It has so many knobs to control the monstrous Wall of Sound the Dead toured with in the early 70s. It was a very well built thinline semi-acoustic bass, with a short (30") scale, and a rich woody tone - though with far less of the muddiness of the Gibson and Epiphone bass models from which it was derived. Ha! You must log in or register to reply here. In the late 60s, into the early 70s, Phil also played a Gibson SG bass - I don't recall the exact model - that was modded to have two of the Guild/Hagstrom single-coil bass pickups from a Starfire bass. The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). [more], Need the value of your guitar? The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide 2021 is out now, © vintageguitarandbass.com 2004-2020 | terms and conditions | donate. That was after the glory years of his sound in my mind - I don't think he sounds the same throughout time, that's part of what's cool about him is hearing the development of his sound. Phil Lesh's Alembic Modified Guild Starfire-"The Godfather" « Reply #60 on: May 06, 2015, 11:45:09 AM » Fascinating info - thanks for pulling back the curtain on a mystery that has confounded me for 40 + years. (1972)Black and white advert for the solid body JS II (fretted and fretless) and M-85 II basses, and the hollow body Starfire SF-bass II 1970 Guild S-100 Polara - collectible or not? [more], Guild Starfire - Guitars Amplifiers Strings (1970)Features the Starfire V guitar, the Starfire bass II, Thunderstar bass amp, and the F-47 Bluegrass flat top Phil Lesh is interesting - I really started listening to the Dead in college (so 1988) and even saw the Dead three times between 1990-1994. This dual-pickup, semi-hollow bass guitar adds both legendary style and a modern range of sonic options to Guild’s iconic Starfire Bass. Some of the different variations of the Guild Starfire bass taken from catalog images over the period 1966-1975. Width 16 3/8", 1 7/8" thin, length 20 1/4" (1968) 18" (1975). The Starfire bass stood up well against hollow body rivals such as the Epiphone Rivoli, Gibson EB2 and Fender Coronado bass. Before settling on Irwin's creations, however, he played a Guild Starfire (1965-67), a couple P-90-equipped Les Pauls (1967-68), and a Bigsby-equipped Gibson SG (1969). Guild is proud to introduce the Star fire Bass II, a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that brings additional sonic options to one of Guild's most iconic models. To my knowledge he was playing a heavily modded Guild Starfire bass with two guild humbucker pickups through a few macintosh amps. The original Guild Starfire Bass II was introduced in 1967, at the height of the psychedelic rock era, and the bass found its way into the hands of two of the scene’s most prominent players: Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady and the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh. Phil briefly started out playing a Gibson EB-0, but eventually switched to a Fender Jazz Bass in 1968. The Godfather on the left is a heavily modified Guild Starfire by Alembic. Hagstrom had been fitting them to their Coronado solid body bass from 1963, but by 1966 had moved on to a new smaller unit. Guild Starfire Bass 2014 Cherry Red. The Grateful Dead posted a cool photo from 1967 with a shot of Phil's Big Red Starfire Bass: I wish I was the person laying on the floor (head at bottom right). Phil Lesh is interesting - I really started listening to the Dead in college (so 1988) and even saw the Dead three times between 1990-1994. The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). The Guild Starfire Bass II is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds sonic options to one of Guild's most iconic models, the Starfire Bass. In the early 1970's, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead had his heavily modified Gibson EB3 stolen. The Starfire pickups of the 1960s were made by Hagstrom (Bi-Sonic), and were very highly regarded. Early Adopters include Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead and Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane (Jack talks about his Guild basses in detail here ) who used these basses, often with heavy modifications in the late 1960s. Can somebody tell me details about this Vox semi-hollow body guitar? [more], Guild Starfire - Maybe its time you played a different bass! Hardshell case included. The Guild Starfire Bass II is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that brings additional sonic options to one of Guild' most iconic models. The other postures are possible but not what I would do to be comfortable. Check out the Starfire pre and post mods [more], Guild Starfire - Guild Quantum Bass Amplifier (1967)Delivers