other side of the country, graciously offered me dibs on his #2/backup vintage SFB. Several times since then I have come painfully close to having the funds together when each time something would happen that would require me to cut into the SFB fund and delay the deal. I'm ecstatic now to announce that the deal has finally gone through and the bass is on its way to me as we speak, complete with a set of pyramid gold strings! I do have a couple of pictures of it already, but I figured, in the interest building up anticipatory tension, I will hold off on posting photos until it arrives, at which point I will document the careful un-boxing of this lovely lovely beast.

STAY TUNED!!
 

twocorgis

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PT 1: Anxiously awaiting the arrival of big brown truck.

Mello is about to be back on the Guild bass wagon with a real stunner... an exceptionally clean, all-original 1967 Starfire Bass I, that has spent most of its life safe and sound asleep in its cozy original case.

The story goes back almost exactly 7 years to early February 2010, when a dear (fellow-Casady/Guild-fan, Starfire-slinging) friend of mine, who lives on the other side of the country, graciously offered me dibs on his #2/backup vintage SFB. Several times since then I have come painfully close to having the funds together when each time something would happen that would require me to cut into the SFB fund and delay the deal. I'm ecstatic now to announce that the deal has finally gone through and the bass is on its way to me as we speak, complete with a set of pyramid gold strings! I do have a couple of pictures of it already, but I figured, in the interest building up anticipatory tension, I will hold off on posting photos until it arrives, at which point I will document the careful un-boxing of this lovely lovely beast.

STAY TUNED!!

Excellent Ingo! I had a great (though hardly a case queen) '67 SF1 that's now living with Fixit. Is yours cherry?
 

fronobulax

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We welcome your return. While waiting, the questions inquiring minds always want to know about a '67 SF I - suck switch? straight or harp bridge?
 

mavuser

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PT 1: Anxiously awaiting the arrival of big brown truck.

Mello is about to be back on the Guild bass wagon with a real stunner... an exceptionally clean, all-original 1967 Starfire Bass I, that has spent most of its life safe and sound asleep in its cozy original case.

That is a real nice wagon to be back on. especially with your chops. congrats to you sir! and enjoy
 

mellowgerman

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That is a real nice wagon to be back on. especially with your chops. congrats to you sir! and enjoy

Thanks! Should be about half-way here by now. I'm kind of worried that once it arrives I'll have to just isolate myself with the bass and neglect all of my responsibilities for a week or so...
 

mellowgerman

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Of course! Will snap and post some the day I receive it (after letting the box sit an acclimate for a minimum painful 2hrs before opening)
 

mellowgerman

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according to UPS tracking, scheduled delivery is monday!! please cross your fingers for a safe and timely arrival!
 

Minnesota Flats

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"...please cross your fingers for a safe and timely arrival! "

This nail biting during transit reminds me of the Jack Casady story. I really winced when I read that they SHIPPED his "stolen-in '69" bass back to him instead of driving it themselves. I mean, the thing qualifies for "national treasure" status (at least, among present company)!

Can you imagine how Jack would've felt if he thought that his beloved Yggdrasil Starfire had survived the decades and was finally on its way back to him after 47 years only to have FedEx do an "oopsie" on it at the last minute? "Please just fill out and submit this claim form, sir, and we'll get back to you. Of course, you understand that you won't be compensated with the full cost of a new replacement, your instrument having been old and severely depreciated..."

Not trying t'mess with ya, mellow: I'm sure we've all been through this "praying for safe shipping transit of a bass" ordeal at least once!
 

Happy Face

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Last year I sold an 80s Rickenbacker to a guy in Florida. I brought it to the FedEx store to have them pack it so they couldn't claim it was incorrectly packed if it was damaged in transit. (Worth the money on an expensive item.)

The young guy at the counter was a guitar player in a local band, so very friendly. He told me there was a recent rule change at Fedex: if an item is 10 or 15 or 20 years old (I forgot which), FedEx will only insure it for $1000. (He promised me he'd pack it so well that a steamroller could not hurt it and so he did.)

But I'm not 100% sure about this rule change. But if you are shipping something older and valuable (outside of ourselves), be sure to ask about that before you hand it over.
 

mellowgerman

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Yes, shipping is a horrifying process sometimes. I remember once when I sent out a long scale ibanez artcore bass w/ darkstar and varitone mods, i packed it extra well and was immediately glad i did... when I dropped it off at ups the lady tossed it up onto the ~7ft high conveyor belt too hard and it fell right down the other side onto the concrete. She chuckled and said "whoopsie". I didn't find it as funny.
But anyway, my buddy who I bought the Starfire from is a very talented and experienced maker/craftsman/engineer type. He took extra care to pack it like the Smithsonian would pack an ancient Egyptian vase, so I think in terms of packing it is better protected than any average shipping center employee could come up with. In regard to insurance claims, there might be a bit of a risk since it wasn't done by them, but since this particularly sentimental bass coming from a friend truly is irreplaceable, I'll place the potential monetary loss second in priority rank behind actual physical safety. In any case, if a ups truck accidentally runs it over -- as I recall a story from talkbass.com regarding an I'll fated g&l bass (with gruesome photos actually capturing tire marks right through the center of the mutilated box) -- I'm not sure any precautions short of space grade titanium or carbonite could be taken to protect the goods *nervous laugh*
 

edwin

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It will be fine. When I bought my Starfire, it was UPS'd (or what my four year old calls Poopie S since he was 2. Fedex was Fetish. I don't know how he came up with this stuff) to me from Jersey to Boston, wrapped only in newspaper in a cardboard box. No case.

Mica at Alembic once explained to me why they no longer ship Fedex. It involved a bass with a weekend layover where an employee got curious, unpacked the bass and spent the weekend playing it, with attendant damage, before sending it on. I'm sure that it was a rare exception to the usual good work they do (we rely on them for our filings with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services).
 

idealassets

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"...please cross your fingers for a safe and timely arrival! "

This nail biting during transit reminds me of the Jack Casady story. I really winced when I read that they SHIPPED his "stolen-in '69" bass back to him instead of driving it themselves. I mean, the thing qualifies for "national treasure" status (at least, among present company)!

Can you imagine how Jack would've felt if he thought that his beloved Yggdrasil Starfire had survived the decades and was finally on its way back to him after 47 years only to have FedEx do an "oopsie" on it at the last minute? "Please just fill out and submit this claim form, sir, and we'll get back to you. Of course, you understand that you won't be compensated with the full cost of a new replacement, your instrument having been old and severely depreciated..."

Not trying t'mess with ya, mellow: I'm sure we've all been through this "praying for safe shipping transit of a bass" ordeal at least once!
Easy to say now, but- no problem. I sent a 1966 Cherry SFI about 8 months ago via FedEx to the other end of the USA and it arrived in perfect shape and as scheduled. The new owner "just had to have it", even though I mentioned to him that the replica SFI can be had in quantity for just over $1K each. I now have some sort of sense of "dedicated gear $", with some of the Starfire bass proceeds going for some even more rare- all original 1969 Ludwig mahogany finish mounted toms and floor toms (drums) in excellent condition.

This forthcoming bass sounds great. At least a few of the original's are still available somewhere out there.
 
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