Guild Starfire 1 Bass Tailpiece Change

[Kristo]

Hello all. I was wondering if anyone here had replaced the tailpiece on their new Starfire 1 bass? I love the basses, but the stock tailpiece limits the string options available. I'm a flatwound string user, so ideally I don't want to wrap strings around the tuning pegs. Thomastik short scale Jazz Flats luckily fit perfectly with a winding length of 35.5 inches. However if using Pyramid flats you need a long scale set for the E string, but then the G from the same set wraps around the tuning peg causing breakages. This is true of long scale Labella sets too, whereas fluctuations in their medium scale sets mean the E doesn't always fit properly (silk on the nut). I'm tempted to change the tailpiece so all the strings ball ends are in line, which would solve this issue for me.

 

[fronobulax]

Dunno.

I always understood the string silk was cosmetic, not functional, and so silk at the nut could be addressed by removing some of the silk with a razor blade.

The factory strings are supposed to be D'Addario EXL165 Nickel Wound Bass, Custom Light (.045 - .105). Since I don't tinker, I might get the dimensions from the specs and see if there is a D'Addario string that is basically the equivalent only flatwound.

 

[SFIV1967]

You could maybe remove the bridge and tailpiece and go with the "normal" Starfire bass bridge asssembly? Not sure how the Starfire I bass is construced under the bridge and if you could screw in that assembly at all.

Newark St. Collection Bass Bridge Assembly | Guild Guitars

Replacement adjustable bridge assembly for Starfire Bass and M-85 Bass models. Features intonation-adjustable ebony saddles.

shop.guildguitars.com

Ralf

 

[mellowgerman]

if short scale strings are a little too short (with the silks running beyond the nut) you can trim the silks back carefully with a razor and typically will work fine. I would have to do this with short scale DR Legend flatwounds on a standard spec Starfire bass. Have done so as well with my beloved Maxima flats on the other end (long silks at the bridge which sometimes go over the bridge saddles).

Not ideal, but it works and, if I recall correctly, that's what Phil Lesh used to have to do when he would put Pyramid Gold flats on some of his basses in the 60's/70's

 

[lungimsam]

Removing the silk from over the nut is the perfect solution I would think, like frono and mellow said. Just make sure the string's taper is behind the nut (on the headstock side) and not in front of the nut (laying over fingerboard. The white arrows in the pic below show the tapers behind the nut. They are D'Addario EXL170 medium scale roundwounds on my Starfire II Bass.
Still can't find a set of flats that I really like that fits. So it is not only the SF1 basses with the problem. I would have thought that tailpiece would allow any longscale string set to work without trimming.

 

[Kristo]

Thanks guys. I didn't really want to mess about with brand new strings but I guess a razor to the silks is the easiest solution.

 

[Happy Face]

You need to look for medium scale (32") strings, no?

 

[Kristo]

It depends on the brand.

 

[lungimsam]

Strings fitting 2013-2017 NS Starfire I and II Bisonic equipped Basses with harp bridge I have found so far. No silks cutting necessary:

Ernie Ball Medium Scale Regular Slinkys 2856 roundwounds:
45 -38.58
65 - 44.86
85 - 41.88
105 - 35.18=160.5 Sounds fantastic all genres.

DAddario EXL170M
Medium Scale Nickel Wound
45-37.67
65-42.83
80-35.48
100-30.76=146.73lbs. Sounds fantastic all genres. My favorite rounds for my Starfire Bass.

Chromes medium scale flats (ECB81M, 45-65-80-100, 176.94lbs.)
45- 47.22
65-51.94
80-42.09
100-35.69=176.94lb Nice flats sound! On the brighter side.

TI Jazz Flats 32” JF324
(Called short scale but fits Starfires)
43 - 32.80
56-32.84
70-27.66
106-35.38=128.68lbs. excellent mellow sound excellent tension. Has their own type of sound. Doesn’t sound so much like metal strings. Very enjoyable tone. Think Phil Lesh in early days if you play them with a pick.

GHS Super Steels 5500 medium scale roundwounds
44-35.1
63-43.3
84-35.2
106-36=149.6lbs. Low E just a touch long for the tuner but doable.

Rotosound RS66M Swing Bass medium scale
40-31.56
50-27.98
75-32.07
90-26.99=118.6 very light tension but not floppy.

GHS precision med scale flats - dead sounding To me.
Labella Low Tension Flats-sounded like rubber bands.

 

[fronobulax]

Strings fitting Starfire Basses I have found so far. No silks cutting necessary:

Thanks.

Are we absolutely certain that strings that fit a Starfire with the traditional bridge will also fit a new NS Starfire I with the bridge and tailpiece? When the Starfire I first came out I thought someone reported that it needed longer strings than the older style bridge.

 

[lungimsam]

The strings I listed are confirmed only for NS Bisonic-laden Starfires I and II with harp style bridge manufactured between 2013-2017. . I added that to the post for clarity.

 

[Kristo]

The newer Starfire 1’s are a bit more limiting. The strings winding length has to between 34 1/4” and 35 1/2”. Anything shorter the E string silk is before/on the nut. Anything longer the G wraps around the tuner.

 

[GGJaguar]

Maybe fabricating something like this Mosrite stop tail?

 

[lungimsam]

Guild puts D'Addario EXL165 Nickel Wound Bass, Custom Light (.045 - .105) on the split coil Starfire I, stock, according to their web page so I am surprised all long scale strings wont work.

 

[mellowgerman]

If you were considering mounting a different tailpiece to the face of the instrument, I just picked up one of these tailpieces (linked below and also available in chrome) for my Gibson and it arrived the other day. Not installed yet, but a solid piece of hardware that looks like it checks all the quality boxes. 18mm string spacing, which is perfect for my Gibson, but should be fine on the Starfire as well. Even if it's not an exact match, many guitars and basses have a tailpiece from which the strings diverge (more common) or converge (less often) to the saddles on the bridge. Also note, this tailpiece allows you to adjust the height as well, in case you want more or less break-angle over your bridge saddles, which is a nice feature.

https://www.amazon.com/Musiclily-Alloy-4-String-Tailpiece-Black/dp/B09XK55YQ6

 

[fronobulax]

Guild puts D'Addario EXL165 Nickel Wound Bass, Custom Light (.045 - .105) on the split coil Starfire I, stock, according to their web page so I am surprised all long scale strings wont work.

The factory strings are supposed to be D'Addario EXL165 Nickel Wound Bass, Custom Light (.045 - .105).

D'Addario's web page is not as easy to use as I would like but they describe the factory installed strings as long scale so I would expect any other D'Addario long scale set to fit. What I can't figure out is which sets would be flats and which are rounds and which don't fit well into either category.

 

[lungimsam]

The Chromes series are the flats. They are very nice flatwounds. Middle of the road flats. They do dark to bright tones very well. Super smooth on the fingers and noiseless.