that hard-driving, up-front, "Motown"-type sound - without going through the engineers control board1967 add showing two members of the Blues Project; Steve Katz playing a Guild Starfi... In fact it was the clarity of response of these pickups that meant Alembic kept these in place when modifying the circuitry of the Casady / Lesh basses of the late 1960s. Notice the details of this left-handed bass. If it's me, I'm on my stomach, head on my right arm and facing away. The Guild Starfire is one of the more desirable vintage bass guitars of the 1960s, and gained recognition by its high profile users of the decade such as Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane, and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead. Vintage Guild Starfire II Bass Guitar Natural 1973 in great condition. There were two Guild Starfire models, the single pickup Starfire I, launched in 1965, and a dual pickup Starfire II debuting in 1967. I'm seeing his head face down on his right arm. Paul's original bass of choice. Ha, I have to laugh! From there, a modified Gibson EB-3 (1969) preceded what became his main bass for several years: an Alembic-modified Guild Starfire known as "The Godfather." The Starfire Bass II Flamed Maple (FM) is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds additional sonic options to Guild’s iconic Starfire Bass. His next bass, dubbed "The Godfather" was a walnut Guild Starfire with three Alembic pickups, including a quad pickup with four outputs for each string. You can get close to that sound by using a short scale bass with a rack mount Alembic Superfilters (SF-2). The Modulus TBX is an older model (before they started making them again). The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). If you are seeing his left arm, his face up, then he's facing the band. 1966 Guild Starfire bass with single Hagstrom Bi-sonic pickup Image Heritage auctions, 1975 Guild Starfire bass with dual Guild humbucking pickups Image Heritage auctions. During the 1960s, Guild moved aggressively into the electric guitar market, successfully promoting the Starfire line of semi-acoustic (Starfire I, II & III) and semi-solid (Starfire IV, V … Ultimate cool-kid Joe from New Jersey asked the Make-a-Wish Foundation for his very own Phil Lesh bass. The Starfire's bridge was also made by Hagstrom, and consisted of a metal baseplate with rosewood saddles. Phil had Modulus make his custom TBXs with an … Click through to have a look at each vintage Guild catalog. Set up with Thomastik-Infeld flatwound strings. Re: Phil Lesh's Alembic Modified Guild Starfire "The Godfather" « Reply #77 on: August 06, 2020, 03:07:53 PM » Not sure when I took this photo, but Phil wanted to make sure you heard him Maybe these towers factor into the standing wave discussions that have taken place here. Works perfectly! Rare 1976 Guild Starfire SF-Bass II in Black finish, original and in good condition for its age. Starfire basses have been introduced in 1965 and where pretty popular back then, famous player as Felix Pappalardi (Journey), Steve Boone (Lovin´Spoonful), Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) or Phil Lesh (Greadful Dead) played a Guild Starfire bass because of their own sound. These are really great pickups, but for some reason, instruments fitted with these humbuckers are not as desired by collectors as older examples fitted with Bi-sonics. That was after the glory years of his sound in my mind - I don't think he sounds the same throughout time, that's part of what's cool about him is hearing the development of his sound. The Godfather on the left is a heavily modified Guild Starfire by Alembic. Used Guild Starfire cherry red semi-hollowbody bass guitar. I should have done that, and was prepared to, but got distracted. Guild Starfire II Bass Guitar Natural 1973, 1969 GUILD USA STARFIRE BASS CASE fits also EB SEMI BASS, Find more vintage guitars for sale at vintageguitarsforsale.co, 1968 Shaftesbury 'Electric Guitars' catalog, 1970 Rose-Morris 'Exciting Electrics Wonderful Westerns Celebrated Classics' catalog, 1971 Rose-Morris 'Exciting Electrics Wonderful Westerns' catalog, 1965 Gretsch 'For the Spectacular Sound of the Times' guitar and amp catalog, Guitar Repair: fixing fret buzz and sharp fret ends, 1966 Hagstrom 'Worlds Fastest Playing Neck' catalog (Merson USA), 1971 Gibson Les Paul Recording guitar owners manual, 1971 Gibson Les Paul Triumph bass owners manual, 1981 Gibson Victory MV-II electric guitar, Hagstrom Bi-sonic pickups, replaced by Guild humbuckers in 1970, Bound Maple (Sunburst and Blonde finishes) or Mahogany (all other finishes). Thanks for posting the picture! Replace the center part and a couple of inches to each side with scalp and it looks