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Guild / DeArmond Pilot players


FilTurd

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Anybody on this forum played both the Guild and DeArmond 4 stringers. I've read all the reviews and articles on the DeArmond but they don't get into the accuracy between the necks and body's. If anybody that has played both can do a comparison. I understand these are both older basses but I just ordered a DeArmond Pilot Plus 4 String and can find only minimal info on it.

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There are no DeArmond basses made by Guild and no Guild models made by DeArmond. The Guild models were made in USA had mostly Maple bodies. After Fender bought Guild they created the DeArmond line of budget instruments. The DeArmond were made in Korea and Indonesia and had Agathis bodies. Over the years there have been many different versions of both, everything from Active pickups and neck through designs, some of which used multiple types of woods.

 

I've played many Vintage Guild basses over the years. Even had bass players in my bands that used them. The build quality was pretty good on many of the ones that I played but also came across some real dogs with major neck bow problems. Never liked the sound much of Guild basses. They were ok for music where deep/mid bass was all that was needed but They really didn't have their own unique tone where you'd identify them as being a Guild.

 

Guild changed allot since those vintage basses were made so I didn't keep track of anything they made after the early 80's. I suspect the Pilot was designed to compete with Fenders Jazz and Precisions basses. The originals had active pickups which would have given them a whole different sound. Any influence Fender may have had on them would have been focused on mass production. The DeArmonds sold in the $300 compared to Guilds original cost in the 800 ranges so quality had to take a big hit and make them comparable to most Squire build Fenders.

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I understand that thanks. I played a Guild Pilot for many years. I am hoping the DeArmond Pilot Plus has a similar neck. I had a body of a DeArmond Standard Pilot and it was pretty accurate as far as the cut and shape of the body. I'll just hope the neck is similar to the Guild sb 602...

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Happy (Pending) New Bass Day. :thu: I haven't played the DeArmond Pilot but reviews I've seen are all over the map regarding the necks. One said it fits nicely between a Jazz and Precision, another said it's wide as a table. Those can't both be true so I hope you like yours, as well as the 35" scale. BTW, which version are you getting, the P/J or the one with two soapbars? Be sure to post pics when it arrives.

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I will definitely post pic. I am getting the PJ I think it is called the Pilot Plus. I had looked for the PJ as it seemed to be most similar to my Pilot that I had other then the Standard DeArmond Pilot.I read the Standard was the cheapest as far as quality went. Okay thanks for the info it's what I was looking for.

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DeArmond Pilot but reviews I've seen are all over the map regarding the necks. One said it fits nicely between a Jazz and Precision' date=' another said it's wide as a table. Those can't both be true. [/quote']

 

Actually they can be. When you consider how many different neck variations they have on guitars like a Strat or LP, or even Basses like Precision it may simply be a matter of the year it was made and model version.

 

I'd like to think a budget line of instruments might have consistent neck shapes, but they tend to be even more variable then the upper end versions.

 

Around 15 years or so back when Mars music stores were shutting down and having sales, I was visiting and came across this bin full of Strat Squire necks they were selling off for $10 each. I bought at least 8 of them and no two in that bin were alike which I thought as being pretty strange at the time. These were necks they took of damaged instruments and replaced with new ones. I picked out ones that were straight and just needed simple maintenance or fret work. I turned all of them into guitars.

 

You see the same kinds of things on bass necks. Precisions tend to be a shallow but wide C shaped neck but I've seen everything from chunky D to super slim versions. Jazz basses on the other hand tend to be narrower and truer to a standard size.

 

Guess it really comes down to how long the instrument is in production and whatever changes they make as newer versions are made.

Having Fender own them I have little doubt they make changes to them every year like they do with their Squire guitars so the necks may in fact vary quite a bit.

 

That actually good for people who can shop a guitar in person because you can buy one that fits you best. Its a matter of pot luck buying on line however. Lets hope the Plus version the OP bought is something that's comfortable. Low end models tend to have less comfortable necks compared to Higher end versions which have the most comfortable. It one of the reasons besides the electronics and woods used that makes it a more expensive instrument.

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Actually they can be. . . .

 

. . . I'd like to think a budget line of instruments might have consistent neck shapes, but they tend to be even more variable then the upper end versions.

 

Around 15 years or so back when Mars music stores were shutting down and having sales, I was visiting and came across this bin full of Strat Squire necks they were selling off for $10 each. I bought at least 8 of them and no two in that bin were alike which I thought as being pretty strange at the time. . . .

Yes, it must be because all lower tier instruments are garbage, not because two players might disagree or have differing standards of comparison. The range of variation from "between a Jazz and Precision" to "wide as a table" is simply not attributable to minor variations between years or models. These were player reviews and I'm inclined to take any such with a large grain of salt.

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Yes, it must be because all lower tier instruments are garbage, not because two players might disagree or have differing standards of comparison. The range of variation from "between a Jazz and Precision" to "wide as a table" is simply not attributable to minor variations between years or models. These were player reviews and I'm inclined to take any such with a large grain of salt.

 

That Pilot bass was in production over 30 years first by Guild then by Fender. I could fathom guild keeping a similar neck profile but not the stuff Fender has made in the Asian Pacific. Those basses had everything from bolt on to neck through. My point is how Fender loves to make changes to their product lines. Every year or so they boast about their new models and often recycle new and old designs including a wide range of neck sizes.

 

https://www.bestbassgear.com/ebass/article/demystifying-fender-neck-sizes-based-on-letter-designations.html

 

If your reviewers were reviewing the exact same model and year bass then sure, maybe the neck was too fat for the guy with a small hand and just right for the guy with big hands. My point was it could also be, they were simply playing two different versions having two different neck sizes. I don't see why you'd deny that possibility unless you're just being close minded.

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That Pilot bass was in production over 30 years first by Guild then by Fender. I could fathom guild keeping a similar neck profile but not the stuff Fender has made in the Asian Pacific. . . .

 

. . . it could also be, they were simply playing two different versions having two different neck sizes. I don't see why you'd deny that possibility unless you're just being close minded.

The Pilot bass in general was in production for many years. The DeArmond Pilot was only in production for a relatively short time. That's the model under discussion, and only that model. There may have been--and probably were--slight differences between instruments and model years but not the huge ones you implied. There's a difference between being "closed minded" and staying on topic.

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The necks are similar enough for me. Both very thin. One a "c" and one a "D" if that's the terms. Very mild difference in my opinion. I am very pleased with the DeArmond /Fender Korean Pilot Plus. In fact I think the quality is great.

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I bought a used DeArmond neck for an 80s Guild Pilot off of Ebay. Frets removed by seller as that was what I wanted. The fretless Guild neck was crap. The DeArmond slipped right into the Pilot body like a glove. It adjusts better and sounds better. Please,guys,take it from an old studio owner and guitar repair tech...the "low end instruments suck" myth doesn't hold water all the time. Especially when it comes to vintage instruments. I have used parts off of inexpensive copies that were better than the originals. 

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