Guild Starfire I Bass – Incoming

[2F/2F]

The new Starfire Is are arriving at retailers. Way better looking than the Starfire IIs, IMO (and half the price). And theoretically better sounding pickup positioning, for my purposes. Could not resist in the walnut color. The red is.....meh. Not very attractive with the mahogany grain, IMO. The walnut uses a smoother looking maple body.

Got the hard case coming too, though it is on backorder.

They gave me a killer price too! Kind of odd. It was brand spanking new in stock, the first of the model to ever arrive in retailers, and they had only one. I am surprised the were so willing to deal on it. But I ain't complaining.

Should be here in a few days.

Plans? Maybe just some black Hipshot lollipops, and maybe to take the hardware off and have it stripped and re-plated in black.

 

[2F/2F]

Showed up the other day. Didn't get a chance to open the box till today.

One line review: This is a really good bang for the buck.

Pleasantly surprised by the quality of the fret work. Nicely rounded edges. Good crown. Decent polish. Some very small gaps under some of the fret ends, but not worthy of much attention.

Tuners are typical import crap.

Fretboard is smooth and attractive.

Nut is cut too tight for the stock strings, but the depth of the slots is OK.

Neck is narrow. I would like it a little wider, but I can adjust.

Thick clear coat, but flawless in terms of polish.

Tailpiece actually seems like a decently built and solid part. It's not the nicest chrome plating I have ever seen, but the metal itself is nice and thick.

Binding scraping is not 100 percent perfect, but it is "pretty darned OK", and well beyond tolerable for the price.

Guild headstock logo buried under the clear coat actually looks nice.

Knob quality isn't the greatest, but they look OK from a distance.

Would look better with a pickguard.

Nice that "made in Indonesia" is not featured anywhere on the finish of the bass. It's very plain wrapped, which I like. Just the Guild logos on the headstock, tailpiece, and knobs. Indonesia is located on the interior paper sticker, visible through the upper F hole.

The pickup looks cool. P type pickup with a chrome trim ring. Not the best looking trim rings, in terms of casting quality or plating quality, however. And not the kind of thing I could likely upgrade, as I am thinking this is a part used only on this particular Guild.

The bridge is a typical-import-quality T.O.M. for bass.

The strap buttons are significantly nicer in quality and aesthetics than most import strap buttons.

Binding is cream. White nut and white layer in truss rod cover do not match the binding.

I got this for $600, with the proper Guild hardshell case, plus tax, with free shipping. The whole package that I got is worth close to twice what I paid for it, IMO.

Mods?

1. Unbleached bone nut, slotted for black nylon tapes.

2. New truss rod cover with cream center ply, instead of stark white...or maybe just an all black cover.

3. Hipshot lollipops. Possibly black.

4. Possibly replace bridge with black unit.

5. Possibly paint tailpiece, pickup trim rings, and pickup pole-pieces black, and get all black knobs.

6. Might add a pickguard.

7. Darken the fretboard.

 

[rllefebv]

Nice looking bass!! Not your dad's Starfire

-robert

 

[bobyoung53]

I love Starfires but hate that split pickup on them, the bass is too symmetrical for a pickup like that IMHO of course. I would maybe go for one it had the normal pickup in that position though.

 

[nickelwound]

Looks great...
Play it for awhile before and see if it really needs any change

Enjoy

 

[2F/2F]

A few days in, my review still stands. But I have more experience with it through an amp now. Sounds good.

Tuners, nut, and strings still need improvement (stock strings are way too thin). But the general fit and finish, and especially the quality of the fret work, is way better than the price would suggest.

If they release these in green or blue, I would definitely get a second one, and keep different strings on each. And hopefully that green or blue would be over the smooth looking maple body, instead of the "stripey" mahogany type.

And, yes, I am still leaning toward black hardware throughout. I found the same bridge in black, and I can get black tuners. Only the pickup trim rings and tailpiece would have to be converted to black.

And I just want to put out a big, giant THANK YOU to Guild for using relatively small frets! They are so hard to find on ANYTHING these days, and they play SO MUCH better than the big frets that come on practically everything!

 

[mellowgerman]

What's your opinion on the push/pull switch? I don't think they're very clear about it in the marketing literature, but I'm pretty sure it's a series/parallel switch much like on Fender Precision basses with the S1 switching

 

[TinIndian]

Nice Bass! I've looked at the II's before and thought they were cool but I REALLY love that Mocha!

 

[2F/2F]

What's your opinion on the push/pull switch? I don't think they're very clear about it in the marketing literature, but I'm pretty sure it's a series/parallel switch much like on Fender Precision basses with the S1 switching

It has to just be a series/parallel switch for the pickup coils. The only other thing they could be doing with it would be passive cuts…and I doubt that. I will peek through the bottom F hole later, but I don't expect to see anything but pickup wires going to the switch lugs.

Putting a P Bass pickup in parallel is something I would likely never do…though I am sure people who like thinner bass tones, or who play with a dirty, compressed tone, will find some utility in it.

 

[mellowgerman]

It has to just be a series/parallel switch for the pickup coils. The only other thing they could be doing with it would be passive cuts…and I doubt that. I will peek through the bottom F hole later, but I don't expect to see anything but pickup wires going to the switch lugs.

