What's a Jetstar (TB shape) Bass with one Hagstrom worth?

[Los Angeles]

I don't know the year but I do know that it's seen a few repairs and has been refinished (refinished very well, but still refinished. Is there a ball-park street value for a bass like this? Just looking to come within a couple hundred bucks.

Thanks in advance,

Kent

 

[fronobulax]

What's "TB shape"? ThunderBird or Gumby? For the record the Gibson EB like double cutaway was only officially JetStar for a brief period so the vast majority of folks who are not consumed by an anal tendency towards precision (oh, a Fender joke) in language use JetStar to refer to the earlier bass that went out of production circa 1967 and JS for the later bass. I speak as someone who made a public fool of myself correcting someone who referred to a 1970's double cutaway model as "JetStar". Turns out they were right and there are even some of that body style with a SD prefix in the serial number.

However, to answer your question, this 1965 JetStar with 2x2 headstock was restored by a LTG member and it apparently failed to sell for $1,500. There's a shop in Germany that has been listing a canary yellow refin for over $1600 USD for two or three years. The year might matter since the (later) 4x1 headstock seems to be a bit more in demand. That's the model Peter Tork of the Monkees played.

Anyway, if you pulled the Bisonic you'd almost certainly get $500 (IMO) for it alone if you were patient and Dark Stars continue to remain difficult to get. So that, plus the non-sale, says $500 is a bargain and $1,500 is never gonna happen. Split the difference at $1000?

 

[Los Angeles]

Thank you so much! That's an excellent answer. I don't know the difference between the thunderbird and gumby but yes, it's not in the shape of the S-100. It is also a 4x1 head.

$1000 is in the ballpark of what this seller is asking, so it looks like the seller is not that off base.

 

[mellowgerman]

I think Frono is about right on this one. I would check to make sure though that the pickup is in fact a real Hagstrom Bisonic... some people may restore these basses with a Dark Star and try to pass it off as all original. From my own experience, I've found that there is a slight difference between the two pickups. Both wonderful, don't get me wrong, but there is a bit of a difference.

 

[Baz Cooper]

Ah...Frono....you are mistaken...I did sell the Guild Jetstar Bass to a very happy customer. I simply ended the auction and shipped it to him.

 

[fronobulax]

Ah...Frono....you are mistaken...I did sell the Guild Jetstar Bass to a very happy customer. I simply ended the auction and shipped it to him.

Thanks for the update/correction. Do you concur with the price advice given Los Angeles or does $1,000 start sounding like a bargain, subject to the usual caveats about condition and originality?

Oh yea, welcome back :wink:

 

[Baz Cooper]

Thanks. Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on that. Last year, a Peter Tork duplicate sat at Olivia's Vintage for almost 6 months....They were asking $2,700.00 for it.....I think they eventually got $2,500.00 or something like that. Sunburst....4 inline Van Ghent tuners. All original...but they did say the neck was bowed. I don't own any guilds now...But would LOVE to someday get another 4 inline Jetstar like Torks....Or any other 4 inline...I dig the Mickey Mouse Pickups.....BUT....those Bi-Sonics really do have their own type of assault. Very nice.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I think Frono is about right on this one. I would check to make sure though that the pickup is in fact a real Hagstrom Bisonic... some people may restore these basses with a Dark Star and try to pass it off as all original. From my own experience, I've found that there is a slight difference between the two pickups. Both wonderful, don't get me wrong, but there is a bit of a difference.

I agree.

I've had 2 DS'd Starfires - a Westerly & a deArmond, as well as having both models non-DS'd.I've often had both a DS'd Starfire & a Hagstrom-pup Starfire at the same time.

I've also had a 67 Starfire I neck pup with a quick-connect on the Hagstrom & an additional DS pup with the same quick-connect, enabling me to switch between both pups on the same bass.

I like the tone of both, but a DS isn't a direct mirror of a Hag, altho they are definitely in the same family tonally. The DS seems to have more of an edginess, while the Hag has more of a pillow in the sound (if that array of technical terms makes any sense at all 8) )

I'd like to have both, & have gone back & forth over the years, but over time have gravitated to the original Hagstrom tone, and now my only Starfire is a 67 with a Hagstrom bisonic.

That said, there's no way I'd own another Westerly or DeArmond without Dark Stars in it.