NAMM 2021 Reimagined Starfire Bass

fronobulax said:

I can definitely imagine a future where the entry level instrument is this new Starfire, and the new upgrade is a Newark Street Starfire Bass II. NS Starfire I's will disappear from the new market.

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we may have solved this riddle. Hang onto yours! original run, original owner! what serial number u got??

Fresh from Guild's Virtual Booth at NAMM today:

"An iconic shape at an affordable price, Guild’s Starfire I Bass is a modern adaptation of the traditional Starfire Bass platform, exemplifying the features needed on a modern Hollowbody bass.

Featuring a slimmed down, 2.4” body thickness, inward-shifted neck, short 30 ¾” scale length, and a 1 ½” nut width, the Starfire I Bass is a compact and accessible option for younger players, or those who want more freedom on stage.

Stable tuning and easy adjustability are provided by the Tune-o-matic bass bridge, and the harp tailpiece adds a touch of Guild’s classic aesthetic, likening the bass to its upright ancestors.

Guild’s own BC-1 BiCoil pickups adorn the bass, complete with hum resistant nickel covers and Alnico 5 magnet construction.
Combined with the woody nature of semi-hollowbody tone and the volume and tone control, these pickups allow the player to dial in anything from modern, cutting bass tones to wooly, round, vintage tones.

Pull up on the Volume Knob to reveal the push-pull vintage switch—a feature that adds presence with rolled down low frequencies, reminiscent of the parallel pickup configuration on vintage Hollowbody basses.

Available with maple top, back, and sides in Vintage Walnut, and with Mahogany top, back, and sides in cherry red.
Left-handed version also available in Cherry Red.
All in a perfectly glossed polyurethane finish. "


I wonder how CMG explained this to DiMarzio® who have a BC-1 trademarked!

Ralf

And the bass in action:





Ralf

Thanks. I heard more pick than I did "Starfire" but I don't think I'd mistake it for a P bass either.

SFIV1967 said:

And the bass in action:



Ralf

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she sounds great!

First view on the Maple version in Vintage Walnut:






Ralf

Second video (first one in post #63):




Ralf

During the new products Q&A session a few minutes ago Josh Chapman (Director of Product Management CMG) made following statement:
"We are looking into USA production of our electric models, though it will be a little down the road. "

Ralf

Finally maple...

...but her mahogany demo sounds better than my mahogany NSI ever did.
More high end and presence and clarity, which I like.
But I think I would rather wait for a JSII as solid bodies are easier to deal with the electronics.

ok, so lets start the classic debate (just kidding):
Bisonic or BiCoil?
or:
how soon will mellowgerman install a BiCoil on his Starfire bass?

I like the sound, and Emily Elbert plays great but with a very light touch. I wonder how it sounds if you really dig more into the strings as a real bassplayer would do. My M-85 sounds very similar, maybe not so clear -she probably uses new strings- have to try it again!

lungimsam said:

ok, so lets start the classic debate (just kidding):
Bisonic or BiCoil?
or:
how soon will mellowgerman install a BiCoil on his Starfire bass?

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Conflating two things, IMO.

There exists a "classic" tone. IMO the only way for mere mortals to get that tone is with a vintage Bisonic in a hollow body. Many have tried alternatives but the tone achieved is not the classic tone.

So if that's what you want, you won't get it with the BiCoil either, based on the sound clips so far.

But if your tone requirements are less exacting - you like variety or accept that close is sometimes good enough then there is a lot to be said for the BiCoil in this bass. I hear a lot of P bass in the demos so you could get a similar sound from, for example, a Pilot or any number of non-Guilds, but there is absolutely a coolness factor in getting "that" sound from the "Starfire platform".

As for @mellowgerman my money is on him acquiring one of these, perhaps on the used market, before he even considers dropping in BiCoils in his Starfire. That does not, however, preclude the possibility of dropping them into something else.

Gosh, that's a nice looking bass. Gotta' say, Ralf's picture of the walnut topped version really does it for me.

I can assure you all that a BiCoil will not be finding its way onto/into my 1970 Starfire. I have toyed with the idea of adding a middle position pickup, but have decided to leave it as is. The tonal versatility with the ACG filter preamp is plenty with 2 pickups.
That said, I'm still feeling tempted in trying one of these new Starfires out once one crosses my radar at a bargain used price. I expect that it will be a fun test period, followed by me selling it because it didn't knock my socks off. I suppose we'll see. Considering the price-point, I'm confident that we're not getting some kind of amazing unique unicorn pickup here. My main interest in the bass would be if this really does turn out to be a run-of-the-mill precision pickup, that can be swapped out for one of the 55billion (give or take a few) pickup options in that format. In the first video the amp sounds poorly room-mic'd and the tone is pretty difficult to make out. In the second one it does seem to be in the P-bass tone territory. Naturally it won't sound like a standard Fender Precision bass, since there are pretty extreme physical differences between the two, but some of the general precision qualities are there. Of course, in these demos, there are a load of other undisclosed factors like equalization, compression, etc. Not to mention, who knows what kind of capacitors, resistors, chokes, and other gizmos might be hiding inside that push/pull circuit.

mellowgerman said:

Took a stab at an A/B photo... hard to say if I scaled it correctly but was trying to get the knobs to be as close in size as possible, since it would seem silly for them to invest more to make new knobs, no? That said and all taken with several grains of salt, it looks like the new one is short scale as well.
Also, I agree that the classic Guild bridge is preferable. At the lower price point though, I am open minded to the new one and split coil pickup. Would be a neat companion bass to get for a tonal variation, I'm thinking.

EDIT: I may have under-scaled the the Bisonic NS bass just a hair. Unless the new Starfire's body really is a tad bigger.

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Is it just me, or do those look look like "vintage" (i.e.: "skinny") frets on the new version? If they are, my interest would be greatly reduced.

Minnesota Flats said:

Is it just me, or do those look look like "vintage" (i.e.: "skinny") frets on the new version? If they are, my interest would be greatly reduced.

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Could you elaborate on how to tell the difference? My quick - not opening the cases to confirm - recollection is that the frets are the same on my '67 and '13 Starfires so I presume they are both vintage. That being the case I can't see a difference between those and the new bass.

I'm basing that guess on the side-by-side PIC posted by mellowgerman which shows the new bass next to the original NS-1. I would characterize the original NS frets as well as those on the 90s, Westerly re-issues as "medium jumbo". The ones on the new "bi-coil" version look skinnier. Guess we won't really know til they publish specs or one of us sees a bi-coil "in the flesh".

Minnesota Flats said:

I'm basing that guess on the side-by-side PIC posted by mellowgerman which shows the new bass next to the original NS-1. I would characterize the original NS frets as well as those on the 90s, Westerly re-issues as "medium jumbo". The ones on the new "bi-coil" version look skinnier. Guess we won't really know til they publish specs or one of us sees a bi-coil "in the flesh".

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If you are also saying the the frets on a '67 are "medium jumbo" then I understand. Otherwise your use of the word "vintage" in the original comment continues to confuse me.

If you forced me to express an opinion, mellow's comparison shot does suggest that the frets on the new bass are thinner than the NS bass. Is there a widespread belief that thinner frets are easier for new players or younger players?

Looks like it will be a very nice bass, in and of itself.
I don't really think it will be worth comparing to anything since it seems to be it's own bass.
Glad to have another short scale in the market!!