Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
I don’t believe that there’s any switchery or duplicitous activity regarding that bridge.
I grew up about six miles from where that bass was built and as you could imagine, almost every bassist in town had a Pilot (many I’m sure went out the back door of the factory)
Guild was a small factory In westerly RI and like Fender, would use whatever components were on hand that day to build basses.
I’ve seen dozens and dozens of pilots and owned a few (including the rare and elusive five string) (Gil Diaz used to work on my Basses )
And they were all over the map with regards to standardized components
Last edited:
Huh...
Having a Pilot Pro 5, and not reading back past the post that I quoted, which did not mention the Advanced, it sorta got my attention.
It was many moons ago. My memory is is a bit fuzzy. Ryan Ohs post make the lightbulb in my head switch on
Maybe it was a pro?
I only remember that it had the most figured flame maple body I’ve ever seen on a pilot and it was satin finished
REALLY? ...its at empire guitars. I live like 20 min south. Don't have the cash but would love to see It in person. Never seen one like that...mine is blue.
Did it have the pearl block inlays and Bartolini JJ's? There were only 8-9 made...that's the Advanced.
Yeah it's been there for a year now. I saw it last Fall but didn't play it, they tend to price on the high side but they do get a nice selection and don't put all their inventory online. Empire is worth a visit if you're in the area.
Oh yeah...finally got a 5 string about a month ago. 1987 all original minus truss rod cover. Nice and light, plays great. I've brought to a couple rehearsals already and planning that it'll be the gig bass for next Saturday night.
I did really want an Advanced 5 but tough finding one. I thought about putting in Bartolini's but for now I'm leaving it alone.
Nice looking bass!! I had an advanced 5. It floated around the classifieds here for a bit, not sure where it ended up.
Not sure where you got that info, but it doesn't match my experience...The Pilot 4 (not a Special) I got in '88 or '89 definitely had a Schaller, not Müller bridge, and I know it was not a NOS because it had the most recent headstock logo for that era. And I'm almost certain that a friend's Pilot 4 (non-Special, with DiMarzios, bought new in '86 or '87) also had a Schaller bridge. I was a super-duper-trainspotting gearhead in my early player days (I could probably still tell you what bass/rig every musical guest on SNL played from '85-'90
) and would have noticed a Müller.
Last edited:
Not sure where you got that info, but it doesn't match my experience...The Pilot 4 (not a Special) I got in '88 or '89 definitely had a Schaller, not Müller bridge, and I know it was not a NOS because it had the most recent headstock logo for that era. And I'm almost certain that a friend's Pilot 4 (non-Special, with DiMarzios, bought new in '86 or '87) also had a Schaller bridge. I was a super-duper-trainspotting gearhead in my early player days (I could probably still tell you what bass/rig every musical guest on SNL played from '85-'90
Hi winston...
The date info on the Schaller and Müller bridges comes from Brian Bowdren's Guild Pilot ""Bible", The Workingman's Bass...
However, since I wrote that post and while I am STILL waiting for f'king FedEx to deliver it, I have been thinking that I may have misunderstood what he wrote...
Brian wrote that the Schaller roller bridge was the first bridge used on the Pilot line in 1983-'84 and that the Müller bridge, the second and most commonly found on Pilots, was (also) OEM from 1984 - 1994...I took these dates literally, thinking that Guild went FROM Schaller OVER TO Müller exclusively in 1984 - and it seems obvious to me NOW, that Brian probably meant that the Müller bridge was brought in as a "second option" from 1984 and that from then on, a Pilot would get either a Schaller OR a Müller depending on stock, worker preference, model, usw...
So, "my bad" as they say - sorry...
But, in my defence, until this most recent Pilot purchase, none of the dozen or so Pilots I have owned, do own or had my hands on since 1987, had a Schaller - ALL of them were/are equipped with Müllers, with the single exception being my '94 Pro 5... 
Last edited:
for me, it was the thrill of the hunt. I found it. I owned it. I let it back in the wild to be enjoyed. I’ve owned soooooooo many Basses. I’ve never been one to let them sit on my wall so I can admire them. I’d rather they be set free to be played. Plus, over the years, I’ve realized I’m just a 4 string player.
Do you happen to still have any good fotos of it that you'd like to share with me here...?
Do you happen to still have any good fotos of it that you'd like to share with me here...?
I don’t have any pics. Here’s the TB ad. It traded hands a few times I believe.
SOLD - Advanced guild pilot 5 string
Well, it finally arrived - here's my latest 2 piece maple Pilot...! Unless I am very much mistaken, the SN puts it in 1986 - however, the seller thought it was a 1990...
This thing is near mint - a rock solid 8.5/10...Whoever owned this bass for the past 34 years must have loved Pilots as much as I do and took extremely good care of it...The original case is also in excellent condition for it's age...
Hard to get good fotos with weather today, but I'll take new ones when the sun returns...
This thing is near mint - a rock solid 8.5/10...Whoever owned this bass for the past 34 years must have loved Pilots as much as I do and took extremely good care of it...The original case is also in excellent condition for it's age...
Hard to get good fotos with weather today, but I'll take new ones when the sun returns...
Attachments
Well, it finally arrived - here's my latest 2 piece maple Pilot...! Unless I am very much mistaken, the SN puts it in 1986 - however, the seller thought it was a 1990...
This thing is near mint - a rock solid 8.5/10...Whoever owned this bass for the past 34 years must have loved Pilots as much as I do and took extremely good care of it...The original case is also in excellent condition for it's age...
Hard to get good fotos with weather today, but I'll take new ones when the sun returns...
Nice!! Definitely a pre ‘87. They changed to the cake cutter headstock in ‘87. I remember being on a mission to find the last serial number foot and first serial number cake cutter split. I think I was with in 35 serial numbers of finding it. Wish I still had that info. That would have been a fun thing to find.
