Not sure what's taking Guild so long to get these out on the market. Has anyone managed to get their hands on one yet? Any impressions?
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Anyone get a Guild Junior Jumbo bass yet?
- Thread starter RedHotFuzz
- Start date
A dealer about an hour and a half from my place is expecting one in their next shipment. Apparently, they're finally on their way!
I just got to play one at a music store up in Northern California. Almost bought it but they were $100 over retail.
I gotta have one. Super cool for campfire jams. Couldn’t believe the tone.
I gotta have one. Super cool for campfire jams. Couldn’t believe the tone.
Bought one on a whim yesterday afternoon at Tall Toad Music Shop in Petaluma, CA.
An hour later I was gigging with it with my rock band: Fog Swamp at Lagunitas Tap Room.
It's bouncy, fat and fun to play - though there is less real-estate to explore I found the play-ability and tone excellent.
I had with me a Fender Jazz, Mod Q5 and Mod Fretless Bassstar.
This thing fit certain songs better then others but generally speaking it's versatile and fun.
I have occasional bluegrass gigs on Angel Island in the middle of SF Bay and it's a lot easier to bring this Junior Jumbo with a Phil Jones Double Four on the Ferry Boat then my big old Kay Upright!
Word.....
An hour later I was gigging with it with my rock band: Fog Swamp at Lagunitas Tap Room.
It's bouncy, fat and fun to play - though there is less real-estate to explore I found the play-ability and tone excellent.
I had with me a Fender Jazz, Mod Q5 and Mod Fretless Bassstar.
This thing fit certain songs better then others but generally speaking it's versatile and fun.
I have occasional bluegrass gigs on Angel Island in the middle of SF Bay and it's a lot easier to bring this Junior Jumbo with a Phil Jones Double Four on the Ferry Boat then my big old Kay Upright!
Word.....
Anybody else have this bass? These 23 to 25" scale acoustics by Taylor, Guild, and Ibanez are a blast to play. Would love to hear more about the Guild.
I've spent some time on one at a local GC. I liked its tone the best out of the crop of the 23-35 inch scale basses. Felt the most similar movement wise to my VM Mustang also. Strong tension seemed very playable also, not loose and not real tight.
I still like the look of the Guild.
However, they're still hard to find in stores up here (central Canada), and I still have yet to try one for myself.
In the meantime, based on recordings I've heard on YouTube, the plugged-in tone is similar to the Taylor, Michael Kelly Sojourn 4K, etc., and also a lot like most mid-priced full-scale ABG's. That's to say a bit twangy, like a deep acoustic guitar. I also noted that people seem to have trouble trying to avoid fretting out and clanking because of the lower string tension.
Although that sound is nice for solo bass pieces, I find it difficult to EQ for regular band use.
Meanwhile, I ran into a video demo of an Ibanez Artwood bass that competes with the Guild and the Taylor. It uses the same D'Addario nylon core strings, but it's based around a 12-fret parlor guitar.
I didn't know whether to trust the recording, but the plugged-in section suggested that it had a full, warm tone that struck me as more giggable than the others.
It turns out that the $250 version (PNB14E) isn't imported to Canada, but the $500, solid-top AVNB1E is. I found a few in my area, and ended up taking one home.
It doesn't compete with my Dingwall for tight, percussive tones on up-tempo tunes. However, it's much more than a couch toy, and has become my go-to in situations where I would reach for a regular hollow or semi-hollow electric bass.
Once again, I still don't have hands-on experience with the Guild. But for my purposes, the Ibby definitely beats the Taylor in everything but cosmetics. In fact, I was quite disappointed in the Taylor. The preamp output is weak, the low end is lacking, and the intonation is already bad by the 12th fret.
In every other way, the Ibanez kills it- better intonation (useable up to the 14th-16th fret), warmer unplugged tone, tighter string tension because of the longer 25" scale, less fretting out, more effective EQ, stronger preamp output, built-in tuner...
Here is the video that originally got me interested:
However, they're still hard to find in stores up here (central Canada), and I still have yet to try one for myself.
In the meantime, based on recordings I've heard on YouTube, the plugged-in tone is similar to the Taylor, Michael Kelly Sojourn 4K, etc., and also a lot like most mid-priced full-scale ABG's. That's to say a bit twangy, like a deep acoustic guitar. I also noted that people seem to have trouble trying to avoid fretting out and clanking because of the lower string tension.
Although that sound is nice for solo bass pieces, I find it difficult to EQ for regular band use.
Meanwhile, I ran into a video demo of an Ibanez Artwood bass that competes with the Guild and the Taylor. It uses the same D'Addario nylon core strings, but it's based around a 12-fret parlor guitar.
I didn't know whether to trust the recording, but the plugged-in section suggested that it had a full, warm tone that struck me as more giggable than the others.
It turns out that the $250 version (PNB14E) isn't imported to Canada, but the $500, solid-top AVNB1E is. I found a few in my area, and ended up taking one home.
It doesn't compete with my Dingwall for tight, percussive tones on up-tempo tunes. However, it's much more than a couch toy, and has become my go-to in situations where I would reach for a regular hollow or semi-hollow electric bass.
Once again, I still don't have hands-on experience with the Guild. But for my purposes, the Ibby definitely beats the Taylor in everything but cosmetics. In fact, I was quite disappointed in the Taylor. The preamp output is weak, the low end is lacking, and the intonation is already bad by the 12th fret.
In every other way, the Ibanez kills it- better intonation (useable up to the 14th-16th fret), warmer unplugged tone, tighter string tension because of the longer 25" scale, less fretting out, more effective EQ, stronger preamp output, built-in tuner...
Here is the video that originally got me interested:
Last edited:
In other Guild-related news, there have always been bass guitars in the classical world, used for ensemble work.
La Bella makes a couple of sets for them, and the 4-string set makes a nice alternative to the D'Addarios. Similar nylon rope core, but with silver-plated instead of raw copper windings. String tension is still within the same range, so it won't stress the neck or pull the bridge off.
However, the feel is much more natural for those of us used to electric basses. The string doesn't roll around under your fingers, and while it will still clank out if you get aggressive, it allows you to hit a little harder.
They're also about a third cheaper than the D'Addarios, which is handy.
La Bella CB40:
Invalid Link Removed
La Bella makes a couple of sets for them, and the 4-string set makes a nice alternative to the D'Addarios. Similar nylon rope core, but with silver-plated instead of raw copper windings. String tension is still within the same range, so it won't stress the neck or pull the bridge off.
However, the feel is much more natural for those of us used to electric basses. The string doesn't roll around under your fingers, and while it will still clank out if you get aggressive, it allows you to hit a little harder.
They're also about a third cheaper than the D'Addarios, which is handy.
La Bella CB40:
Invalid Link Removed
Last edited:
- Jan 28, 2009
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