1969 M85 Hollow Body

[bklynbass]

The bassier of the 2 positions sounded to me like what I would expect to hear from an unaltered pickup located so far from the bridge. The other position certainly sounded like a bass cut, if not a mid boost as well. It was a tone unlike any sound I've heard on any other bass.

That's how mine sounded as well, except that the bassier position was distorted, until I took out the coil. I can't say what went on in any other basses beside my own, but one thing I know for sure is that in my bass it was a bass cut and not a treble cut. And yes, Guild said it was a bass boost but as we all know for it to be a true bass boost it would have to be active.

That said: In general, if I take the output from a PU and run it through a resistor, does that cut any frequencies? If I take the output from a PU and run it through a capacitor, does that cut any frequencies? I would say the answers are No and Treble. If someone else has different answers then we have found a fundamental source of my confusion.

That's what I've always thought, as well. But at least on my bass, it's not a resistor or a capacitor that it was running through; it was a coil, and my understanding has always been that coils cut low end.

Not sure I want to believe the blond but the black, pre-Dark Star is definitive. One of the tricks I use to tell whether a SF I was converted to a SF II is the thumb and finger rests. I have never seen a SF II that left the factory with rests, but I have seen several conversions where the rests were reused.

Fair enough, but the Black one had finger rests as well. It's kind of hard to see in the photo, but they were there - I saw it in person. To me it seems like too much of a coincidence that two basses, both with 1970 serial numbers, the year that they transitioned to the humbucker, would have the exact same configuration (pickups, selector switch in a different place, no master volume) and not come out of the factory that way.

But maybe they didn't?!

 

[fronobulax]

I have a 67, BA-1133, that I've owned since 1973. Started life as a I, has a straight bridge and had a suck switch.

Well, that certainly throws a monkey wrench in the works. Thanks.

 

[fronobulax]

But at least on my bass, it's not a resistor or a capacitor that it was running through; it was a coil, and my understanding has always been that coils cut low end.

That pretty much proves that I really should not generalize across models and years as much as I do. Hopefully I'll remember that.

Fair enough, but the Black one had finger rests as well. It's kind of hard to see in the photo, but they were there - I saw it in person. To me it seems like too much of a coincidence that two basses, both with 1970 serial numbers, the year that they transitioned to the humbucker, would have the exact same configuration (pickups, selector switch in a different place, no master volume) and not come out of the factory that way.

But maybe they didn't?!

Missed the rests on the black one but the more I think about it the more sense your hypothesis makes so I believe in a factory M-85 II with one Hagstrom, one Humbucker and finger rests. And I will remember that, at least until the Alzheimer's kicks in.

 

[faivy]

Hi All
I am the new happy owner of this bass. I've reinstalled the original pickup and electronics minus the suck switch.
I used to own a 1967 SF1 that I sold. I can honestly say removing the coil suck makes a huge difference in the sound.
I am thrilled with this bass.If I can figure out how, I'll upload a picture.

 

[krysh]

Hi All
I am the new happy owner of this bass. I've reinstalled the original pickup and electronics minus the suck switch.
I used to own a 1967 SF1 that I sold. I can honestly say removing the coil suck makes a huge difference in the sound.
I am thrilled with this bass.If I can figure out how, I'll upload a picture.

welcome and congrats.
how come, since ric didn't want to sell it?

 

[faivy]

I don't know. I'm in Montreal and a search I did found it up for sale on Kijjiji Toronto.
We came to an agreement on price and I bought it sight unseen but he seemed like a standup guy.
He delivered it to my sister in Toronto and I picked it up from her. Complicated but it worked.
My luthier here in Montreal put it together, set it up and it sounds great. I left the original roundwounds, pretty beat up but I like old strings. I have a picture as my avatar.
I've got a Darkstarred replica tractor bass.

 

[idealassets]

I don't know. I'm in Montreal and a search I did found it up for sale on Kijjiji Toronto

Congartulations on your purchase. This bass is cool. The M85 model seems harder to get than a Starfire bass, as if the Starfire isn't hard enough to find already.

On the earlier "bass boost" switch discussion, I don't know what manufacturer came out with it first, Gibson or Guild. But I can say that the Gibson EB2 of the same era had a bass boost switch, and a bass mute bar; for 3 different sound variations. As if that wasn't enough, the teenage "kid" that sold it to me had been using all 3 different settings in his band rehearsals.

Its interesting to track all these features, since the 60's and 70's were certainly a dynamic era in the progression of music and instruments. Whats even more interesting is that at present certain musicians have sought out the earlier sound, and have concluded that the prior factory feature of "bass boost" is a current day bummer.

Craig

 

[faivy]

It took me ages to find the M85.
I've owned a 1967 EB2d. I didn't like the bass cut any more on that bass.
Honestly the M85 sounds so much better than the Starfire it can only be the removal of the switch/coil kill.
The Starfire never had as much character.
I like older instruments and those are the sounds I go for.