nalapit13...? Flashback...? franvarin...?
Anyone...?
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nalapit13...? Flashback...? franvarin...?
Anyone...?
The ken smith sound is why I stayed away. They have a specific sound. Elricks paired with Aeros(my pickup of choice) let the instrument sound like the wood it’s made of to me.
- Apr 20, 2009
- 2,101
- 929
- Disclosures
- I'm the Squier of Fenderbirds
Hello all! In order not to muck up this thread, I started my own regarding the pink swirl Pilot I own. Honestly, I'm confounded, and open to any theories you may have. Is this an SB603?
Guild Pilot with Swirl Paint? Info needed!
EMG pickups
Schaller Bridge (Not sure if it may be a Muller?)
BH serial number
Is it a factory swirl paint job? (Loads of pics!)
Would love any input you may have, conspiracy theories, or general knowledge. Thanks!
Guild Pilot with Swirl Paint? Info needed!
EMG pickups
Schaller Bridge (Not sure if it may be a Muller?)
BH serial number
Is it a factory swirl paint job? (Loads of pics!)
Would love any input you may have, conspiracy theories, or general knowledge. Thanks!
I really wish I had been around here "back in the day" when you were selling off all of your Pilots and related items...
As I said in your original post in the other thread, you have EMG pups in what appears to be an SB-603 body, a Müller roller bridge, and a SB-604 neck...
I cannot tell you for certain if the paint is factory original custom, but offhand, I lean towards saying that it is not...I suspect it was done afterwards and could also be when the 603 body became married to the 604 neck - but this is only my opinion...
This is the SB-605M that I bought used in late 1989. It was tuned EADGC and had a Hipshot D-tuner, both of which I believe to be factory original. I immediately changed it to BEADG and surprisingly didn’t have any issues with the nut. I did go back to EADGC briefly, but it’s spent most of its life with a low B. Having said that, I am now BACK to EADGC! In the early 90s, I added an EMG BTC System (vol/blend/stacked bass-treble) which gave it a nice boost in tonal options. In the early 2000s, I routed the bridge pickup out to replace the J with a 40DC. This really opened up some new tones. I’ve found that I like to lean heavy toward one pickup or the other. With the blend centered, it’s not that interesting. The J has a classic EMG scooped sound with nice, pillowy lows and crisp, clear highs. It also has a little P bass “bark” when soloed completely. The DC is all mids, which gives it a passive vibe that I like. I’ve been finding myself using mostly the DC, adding some J to taste to add some of that pickup’s qualities. In the summer of 2019, I had a spectacular re-fret done by Fat Cat Guitars in Elgin, IL. Scott does fantastic work. The freshly planed fingerboard looks great! I also installed a fresh set of chrome Gotoh tuners. Not a fan of black hardware, and I especially like the look of chrome against a black headstock (You might notice the “hybrid” finished Hipshot 
). Having a black bridge messes with my OCD a little bit, but I don’t feel like dropping 80 bucks on a replacement when the stock ABM is perfectly fine. And having read the Bowdren PDF posted here, I see some Pilots actually left the factory with mismatched hardware, so… Maybe down the road I’ll make the switch. I was pretty rough on it in the 90s, and it has its share of battle scars, but it’s structurally sound as can be. It’s been all over the Midwest, with a couple of trips into Canada and NYC. And that’s the story of my SB-605M! Here’s some pics.
). Having a black bridge messes with my OCD a little bit, but I don’t feel like dropping 80 bucks on a replacement when the stock ABM is perfectly fine. And having read the Bowdren PDF posted here, I see some Pilots actually left the factory with mismatched hardware, so… Maybe down the road I’ll make the switch. I was pretty rough on it in the 90s, and it has its share of battle scars, but it’s structurally sound as can be. It’s been all over the Midwest, with a couple of trips into Canada and NYC. And that’s the story of my SB-605M! Here’s some pics.
Great story and a great 605M Pilot, gearHED - very nice of you to share...!
For a bass that old, I can only see minimal incidental damages - you have taken very good care of it over the years...Luckily, Pilots are so well-made and robust that they seem to have no problems surviving 20-40 years - no wonder Fender killed them off...
For a bass that old, I can only see minimal incidental damages - you have taken very good care of it over the years...Luckily, Pilots are so well-made and robust that they seem to have no problems surviving 20-40 years - no wonder Fender killed them off...
This is the SB-605M that I bought used in late 1989. It was tuned EADGC and had a Hipshot D-tuner, both of which I believe to be factory original. I immediately changed it to BEADG and surprisingly didn’t have any issues with the nut. I did go back to EADGC briefly, but it’s spent most of its life with a low B. Having said that, I am now BACK to EADGC! In the early 90s, I added an EMG BTC System (vol/blend/stacked bass-treble) which gave it a nice boost in tonal options. In the early 2000s, I routed the bridge pickup out to replace the J with a 40DC. This really opened up some new tones. I’ve found that I like to lean heavy toward one pickup or the other. With the blend centered, it’s not that interesting. The J has a classic EMG scooped sound with nice, pillowy lows and crisp, clear highs. It also has a little P bass “bark” when soloed completely. The DC is all mids, which gives it a passive vibe that I like. I’ve been finding myself using mostly the DC, adding some J to taste to add some of that pickup’s qualities. In the summer of 2019, I had a spectacular re-fret done by Fat Cat Guitars in Elgin, IL. Scott does fantastic work. The freshly planed fingerboard looks great! I also installed a fresh set of chrome Gotoh tuners. Not a fan of black hardware, and I especially like the look of chrome against a black headstock (You might notice the “hybrid” finished Hipshot
Such a cool bass! Thanks for sharing it and your story!
