Crappy Cell Phone Photos

:love-struck:

Who does the earlier SF I belong to?

I don't think those photos qualify as "crappy," IMHO. :courage:

Joe

Nice shots Frono. Is this a NGD post ?

killdeer43 said:

I don't think those photos qualify as "crappy," IMHO. :courage:

Joe

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How about this photo? Does it qualify as crappy?

killdeer43 said:

I don't think those photos qualify as "crappy," IMHO. :courage:

Joe

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IMHO Too, Nothing not to like in those photos. Nice! Well done Frono!

Do tell...

Newark St? \m/

gilded said:

How about this photo? Does it qualify as crappy?

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Considering the subject matter, I'd say....nope! :rugby:

Joe

Qvart said:

Newark St? \m/

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If you are talking about this guitar, it ain't Newark St. It's from '66!

gilded said:

If you are talking about this guitar, it ain't Newark St. It's from '66!

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Um...no. Definitely not that one.

The astute student of Starfire basses in photographs will note that the one in the blue lined case has features consistent with a vintage SF I from late 1966 or early 1967. The key elements are the neck position which makes it '66 or later and the straight bridge which makes it mid-67 or earlier. Personal communication with the owner have confirmed a serial number consistent with a 1967 date.

The other bass has the sweet spot position of a late 1965 or early 1966 bass. (The dating and/or my memory is a little less precise). But the careful eye will notice the bridge is curved. Was there a bridge replacement or could this be an early sighting of a Newark Street Starfire bass in a domestic situation?

fronobulax said:

The astute student of Starfire basses in photographs will note that the one in the blue lined case has features consistent with a vintage SF I from late 1966 or early 1967. The key elements are the neck position which makes it '66 or later and the straight bridge which makes it mid-67 or earlier. Personal communication with the owner have confirmed a serial number consistent with a 1967 date.

The other bass has the sweet spot position of a late 1965 or early 1966 bass. (The dating and/or my memory is a little less precise). But the careful eye will notice the bridge is curved. Was there a bridge replacement or could this be an early sighting of a Newark Street Starfire bass in a domestic situation?

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I'm sure a few of us already figured that out, so now you're just being coy. So, it followed you home from Action Music, correct?

I had to have my fun. It's my '67 and my NGD Newark Street bass, picked up yesterday. Of course this is a crazy busy time for me and I understand my obligations for better pictures and A/B comparisons. Those just are not going to happen immediately. First impressions are obviously positive or the bass would still be in the store.

Fit and finish are pretty darn good. I did not go over the NS with a fine tooth comb but I couldn't find anything wrong. Dealer said the nuts on the Newark Streets he's had in (bass and guitars) were sometimes a bit rough but his tech touched them up in a couple minutes. Mechanically it is a Starfire. The thumb and finger rests are spaced slight wider than the width of the vintage pickup but that's the only playing difference noted. The bridge is not visually identical and future work will highlight the trivial differences. Binding is WBW but Mrs. Fro. noted the width of the B stripe was not the same.

The key, of course is the sound, and the issue is the NS ships with roundwound strings. I demo'd it in the store and when the treble (tone pot) was up it sounded thin and tinny and not like my memory of a Starfire with rounds at all. Dialing the treble down gave a sound more like what I was expecting. Emotion won over logic and I bought it anyway. I plugged it into my Line 6 at home and was immediately happier. The treble was still there but not to the point of being tinny. I could start to hear the "growl" I associate with a Bisonic in a hollow body. So my first impression is that the NS PU is very close to a Bisonic but not a completely accurate copy. I had rounds on the vintage Starfire for decades so I am comfortable comparing the NS to my memory but I should withhold judgement until I put flats on it.

My dealer did a Google search for NS basses on sale, we agreed what the internet price was and, because he likes me, he agreed to meet that price including sales tax. So my check was about $1090.

Case is a TKL case and a bit too snug at the moment. Silver/Chrome hardware as opposed to Gold/Brass on the vintage case. Case candy included a polishing cloth and a t shaped tool which I presume is a truss rod wrench. Contrary to Guild's web site, no pickguard.

I'll be glad to answer questions in this thread until I get my act together and do a comprehensive review.

Bottom line is that it is a very fine bass. For many people it will be an adequate substitute for a vintage Starfire at a lower cost. The Bisonic aficionado should probably wait until I change strings or at least wait until I go beyond my first impression. I'm off to practice

That's awesome, Jamie. Congrats!

twocorgis said:

I'm sure a few of us already figured that out, so now you're just being coy. So, it followed you home from Action Music, correct?

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Coy? Koi? Big orange carp? Load of crap?

Free association. The Newark Street bass from Action did follow me home, with Mrs. Fro's blessing and concurrence.

Well, congratulations! Now for a proper apples to apples comparo, time to get some TI flats on that puppy! Strings and Beyond is having a 10% off the whole store for the Fourth of July via coupon code "happy4th" (ending soon I'm sure). They're still expensive, but at the rate you change 'em, it'll still come out to less than $2 a year! :biggrin-new:

Congratu-lol!
Your impressions pretty much mirror mine. Can't wait for the string change, I don't know what strings are on there, but they probably aren't the best.

Congrats on the new bass, frono. All these details are, of course, lost on me, but it's still exciting!! You're not off the hook for photos, though..... :biggrin-new:

And here's a wacky question,
if this NS bass was converted to left handed, would there be enough travel in the bridge to intonate it properly?