Guild / DeArmond JetStar

[hooky_lowdown]

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. 🤩

 

 

[mr4stringz]

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.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

I love the look. I've often dreamed of a custom through-neck version with a Thunderbird pickup.

[hooky_lowdown]

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.

[Jonesy]

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

[Paul S]

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.  

 

[Doddy]

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.

 

[dudewheresmybass]

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

 

[Paul S]

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

[EssentialTension]

I'd guess it probably looks cooler than it sounds.

Edited January 18, 2022 by EssentialTension

[hooky_lowdown]

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. 😎

[Grahambythesea]

I recall the original ones had a built in stand. Not a shape that ever appealed to me.

[Rayman]

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.

[Byo]

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.
 

[Badscrew]

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

 

[Maude]

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. 😁

[Matchu]

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.

[Newfoundfreedom]

Did you leave it next to a radiator?

[Cosmo Valdemar]

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!

[casapete]

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......

 

 

[benebass]

Shameless plug, but just put my short scale Jetstar up for sale... https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/476440-dearmond-jetstar-bass/

[MonsterFan]

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, 2024 by MonsterFan