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The B-series Guild bass guitars were the follow on/replacement for the JS-1 and JS-2 basses which Guild had been producing since 1970. The Guild B-series (the only basses Guild were making at the time) had a number of changes, both stylistically (moving away from the derivative instruments of the previous 5 years), and with respect to hardware and fittings.
Guitars could be made more cheaply if the pickups and controls were mounted onto the scratchplate; the body could be routed on one side only, and assembly and testing performed more easily. Many manufacturers started making guitars this way, especially cheaper models, and Guild was no exception. Gone were the body mounted humbuckers and pots of the JS-series
The Guild B-301, and its two-pickup sibling, the B-302 bass, were companion models to the S-300 guitar (and S-60, S-70). The B-301 first appeared on Guild price lists in late 1976 (mahogany version), the B-301A was first listed towards the end of 1977.
The 1978 Guild electrics catalogue dedicates one internal page and the back cover to the B-301 and B-302
The B-301 was the first in Guild's new generation of solid body guitars and basses - so sucessful, we followed it with our double pick-up B-302.
Both have the long 34" (86.4cm) scale, wide frets and curved fingerboard that rock bassists are using. Plus a new bass pick-up. And a new solid brass bridge/tailpiece that gives you perfect intonation.
The older JS basses had been using humbuckers, and the old Hagstrom bridges. The new pickups were single coil units in black covers with two pole pieces per string
By the early eighties the range was replaced by less adventurous SB-200 series and the exageratd X-700 series
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