Putting a P Bass pickup in parallel is something I would likely never do…though I am sure people who like thinner bass tones, or who play with a dirty, compressed tone, will find some utility in it.

Yeah, the Guild basses of the 60's (into the early 70's) had a choke circuit or "tone suck" switch, which did passively take a hatchet to the signal of the wonderful Bisonic pickup regardless of whether it was up or down, which is why people typically removed that circuit. Then in the 70's they revised it, calling the new design a bass boost, when it was actually just a bass-cut of sorts, creating the illusion in what was technically the bypass position, that you were boosting the bass. The 70's circuit was okay since you could still get the unmolested signal of the pickup.
From their marketing description though for these new Starfires, they seem to suggest a switchable parallel wiring option. I don't think I'd get any use out of that either. Just curious to see which route they went; if it's actually series/parallel or just a passive cut circuit of some kind.
I'm all set with my modified 1970 Starfire, but my love for Guilds keeps me curious whenever they come out with new Starfire bass ideas.

 

[mongo2]

Beautiful bass but I'm not a fan of the split pickup in this application. I'd prefer the Bisonic.

 

[2F/2F]

Yeah, the Guild basses of the 60's (into the early 70's) had a choke circuit or "tone suck" switch, which did passively take a hatchet to the signal of the wonderful Bisonic pickup regardless of whether it was up or down, which is why people typically removed that circuit. Then in the 70's they revised it, calling the new design a bass boost, when it was actually just a bass-cut of sorts, creating the illusion in what was technically the bypass position, that you were boosting the bass. The 70's circuit was okay since you could still get the unmolested signal of the pickup.
From their marketing description though for these new Starfires, they seem to suggest a switchable parallel wiring option. I don't think I'd get any use out of that either. Just curious to see which route they went; if it's actually series/parallel or just a passive cut circuit of some kind.
I'm all set with my modified 1970 Starfire, but my love for Guilds keeps me curious whenever they come out with new Starfire bass ideas.

Nothing but coil leads going to the switch. Must be series/parallel. No problem for me; I find the new Guild lacking in no way for my purposes. Since I don't tweak tone much (or at all) in the middle of a set, I don't have much utility for a bass with a bunch of "features." Even so, I love my old G&Ls and Music Mans...but it doesn't mean I use all the crap on them within a set.

 

[ric4682]

Man, these just look so cool!

 

[elgranluis]

Just bought a starfire iI no more that 2
Months ago.

I'f the starfire p bass is half as good as my starfire iI, then that thing is fantastic!

 

[MattZilla]

Might've missed it, how's it hang on the strap?

 

[2F/2F]

Might've missed it, how's it hang on the strap?

I will be able to tell you this coming Saturday. First band practice with my old group in over a year.

Also, I was so impressed by this bass that I just ordered the two pickup version in green from Sweetwater. Much more expensive, but does include the HSC and Grovers…and could possibly be slightly better in over all build quality.

 

[MattZilla]

I will be able to tell you this coming Saturday. First band practice with my old group in over a year.

Also, I was so impressed by this bass that I just ordered the two pickup version in green from Sweetwater.

For me it's the same story as with the Gibson LPDC: if it came in an aged white I'd have jumped on it.

This one's really under-represented in all of the SS discussions. It would be a neat leftward-pushed for high register playing classy alternative to the Wattplower.

That green does look spectacular.

The pricing on Guild's website is odd. Is the II made in Japan or Czech Rep. or something?

 

[2F/2F]

For me it's the same story as with the Gibson LPDC: if it came in an aged white I'd have jumped on it.

This one's really under-represented in all of the SS discussions. It would be a neat leftward-pushed for high register playing classy alternative to the Wattplower.

That green does look spectacular.

The pricing on Guild's website is odd. Is the II made in Japan or Czech Rep. or something?

Yes. It does seem like the II is overpriced, and the I is underpriced.

The II includes the HSC, which is $150 alone. And it has Grovers instead of generic import tuners. It is also a lot closer to being a "reissue" of the old ones. The I is not even slightly a reissue. The II has a three piece neck. But I am not sure if they are made in different factories.

 

[Jon Dailey]

Yes. It does seem like the II is overpriced, and the I is underpriced.

The II includes the HSC, which is $150 alone. And it has Grovers instead of generic import tuners. It is also a lot closer to being a "reissue" of the old ones. The I is not even slightly a reissue. The II has a three piece neck. But I am not sure if they are made in different factories.

I bought my green starfire ii for 1100 through sweetwater(w/the case), I think it's a very fair price for the bass. Out of the box it played great and needed no adjusting at all. It's a beautiful bass and it definitely turns heads when I pull it out. I am about to order a starfire I as a sort of beater bass to travel out of town with.

 

[2F/2F]

Played my green one at practice for the first time last Saturday. Holy hell. That thing blew me away. It is among the best sounding basses I have ever played, and quite well built.

The only thing I wish was different is that it had a slightly wider neck all the way down, and had the four bottom knobs wired as a passive bass and treble cut for each pickup. The bass has a master volume control, and I have no use for the individual volumes in addition to that. But I can learn to play with the skinny neck, and wire the bass that way without a TON of hassle.