What is this?

[mgod]

What Mark Dronge told me was that Guild built 3 instruments for the Dead in '68. Phil obviously gave me the fretless M-85 many, many years ago; this is the guitar they made for Weir. I suspect it has the neck-through construction that the M-85 has. No sign of the guitar for Garcia.

 

[fronobulax]

From Wikipedia: "The company was founded by Owsley Stanley as a workshop in the rehearsal room of the Greatful Dead in Novato, California, near San Francisco, to help improve the entire sound chain for the band's live recordings, from instruments to PA. Soon the group was active in sound recording, modifying and repairing guitars and basses, and PA systems."
"During 1969 we developed the Alembic electronics and pickups. We first installed them in David Crosby's 12-string Guild guitar (which he still uses to this day) and then into Phil Lesh's SG bass that had been hand painted by Bob Thomas in his trademark renaissance/psychedelic style. After several more experimental designs, both Phil Lesh's and Jack Casady's hollow-bodied Guild basses were renovated with new low-impedance pickups and new active electronics. Bobby Weir's and Jerry Garcia's guitars were done as well."

In discussing Jack Casady's Starfire, some of the work was done prior to the formation of Alembic. Some of the same people but they weren't Alembic. The Wikipedia article quotes Alembic's official history from their website but if you dig deep enough you can find people who claim they were there and disagree with the official history. I think it is safe to say this guitar was modified by the folks who formed Alembic and sometime prior to August 1969 but whether they were actually Alembic is not as certain.

 

[mgod]

I don't see anything that looks like Alembic or pre-Alembic work.

 

[SFIV1967]

I suspect it has the neck-through construction that the M-85 has.

Looks like a normal set maple neck on a rosewood body:

Ralf

 

[mgod]

So does mine. And yet...

 

[SFIV1967]

So does mine. And yet...

Ah! I see what you mean. Well, all is possible I guess, but that would be one heavy guitar if the maple goes all through the thick body. Would be interesting to ask Bob Weir about the specification and what the 6 potentiometers do.

No sign of the guitar for Garcia.

He played a Starfire XII in July 1969, maybe he got that one?

Ralf

 

[mgod]

It’s slightly larger than my bass, but my bass is very light. I never thought the guitar was much heavier.

 

[musicofanatic]

And a few close up shots of the guitar from Woodstock 1969, as good as it allows:

Source: "https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/muph084-b001-f046-sl005-i012"

Source: "https://www.topfoto.co.uk/asset/4209095/"

Source: "https://www.topfoto.co.uk/asset/4209101/"

Looks all done very well, like a Rosewood body (!) with Spruce top. Bound f-holes. Fancy 3 piece tiger striped maple neck. Neck to body connection at 18th fret. There is no access visible on the back. So I wonder how all the pots were mounted? Also normally those ST-402 models came with a maple body and mahogaby neck. All very interesting...definitely points to a custom order guitar.

Ralf

The bridge appears to be mounted on posts directly to the top, as opposed to a bridge base, as on a hollow guitar, so there must be at least a partial center block. Looks like there is a toggle switch closest to the mid point in the f-hole in the "cowboy" shots, but not in the Woodstock ones. Anyone here know Rick Turner? He may have some insight.

 

[mgod]

From RT:

Dan,

That may be the one they made him at the same time your bass was being made for Phil.

As I recall, there was a gadget that would either let the top vibrate free or connect it to a center block, too.

But it's only been about 48 years since I saw it!

RT

 

[mgod]

Also from RT:

Mark Dronge (who now owns DR Strings) is the son of Guild founder Al Dronge, and Mark was somewhat of a Deadhead early on. Hence the custom Guilds...as well as the Phil and Jack connections.

Al died in a small plane crash...he was kind of commuting to the Guild Westerly, RI plant from New Jersey. That would have been in 1972.

RT

 

[mavuser]

Ah! I see what you mean. Well, all is possible I guess, but that would be one heavy guitar if the maple goes all through the thick body. Would be interesting to ask Bob Weir about the specification and what the 6 potentiometers do.

He played a Starfire XII in November 1969, maybe he got that one?

Ralf

looks like the SF-XII is around in earlier 69 as well. Could very well be Jerry's custom Guild.

 

[chazmo]

Good question earlier about how the electronics were accessed. I don't see any plates or anything on the visible part of the rosewood back either. As Ralf said, a very interesting axe. Would love to know more about it.

Anyone in contact with Bob Weir?

 

[musicofanatic]

Good question earlier about how the electronics were accessed. I don't see any plates or anything on the visible part of the rosewood back either. As Ralf said, a very interesting axe. Would love to know more about it.

Anyone in contact with Bob Weir?

As far as access goes, anyone who has ever worked on the electronics of a hollow/semi-hollow guitar knows, the entire harness goes in/out through the pickup holes. It is akin to building a model ship in a bottle...

 

[chazmo]

Really? Wow, didn't know that! Even all that Alembic stuff?

 

[mgod]

Alembics have a plate on back, as did Phil's Starfire when it was mostly still Guild, as does my M-85 fretless.

 

[wileypickett]

Some of you no doubt know this --

Not quite so common now, but in the early days of electric archtops the pickups were mounted on face of the guitar -- i.e.: they weren't made with routed pickup holes. On those, all the interior electronics were installed through the F-holes.

If you dig around on Youtube you can find examples of repair people taking them out and installing them gain.

 

[fronobulax]

As far as access goes, anyone who has ever worked on the electronics of a hollow/semi-hollow guitar knows, the entire harness goes in/out through the pickup holes. It is akin to building a model ship in a bottle...

This is how to successfully shield your entire NS Starfire I bass.

Backstory: I have had a noisy NS Starfire since I first got it in 2011. RF and AC hum. The bass was great but sounded so noisy that I wouldn't play it at church and the noise annoyed me at home. Recently, the pots went bad so I wanted to replace them and had to file out the factory hole in the...

letstalkguild.com

Replacing the Harness on my 1957 Aristocrat

OK, the harness is back in and everything is working. The output of the neck PUP is noticeably less than the bridge. Put the switch in the center position and she sings beautifully. I suppose I could live with it as is, but after a short while I'll likely send off the neck PUP for rewind...

letstalkguild.com

For @chazmo