Nice bass Happy Face! I'm envious.
Well, here's the review. First the good:
1. Excellent finish, for poly! Really is beautiful and flawless, and thick! I couldn't find any mistakes anywhere.
2. The frets are perfect. Good quality Grover tuners.
3. Guild gets the reissue idea IMHO. Everything is the same or close to the original: body shape; headstock inlay; the neck profile is right on and not for ham-handed bassists; bridge is as it should be and beautiful; yellowed binding for a nice vintage look; the Bi-sonic pickup is a dead ringer for the original (can't testify to the sound vs. the original)
4. The electronics: the volume control has a small range, although I always play full on anyway. Once you turn it to 5 or so, it doesn't get much louder at full-on 9. Tone about the same. The pup sounds really nice through my B-15, I need to adjust the screws a bit as the e-string is a tad louder than the rest (more on this later). Will give it a go through the Mesa full bore on Wednesday night. I didn't initially like the pup placement, but it sounds pretty darn good to my ears. I may have been wrong about it. I was initially going by cosmetics and my experience with a vintage Guild Starfire I once had with the same placement. It had a weak nasal tone and I sold it. This doesn't seem to have the same issue. Not sure which variables were coming into play, but this bass sounds much better to my ears.
5. A case! Big deal you say? Well, it may drive the price point up a bit, but a nice case is really a nice touch. Thanks Guild.
Impressions: The bass is a nice exercise in simplicity. There's little clutter. A single pup and no switches is a departure from the M-85 II model. The neck is a beauty if you like them narrow and thinner than most. For me, it's perfect. I love the profile and feel of it. It's just a bit neck heavy with those big Grovers, but nothing worse than some old Gibsons we know and love.
An interesting illusion occurs with the bass design. Because they mount the neck heel at the 18th. fret, the neck almost looks like a long scale, which it is not. The bass looks bigger, longer, than it really is because of this. I don't find the thicker body a problem. It's comfy for me.
I also suspect some of the bass' strong sound/output is due to the lack of f-holes. When I played the reissue Starfire recently, I didn't find the same pup in the same placement as strong or bassy. If I had, I probably would have bought that one, too. I am beginning to suspect that f-holes, while often cosmetically appealing and lending basses a different tonality, might actually bleed off some of the omph of the pup and some lower bass frequencies. A closed hollow body does have some pleasing tonality to my ears.
The bad:
1. Made in Korea! Really, I'd love it if it were made in USA, but Guild's US prices are in the stratosphere. The MSRP on this is $1699 and online sellers are already pushing it down to $1100 - 1200. Too much for a MIK? Maybe, but a MIJ Gretsch is easily 50 - 80% higher and not any better quality IMO. So, it's a matter of taste and reality.
2. Did I mention quality? Oh yeah, I did. Well, there is one flaw on this bass that I didn't notice in the shop. The bridge is not installed squarely. The harp bridge only uses 2 screws. On mine, the left screw is just a mm or two lower than the right. This tilts the bridge slightly and makes the e- and a-strings ride just a little crooked in the saddles. How did I notice it? The e-string popped out of the saddle when I plucked it with some force. I slid it back in, payed some more and pop! The a-string doesn't pop out with force. So, I grabbed a nut file and deepened the slot just a bit, and all is fixed. The e-string is now louder since it's a mm or so closer to the pup, so I'll have to adjust the other pup screws for balance.
3. I couldn't find anything else wrong with it (except for MIK
).
More Impressions: The bridge is not an issue now, but you guys know me! I am torn between just leaving it alone as it works fine now, fixing it (ala filling and re-drilling the bridge screw hole) or just getting another one without the same flaw. I might call the shop today and see if they have another in stock or coming in. That would be an easy fix!
Bottom line: I love the bass overall and will keep it (or one like it). The only thing that would make me sell it is if it sucks through my Mesa rig. Practice will be a fun test.
Aside: I am going to pop the pup and look inside. I want to see the construction of the pup from underneath and I want to see the channel they use to run the knobs and jack from the pup. I've decided to try this same design on my own basses. It means fishing the stuff through the channels (which I've gotten better at doing), but it eliminates the need for a back control cavity or cover. I love the clean look and feel of the no-control cavity design.