familiar. It remained a feature of the Starfire throughout it's production run, with only a slight shape change in 1968. The Bi-sonics continued to be fitted to Guild Starfire (and JS) basses until 1970, when Guild finally replaced them with their own brand new humbuckers. Who is sitting behind the Fender Dual Showman cab, the one with the JBL speakers? The Hagstrom Bi-sonic was a single coil unit, with a very unique design. The Guild Starfire is one of the more desirable vintage bass guitars of the 1960s, and gained recognition by its high profile users of the decade such as Jack Casady … Early Adopters include Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead and Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane (Jack talks about his Guild basses in detail here ) who used these basses, often with heavy modifications in the late 1960s. The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). The original Guild Starfire Bass II was introduced in 1967, at the height of the psychedelic rock era, and the bass found its way into the hands of two of the scene’s most prominent players: Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady and the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh. Ultimate cool-kid Joe from New Jersey asked the Make-a-Wish Foundation for his very own Phil Lesh bass. Many bassists, including the Jefferson Airplane's Jack Casady and the Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh, liked both the easy playability of the Starfire's neck and the sound of its Hagstrom pickups. Phil had Modulus make his custom TBXs with an … The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). The earliest single pickup Starfire basses had a single pickup in the bridge position, with finger rests positioned above and below the strings in the neck position. [more], Guild Starfire - New Thunderbass amplifier (1966)Half-page advert for the Thunderbass amplifier, also featuring Allan Montoya (Brooks Brothers) with a Starfire bass Any thoughts on the bass people?!! The brand name currently exists as a brand under Córdoba Music Group. In ’71 the bass player (Spike Daley, now living in Grass valley, CA) in my first all-original band wanted to sound more like Jack Casady (Spike liked Jack, Phil Lesh, John Entwistle, and Rick Danko—good taste), so bought himself a bass just like Jack’s—the Guild Starfire. The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). The Starfire Bass II Flamed Maple (FM) is back and better than ever. See more ideas about Phil, Grateful dead, Greatful dead. Phil Lesh – Starfire bass; Lera Lynn – Starfire III, T-50 [9] Chet Lyster Starfire V (60's vintage) Bryn Merrick - Guild B302 Bass; John Mayer Where The Light Is – Trio Set; Barry McGuire – F-212 12-string; Ellen McIlwaine – S-250, S-500-D; Pat Metheny – D40-C, F-50; Michael Nesmith – JF-30 The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). The original Guild Starfire bass was a classic of ‘60s rock, beloved by Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, Jack Cassidy of Jefferson Airplane, and countless other holders of the low notes. The Modulus TBX is an older model (before they started making them again). In the late 60s, into the early 70s, Phil also played a Gibson SG bass - I don't recall the exact model - that was modded to have two of the Guild/Hagstrom single-coil bass pickups from a Starfire bass. A two-pickup Starfire Bass was introduced in ’67, and was popularized during the psychedelic movement by Jack Cassady of the Jefferson Airplane and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead (some examples modified by the up-and-coming Alembic company). We were so excited and honored to be a part of the process by donating a Starfire Bass II, which Alembic then modified to match Lesh’s iconic Grateful Dead-era bass. Starfire Bass II is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds sonic options to one of Guild’s most iconic models, the Starfire Bass. The neck is a 3-piece running straight through the body, not touching the top or back until the butt of the instrument, where the bridge is sunk into it. The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). That's the bass he played on Live/Dead, and from my understanding Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. This is an arch-top, built for Phil — it’s sort of a Guild M-85, at least in shape. Aug 14, 2020 - Explore Rlw's board "Phil Lesh" on Pinterest. The Guild Starfire range have proved to be some of Guilds most enduring instruments. Facing the band is a heavily modded Guild Starfire range have proved to some. Is sitting behind the Fender Dual Showman cab, the Starfire bass II is a modified. 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