New to Guild

[marta]

Hi there.
I made an account just to thank everyone @here for your posts and advises. I've been reading carefully for some time. It helped a lot through the before/ during/ after process of acquiring my Guild. I'm now the happy owner of a "new" M85-I It's a 2014 , so should I say never-used? I love it! great tone, great looks, great instrument Since I got him I haven't touched my Precision
Also thanks to this forum, a set of medium scale LaBella flats is on its way, and I'm trying to decide which lite-tuners fits best.
Thanks!
Cheers, marta

 

[davismanLV]

Wow, marta!! That's beautiful!! I love black guitars and basses. Thanks for the introduction and welcome to LTG!! Congratulations!!

 

[Bernie]

Congrats and welcome...Guild makes excellent instruments. If yours beats a Precision bass, it must be great : I myself got an old new Guild (2011 acoustic guitar bought a couple years back); and still don't quite understand how it was in the shop after all that time...
2014, is this made in New Hartford like mine (I'm not very familiar with Guild electrics and basses yet, then I don't know much about places where they were made at the time)...
Enjoy...

Bernie

 

[marta]

Thanks @davismanLV and @Bernie !!
I've never been a big fan of black basses, but this one is really classy, and has a wonderful tone. I would have gone for a cherry red M85 II but those are impossible to find...
Bernie, this one is one of the 2014-2016 Newark St. reissues, so built in Korea. I know some people are not a fan of non-US instruments, but this is top built quality, not a single flaw: neck, fret job, body (other than neck dive which seems to be common to guild basses), so a great value for the money as well.

 

[mellowgerman]

Welcome! Nice bass and great string choice!
I've played just about every make and style of bass out there under $2000 and, in my opinion, there is nothing like a short-scale Guild bass neck -- which is one of the major victories for these import Guilds. Having owned and played a bunch of vintage Starfires, including my "lifer" from 1970, I can honestly they got a lot right with those Korean imports. The value is great, especially if you get one used, which have been popping up around the web at very low price-points.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Welcome!

Switching to flats is a good move, IMO. You ordered medium-scales, so obviously have done your homework.

Enjoy your beautiful new bass!

 

[fronobulax]

Welcome. Nice choice.

 

[walrus]

Welcome, marta! Beautiful bass!

walrus

 

[marta]

Thanks @walrus @fronobulax @Minnesota Flats @mellowgerman

 

[Bernie]

(....)
Bernie, this one is one of the 2014-2016 Newark St. reissues, so built in Korea. I know some people are not a fan of non-US instruments, but this is top built quality, not a single flaw: neck, fret job, body (other than neck dive which seems to be common to guild basses), so a great value for the money as well.

Thanks Marta for your answer. I think black is very elegant on this bass ; I sometimes wish I had a bass...Could be handy if I try to do some demos one of these days. It's not too hard for me to find bass lines that fit, though I'm a guitar player. I put this instrument on my wish list, just after the Fender Precision for now...It's more unusual than a Fender though so I might like the way it looks better ; hope I can find a place where I can try one...

What does "neck dive" mean ?
Cheers, Bernie

 

[fronobulax]

Thanks Marta for your answer. I think black is very elegant on this bass ; I sometimes wish I had a bass...Could be handy if I try to do some demos one of these days. It's not too hard for me to find bass lines that fit, though I'm a guitar player. I put this instrument on my wish list, just after the Fender Precision for now...It's more unusual than a Fender though so I might like the way it looks better ; hope I can find a place where I can try one...

What does "neck dive" mean ?
Cheers, Bernie

I bought my first Guild bass because it wasn't a Fender Precision. (Almost half a century ago Fenders dominated the market and there were few alternatives. I was trying to be a rebel although I found out later the Precision neck profile just did not work for me).

When you are playing standing up an using a strap, if the headstock is heavy enough and the strap is "slippery" enough, the instrument will slide on your shoulder with gravity pulling the headstock lower to the ground. That is neck dive.

You can "fix" it with a strap that doesn't slide although it may be hard to get the instrument in a comfortable playing position and have it remain there. Some folks replace the tuners with lighter weight versions. At least one person improvised an additional strap that kept the neck from dropping.

I've never had a neck dive problem on any of my Guilds but that is probably because my strap is leather and about 5" wide. I also tend to play with the neck 30-45 degrees above the horizontal which gives gravity less of a chance.

 

[Bernie]

Thanks Frono for your explanations here (and there)...Especially on "neck's dive" which worried me a little bit...I feard it'd be some kind of more serious flaw with the neck !
Bernie

 

[chazmo]

Welcome aboard, Marta, and congrats on that awesome axe.

 

[lungimsam]

Congrats!!!
Good choice on the strings!!
D’Addario Chromes are also excellent if you want a brighter sounding string set.