hooky_lowdown Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 I know the Guild is a different beast to the DeArmond, but what are people's thoughts on the JetStar bass, shape, colours (I like them in green, purple or black)? I love the 60s styling, and general uniqueness of these. 🤩 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr4stringz Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 Love the visuals, but not yet tried one to see if I could get along with one. There was a DeArmond one on eBay a couple of days back that had such a stupidly low BIN I nearly bit, but was sensible for once. Looks to have gone now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 I love the look. I've often dreamed of a custom through-neck version with a Thunderbird pickup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted January 13, 2022 Author Share Posted January 13, 2022 1 hour ago, mr4stringz said: Love the visuals, but not yet tried one to see if I could get along with one. There was a DeArmond one on eBay a couple of days back that had such a stupidly low BIN I nearly bit, but was sensible for once. Looks to have gone now. There's a red one on eBay currently. Looking at the position of the P pickup, I'm thinking it's screaming out for a big chrome mudbucker next to the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonesy Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 I really love the look of them, they're cool as, but haven't played one so can't say more than that. I think they did a model with J pups that was supposedly better than the P version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 I always fancied one but never got to try. There is a short scale one as well although I never got to the bottom of whether that was a P, a J/J one or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 I bought one of the DeArmond reissues in the early 2000s, when some shops reduced them to around £100, new. It looked kind of cool, but it had a lot of neck dive and the first fret felt a mile away. Hardware wasn't great (especially the tuners) and tonally it sounded like a relatively cheap P Bass. Honestly, it was really just a pretty cheap and unimpressive instrument. Mine mostly sat in a corner for a while,before being given something like £70 as a part ex. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 That one is the Jet star spel model. The other model is a 30" scale two pup instrument with a set neck. IIRC this model is a bolt neck. The short scale instrument is lovely. I've had mine since new. No pics unfortunately, as it's in storage atm due to a house move 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 2 pickup set neck one on eBay at the moment. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275119800421?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160811114145%26meid%3D7dadb398869443bb8a8eeee1e7fb2fb4%26pid%3D100667%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D125104697088%26itm%3D275119800421%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2334524%26brand%3DDeArmond&_trksid=p2334524.c100667.m2042&LH_ItemCondition=3000 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) I'd guess it probably looks cooler than it sounds. Edited January 18, 2022 by EssentialTension 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 The stock pickups on my Spel were ok, dropped in some 2021 Squier CV late 50s pups (alnico), now it sounds every bit as cool as it looks. 😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 I recall the original ones had a built in stand. Not a shape that ever appealed to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 There's a blue Jetstar on the bay now. I love them. The Korean made basses are really awesome. I had Korean Dearmond Starfire guitar... sold it to Gordon Giltrap. Fabulous thing it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byo Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 I have a DeArmond Jetstar II that I got from the forum a few years back and belonged to bassist Scott Whitley. Its the made in Korea one with the x2 made in USA single coils. Scott modified it to be a Vol + Tone + Mini 3-way pup selector, literally the same layout as his SWB-1. It's a great little bass, you can actually "approximate" an Alembic tone by using both pups on at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badscrew Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 Oh boy, it reminded me of this "beauty" https://reverb.com/fr/item/14262122-tonika-650-rostov-electric-bass-w-1-4-input-adapter-1960s-black 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 There's a DeArmond twin single coil pickup, black one just come up on facebook marketplace in Bristol. Comes with a Bass Centre gig bag and Laney 50w amp for £50. If I was closer I'd be grabbing that for a bit of fun. If you're near Bristol, go grab it. 😁 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matchu Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 This is my first bass. From 2000. My friend used it to practice luthier skills. He made it fretless and added a built in speaker. Sounds a bit like a fretless jazz bass. I think these basses suffered from neck dive because their bodies were so light. Still really fun though. Rare, but likely not worth much. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 Did you leave it next to a radiator? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 4 hours ago, Matchu said: This is my first bass. From 2000. My friend used it to practice luthier skills. He made it fretless and added a built in speaker. Sounds a bit like a fretless jazz bass. I think these basses suffered from neck dive because their bodies were so light. Still really fun though. Rare, but likely not worth much. That's fantastic! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 Got to love a Jetstar. Always fancied the set neck/short scale job, but have only managed to own a couple of Spel versions so far. I said, so far...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benebass Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Shameless plug, but just put my short scale Jetstar up for sale... https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/476440-dearmond-jetstar-bass/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterFan Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) I bought a black DeArmond Jet Star (long scale, single Duncan Performer P pickup ) a few years ago, with the intention of refinishing it to resemble Peter Tork's (the Monkees) original 60s Guild. I liked the feel and tone quite a bit. Records and sits in a mix pretty well. Had a nice neck, capable of very low action. Has some neck dive, but for the price I'm not complaining too much. Refinished it with aerosol lacquers in a sunburst. Not a completely professional result, but it definitely has that "vibe" of Pete's old Guild... Definitely one I plan to keep! Edited January 7 by MonsterFan 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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