Not a Guild or even a short-scale, but...

Minnesota Flats

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...given the interest in augmenting Starfire Basses with active electronics, I thought I'd post this here in case anyone isn't aware of these. If memory serves, mellowgerman tried an Ibanez semi-hollow as a modding platform for awhile. Anyhow:


Note:

•Made in Indonesia (not China, if that makes a difference to anyone)
•Despite 34" scale length, nut is narrow (around 1.50"), so neck may be more "Starfire-like" than some other semi-hollows on the market:. I haven't seen one of these "in the flesh" or played one, so that is only conjecture. Also might appeal to someone who prefers Jazz to Precision necks.
•Listing at about $1K new (though w/o case or gig bag)
•Semi-hollow
•Available a Sweetwater (so you get to see PICs/weight of exact bass you would be purchasing + other benefits of buying from Sweetwater)

Personally, I'm not crazy about the color options and don't really want a 34"-scale bass, but someone else might feel differently. Also, the bridge configuration may limit string choice options ("extra long" specified).

Disclaimer: I have no commercial affiliation with either Schecter or Sweetwater.
 

mellowgerman

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Always cool to see another semi-hollow option pop up on the market. I do have a soft spot for Thunderbird basses and it looks like that's a big influence in this design considering the pickups and their locations. For what it's worth, Thunderbirds are one of the few basses out there on which I actually prefer nickel rounds to flats. To my ears, that flavor of humbucker just sounds best that way.
I too have no interest in long-scale basses anymore, so it's not for me, but it's definitely a cool design.
 

fronobulax

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Thanks. I am more likely to thin the herd than get another bass but it is interesting to know what's out there.

There is a part of me that wants to try a Jack Casady Signature but since at least two Starfire owners here have sold or stopped playing their JC I'm not sure getting one is a smart move.... Unless the special edition blue comes on the market at a good price.

I was never a fan of long scales which I know understand is because the neck profile of a Precision doesn't work for me, but I still have a place for the Pilot. Nothing else in the stable sounds like it and when I do play if forces me to pay attention to technique in a different way which overall helps me improve.
 

Happy Face

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A guy on TB recently was offering a Fender Mustang Bass bass with the pickup and electronics from a Casady bass.
 

mellowgerman

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A guy on TB recently was offering a Fender Mustang Bass bass with the pickup and electronics from a Casady bass.

I saw that! Was excited and intrigued at first but the more I read and looked, the more I realized the mods weren't done with the most of care. Mainly the tuners were mounted crookedly (one of the few aesthetic things that really bothers me) and he mentioned that the pots were not the correct values and therefore the tone knob didn't function properly. Made me worry that maybe the pickup and transformer were also the victims of sloppiness and potential damage. Also, it started life as one of those $150 Squier Affinity Bronco basses. If it had been less than $200 I might have considered it as a project, but I think he was asking almost twice that
 
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