NVBD - 72? Guild JS-II

secndshft

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A month or so ago a good friend made a westward run to visit his wife, who was then working her season on a ranch in Colorado. As is so often the case we combed Craiglist, Fbook Marketplace, etc along the way for stuff we don't need, but might want. I reached out to a guy about a JSII, but never hear back. :(

Fast forward a few weeks and I was eyeing (again) stuff I don't need on Reverb. I'd just sold a 66' Fender Mustang bass on Reverb and I guess I had money burning a hole in my pocket. I spotted a Guild JS-II and started up a chat with the seller. We later talked on the phone, agreed on a price that made us both happy and within a day the bass was on it's to me.

Here's the funny part. It's the same bass as I'd originally sought out, but through a different seller. As the story goes, this is (essentially) a one owner since new. And as best I can tell, this was the gentlemen's only bass. I've tracked down photos of him in the 70s up until just a handful of years ago. Sadly, he passed in the last few years, which explains the crossover. The guy I bought it from purchased it from the widow. Her new partner was the guy on Mktplc that was trying to sell it.

It's off for a setup late this week, but so far I'm smitten. It's light and smaller than a Pbass, but oh how I love the tonal options. Both the Bassman and SB-12 love it.

IMG_7579.jpg


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HeyMikey

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That’s quite a story secndshft! Congrats. Your persistence paid off. Would d great to keep that history you researched with the guitar when it moves on to its next caretaker.
 

Minnesota Flats

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Very nice!

I lust for one of those periodically, but the money/availability stars have never aligned as yet.
 

mellowgerman

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Very nice and a cool story!
The thought regularly crosses my mind that I should probably own a JS bass again. Just as quickly as that thought visits itself upon me though, I remember that I already have a bunch of basses, of which my Starfire gets about 93% of my attention and several rarely get played. So then I sigh, retreat back into my bass cave, get the Starfire out of it's case again, and play until I realize it's far past my bedtime.
 

Happy Face

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I like the profile of the JS (& EB -3) basses. Being of diminutive stature, I find them more comfortable than the larger Starfires.
 

Minnesota Flats

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I like the profile of the JS (& EB -3) basses. Being of diminutive stature, I find them more comfortable than the larger Starfires.

I'm just the opposite, and I guess that's why Starfires feel ergonomically perfect to me. Started out playing bass on a Mustang, but those feel awkwardly small to me now. That may be why I've held back on doing serious hunting for a JS. Have never run into one in a music store or elsewhere so have had no opportunity to "try one on for size". I do like the "look", though.


Andy Fraser of Free
 

fronobulax

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Never knew the Guild connection and he may be the most successful? popular? well known? bassist to use a JS>

Google helped me find these.

download.jpg
download (1).jpg
 

hieronymous

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Never knew the Guild connection and he may be the most successful? popular? well known? bassist to use a JS>

Google helped me find these.

download.jpg
download (1).jpg

I believe the bass in the second picture is a Gibson EB-3, which is the bass he is most often associated with. I've seen a pic or two of him with an EB-2 as well (the hollow-body that resembles a Starfire - and it might have been an Epiphany, I'll check when I get home). I wonder if those pics with the JS-2 are post-Free? They appear to be from the same show.

I was really into him pre-internet (mid-'80s) so info was very hard to find! I was so excited to find a solo album by him (this is when I was in 9th grade) - brought it home, it was awful electronic pop! I should have known by his hair on the cover...
 

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fronobulax

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I believe the bass in the second picture is a Gibson EB-3, which is the bass he is most often associated with.

On reflection I think you are correct. The bridge are doesn't look "right" on closer examonation and maybe that isn't a Guild humbucker... :-_
 

hieronymous

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On reflection I think you are correct. The bridge are doesn't look "right" on closer examonation and maybe that isn't a Guild humbucker... :-_

The horns are what clued me in first, especially the bottom one - it's shorter on a JS, almost like a cutaway, but more symmetrical on an EB-3. I had to look 2-3 times though!
 

fronobulax

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The horns are what clued me in first, especially the bottom one - it's shorter on a JS, almost like a cutaway, but more symmetrical on an EB-3. I had to look 2-3 times though!

I'm well aware of the asymmetry but at first and second glance the bass side horn was longer. Now that I have to convince myself it is a Gibson I can see that I was giving the strap and photo angle credit for more horn than really is there :)
 

hieronymous

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I'm well aware of the asymmetry but at first and second glance the bass side horn was longer. Now that I have to convince myself it is a Gibson I can see that I was giving the strap and photo angle credit for more horn than really is there :)

The first time I played my M-85 live, I heard someone in the audience say "What kind of bass is that?" and his buddy answered "It's a Gibson!" o_O
 

Happy Face

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The first time I played my M-85 live, I heard someone in the audience say "What kind of bass is that?" and his buddy answered "It's a Gibson!" o_O

Well, it does rather look like a Les Paul.
 

Minnesota Flats

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I must be more visually attuned than the average person: I would never mistake any Guild for a Gibson (or visa-versa). There are generally as many, if not more, differences than similarities.
 

fronobulax

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I must be more visually attuned than the average person: I would never mistake any Guild for a Gibson (or visa-versa). There are generally as many, if not more, differences than similarities.

Some of that has to do with how long you take to make a judgement. If there were a penalty for misidentifying that bass as a JS then I would certainly have given it more scrutiny. I will say that if you take the pickguard off an EB-2, and have a camera angle that obscures the PU and bridge I'm not necessarily going to catch the control layout as the thing left that says it is obviously not a Starfire :)
 
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Minnesota Flats

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Another possibility is that some unscrupulous individual has been surreptitiously subjecting me to subliminal images of Guild instruments when I watch television at night in order to strengthen my already-existing bias in their favor.

Hey: it could happen...
 
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