B-50

fronobulax

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Hey grot. Let's get some some bass talk in the bass forum :)

What are the specs on the B-50, specifically scale length? How does the neck compare to, say, a 60's Starfire or 70's JS? What do you string it with? If you're in an acoustic situation, how does it compare to an unamplified double bass (or string bass, if you prefer that term). How many guitarists does it take to drown you out? Can you hear yourself playing or does most of the sound get projected out.

I have not been paying attention to B-50's so how often do they pop up on ebay and what's a ballpark price (i.e. +/- 5 barrels of oil).

Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks.
 

The Guilds of Grot

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Wow, what pressure...
fronobulax said:
What are the specs on the B-50, specifically scale length?
I don't have the specs in front of me as I'm at work, (Shhh, don't tell anybody I'm goofing off on the internet) but I believe the scale is 30-1/2 or 31". The back, sides and neck are mahogany and the top is spruce. The finishes are Natural and Sunburst. Please see The Guild Book for further specs.

fronobulax said:
How does the neck compare to, say, a 60's Starfire or 70's JS?
Without the bass in my hands, I recall the neck is slightly chunky like the Starfire as opposed to the slimmer JS neck. (Has Guild ever made a really chunky neck?)

fronobulax said:
What do you string it with?
Guild phosphor bronze acoustic bass strings, of course.

fronobulax said:
If you're in an acoustic situation, how does it compare to an unamplified double bass (or string bass, if you prefer that term).
Never played with a "string" bass so I dunno.

fronobulax said:
How many guitars does it take to drown you out?
Two Guild 6-strings, one Guild 12-string or six Martins of any kind!

fronobulax said:
Can you hear yourself playing or does most of the sound get projected out.
Most of the sound goes out, but you feel the bass through the arched back.

fronobulax said:
I have not been paying attention to B-50's so how often do they pop up on ebay and what's a ballpark price (i.e. +/- 5 barrels of oil).
You see them once in a while but the later B-30s are more common. (Not sure what the exact differences are). I would think they're going between $1000 and $1800 now. I bought mine a few years ago with the thinking that as soon as I saw one for under $1000 it was mine. I got from Elderly in Michigan for about $850 or so.

fronobulax said:
Inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks.
No, thank you for interviewing me!
Kurt
 

The Guilds of Grot

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OK, now that I'm home, I looked up the B-50 and B-30 specs.

No wonder I wasn't sure of the scale. The B-50 is listed as 31" and the B-30 is 30-1/2".

The B-50 is 6-3/4 deep and the B-30 6-3/8" deep.

Here's the introductory brochure for the B-50;
B-50.jpg


Here's an enlargement of the specs;
B-50-specs.jpg


Here's the first mention I have of the B-30;
B-30.jpg


I guess we'll have to wait for Hans and "The Book II" for a more in-dept analysis.
 

fronobulax

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The Guilds of Grot said:
I guess we'll have to wait for Hans and "The Book II" for a more in-dept analysis.

yep.

Although if you can only hold your own against 12 Guild strings (1 x 12 or 2 x 6) and my B4E can handle 1 x 6 Guild I am not going to be able to justify a B-50.

Thanks for the info, BTW.

As for scale length one of the things I discovered is that manufacturer's don't always spec it the same. In theory it should be twice the measurement from the edge of the nut to the 12th fret. In practice people often measure from the nut to the bridge which will give you a different number based upon which string you measure and bridge geometry.
 
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Re: B-50 - FIRSTHAND!!!

Hi, Grot & Fronobulax -- Check back and you might see an older post here in the bass category with me singing the praises of the B-50 with little success of getting anything going. The B-50 is a strange animal for the world, I'm afraid. I first became aware of them in 1977, but familiar with them in 1978 when Greg Tringas of Tringas Strings in Pensacola bought 2 of them on a whim thinking they would attract people tot he store and then sell relatively quickly. They never did either.

It seems even acoustic players were all too willing to have their bassist play an electric - the same disaster that mars a lot of the "unplugged" efforts. Those that were hardcore acoustic bands - like mine - went with uprights. My brother Bob and I, both upright-trained by our father, tried a parade of acoustic-electric and were very intrigued by the only acoustic bass at the time - the Ernie Ball Earthwood. That effort didn't last long, and even we were skeptical of the Guild when it came out. Can a big acoustic guitar have the low end needed?

Well, we ultimately bought both of Tringas' basses and have owned a number of them since. In fact, Charmer (1973-1989) and Smithfield Fair (1989 - present) is known for the B-50. Go to You Tube and put in Smithfield Fair to hear a couple of low resolution samples from live performances. OR, go to http://www.myspace.com/smithfieldfair and hear studio tracks of the B-50 - those are fretless (1978 & 1976), but I have a 1979 fretted (sunburst, too - a beauty).

We are a true acoustic band - purists of a sort. We travel without sound and mic. the guitars and basses with microphones only - though internally mounted SM-17s with flush-mount XLR connectors in the endblock. No signal processing. In the studio, we use an AKG414 laying inside the body and add a littel compression. Sitting at the kitchen table for rehearsal, the bass holds its own strongly against my Guild acoustics (6 or 12), Jan's M-20 or accordion, and Frang's bodhrans, djembes and other percussion - not to mention 4 voices. It has the projection and resonance one used to turn to an upright for.

When Guild changed to the B-30, they made some slight changes that, to me, effected the sound in a negative way. That's not to say the B-30 still wasn't head and shoulders above the crowd, but the B-50 just had more 'umph!' and the B-30 was obviously contoured more toward amplification. I missed the whole Nirvana thing - they were gone before I even ever heard of them - but the clip you posted is definitely a B-30 with the standard (Fishman, I think) electronics - which I always felt were substandard for my tastes, but then I'm not keen on pick-ups even today (to much 'doink').

That's about it. They sell occasionally on E-bay for around $1,200 and are always a great buy if you are a bassist who wants to truly go acoustic. Hope this helps. All history and opinion, but I'm afraid that's all I've got. All the best to you both....dbs
 
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