Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: sparechaynge on January 24, 2013, 03:09:43 PM
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*GASP*!!!! Is that a REAL Bi-Sonic!?!?!? And it's mahogany w/a three-piece neck?
Can someone w/inside info check this out? Oddmetersam, can you swing by the Guild booth for a second?
I'll take 2!
http://www.guildguitars.com/instruments/details/?partno=3792400866#simpleContained4 (http://www.guildguitars.com/instruments/details/?partno=3792400866#simpleContained4)
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This is awesome ! I looked for a 2 pickup model but did not find one. I may pickup one of these my self.
(Message edited by sonicus on January 24, 2013)
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Adding a 2nd pickup is doable. As long as it's well built, it's probably cheaper to add extra stuff later. 2 pups would cost a bunch, and if that's not a real Bi-Sonic it's gonna need one anyway.
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I will inquire with Guild and asked a few questions ! Cheaper is not usually the best option as far as quality goes. LOL ____
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I agree with the cheaper isn't better statement, my comment was poorly worded. I meant it's probably cheaper to have Guild make a decent quality bare-bones bass and then make it super-deluxe once it's on my bench. Then the cost of the parts is the only issue; not parts, labor and expenses for a business.
Maybe I have it wrong, I didn't actually do any math to back this up. This is the way it seemed to work when I built my guitar and with the bass I'm working on now.
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I understand what you mean. My reasoning is that a few extra potentiometers and switches plus another Bi-Sonic pickup might not add up to that much . One of my questions is , where is this instrument manufactured ?
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These have been offered on ebay recently , NO Bi-Sonic pickups!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2012-GUILD-STARFIRE-SF-1-BASS-LIMITED-EDITION-2-OF-11-CHERRY-/221180920778?pt=Guitar&hash=item337f6903ca (http://www.ebay.com/itm/2012-GUILD-STARFIRE-SF-1-BASS-LIMITED-EDITION-2-OF-11-CHERRY-/221180920778?pt=Guitar&hash=item337f6903ca)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guild-GSR-Starfire-II-Bass-Cherry-Special-Run-/261149232230?pt=Guitar&hash=item3ccdb50c66
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I have joined the Starfire club! I now have Dadabass's 73' stereo 2 p-up bass. Are they selling reissue bi-sonic's? If so, Can someone down there get 2 for me?
Thanks, Nick
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Nick, Did you get her already?
All the best,
Mike
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I can only assume these are foreign, as the made in New Hartford ones run on average 5x more. Kind of like their bluegrass series of acoustics.
Looks nicer than a Dearmond, but I'd hold out for a Westerly Starfire even if these reissues drive their price up a bit.
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Wow.... I eagerly await reviews once someone gets their hands on one.
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Wolf, the ebay basses seem to be a different model. the Let's Talk Guild forum indicates that the non-Bi-Sonic models were a limited run of some kind, made in the US. Best guess on these (1 Bi-Sonic) is Korea, maybe China but hopefully not...
Has Fred H. got a better deal with Guild? IIRC the Lakland pair-up didn't go so well.
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I think Mike's right; the price puts these among the Chinese Guilds. On the other hand I played two of them a few weeks ago - M-120 & D-125 (Chinese-made, all-mahogany, concert & dreadnaught respectively) - and was pleasantly surprised. While they're not what you could call spectacular instruments, there's not a thing wrong with them; very nice for the price. I would expect the same from the Starfire. I do wonder who's making the p/ups, though (Hagstrom's Chinese-made now, as well).
Peter
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Peter - that's the first time I've heard the Hagstrom name brought up in discussions of these new Guilds - most of the time people mention Fred Hammon/Dark Stars. Still not a sure bet that the Guilds will be made in China though...
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Anybody at NAMM see these?
http://www.warwick.de/modules/produkte/produkt.php?katID=22043&cl=EN (http://www.warwick.de/modules/produkte/produkt.php?katID=22043&cl=EN)
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Warwick has been making that bass for at least 3 or 4 years now, never played one but sure love the look.
as far as the Guild, it'd be a lot cheaper to grab one of these reissues and have it Alembicized if they are decent instruments without the loss of the vintage/collectible value. could be something to look into for those interested
~Taylor
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I think the Warwick model is long scale . I bet you would get awesome results if you were to have the Warwick Alembicized. Have some custom Activator Pickups made ! That's it , nothing else. Just the pickups. Even perhaps BETTER then the Bi- Sonic pickups or DARKSTARS ? How about Activator replacements on a GUILD STARFIRE ? Better yet perhaps!
Nick you might be able to get Activators for the Guild Starfire that you just purchased from MIke ! What do you think ?
Wolf
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I just had that conversation w/ Nick Haas, Wolf. I also talked to Mica and Ron about this.
My original solution was shot down by Ron. The idea was to make a box and put some stratoblasters in it and run that thru my amp chain. If the battery is not right on top the p-up = no good. Then we went to 'how about a stereo blaster cord. Doable, but it does not exist (yet)!
Now, I'm thinking about finding some p-ups and making a new mounting plate as per your suggestion. Either way it will be running thru a SF-2.
I am excited about trying to make this bass sound good. The fact that it is so light is very appealing.
Nick
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Nick , yes the pickup rings to mount the pickups. These can be tricky on a Guild Starfire because of the contour of the top surface of the Starfire. The wooden ones on my remaining Starfire were made for me by Doug Irwin when I installed the then experimental Hi-A (now called Bartolini) pickups back in the mid 1970's. I now wish I would have kept my Original Guild Bi Sonics around. I would really like to get hold of one to build a Berry Oakley Tractor Bass!
Wolf
(Message edited by sonicus on January 25, 2013)
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Peter, interesting mention of Hagstrom. I was considering a Viking (Concord) bass for a while. Is there a possible connection between these two companies again?
Maybe it would be good to wait an see if the pups are available separately, as they are rumored to be.
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Well the links that Wolf offered up surprised me, mainly because the non-bisonic US/New Hartford ones ARE NOT as pricey as the some of the other models (the Patriarch Line) built there... So maybe I jumped the gun by assuming these are foreign, but in comparing the GSR Starfires to the Newark St. Starfires, I don't see a $2k cost savings in materials alone.
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Pace,
GSR are made in New Hartford. Let's Talk Guild & Talkbass have pretty much confirmed Newark St. is MIK. That's where $2K comes from, saving materials is what make the Newark St. series $1500 instead of $2000ish (probably).
On the Hagstrom thing again, the new Guilds look a LOT like the new Hags...
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I have a pickup ring or two lying around, if anyone is interested.