That’s like holding a chocolate chip cookie in front of my wife and saying she can’t have it until tomorrow. Let’s just say I don’t do that.Wakey-wakey, friends - an incredible SB-603 Pilot (sent by a very cool former owner) arrived at my home today...
I hope to have the time to write a little blurb about it and share a few updated fotos of it together with the others during the coming weekend or shortly thereafter...
Back soon...
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Sorry, deepender - but it's still in pieces and I have to put it back together first...THEN, I need to get my wife and daughter out of the house so I can pack out the other Pilots for a group shot IN PEACE without having to deal with them disturbing me while I try to have a couple hours of "Me Time"...
So, it'll give you something to look forward to and put a little friendly competitive pressure on poor old @RyanOh at the same time...
Ok…
Sorry, deepender - but it's still in pieces and I have to put it back together first...THEN, I need to get my wife and daughter out of the house so I can pack out the other Pilots for a group shot IN PEACE without having to deal with them disturbing me while I try to have a couple hours of "Me Time"...
So, it'll give you something to look forward to and put a little friendly competitive pressure on poor old @RyanOh at the same time...
At the airport today, in the Pilot's Lounge...
Newest aviator is the - dare I say - "extremely rare" single P-pups SB-603 with maple fretboard, courtesy of @58kites...
Thank you so very much for thinking of me, my friend...
(As I mentioned earlier, the trans-black/charcoal Advanced is going to Finland for a profi-refin soon...)
Newest aviator is the - dare I say - "extremely rare" single P-pups SB-603 with maple fretboard, courtesy of @58kites...
Thank you so very much for thinking of me, my friend...
(As I mentioned earlier, the trans-black/charcoal Advanced is going to Finland for a profi-refin soon...)
As far as I know, Guild only made about fifty SB-603 (just the split P pickup, and non reversed layout) Pilots.
I have seen no other SB-603 Pilots with an all maple neck, I'm not sure there are any others.
I also have just a single, non-reversed P SB-603, but it has a rosewood fingerboard.
That one seems like a total unicorn.
That one seems like a total unicorn.
Is the back of your neck painted or no?
My brother in law has a normal black body Pilot PJ with rosewood fretboard ...but the back of the neck is also painted black...is that common?
I bought this used in 1989 or 90. It was black, originally, but the paint was already pretty worn especially around the jack.
Somewhere before ‘92, a drummer I was playing with asked if I would be interested in trading it for his dad’s ‘72 Precision since he had a bad back. I was switching between my Pilot and my Spector NS2-A at the time: I mainly played the Pilot in rehearsal and the Spector live - because I was incredibly vain and image conscious - but I never really got on with the Spector. Still, I told him I would try it out and see if I wanted to trade.
Well, I didn’t really like the Fender, either, so after about 3 weeks or so I told him I wanted my Guild back. He apparently didn’t tell his dad that it was a trial basis and he refinished it like it looks now (he did the same thing with the Precision).
Anyway, the Pilot is my ride or die: the one bass that I would never get rid of and is my first choice to play.
Somewhere before ‘92, a drummer I was playing with asked if I would be interested in trading it for his dad’s ‘72 Precision since he had a bad back. I was switching between my Pilot and my Spector NS2-A at the time: I mainly played the Pilot in rehearsal and the Spector live - because I was incredibly vain and image conscious - but I never really got on with the Spector. Still, I told him I would try it out and see if I wanted to trade.
Well, I didn’t really like the Fender, either, so after about 3 weeks or so I told him I wanted my Guild back. He apparently didn’t tell his dad that it was a trial basis and he refinished it like it looks now (he did the same thing with the Precision).
Anyway, the Pilot is my ride or die: the one bass that I would never get rid of and is my first choice to play.
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A very interesting story and a very interesting Pilot...It's funny how you traded out a "Kramer" logo'ed Schaller bridge for the original - it's the exact same bridge, just made for another brand...You do know that can buy a new Schaller roller bridge without the Kramer logo if you want, yes...?
Thank you for sharing...!
PS - What does the microswitch do...?
PPS - You can always trace out a new cavity cover on an old LP (try to put the label in the center of the large part of the form) if you want a cool alternative to a "regular" cover...
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Sometime just after the swap, I replaced the original Guild branded Schaller with a Wilkinson 3D bridge, which was all the rage at the time. No idea why, in retrospect: it was pointy and fiddly and rattled like crazy.
Anyway, fast forward 30 years and I finally got sick of the pointiness and rattliness and, more importantly, the cleats that hold the strings began to break, so I went looking for a Schaller. I got the Kramer bridge on EBay for half the price of a new one and I am not remotely image conscious anymore nor do I care if my bass is parts or numbers matching. A new Schaller wouldn’t be any more original.
The switch is a preamp of some sort. No idea anymore what it is or what it’s supposed to do. I don’t even remember adding it, honestly. I don’t notice any tonal difference with the switch up or down: I have no idea if it’s on or off.
As long as it works as it should, feels right, sounds right and makes you happy, then it's perfect just as it is, InkCow - I understand you 100%...
It looks close to this EMG boost, try changing the trim pot position to see if it does anything.
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That’s actually ringing a bell! Good shout! I’m not sure it’s this model specifically (I put it in 30 years ago), but I think you’re on the money.
That said, the last thing I need is boost: one of my struggles is managing the difference in output between the Pilot and my fretless during sets. But now I can at least turn it off and use that as a consistent baseline!
Omfg...
This Pilot bass is available on Reverb now - if any of you would like to own one with such a "custom" headstock, among other things...
I wonder if this was done by design or if it was done to "remove" some type of damage...?
Guild Pilot 1980’s Candy Apple Red | Reverb
This Pilot bass is available on Reverb now - if any of you would like to own one with such a "custom" headstock, among other things...
I wonder if this was done by design or if it was done to "remove" some type of damage...?
Guild Pilot 1980’s Candy Apple Red | Reverb
Sad…Omfg...
This Pilot bass is available on Reverb now - if any of you would like to own one with such a "custom" headstock, among other things...
I wonder if this was done by design or if it was done to "remove" some type of damage...?
Guild Pilot 1980’s Candy Apple Red | Reverb
View attachment 4862067 View attachment 4862068 View attachment 4862070 View attachment 4862071
It's KINDA cool in T-Bird sort of way, but...
At least the serial number is intact.
At least the serial number is intact.
Yes, it's not...repulsive - but it is definitely "wrong"...It made me think of some Peavey bass headstocks...
