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Guild Starfire Bass II - Natural

4-string Semi-hollowbody Electric Bass with Laminated Mahogany Top, Back, and Sides, 3-pc Mahogany/Maple/Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Natural
Rated 5/5 19 Item ID: SFIIBassNat

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Guild Starfire Bass II - Natural
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A Semi-hollow Bass with Fat Tone

Get that classic '60s bass sound with the Guild Starfire II semi-hollowbody bass guitar. Favored by groups like Jefferson Airplane and the Byrds, this bass gives you fat, warm tones not typically found in solidbody basses. Its thinline semi-hollowbody is comfortable to play, and gives you the organic, resonant sound and lush overtones of a hollowbody instrument. A pair of BiSonic pickups deliver the iconic bass tones you've heard on countless records. When you need distinctive bass tone in a gig-ready instrument, you can turn to the Guild Starfire II bass every time.

Short-scale neck for tonal magic

Of course the short (30.75") scale length of the Starfire bass makes it easier to navigate the fretboard, and is perfect for beginners and players with smaller hands. But did you know that the scale length of a guitar or bass has a direct impact on its tone? The harmonics your bass guitar generates are spaced along the strings based on the length of the strings — shorter strings mean the harmonics are packed in tighter, giving any note you play more harmonic richness than a longer scale would. Just plug the Starfire bass into your bass amp and you'll see what we mean, as notes come alive and cut through the mix without becoming overbearing.

Thinline semi-hollowbody for comfortable playing and rich tone

Try as you may, you just can't get the same vibrant, overtone-rich sound of a hollowbody bass with a traditional solidbody. But instead of giving you a bulky instrument, Guild gave the Starfire II a thinline body style that gives you the woody thump of a hollow instrument plus the easy-playing comfort of a traditional bass. Take it from Sweetwater — the Guild Starfire II semi-hollowbody bass has the tones and playability you want in a bass.

Based on the classic '60s Starfire

Classic rock recordings have no shortage of warm and groovy bass tones served up by hollowbody instruments. Bands like the Byrds and Jefferson Airplane relied on the original Starfire bass for their rhythmic foundation. You can get that vibe too, with the Guild Starfire II semi-hollowbody bass.

Guild Starfire II Semi-hollowbody Bass Guitar Features:

  • Thinline semi-hollowbody based on the '60s Guild Starfire
  • Dual BiSonic pickups serve up rich, vintage-style tone
  • Short-scale neck for harmonics-rich tone
  • Exceptional tone and looks from laminated mahogany back, sides, and top
  • 3-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany neck for long-term playability
  • Grover Sta-Tite tuners give you excellent tuning stability
  • Hard case included

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • Number of Strings: 4
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Body Shape: Doublecut
  • Body Material: Laminated Mahogany
  • Body Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
  • Color: Natural
  • Neck Material: 3-piece Mahogany/Maple/Mahogany
  • Neck Shape: Vintage Soft "U"
  • Radius: 12"
  • Fingerboard Material: Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay: Pearloid dots
  • Number of Frets: 21
  • Scale Length: 30.75"
  • Nut Width: 1.5"
  • Bridge/Tailpiece: Guild Adjustable Bass Bridge with Ebony Saddles
  • Tuners: Grover Vintage 142 Series
  • Neck Pickup: Guild BS-1 BiSonic Single-coil
  • Bridge Pickup: Guild BS-1 BiSonic Single-coil
  • Controls: 2 x pickup volumes, 1 x master volume, 2 x tone, 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Strings: D'Addario EXL165 Nickel Wound Bass, Custom Light, (.045-.105 Gauges)
  • Case/Gig Bag: Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 99-741-0060

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

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Customer Reviews

Rated 5/5

Love This Bass!!

Purchased the Starfire II from Sweetwater in April. Had to wait a bit to get it, but totally worth it. My first short scale and I love the playability and comfort. Super versatile guitar. The pickups are amazing, can go from big fat super warm to growl easily. Love the configuration of the volume/tone and master volume. Perfect setup for me as I don't like to hassle with a bunch of knobs. I've heard some minor issues about neck dive, no issue for me.
Also, the craftsmanship on the build is incredible, all the little details are extremely well done. Very happy with the quality and feel of the instrument. And of course, Sweetwater was great to work with.
Music background: Playing gigs for 25 years
Rated 5/5

Starfire Bass in Cherry Red

I'm very happy with this bass! This is actually a review of the single pickup model. Mine was a special order through Sweetwater as the single pickup Starfire is normally not a stocked item. My Sales Engineer Ray Gonzalez went above and beyond the realm of customer service; I'd like to give him a shout out for all his efforts in obtaining this bass, a pleasure working with him. Having purchased product from Sweetwater before, I knew I could count on them to receive a flawless instrument safely packed and ready to go right out of the box. I wasn't disappointed, it's a beauty...looks, plays and sounds great. The thin neck is easy to get around on and the 30.75 inch scale is right for a bass of this design. I've tried 34 inch scale instruments of this design and they put your fretting hand way too far out due to the balance and strap button position, this Guild has it just right. Many tones can be had depending on where you position your playing hand (over the pickup, over the thumbrest, edge of neck). I'm a stickler for detail and I can't find any flaws in the finish, no sharp frets....another happy returning Sweetwater customer!
Music background: Intermediate bassist
Rated 5/5

Amazing All Around

I received this bass as a gift after my original SF II was destroyed. It feels so similar to my old one. The tone is incredible, particularly the neck pickup. Such a woody tone. Love it.
Music background: Musician
Rated 5/5

Guild Starfire 2 Bass

Beautiful fit and finish real eye candy that being said the sond and ease of playing are off the hook. Bought this bass for a Grateful Dead tribute band I'm playing with and this bass nails it. As usual I must give kudos to my saman Ed Nystrom great job as usual
Music background: Bass,Vocals and Sound for the band REBOS
Rated 5/5

Loving it!

I love this bass. It is easily my second favorite of the basses I've ever owned. It plays so well and so easy.
I had Sweetwater put La Bella 760FHBB Beatle Bass Flatwound Strings (0.050-0.100) on it and it sounds great!
As other reviewers have mentioned, it does have some serious neck dive if you let go of it, but that's no reason not to buy this. Just be careful.
The fact that it comes with its own hardshell case is a bonus.
If I were pressed to come up with something derogatory to say about it the only thing I can think of is that the marker dots on the side of the neck are small and not bright in color, which I have found difficult to see in low light conditions.
This will likely be the last bass I ever buy. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
Music background: Guitar, bass, keys, and vocals.

When customers come to Sweetwater looking for great, affordable acoustic guitars, we're always quick to tell them about Guild. At the same time, Guild has brought us some real beauties over the years, ranging from top-end acoustic guitars to timeless jazz boxes, and we're happy to say our most seasoned players agree that these instruments are second to none. As one of the prime Guild dealers, we know that when we sell one of these instruments, whoever gets it is going to love it and play it a lot, especially after we put it through our 55-point Evaluation to ensure it leaves our climate-controlled warehouse in perfect condition. Whether you're looking for your first acoustic guitar or your next archtop, ask your Sales Engineer about Guild.

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