The Great B-50

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Greetings - I am a new member of this forum and a Guild fan and advocate for 35+ years. As a member of the acoustic group Smithfield Fair, I wanted to ballyhoo something that's been a part of our sound since the late 70's. The previous group Charmer, which included 3 of the current members of Smithfield Fair, started in Pensacola, Florida and one day our local luthier Howard Passman introduced us to a new instrument - the Guild B-50. We would ultimately purchase both of the instruments that Tringas Strings was carrying (one was stolen from the studio in 1980). Since that time, the Guild B-50 has been a symbol of what we do - and the attitude Charmer/Smithfield Fair has on acoustics. We still use microphones - no processed, pre-amped, pick-ups sound right to my ear. We currently have 3 B-50s - 1976, 1978 & 1979 - two fretless and one fretted and use them exclusively in the studio and live. They combine perfectly with the army of Guild guitars we use (2/GF25s, G-37, 2/F112s, M20) and the lovely harmonies we structure our songs with. My friend Sandy Pinkard played an Earthwood Bass for years and loved it. It's the only acoustic bass that could hold a candle to the B-50 (and the early 80's B-30 in some cases). Anyone else out there using the B-50 on a regular basis? We've thought of putting up a section on our webpage with photos of other B50 players. Our bassist is Bob Smith, my kid brother, and we'd love to hear from and make contact with anyone else interested in the B-50. Best to you all. Cheers! dbsmith
 

davidv

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Hello

I do not have a B50 but feel part of the big bass scene.

I own a 1998, tabacco sunburst B30e ( Westerley still) with the Fishman electrics. I play it mostly acoustic because the sound is like no other acoustic bass. I also own another good quality acoustic bass but the Guild is in a league of its own.

I also have a sb602 pilot, the quality of which is fantastic. (in my opinion it does a better precision sound than most precisions!!!)
(d35, bluesbird, s100, s300 make up the rest of the collection)

David
 
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Guild acoustic basses

Hi - David, and thanks for responding. I'll have to defer to Hans Moust on this, but when they "renamed" the B-50 to the B-30 - at sometime, they made some changes to the specifications. I know one of them was that they changed the depth and another that the lower bout was widened and the upper bout (I think) narrowed. I think they also began making ALL of the B-30s with pick-ups and it may have been that the changes in the design were to accommodate their amplification. For some reason, guitar makers further widened the gap between "true" acoustics and acoustic-electrics by making most A-E's sound like tripe unplugged, rather than adjusting their doinky-sounding pick-ups to better amplify a really good acoustic.

Anyway - that's beside the point. The truth is that I believe the B-30s are nearly identical to the B-30's, but - again - I'll have to check my Moust Guild Book to be certain. Regardless - Guilds remained the best acoustic bass on the market. (Shame on Martin of all companies for putting out that acoustic bass with a dinky little guitar body and no chance of resonance or low-end response of any dignity.) I've seen a number of Guild basses with other bands occasionally - I think the Violent Femmes used one - but I've never hear their music. In the late 80's we toured with a NY band called "The Washington Squares" - between the two bands the stage looked like a Guild showroom. Tom Goodkind, their bassist, also played a Guild acoustic bass. I remember seeing a Fleetwood Mac video - possibly Tango in the Night - and John McVie was playing a Guild acoustic bass. Sadly, I don't think Guild ever picked up on this and marketed it, so the model didn't do as well as it might have. But then, that was a shortcoming with Guild that continues on to this day - totally missing the ship's sailing.

What sort of music do you play? How'd you come to purchase the bass? Anyone else you know who plays? Great talking with you and let's get this trail going. Cheers! dbs

Dudley-Brian Smith
Guild - 1975 G37, 1987 GF25, 1988 GF25, 1969 F112, 1973 F112, 1979 B50.
 
