Guild incoming!

mellowgerman

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Today I celebrate two firsts in my life! #1 the first time I've ever bought a NEW Guild. #2 the first time I've ever bought a Guild acoustic bass.
I'm excited, but also in a wordy story mood. I hope that's okay.
Lately, I have been ever-more tempted to dip into some Guild acoustic bass action. After spotting the B-30 on Guitar Center's used listings for only $799, I realized that a great bass for doodling with my acoustic buddies was within reach... perhaps not super easily justifiable, but manageable. The thought kept bouncing around in my head. Eventually I found myself at red-light, mid-rush-hour, daydreaming skipping barefoot through a large meadow of flowers (in a burly, manly fashion) with long curly locks flowing in the wind behind me, a lovely Guild acoustic bass in one hand, and an oversized glass of the finest Damien Coquelet Beaujolais Villages in the other, as I close in on a small circle of fashionable friends with bongos and acoustic guitars; each friend a subtle, though warm and inviting psychedelic gleam in their eyes................. or something like that.
But anyway, I really wanted a Guild acoustic bass and just couldn't shake the thought. After getting an in-hand evaluation of the bass by the chap at Guitar Center (who did not know what the saddle was or that there was a "trust" rod... inside the neck!?), I started to feel a little uneasy about it all. I told him I was still shopping around and that I would call back. I thought it over all night. Even if the employee had known what he was talking about, there are so many things that can be wrong with an older acoustic instrument that would not be detectable without a knowledgeable, experienced person putting it on the bench and giving it a proper inspection, magnifying glass, strings off, inspection mirror and light, etc. So now we're in reputable vintage instrument dealer territory and the bass once again goes from not super easy to justify, to not really being able to justify at this time.
HOWEVER, in my searches of the web for a B30 or B50 at a bargain price, I came across a new, current model I hadn't seen before... the B-240e. I was familiar with the B-140 but I didn't want long scale... a jumbo body acoustic short scale is already big enough! Yes they are import models, but the more I read the more intrigued I became. Since I'd really enjoyed the Newark Street Guilds I have gotten to try so far, I figured a nice short-scale jumbo with an arch-back, classic Guild styling, and a matching quality gig bag for $499 sounded like it was worth a go -- even though it's not quite as deep as a B30 or B50. Of course, going through sweetwater I get to see the weight and HD photos of the actual bass I'm getting, in addition to their free 2-year warranty. Even better!
Now I also don't have to stress about the potential upcoming re-frets, neck-resets, loose braces, bellied or cracking top, dried or rotting wood, etc. of an uninspected older instrument, nor do I have to be overly protective and paranoid of a rare, high-dollar instrument-- meaning, I CAN actually skip through a field with it, case or no case (assuming there's a moderate temperature and no precipitation).
It should be arriving sometime next week!
Lastly, is this the first thread about a B-240? (there's a fretted and a fretless model available)

*** I do still hope to get a B30 or B50 on some future day, but it will have to either be from a good shop with their guarantee, or a crazy cheap craigslist/pawnshop/ebay find
 
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Happy Face

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Back to the sixties, baby!

You never cease to amaze me. (Though that cycle of desire you describe is not foreign to me.)

Looking forward to your reports.
 

mellowgerman

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Back to the sixties, baby!

You never cease to amaze me. (Though that cycle of desire you describe is not foreign to me.)

Looking forward to your reports.

Veer alert: Though I was playfully setting the meadow love jam scene, I must say that I really do wish I could time-travel back for at least a month or so and experience some of the magic of the time. I realize, as with any era it definitely had its ups and downs, but to catch the Airplane and the Dead at the Matrix and catch an electric sunrise in the park afterward... I can only imagine. Also, NO CELL PHONES OR SOCIAL MEDIA!! People actually had to interact face-to-face and make eye contact?! What a dream.


Back to the Guild: a report most certainly will follow!
 

mellowgerman

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Here are a few of the HD photos (provided by sweetwater) of the actual bass I picked out.

Weight is 4 lbs. 13oz.

