Cool Old Guild Starfire I Sighting

MARICOPAA

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Don't know if anyone else caught it but on the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame Concert being spread around HBO On Demand, Garry Tallent (Springsteen) is playing a beautiful old natural finish Guild Starfire I during the segment where Billy Joel sits in on 'New York State Of Mind'.

It's the version with the single pickup down by the bridge (would that be V.1 or V.2 of the single pickup Starfire?)...sounds absolutely wonderful. Can't say the finish is stock but probably so...Hans?

Billy Joel played a few more songs but I only caught that one...probably changed out basses. On that song it is fun to see & hear...big tone ;-)

Also...I think the one Tallent was playing had a harp bridge with the graduated front edge vs the straight across earlier Hagstrom bridge style.

I looked for it on youtube but all that's there so far are folks with their cameras pinned on Springsteen and Joel...don't they know what's important...geeez!

Here's a couple for fun but, alas, in cherry.

GUILDSTARFIREIV1.jpg


VS

GUILDSTARFIREIV2.jpg
 

hansmoust

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MARICOPAA said:
Don't know if anyone else caught it but on the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame Concert being spread around HBO On Demand, Garry Tallent (Springsteen) is playing a beautiful old natural finish Guild Starfire I during the segment where Billy Joel sits in on 'New York State Of Mind'.

It's the version with the single pickup down by the bridge (would that be V.1 or V.2 of the single pickup Starfire?)...sounds absolutely wonderful. Can't say the finish is stock but probably so...Hans?

It's a refinished Starfire Bass that has been converted to fretless and it has a Bartolini pickup installed. I was able to check out that bass when a 'friend of a friend' invited us backstage during the 'Rising' Tour.

Here are two photos of that bass taken when it was for sale not too long ago:

SFBassGTallent.jpg


Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

MARICOPAA

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Thanks Hans...so it's a not-so-old old Starfire I with a Bartolini installed...no apparent baritone/choke button either.

Cool that she was your bass...both pics came from Google Images.
 

hansmoust

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MARICOPAA said:
Thanks Hans...so it's a not-so-old old Starfire I with a Bartolini installed...no apparent baritone/choke button either.

Well, it's pretty much the first version even though it's not a first year. If I remember correctly it was a 1965 or a 1966.

MARICOPAA said:
Cool that she was your bass...both pics came from Google Images.

No, it was never my bass. I just had a chance to inspect it when Garry was still using it.

The pics I posted were made at Gruhn Guitars, where the bass was on consignment.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

fronobulax

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MARICOPAA said:
Thanks Hans...so it's a not-so-old old Starfire I with a Bartolini installed...no apparent baritone/choke button either
The PU position dates the bass to 1966 or earlier. Grot's 1966 has the PU in the neck position but the "symmetric" finger rests. The straight bridge changed to the curved bridge sometime in 1967. Every example I have seen with the curved bridge also had the "Bass Boost" switch as well so I am fairly comfortable in saying that the two were introduced together. If your search-fu is up to it I know I have posted serial numbers on LTG. One is the highest number I have seen for the straight bridge and the other is the lowest I have seen with the curved bridge and tone switch. They clearly date the transition to 1967 although, as Hans has often pointed out, just because a serial number is lower does not mean it left the factory first.
 

MARICOPAA

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Hans...When I said "Cool that she was your bass" I was referring to the mellowgermans comment that he had owned one of the two basses I included as examples of the two types of Starfire I's in my original post above.
 

hansmoust

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MARICOPAA said:
Hans...I was referring to the mellowgermans comment that said "That first photo was taken by me, in my old bedroom, of my old '66 Starfire Bass I "

I know that. I mentioned where my photos came from because you thought the bass was once owned by me!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

MARICOPAA

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Hey Hans...I gnever thought the Garry tallent bass was your bass...you saw it/played it at a show.

Any reference to ownership was in regards to the mellowgerman's comment that one of the pics I included of the two styles of Starfire I's was of a bass he owned.

I happen to include the reference:
Cool that she was your bass...both pics came from Google Images.
next to a comment about you and the not-so-stock-old-Starfire. It was referring specifically to our mellow german forum mate and his previous ownership of one of the basses I used for reference.

Sorry for any confusion.

It's a shame they de-fretted and re-pickup'd that old Guild.
 
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