My Guild Starfire II has a scale length of 30.75". The short scale Pyramid gold flatwounds have the option of either 30" or 34". Which would work best? I really would love some help considering the price tag is ~$60. Thanks!
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Pyramid shorts and longs are for 30" and 34" scale basses respectively, but their full winding lengths are 33.5" (I know from personal experience, and others have confirmed it) and 36.5" (this I've reckoned from others' reports) ball-end to silk/taper.
The long-scalers are too long for the Starfire by an inch or so - the E string would wind around its tuner full-thickness and risk breaking (I know Pyramid Golds to be a bit fragile, also from personal experience).
The "short-scale" option, actually too long for some SS basses but perfect for Beatle basses (with their separate, trapeze string anchor), is juuust right for Starfires (3/4 of an inch longer than "standard" SS plus a long bridge plate), but you may have to shave back the silks a little bit for the strings to sit comfortably on the nut, as a number of players have reported here and elsewhere. I've done it (left them bald actually, because of the hardware restrictions - literally - of my baritone/bass VI/whatever) with no ill effects. I've also read this is what Casady and Lesh, or their technicians for them, did back in the day. If you want a "more correct" length, some owners order them in a custom medium scale directly from Pyramid, who are used to the request and know what to do.
Which Pyramid set (flats) for a starfire?
Pyramid flats medium scale
Winding Length Of Pyramid Gold Flats..?
Somewhere back in the dim archives of the past, I used to have Guitar Player and Bass Player magazines with interviews with Casady and Lesh. As I remember, they actually contacted Pyramid back in the day and had them modify their strings to have that 3/4 inch longer speaking length so they could be used on their Guilds, as well as the Hofners. I believe they are still made this way to accommodate both basses.
the silk wrapped portion ran across the nut slot. (They were like that back in the 70s, too" notes [Rick] Turner. "We used a razor to cut off some of the silk.")
This ^ is what I recalled having read.
This ^ is what I recalled having read.