Gvg5xP4.jpg


57Sb3KS.jpg


gSD0qET.jpg
 

fronobulax

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Pretty neat. I do not recall anyone reporting on the Westerly Collection basses so I look forward to your input. You will have to live with the knowledge that there (probably) is something louder out there (B50 - too bad there wasn't a WW II bomber with that designation. Somehow seems appropriate) but that's OK. "louder" did not become my most important selection criteria until Mrs. Fro. started using her D25 a lot. It's not just a banjo killer :)
 

sailingshoes72

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Congratulations! That's a great looking Bass. The mahogany veneer on the back is beautiful!

Back in 1987, I caught an acoustic show of Hot Tuna at a small venue... it was just Jack and Jorma on that tour. Great concert! Jack was playing a Guild acoustic Bass for the whole show. I wish I had some photos... but no smart phones back then!

After the show, I asked Jack to sign my original copy of the first Hot Tuna album. He smiled with a genuine enthusiasm and remarked, "This is from back in the good old days!" He was very sincere and approachable. I've still got that album cover in my record collection.
 

mellowgerman

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Congratulations! That's a great looking Bass. The mahogany veneer on the back is beautiful!

Back in 1987, I caught an acoustic show of Hot Tuna at a small venue... it was just Jack and Jorma on that tour. Great concert! Jack was playing a Guild acoustic Bass for the whole show. I wish I had some photos... but no smart phones back then!

After the show, I asked Jack to sign my original copy of the first Hot Tuna album. He smiled with a genuine enthusiasm and remarked, "This is from back in the good old days!" He was very sincere and approachable. I've still got that album cover in my record collection.

probably the same one as in this 1988 vid, featuring Paul and Grace too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bosa0xwfk2g

also, that original 1968 Tuna album is one of the most frequent records on my turntable!
I got Jack to sign my Crown of Creation vinyl at a Moonalice show in 2008(?) and he was equally friendly/genuine
 

mellowgerman

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Thanks, Walrus!

And Frono, I don't mind if mine is not the loudest, all that matters is that it's loud enough! Which I suppose we'll see if it is... regardless, eventually I will need to get myself one of those loudest ones just because :)
 
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sailingshoes72

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adorshki

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-- meaning, I CAN actually skip through a field with it, case or no case (assuming there's a moderate temperature and no precipitation).
It's poly.
It's indestructible.
In fact I bet you could get some really cool sounds out of it if you did fill it about halfway with rainwater.
You know, just enough to not slosh out of the soundhole when you play it over your leg.
Hey, your friends are the ones with the inviting psychedelic gleams in their eyes.
I've had to retire due to low threshold of pleasure these days.

Lastly, is this the first thread about a B-240? (there's a fretted and a fretless model available)
Why yes, I believe it is.
Keep us posted.
Wet OR dry.
:biggrin-new:
 

Nuuska

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Hello

I see on that video, that there is an extra pickup on B50 - "stylishly" attached with duct-tape. I have been pondering something similar for my B30 - mounting would be with some clamps at soundhole. The space between top and strings is only about 1/2 inch. is there any semi-decent thing that would fit there - or should I just put it into soundhole. I know some -60:s guitars and basses had very thin pickups - a'la Shadow or Schaller. But how about today?
 

adorshki

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You will have to live with the knowledge that there (probably) is something louder out there (B50 - too bad there wasn't a WW II bomber with that designation. Somehow seems appropriate)
AS A MATTER OF FACT...
(leave it to the postbot, he does, after all, dwell in the cyberverse).....

b50.jpg

From the "usual source":
An order for 200 B-29Ds was placed in July 1945, but the ending of World War II in August 1945 prompted mass cancellations of outstanding orders for military equipment, with over 5,000 B-29s canceled in September 1945.[4] In December that year, B-29D orders were cut from 200 to 60, while at the same time the designation of the aircraft was changed to B-50.[3]

:smile:
 

fronobulax

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Thanks, Walrus!

And Frono, I don't mind if mine is not the loudest, all that matters is that it's loud enough! Which I suppose we'll see if it is... regardless, eventually I will need to get myself one of those loudest ones just because :)

I emphasize the volume because that is the only reason to own one :) With my belly, the ergonomics of playing it seated are difficult. As a non-cutaway, playing past the 12th fret or so requires an adjustment and the options for a thumb anchor are different. It's all worth it when there is no amp and people can hear you but otherwise it's the Betts Bass or a Starfire for me.

My B50 came with something post-factory, installed by the original owner. K&K undersaddle? In any event I don't know what other options there are. Many years ago there was a poster who gigged with a B50 and had owned several and he just used a microphone. That sounded better to him, and with the band. There was enough competence all around to make sure that feedback was not an issue.

