DeArmond Starfire II - Almost Alembicized (Shop Project)

[edwardofhuncote]

I tried to build a box inside mine at one point out of copper. It was really difficult and never worked all that well. I also tried smearing that Stew-Mac paint all in there. Also didn't work that well.

It took me a long time to get where I am....

Thanks for the advice, Edwin. Yeah, it's going to be a learning experience... I can fix just about anything made of wood, but the 'Dunce Hat' fits my head perfectly when it comes to electronics. 


My experience with the Stew-Mac shielding paint was that about 5 coats did it for my Persuader project. I've used it for a the control cavity of couple Gibson basses and guitars too, with some success. As you know, the Starfire is just such a big space to cover. I'm thinking of a copper-lined wood box that will flush up with the backplate somehow.


Fortunately, (or unfortunately...)it looks like life is about to hand me 6-8 weeks of down time to think about it. And a nice short-scale couch bass might be all I can play for a while. 

[edwardofhuncote]

A recent fortunate encounter scored a secondhand Filter and Q-switch: http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=23697.0

...so the electronics on my Project Starfire will now be full "East-Meets-West", like my Custom fretless.

For those not familiar with that option, it's kinda' like melding Epic/Orion controls with Elan/Essence... you get Volume/Pan/Filter/Q/ plus Bass boost/cut & Treble boost/cut rotary controls. It's a very simple circuit to use, but with a wide range of possible sounds. I can hardly wait to hear how it responds with the hollow-body Starfire.

 

[jwright9]

Very cool. That sounds like an exciting project.

[edwardofhuncote]

Got a call from HQ yesterday evening... turns out the stock pickups in my DeArmond Starfire are mounted in such a way that they are having to devise a better way to cast the replacements for some extra strength out on the ears. (think I understood that part right...) Told Mica, given all the craziness in my life right now with this pending neck surgery, there surely isn't any rush.

So whenever it gets moving again, (and I get the stitches out) mine will be the Guinea Bass for future converts. 

In the meantime, I have been giving some thought to how best the East-Meets-West controls should be arranged on this one. It may not be possible to get it exactly like my Custom, but I think if I can get Volume/Pan on the top row, and Bass/Treble on the bottom row, as planned... locating the Filter/Q-switch somewhere else that makes sense shouldn't be too hard. There's always that vacant selector switch hole in the lower horn... I'm open to suggestions of course. 

[hieronymous]

It's too bad those humbuckers are different than the classic Guild humbuckers. I didn't even notice when you originally posted.

[edwin]

Got a call from HQ yesterday evening... turns out the stock pickups in my DeArmond Starfire are mounted in such a way that they are having to devise a better way to cast the replacements for some extra strength out on the ears. (think I understood that part right...) Told Mica, given all the craziness in my life right now with this pending neck surgery, there surely isn't any rush.

So whenever it gets moving again, (and I get the stitches out) mine will be the Guinea Bass for future converts. 

In the meantime, I have been giving some thought to how best the East-Meets-West controls should be arranged on this one. It may not be possible to get it exactly like my Custom, but I think if I can get Volume/Pan on the top row, and Bass/Treble on the bottom row, as planned... locating the Filter/Q-switch somewhere else that makes sense shouldn't be too hard. There's always that vacant selector switch hole in the lower horn... I'm open to suggestions of course. 

Just grab a drill and have at it! :-)

Well, that's what I did.

[edwardofhuncote]

It's too bad those humbuckers are different than the classic Guild humbuckers. I didn't even notice when you originally posted.

Yeah, that one came as a surprise to all of us I think, Mica and Co. included, but she says they'd like to have replacements available for these DeArmonds too, and I don't mind waiting for the alpha set. I gather that the issue is more to do with how they're going to be mounted. Guess I'll see later on. I sent her both my bridge and neck pickups, still in their mounts. I'm sure whatever they come up with will be brilliant.


There was a time Edwin, I was considering the full-on Jack Casady look...

[edwardofhuncote]

Well, it's been a minute since I updated this one...

So, a while back I ended up with a second DeArmond Starfire II, essentially identical to the sunburst one I've been posting on here, but a year newer. It has had a set of the Westerly R.I. pickups installed in place of the DeArmond USA models that came in these, but they honestly don't sound all that different... that's more an observation than a criticism. They sound just fine; a little darker than I like personally, but totally workable.

So with the redundancy, I have a few options to weigh here.

1. I could leave this black one as-is and sell, or maybe give it to my nephew, who is lately more interested in bass. The major sticking point being that I do nothing and it's gone.

2. I could Alembicize this one too, and make it a fretless companion, since that's how I usually roll. Mica's crew is making the alpha-set for D'A Starfires already using my stuff for molds/patterns, so set #2 will be no problem to produce.

3. I could Alembicize this black one instead of the sunburst one, then buy a set of the Guild Bisonics (which I much prefer to the stock original pickups or these Westerlys) for the sunburst model. (it is drilled for the larger pickup surrounds for Bisonics anyway)

4. Fill in the blank.

[edwardofhuncote]

Returning to thoughts of this project...

I have arrived at the conclusion that the slightly smaller neck profile of the Guild Starfire bass to the DeArmond version is going to work better for me. Right now, I have the black DeArmond loaned out to someone who is kinda' interested in it.

Sooo... I'm thinking about putting the Alembic goodies into a Guild Starfire II instead, and installing the stock Guild electronics into the sunburst DeArmond. (those new-issue Bisonics are pretty decent)

Hmmm. That Make-A-Wish Foundation project bass might be something to look up...


*this one: