😑

[EWH]

 

[dreadnut]

The soldering is a disaster.

 

[hansmoust]

That's a SB-608 neck on a Pilot Bass body. Probably not an employee guitar since none of the other parts are regular Guild parts.

Might be a nice bass to experiment with!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Happy Face]

Not sure that the nut is loose. Rather, it looks like it was deliberately moved to better position the strings over the fretboard. Yes/no?

 

[Minnesota Flats]

"And yes, yes - we KNOW the nut has come loose..."

...providing an object lesson as to one reason why having the strings depart the nut slots at such extreme angles is a bad idea (the other reason being the negative effect thereof on tuning stability).

 

[EWH]

 

[EWH]

 

[hansmoust]

At this stage I'm inclined to disagree, Hans...

Note - after closer inspection of the fretboard fotos, I am now certain the triangles are merely stickers covering the original factory dots.

No, we don't disagree! You simply didn't get what I was saying; I said that the body was for a Pilot and the neck was for an SB-608. I didn't say these parts came off completed instruments; it's pretty clear that they were never on an original Guild, before the bass in question was assembled. They were simply regular Guild parts that somehow found their way out of the Westerly factory; that happened a lot there.

The inlays are original for an SB-608 with that particular headstock.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Nuuska]

Is there a chance, that it is entirely "home-made" ?

Looking at the bridge-pup routing.

 

[EWH]

 

[EWH]

 

[chazmo]

What's the attraction, EWH. I hate the fret markers, and clearly the thing is a bit of a hack job (maybe a prototype).

Anyway, good luck whatever you decide.

 

[EWH]

 

[fronobulax]

Well, the attraction is - despite it's hideousness - that it is actually a genuine Pilot, albeit of sorts...The present owner was also told by the person he bought it from that it was indeed a prototype, but that would ultimately be quite difficult to prove I think and, I personally don't think it is...

If I am given the opportunity to buy it, I think I would fix this Pilot right up - but the price must be right - it's going to be all about the price...

One understanding of "prototype" is "someone or something that serves as a model or inspiration for those that come later". So I would be reluctant to call this a prototype until I could find evidence that Guild built it and either changed something about Pilots that were build afterwards or consciously abandoned the changed design.

However, the word "prototype" is often used more casually and often as a synonym for "unique" or "one of a kind".

I suspect the previous claims of "prototype" were made in good faith but also made without knowledge of Guild's involvement, or lack thereof.

if the control cavity cover were the typical black plastic I would be less uncertain about Guild's involvement or the builder's access to factory parts

 

[EWH]

 

[Guildedagain]

 

[SFIV1967]

NEVER knew (or saw previously) that SB-608 necks were born with those triangle inlays...!!!

Some more examples:

Guild Flying Star SB 608 1985 Blue | Reverb

Very rare instrument with exceptional style. The finish is blue and silver with red highlights. The back pickups has been replaced with an EMG.

reverb.com

And with the other headstock:

Vintage 1980s Guild SB608 Flying Star Bass

Notes Extremely rare bass Believed to have been a custom order, as many features differ from the stock model Tiger stripe finish Kahler tremolo bridge EMG active pickups (may be unoriginal) Brass nut 22 frets USA Made Finish wear on both lower horn edges Plays very well Fully functional...

evolutionmusicstore.com

Guild SB 608 Bass White 1985

The following specs were carefully collected and recorded by a skilled technician. For a more detailed description and questions regarding sound, feel, or cosmetic condition, please call to speak to one of our experts.SummaryFinish Details: OriginalBody Material: Mahogany BodyBody Details: Solid...

www.chicagomusicexchange.com

Ralf

 

[twocorgis]

To me, that whole bass is just wrong! I never liked that headstock, and resulting bad string pull over the nut, and the rest of the bass is just a hot mess. When you can buy "real" Pilot basses for such reasonable prices, why even bother with something like this?

 

[EWH]

 

[fronobulax]

Sets?

sets