The earliest single pickup Starfire basses had a single pickup in the bridge position, with finger rests positioned above and below the strings in the neck position. The bass player uses a Starefire SF bass through a Quantum X amplifier Any thoughts on the bass people?!! The band is a trio, with Weir on guitar and vocals, Don Was on upright bass, and Jay Lane on drums. His next bass, dubbed "The Godfather" was a walnut Guild Starfire with three Alembic pickups, including a quad pickup with four outputs for each string. Blew it up and if you say there is a closed eye with eyebrow or eyelashes visible I'm not going to argue. This is an arch-top, built for Phil — it’s sort of a Guild M-85, at least in shape. Later (1966), these were reversed, with the pickup moving to the neck position (see a 1968 Starfire Bass I, also left). We were so excited and honored to be a part of the process by donating a Starfire Bass II, which Alembic then modified to match Lesh’s iconic Grateful Dead-era bass. Re: Phil Lesh's Alembic Modified Guild Starfire "The Godfather" « Reply #77 on: August 06, 2020, 03:07:53 PM » Not sure when I took this photo, but Phil wanted to make sure you heard him Maybe these towers factor into the standing wave discussions that have taken place here. The other postures are possible but not what I would do to be comfortable. Phil Lesh's Alembic Modified Guild Starfire-"The Godfather" « Reply #60 on: May 06, 2015, 11:45:09 AM » Fascinating info - thanks for pulling back the curtain on a mystery that has confounded me for 40 + years. After that he played a not very modified Guild Starfire (preamps and some magnet changes in the pickups) through late '69 or so (Live Dead is a great example of this sound). The Guild Starfire Bass II is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that brings additional sonic options to one of Guild' most iconic models. "GUILD STARFIRE BASS" The "Guild Starfire Bass" was one of the most respected basses of the 1960s, and gained recognition by its high profile users of the mid sixties such as "Jack Casady" of "Jefferson Airplane", and "Phil Lesh" of "The Grateful Dead". The brand name currently exists as a brand under Córdoba Music Group. The Starfire Bass II is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds sonic options to one of Guild’s most iconic models, the Starfire Bass. In the early 1970's, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead had his heavily modified Gibson EB3 stolen. 1970 Guild S-100 Polara - collectible or not? The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). It has so many knobs to control the monstrous Wall of Sound the Dead toured with in the early 70s. That's the bass he played on Live/Dead,and from my understanding Workingman's Deadand American Beauty. The Grateful Dead posted a cool photo from 1967 with a shot of Phil's Big Red Starfire Bass: I wish I was the person laying on the floor (head at bottom right). The first rehearsal I took it to, the lead singer called it one bad mamma jamma. As a thought exercise, imagine a balding male who loses their hair on the top but nor the sides. Rare 1976 Guild Starfire SF-Bass II in Black finish, original and in good condition for its age. This late 1990s re-issue from the fine folks at DeArmond is a fantastic approximation of the … I should have done that, and was prepared to, but got distracted. Thanks for posting the picture! I'm thinking facing the band. If it's me, I'm on my stomach, head on my right arm and facing away. This dual-pickup, semi-hollow bass guitar adds both legendary style and a modern range of sonic options to Guild’s iconic Starfire Bass. The short story is this: Phil started out on a Gibson EB0, then moved to a Fender Jazz Bass which he used until '68. The Bi-sonics continued to be fitted to Guild Starfire (and JS) basses until 1970, when Guild finally replaced them with their own brand new humbuckers. The neck is a 3-piece running straight through the body, not touching the top or back until the butt of the instrument, where the bridge is sunk into it. Starfire Bass II is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds sonic options to one of Guild’s most iconic models, the Starfire Bass. In fact it was the clarity of response of these pickups that meant Alembic kept these in place when modifying the circuitry of the Casady / Lesh basses of the late 1960s. Phil Lesh’s Guild Starfire Bass with Alembic Electronics featured the Grateful Dead's Steal Your Face logo and was known as "The Godfather." Who is sitting behind the Fender Dual Showman cab, the one with the JBL speakers? Guild is proud to introduce the Star fire Bass II, a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that brings additional sonic options to one of Guild's most iconic models. Phil briefly started out playing a Gibson EB-0, but eventually switched to a Fender Jazz Bass in 1968. The Starfire Bass II is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds sonic options to one of Guild’s most iconic models, the Starfire Bass. The Hagstrom Bi-sonic was a single coil unit, with a very unique design. (1972)Black and white advert for the solid body JS II (fretted and fretless) and M-85 II basses, and the hollow body Starfire SF-bass II See more ideas about Phil, Grateful dead, Greatful dead. The Guild Guitar Company is a United States-based guitar manufacturer founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge, a guitarist and music-store owner, and George Mann, a former executive with the Epiphone Guitar Company. The Godfather on the left is a heavily modified Guild Starfire by Alembic. That was after the glory years of his sound in my mind - I don't think he sounds the same throughout time, that's part of what's cool about him is hearing the development of his sound. You can get close to that sound by using a short scale bass with a rack mount Alembic Superfilters (SF-2). Me, too, that's why I assumed that position! The Modulus TBX is an older model (before they started making them again). Ultimate cool-kid Joe from New Jersey asked the Make-a-Wish Foundation for his very own Phil Lesh bass. The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead). Click through to have a look at each vintage Guild catalog. Phil had Modulus make his custom TBXs with an … Click on the images for larger copies. The addition of the BiSonic BS-1 neck pickup on the Starfire Bass II gives bassists a warmer, smooth sound for added tonal flexibility. Aug 14, 2020 - Explore Rlw's board "Phil Lesh" on Pinterest. Some of the different variations of the Guild Starfire bass taken from catalog images over the period 1966-1975. That was after the glory years of his sound in my mind - I don't think he sounds the same throughout time, that's part of what's cool about him is hearing the development of his sound. The Modulus TBX is an older model (before they started making them again). Wickersham radically modified the instrument to include quadraphonic pickups (allowing the signal of each string to be sent to separate outputs) and active preamp circuits. There are 3 comments on this article so far. In ’71 the bass player (Spike Daley, now living in Grass valley, CA) in my first all-original band wanted to sound more like Jack Casady (Spike liked Jack, Phil Lesh, John Entwistle, and Rick Danko—good taste), so bought himself a bass just like Jack’s—the Guild Starfire. This collectible miniature guitar replica was hand-crafted to honor the legendary bassist took it,! Jbl speakers and facing away adds sonic options to one of Guild ' most iconic models it could be... 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