![]() ![]() ![]() The larger bodies are typically bound, with hard right angles where your plucking hand passes over the side. If you’re accustomed to solidbody basses, the semi-hollow design will require a bit of adjustment- not only to the shorter scale length, but also to the dimensions of the instrument itself. Bottom Line: The Starfire bass is a righteous tribute to Guild’s first bass.Cons: Pickup placement may not suit everyone.Neck Three-piece mahogany/maple, vintage soft “U” This Korean-built reissue has a refined feel, and comes with a higher price tag than its two Chinese siblings. The dual finger- rests are another holdover from the original they come in handy for plucking-hand placement in the absence of a neck pickup. The bridge is a somewhat rustic yet effective apparatus, with individually adjustable rosewood string saddles that gave the Starfire a big advantage in the intonation department. The neck is glued into the body, which is said to offer the sustain of neck-through-body construction with some of the punch associated with a bolt-on neck. A set-neck design is classic for this type of instrument (the Guild is the only one of the trio with that construction). Like the original, the Starfire has a slightly longer 30.75" scale, and has an archtop laminated-mahogany body and mahogany neck, with 21 frets embedded in a rosewood fingerboard. The reissue features a single Guild Bi-Sonic pickup in the original bridge position later models placed it in the neck position, and there were two-pickup models built as well. Powered by the now-legendary Bi-Sonic pickup, and sporting a bridge/tailpiece assembly that looks like it came off a 1960 Volvo, the Starfire had its own voice. Introduced in 1965, the original Starfire was Guild’s first electric bass, and it featured technology imported from Swedish guitar manufacturer Hagstrom. Collection, is a well-done tribute to an instrument that is iconic in its class. The new Starfire bass, part of Guild’s Newark St. Bottom Line: The Starcaster bass is a flexible tone monster with a unique look.Pros: Massive bottom, versatile, hangs comfortably. ![]() The Fender Hi-Mass bridge is a non-traditional choice for this type of instrument, but it eliminates some of the string-length issues that can pop up with floating bridge/tailpiece designs, and it also contributes to clarity and sustain.įrets 22 Pickups Fender Wide Range Humbuckers The smurfy headstock and offset body shape give the Starcaster a distinctive look, and the top strap button’s placement makes the bass hang more like a solidbody. The bolt-on maple 22-fret neck has a 9.5"-radius maple fingerboard. The Chinese-built addition to the Modern Player series sports two massive Fender “Wide Range” humbuckers, with separate volume and tone and a 3-way toggle switch. While a few early prototype bass models were said to have been built, they never made it to the market- making the new Starcaster bass more of a reanimation than a reissue. In 1976, Fender released a short-lived, semi-hollow guitar model that has since developed a cultish following. Bottom Line: The Coronado brings back Fender’s first hollowbody design with improved performance.This instrument is part of Fender’s Modern Player line, and is “Crafted in China.”īody Laminated maple with alder tone blockįingerboard Bound rosewood, pearloid block inlaysĬontrols Individual volume & tone, 3-way toggle switch The top strap button is mounted to the body at the neck heel, but the weight of the body and shorter neck allow the bass to sit comfortably without neck-dive. The carved wooden “F” logo tailpiece remains unchanged, and while the two-point floating bridge is less architecturally interesting than the original’s, it’s functional and solidly anchored into the tone block. The DeArmond single coils of the original are replaced with a set of FideliTron humbuckers (a Gretsch-like pickup also found in Fender's Cabronita Precision), with individual volume and tone and a 3-way toggle switch. The “C”-shaped neck profile and 9.25" fingerboard radius feels instantly recognizable, and the tinted gloss-polyester finish gives the slightly oversize headstock a vintage look. The bolt-on maple neck has 21 medium-jumbo frets pressed into a bound rosewood fingerboard with pearloid block inlays. The first Coronados were fully hollow-bodied, making them more prone to feedback, but the reissue features a semi-hollow body with maple top and back, and like the Starcaster bass, an alder tone block into which the pickups and bridge are mounted.
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