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30 vs 50

Hi (again) David -- Since Hans Moust's book ends just as the B-50 is created, I went to Ted Beesley's book. The comparison of the B-50 and B-30 is indeed interesting. The B-50 and the B-30 are similar except for the B-30 is 6 3/8 inches deep versus the B-50 at 6 inches. The scale on the 50 is 31 inches, as opposed to 30.5 on the 30. The B-50 has an arched back and Beesley seems to indicate the B-30 does not. Does your B-30 have a flat or arched back? The B-50 was sold from 1976 (I understood is was 1975, but this is according to Beesley.) until 1987. The B-30 went from 1987 and was still current in 1991. It doesn't give the specifications, but my bass (the '79 tobacco sunburst) is 13" wide at the upper bout and 18" at the lower. Would love to know how this differs from yours, and the back. Cheers! dbs
 

davidv

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Hello Dudley

Well I've had the tape out and the B30e is indeed 6 1/2 inches deep and 13 inches(upper) and 18 inches (lower) with a 30.5 inch neck, as your research suggests. Mine, however, has a wonderful arched back so not sure if earlier B-30's differ or Ted has slipped up.

I bought the bass off e bay from Germany, $600 and like totally new, with a case I could get buried in!! because I just wanted one, what better reason. I already had the pilot and some other Guilds but play in the living room these days with my mates (UK for buddies) and as this tends to be acoustic I didn't want to amplify all the time, which I had to do with my Ozark acoustic bass as the body is too small to hold its own when the boys get excited. or the pilot. I read about the BIG bass and started looking for one.
although I do play 6 string with them as well.

Good to chat on the subject.

Regards

David
 
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the Big-50

David - Thanks for letting me know. I've been watching two B-50's - one a 75 and one a 78 - go across Ebay without even a single bid. Man, how weird is that? I suppose that like me, everyone was caught after Christmas with no money. Keep thumping! dbs
 
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the Big-50

David - Thanks for letting me know. I've been watching two B-50's - one a 75 and one a 78 - go across Ebay without even a single bid. Man, how weird is that? I suppose that like me, everyone was caught after Christmas with no money. Keep thumping! dbs
 
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Want a B50?

I happen to know of someone who has a 1978 B50 for sale - in excellent shape. We're in the studio right now and all our money is spoken for, so, I thought I would mention it here and see if anyone else would give it a good home. If you're interested, contact me at info@smithfieldfair.com and I'll pass along the email. I get no part of this, just trying to help find a good home for a great instrument. (Yes, I DO wish it were coming home with me.) Cheers, all! dbs (Don, I hope I'm not violating any rules here, please let me know if I am and accept my apologies.)

Dudley-Brian Smith
Smithfield Fair
 

dklsplace

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Re: Want a B50?

SmithfieldFair said:
I happen to know of someone who has a 1978 B50 for sale - in excellent shape... (Don, I hope I'm not violating any rules here, please let me know if I am and accept my apologies.)

Finding a good home for a Guild isn't a violation of anything as far as I'm concerned! Keep at it!
 
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B-50 for sale

Once again, I am reminded I know of someone who has a 1978 B50 for sale - in excellent shape. If I had extra change - I would buy this one. If you're interested, contact me at info@smithfieldfair.com and I'll pass along the email. I get no part of this, just trying to help find a good home for a great instrument. For those of you who do not know, the B-50 was the original Guild acoustic bass - full bodied with plenty of punch and sustain - arched mahogany back and sides, spruce top..and made in Westerly - the brainchild of Carlo Greco. The ONLY other comparable acoustic bass is the Ernie Ball Earthwood and since they only made 1,000 of those - they are rare to find. Cheers, all! dbs
 
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Hi, Firebot -- I'm no expert in the differences between the B-50 and the B-30's. In typical Guild fashion, they began to slightly modify the B-50 in the early 80's and then sometime after went to the B-30 model number. Actually, I have seen another black B-30 and it really stopped me in my tracks. Really attractive. I am hoping Hans Moust will denote the differences and changes from B-50 to B-30 in his Part II of the Guild history. All the best and thanks for sharing that photo with me. All the best. dbs
 
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David - It's not the depth of a B50 or B30, but the B4 came in black and was tailor made for acoustic/electric situations or bassists used to a bit more power. Check out two of them at New Hope Guitar Traders - our budy Jay "The Guild Guy" Pilzer....www.guildguy.com

All the best...dbs
 
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