Renaming a B29 bomber as a B50, post-war, noted.
 

mellowgerman

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It's poly.
It's indestructible.
In fact I bet you could get some really cool sounds out of it if you did fill it about halfway with rainwater.
You know, just enough to not slosh out of the soundhole when you play it over your leg.
Hey, your friends are the ones with the inviting psychedelic gleams in their eyes.
I've had to retire due to low threshold of pleasure these days.

You know, a friend and I once had the idea to make a clear bass body out of acrylic that was chambered with a screw cap so you could fill it with water... we wondered and wondered and wondered what it would do with resonance and such, since sound does travel uniquely through water and quite well. That was also a time during which we did a lot of silly stuff with chemicals that gave us a lot of colorful ideas... most, if actually taken seriously and put into practice, probably would have resulted in failure.
 

mellowgerman

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Hello

I see on that video, that there is an extra pickup on B50 - "stylishly" attached with duct-tape. I have been pondering something similar for my B30 - mounting would be with some clamps at soundhole. The space between top and strings is only about 1/2 inch. is there any semi-decent thing that would fit there - or should I just put it into soundhole. I know some -60:s guitars and basses had very thin pickups - a'la Shadow or Schaller. But how about today?

I had a stick-on Shadow pickup on an old semi-hollow, bolt-on neck, Japanese 12 string, that didn't have cavities for pickups. Sounded nice... always wondered if they or anyone else made a bass version.

I was intrigued by these Flatcat surface mount pickups as they're cheap and supposedly yield a great frequency response curve and reportedly work equally well with guitar and bass. This was before I worked up the courage to actually route out a cavity to add a bridge pickup on my Starfire bass. But here's the link:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/247234829/flatcat-surface-mount-guitar-pickup-for

I think Sentell pickups also make flat surface mount pickups. He doesn't have a bass model listed, but is reputed to be completely open-minded to crazy one-off custom jobs. His prices are also surprisingly low. http://sentellpickups.net/custombuilds.html
 

mellowgerman

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Got the bass one day early on Wednesday. Had them hold it at the FedEx center so I could pick it up after getting out of work. From outside appearance all looked well and the carriers seemed not to have dropped or smushed it in any way. Sweetwater, got it on its way super fast, expertly packed in a big box with impact-absorbing foam stuff on both ends, all surrounding the Guild factory shipping box, which contained cardboard supports, the very nice gig-bag (complete with built-in form neck support), and the bass in pristine condition.
Bass came out of the packaging, very close to in-tune. Relief of neck looked good and action was higher than I normally set it on my electrics, but considering it's acoustic, the option to play with a little harder attack might be in order to attain an acoustically competitive volume. Still saddle has plenty of room to go lower, may keep it as is though.
In terms of tone, I was a little underwhelmed. I'm assuming a lot of this has to do with the factory phosphor bronze strings though, so some nice tapewounds are on order, in the mail, and scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Once those are on, I expect to dig it as, even with the phosphor bronze set, I could feel the underlying bassy purr, just waiting to be unleashed with some heartier strings.
Volume was decent. Louder than your typical acoustic bass guitar off the wall at the store, but I think that subtle underlying bass is what really makes the difference and hopefully adds to the projection.
So, updates will follow once the new strings are on and then eventually after the first actual jam with an acoustic guitar.
For now, here are some photos of the new addition with its elders.

RHa5pjm.jpg


H5UWoo1.jpg
 
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Happy Face

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Hopefully it is showing respect to the elders there.
 

mellowgerman

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Respect to the elders indeed.
This big B240e just came alive with a set of D'Addario Black Nylon Tapewounds! Tone is pretty much perfect and she's automatically more comfy to play - obviously nice and velvety smooth but they also have considerably lower tension than a more typical string, which is nice since the physics of an acoustic bass don't really allow for very low action, at least if you're trying to get maximum volume out of it. For people who are not fans of crisp zingy brightness like myself, these might be the perfect acoustic bass strings. Nice fat sound without any noticeable compromise in volume or sustain. The "medium scale" set was a perfect fit for the shortscale B240e. Much like the Starfire, there's a little extra string length past the bridge saddles than on a standard electric bass bridge
 
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