Guild B-series Bass Pickups

[Chris Turner]

Does anyone happen to know what the dimensions of the covers for these bases were/are? Also, any other details, like type of wire, bobbin dimensions, magnets, etc?

To avoid any confusion, these are the pickups I'm referring to:


Thanks in advance.

[LtKojak]

Does anyone happen to know what the dimensions of the covers for these bases were/are? Also, any other details, like type of wire, bobbin dimensions, magnets, etc?

To avoid any confusion, these are the pickups I'm referring to:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]56675[/ATTACH]

Thanks in advance.

Sorry Chris, I can't answer your question; I just wanted to ask: based solely on p'up placement, do anyone think of this bass being good sounding?

I'd say no, but hey! I'm a guitar player; I don't think that low.

[Leo_Gnardo]

I just wanted to ask: based solely on p'up placement, do anyone think of this bass being good sounding?

LtK, I remember one of these was rented for a recording session I was working on in 1985. At the time, I did notice the unusual pickup placement. Although I wasn't the hired-in bass player, also being a long time Guild fan, I did manage to get a couple licks in to evaluate it for myself. It sounded pretty good - definitely not awful. Along with the rakish body design, I think this series was part of Guild's "dare to be different" attitude. Which works sometimes, and sometimes not.

end

[LtKojak]

LtK, I remember one of these was rented for a recording session I was working on in 1985. At the time, I did notice the unusual pickup placement. Although I wasn't the hired-in bass player, also being a long time Guild fan, I did manage to get a couple licks in to evaluate it for myself. It sounded pretty good - definitely not awful. Along with the rakish body design, I think this series was part of Guild's "dare to be different" attitude. Which works sometimes, and sometimes not.

end

It was a single episode occurred 35-years ago... Leo, are you sure you're NOT an elephant?

[Chris Turner]

Sorry Chris, I can't answer your question; I just wanted to ask: based solely on p'up placement, do anyone think of this bass being good sounding?

I'd say no, but hey! I'm a guitar player; I don't think that low.

Well, that pickup placement is used pretty extensively by Rickenbacker for their basses (a pickup at the 24th and 36th fret positions, really). So, I think it would sound pretty good. ;-)

[Leo_Gnardo]

Well, that pickup placement is used pretty extensively by Rickenbacker for their basses (a pickup at the 24th and 36th fret positions, really). So, I think it would sound pretty good. ;-)

Agree, I did notice a rough resemblance between the Guild and solid body Rick bass.

LtK, in some instances I have an uncanny memory. Sometimes including dates, times who was there etc. Back then I kept notebooks on recording projects, with respect to mic placement as well as what instruments & amps used on each track. Of course, that all amounts to nothing. BTW the Guild was a flashy bright blue color.

I wish I could cram my brain full of important stuff instead.

[LtKojak]

Agree, I did notice a rough resemblance between the Guild and solid body Rick bass.

Well, for me the equation Rick=GoodTone is just simply not true, but hey! I'm a guitar player. I don't think that low! (BTW, I don't like Rick guitars at all either)

I wish I could cram my brain full of important stuff instead.

You're preaching to the choir, man! Hear, hear!

[Leo_Gnardo]

Well, for me the equation Rick=GoodTone is just simply not true, but hey! I'm a guitar player. I don't think that low! (BTW, I don't like Rick guitars at all either)

Different strokes, etc. Taste can change over time too. Early 70's I was enthralled with Chris Squire's tone with Yes. The band I was in told me, if you get one of those basses you'll be looking for another band. One must sometimes bend to the opinions of others, if only to make grocery & rent money whilst in college. In more recent times I find the Squire Rick tone to be annoying, meanwhile Paul McCartney seems to pull a terrific warm tone from his Rick, besides always playing the best bass lines.

Looking forward to answers on the Guild. We seem to have diverted the thread. Happens a lot on MEF.

[LtKojak]

Early 70's I was enthralled with Chris Squire's tone with Yes.

Oh, no...

The band I was in told me, if you get one of those basses you'll be looking for another band.

You should be grateful to them. Best advice you could've ever gotten, specially considering the zeitgeist then.

In more recent times I find the Squire Rick tone to be annoying

As one should.

meanwhile Paul McCartney seems to pull a terrific warm tone from his Rick, besides always playing the best bass lines

He chose the Rick just because of the neck profile, being the closest to his beloved Hofner, that he didn't want to use with his own band, being too visually associated with the Beatles. Marketing dicet

Looking forward to answers on the Guild.

I bet those have the same specs as Jazz Bass p'ups.

We seem to have diverted the thread. Happens a lot on MEF.

Of course! That's the the feature, not the bug!

[Chris Turner]

I bet those have the same specs as Jazz Bass p'ups.

Maybe as far number of windings or wire gauge, but I'm pretty sure the coils are shorter and wider than Jazz bass coils.

But yeah, I'm primarily interested in the dimensions of the covers.

[Mike Sulzer]

Pickup placement affects which string harmonics are emphasized/de-emphasized. Of course this is a function of the string length from the fret to the bridge, and so pickup location affects which notes sound a particular way. So rather than declare a bass horrible or not as LK has done, I would ask the question that often matters in music: what is it good for, what is it not good for? Of course the resonance frequency and Q of those pickups matter, too. Is it too bright, maybe, too dull?

LtK, I remember one of these was rented for a recording session I was working on in 1985. At the time, I did notice the unusual pickup placement. Although I wasn't the hired-in bass player, also being a long time Guild fan, I did manage to get a couple licks in to evaluate it for myself. It sounded pretty good - definitely not awful. Along with the rakish body design, I think this series was part of Guild's "dare to be different" attitude. Which works sometimes, and sometimes not.

end

[jop120]

I know this is going off topic from the OP, but the bass has a soft maple body and hard maple neck, so very bright/upper mid-rangy in terms of the bass's resonance, if you had the pickups in the Jazz bass position it'd be way bright and honkey. Move them further into the scale and you get nice controlled lows and plenty of detail. Yeh like a Ric (hard Maple through-neck + soft maple wings) same practice. Ric's are a great design resonantly but are made terribly, so some of them sound great but a lot don't.

pickups wise, don't know what they were (though look to be a Jazz bass pickup in a rectangular cover) but something wound with 44awg and A5 would work well with these woods and these pu positions, if the OP was trying make some pickups for one of these basses.

[jop120]

wait... nope that's an ash body, just weird lighting on the pic. Well assuming it's northern ash, then similar density to soft maple and the same applies, grain is too tight to be swamp-ash

[Mike Sulzer]

but something wound with 44awg and A5 would work well with these woods and these pu positions, if the OP was trying make some pickups for one of these basses.

This is an example of what I meant in that other discussion. #44 and A5 is not nearly as useful design knowledge as inductance and ac resistance at a couple of frequencies. Or better yet, just measure the impedance as a function of frequency.

[jop120]

This is an example of what I meant in that other discussion. #44 and A5 is not nearly as useful design knowledge as inductance and ac resistance at a couple of frequencies. Or better yet, just measure the impedance as a function of frequency.

really? I bet that information would make limited sense to a lot of people winding pickups. starting with #44 and A5 would be a good idea IMO for these woods and PU placement, and I've made a quite lot of basses like this and it's a winning combination. Sure he might need to wind up a few versions before getting it right, but you'd still have to wind up test coils if you wanted to go down the sciencey route and I bet it'd take a lot longer and wouldn't produce something that actually sounded better.