A shot of Thom playing the new bass guitar during The Opposite.
It’d be reasonable to expect Thom to play the same guitars at a show as he does during rehearsal, but clearly he likes to mix things up! Thom played his Fender Mustang bass, a longtime favorite, during all of The Smile’s broadcasts so far. But for their first live show, he brought out a new bass guitar for Skirting on the Surface, The Same, and Opposites.
The heavily worn instrument is a Guild Starfire II bass guitar in Cherry-Red finish. It’s most likely 1960s, rather than the recent reissue. Guild had a Starfire guitar as early as 1960, but they didn’t introduce a Starfire bass until 1965. The two-pickup version of the bass, designated by a roman number “II”, was introduced in 1967. Thom’s bass is fitted with a pair of Hagstrom Bi-sonic pickups. Guild switched to humbuckers in circa-1971, so the bass must be from 1967-1970. The uneven smattering of controls might give a “modified” look, but all seven controls were stock from Guild. Most are standard controls, but the passive “bass boost” found by the bridge is an interesting feature.
A closeup during Skirting On The Surface reveals the vintage Starfire II still has the original Guild knobs.
The Hagstrom Bi-sonic pickup is also found on the band’s other Guild bass: the Guild M-85-I Bluesbird. Thom played that bass for 2012 performances of The Amazing Sounds of Orgy, while Jonny played it for 2011 and 2012 performances of Supercollider. Thom clearly liked the sound of those pickups.
Like the Guild M-85 and Thom’s Fender Mustang, the Starfire is a short scale bass, which doubtless makes it more comfortable for Thom to play.
Thom adjusting the volume control on the vintage Guild Starfire II.