I have a (long) story (short) about a Pilot myself I'd like to share...
Back in 1991 I bought a new white 602 and it went straight to work...After playing it for about a year, I decided that:
1.) a kill switch would be better than a volume knob (had a foot pedal for volume) and,
2.) an XLR jack system would be much better than the standard jack system for a few solid, practical reasons.
So, I'm good with tools - I pulled the volume pot, installed an off/on miniswitch,
pulled and plugged the regular jack and carved out an angled entrance for a male XLR jack further up the back of body towards the rear strap button...For flash, I also added a green LED that was lit when the bass was hot and off when I flicked the kill switch over...It all worked fantastic and I gigged with that 602 and two others the next few years...
Around 1995, I suddenly needed some cash so, I chose the "plainest" Pilot - the white, poplar wood 602 I decribed above, and sold it to a kid who was bugging me for it so he could learn to play bass himself...
A few years ago, I decided to try and find that Pilot - should be "easy" as it is quite unique...I put out ads where it was relevant and fished around but no luck...So, by chance (buying other gear) I met my present rythym guitarist who, it turns out, knew where my old Pilot was...The kid I sold it to re-sold it at some point to a guy who created a recording studio somewhere in the Philipines and exported my poor Pilot to that studio...! It's been described as "not white" anymore'" as in it's now nicotine yellow with a cracked finish and God only knows what other war wounds it's suffered over the past 25 years...I'm working on getting it back for a full restoration, but if I do see it again, it'll probably be first in '21 or '22...You'll all hear about it when I do - in the meantime, here's a few fotos of it as it was - after my kill switch/XLR mods...In the first foto, I hadn't yet pulled the volume pot but it was of course disconnected...
Back in 1991 I bought a new white 602 and it went straight to work...After playing it for about a year, I decided that:
1.) a kill switch would be better than a volume knob (had a foot pedal for volume) and,
2.) an XLR jack system would be much better than the standard jack system for a few solid, practical reasons.
So, I'm good with tools - I pulled the volume pot, installed an off/on miniswitch,
pulled and plugged the regular jack and carved out an angled entrance for a male XLR jack further up the back of body towards the rear strap button...For flash, I also added a green LED that was lit when the bass was hot and off when I flicked the kill switch over...It all worked fantastic and I gigged with that 602 and two others the next few years...
Around 1995, I suddenly needed some cash so, I chose the "plainest" Pilot - the white, poplar wood 602 I decribed above, and sold it to a kid who was bugging me for it so he could learn to play bass himself...
A few years ago, I decided to try and find that Pilot - should be "easy" as it is quite unique...I put out ads where it was relevant and fished around but no luck...So, by chance (buying other gear) I met my present rythym guitarist who, it turns out, knew where my old Pilot was...The kid I sold it to re-sold it at some point to a guy who created a recording studio somewhere in the Philipines and exported my poor Pilot to that studio...! It's been described as "not white" anymore'" as in it's now nicotine yellow with a cracked finish and God only knows what other war wounds it's suffered over the past 25 years...I'm working on getting it back for a full restoration, but if I do see it again, it'll probably be first in '21 or '22...You'll all hear about it when I do - in the meantime, here's a few fotos of it as it was - after my kill switch/XLR mods...In the first foto, I hadn't yet pulled the volume pot but it was of course disconnected...
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Nice story and nice bass. I'm a sucker for white!
Regarding the condition of mine - you'd have to see it in person. There's quite a bit of worming on the back and a couple dents on the front. But hey, some people pay extra for that these days.
Regarding the condition of mine - you'd have to see it in person. There's quite a bit of worming on the back and a couple dents on the front. But hey, some people pay extra for that these days.
Here is an updated pic of my SB602 Pilot. I giged this bass for years and recoreded with it. Bought it new locally in 1988 and am the sole owner.
Love it - I always wanted one of those blue ones, but there were never any in stock when I had the extra cash back then...
Oddly enough, when I bought this one it was the only Pilot they had and I was not fired up with the color. There was a red BC Rich (used) with Bartolinis next to it on the rack. I went back and forth between the two since the BC Rich was a lot cheaper, but it did not sound or feel anything like the Pilot... I made an excellent choice!
It took a while for me to warm up to the color. I had gone through a few basses at that point, most of them Red (my favorite color) and two natural. So, the Blue color was a big departure for me. The Black hardware helped alot...LOL.
Love the electric blue. And I'm a Ford guy, so it reminds me of grabber blue.
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As luck would have it, my wife was at work today and our daughter was at her grandparents for a few hours...
It gave me just enough time to pull out some of my gear and play amateur photographer with my tablet...Here are a few fotos of my modest flamed maple collection all in one place at the same time - I hope you find them as pleasing to look at as I do...
It gave me just enough time to pull out some of my gear and play amateur photographer with my tablet...Here are a few fotos of my modest flamed maple collection all in one place at the same time - I hope you find them as pleasing to look at as I do...
As luck would have it, my wife was at work today and our daughter was at her grandparents for a few hours...
It gave me just enough time to pull out some of my gear and play amateur photographer with my tablet...Here are a few fotos of my modest flamed maple collection all in one place at the same time - I hope you find them as pleasing to look at as I do...
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They're all awesome but I think I like the green one best.
