• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Guild B-302

ZiggyDude

ZiggyDude

Jun 8, 2005
531
58
#1
A few years I picked up a Guild B-302 in a store that was filled with old stuff. It even had the Guild case with the bright blue inside and the owners manual.

I liked it as it was bright and had a nice feel. But after a job or two it sat in the closet while the Alembics (4 and 5 with electrics) and vintage active BC Rich Mockingbird got the work.

Recently I have been goofing with it again. About the same time changing amps every job and trying differ speakers and such. Going from 6x10 to 2x15 in many cases.

The thing sounds like a vintage Ric! Has a bad habit of feeding back some. Band mates love it. With an outboard EQ (Boss pedal) I can add just a tad of 32 HZ and that livens it up.

OK - the Mockingbird still has it beat. Mattering on what you want to do vs, the Alembics.

Anyone else had thoughts on the Guild? I am glad I never sold it!

Best,

- Ziggy =
 
#2
I saw one used at a store about 7 years ago for 300, when I didn't know what Guilds were, nor did I have too much knowledge about tone. If I remember correctly it was a dark natural brown (looked soo cool). To be safe though, I bought a used american jazz instead. To this day, I still regret passing it up. I sold the jazz a few years back. I'm not a jazz kinda guy, but I am a Guild kinda guy(now at least). Someday i'll add a B302 to my collection. Wish they made it short scale though...
 
#3
My first bass was a beat up B-301 (same bass but a single pickup model) that I learned on. It wasn't until I played a lot more basses that I realized how much I dug that old Guild. It has some serious neck dive, but also has some of the most criminally underrated pickups from that era. Fred Hammon (who makes the Darkstars) told me they were his second favorite after the Hagstroms.

I loved that bass so much that my custom Stambaugh's design was very much influenced by it.

Great bass.
 
#4
Guild had a habit of imitating some of the Gibsons and other basses at the time. When I look at the body shape - and imagine a Ric with some of the horns shaved off. The thing actually sounds more like a vintage Ric than my 2002 Ric 4003 does!

Ineed to mess with it more and learn about the different settnigs - sometimes they don't make sense to me. But then - neither do the controls on my Ric :-)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back