Guild Starfire II - Does this Classic Bass work in Today's Modern World? - LowEndLobster Review
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- Опубліковано 11 бер 2023
- EDIT: Pickups aren't wired in series! Whoops! I've removed that bit, but sorry about that!
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Guild Starfire II Natural: guildguitars.com/g/starfire-b...
Hey Everyone! Today we're reviewing the Guild Starfire II, their flagship bass and part of the Newark St. Collection. Featuring an all mahogany construction (with this model, maple also available), dual Guild BS-1 Bisonic pickups, and an unmistakable vintage vibe, the Starfire II is a deadhead's dream. But with a steep price tag and steep competition in the import semihollow space, can the Starfire II keep up? Let's find out!
This bass and all my other basses with rounds are strung with SIT Foundation Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at sitstrings.com/
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • Lobster's Filming & Re...
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I put LaBella Flexible Flats on mine and it sounds and plays amazing. Add a suede backed 3” strap (e.g. Franklin) and the neck dive is gone for the most part. For those of us that grew up in the 60’s playing less than 19mm string spacing (e.g. EKO, Guild, Hofner, Framus), adapting to 16mm is second nature. It’s really a great little bass!
I own a green Guild Starfire II and I absolutely love it. I have no neck dive problems. If you can get one I would really advise it. Everywhere I play it people love it. But indeed for as versatile it is...Its still a hollowbody so It wont do well in every genre/style.
I really like the tone of this bass along with the appearance. The neck-dive is a complete deal-breaker for me though, and that bridge just needs help.
I don’t think they are worth it new, but definitely used they are generally pretty good deals! I got an Emerald Green one and I really enjoy it. I highly recommend string it up with some DR Black Beauties, it really shines with those strings, clear, warm and woody!
This was great. It's nice to find people who are so honest about their opinions and not only trying to find positive stuff to say. Would be amazing to see a modern semi-hollow bass comparison with, for example, this Guild, Epiphone Jack Casady and/or Rumblekat, Fender Coronado and/or Starcaster and a Höfner.
Man I love your videos, even if from the start I’m not that interested in a particular bass I can’t help it but watch the whole thing because it’s so entertaining!
Your video on the Starfire I convinced me to go for it for my first bass. It does not disappoint! Great sound, super fun to play. Amazing value for the price.
I bought a '66 at Gruhn's in Nashville for $375, thirty years ago..
Great review! I'm really interested now in the hollow body sound, and will check out the options discussed.
I have one and LOVE it. It sounds great and the saddles have never given me any trouble and the neck dive isn't any worse than my Jack Casady. Its beautifully built and plays smooth.
Thanks for the great review! 👏🏻 Nice to hear the pros and cons.
If you want your mind blown go check out Phil Lesh’s guild starfire aka “big brown” It was heavily modified by alembic with 14 control knobs on the bass. There is a detailed diagram explaining what each knob does. It’s far from a stock starfire.
You forgot to mention that this bass comes with a case, which is very nice because it wont be damaged in shipping like the Gretsch G5442BDC...
That scale length and string spacing looks comfortable. I'd love to see those measurements on more modern basses
BERRY OAKLEY! He played one and that's also where he got the pickups for his Tractor bass, the modded J bass with a Bisonic pickup in the neck and the J neck pickup moved next to the bridge pickup. One of the greatest basses ever built!
Fab demo as always, Lobster. To play devils advocate, if the bass had perfectly adjustable hardware, the perfect contour for slap and could play everything from Reggae to Djent, it would probably be called ‘inauthentic’ and people would clamour for original models from the 60’s (which make this look like a Tesla in comparison!).
I bought one of these basses about a year ago. I found that the string tension was a little low with the strings I am used to playing with. I would definitely suggest a light gauge flat-wound string for this bass. I use the Labella Beatle Bass strings and they fit perfectly and sound incredible, they also increased the string tension and overall tone clarity. Great review and video as always!
Owned this bass for over 9 years and never had an issue with the bridge breaking.
the current price point definitely seems a little steep, I got a slightly older Starfire II used for just under 1k. it's been the perfect bass for me since I have no problems with neck dive personally and it's so incredibly comfortable for me. Flatwounds or tapewounds sound fantastic on it if you wanna try those out.
I had the Jack Cassidy for a week and really liked it. Then i found this at Corner Music in Nashville. After playing it for an hour i returned my JC to Gibson Garage and bought this. It had become my go to bass, replacing my P and J basses as well as my fretless and acoustic. It is amazing. Neck dive isnt as big an issue as lobster makes it. Bridge is awesome. Corner Music did great setup. String height and intonation are perfect. Saddles make for a great tone. Yes more money than JC, but natural finish model is reduced price now. AND it comes with HS case. JC does not.