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Guild Basses

#21
Bit of a Guild Bass fan myself.

Here are most of mine;

Basses-BlkBorder.gif
 
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#22
I definitely dig Guild basses. I came very close to pulling the trigger on a Pilot 5 string back in the day. And if I can ever find a decent deal on a Guild B-30E? I would absolutely snatch one up! In the past couple of years I've tried out a couple of M-85 basses, too. And I really liked the feel and tone. If money were no object? I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
 
#25
That Bluesbird was my main bass in the early 70's. I actually wore through the spruce top and into the next layer with my thumb. I did all the damage to the Jetstar also, such a shame now
 
#28
MobileHolmes said:
I recently played an early 70s JSII and it was fantastic (i'm surprised I even picked it up off the wall, it was 100% not the kind of thing I'm usually into). Sort of like an EB3, but I preferred the tones across the board. Went from big and boomy to articulate and nimble, but no mud anywhere. It seemed to me to have a very high build quality. Unfortunately, the asking price on this one was too high (both for me, and compared to what the going rate seems to be). The only one that gets much attention around here is the pilot.
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The absolute best playing bass I ever owned was a 1975 (I think) JSII, thanks to a gent affectionately called the DA. That bass with an Ampeg with tubes, and a 15" K140, would get some smooth depth with still enough clarity.
 
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#29
I think Guilds are somewhat under the radar because they were a low production from the northeast and quite regional. The only reason anybody in NW Louisiana knew about them was because Chris Hillman and Steve Boone used them. Only one fella I knew personally had one, and his was a special order.

Bflat and Flashback, y'all are really messin' with my intention to to sell off my herd, except for the essentials. That's really some wall of sound you both are flaunting.
 
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#32
Dluxe said:
I've been a fan of the early Pilot basses ever since first hearing Jerry Peek.
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Me too, although he told me here a few years ago that he likes his Fender Roscoe Beck more than any other bass he's played.

Didn't Darryl Jones play a Pilot too, at about that same time. Oops - I see that got covered later in the thread.
 
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#35
Played a 90 Guild bass with Kahler Tremolo.....it was something different but I could never get used to the bigger neck it had. Sounded ok though.
 
#37
Plenty of Guild love here! I owned a B302 for a few years, and it's still one of my all time favorite basses in terms of tone: BIG, round tone with lots of nasty growl when you dig in. I had mine strung with TI flats. I also really grew to love that round neck profile, too. I only play 5ers now, so I sold it to my boss who was dying to buy it off of me--it's good to know I still have access to it ;)

This was recorded live straight into a REDDI.

 
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#40
cool breeze said:
Anyone have comment on the 402-A with active pickups?
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I've been playing 300- and 400-series Guilds since '75. My B-402A is the designated Funk Machine, and my 401A the primary blues/rock bass. I reserve my original B-301 for low-volume gigs, as the pickup is a little buzzy. For some years I also kept a 301F and 302F in the stable, before I moved over to the actives.

The active circuitry on the 400-series basses seems less compressed, more like a passive feeling, than that on my Pilot Pro Vf, and the switching is more practical in some ways onstage.
 
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