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Guild teams up with Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil to revive the S-100 as a signature model
The double-cut model has been a staple of Guild’s line-up since the 1960s, but now it’s back with two new versions.
Kim Thayil playing his signature USA Artist Edition S-100 Polara. Image: Guild Guitars
Guild have teamed up with Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil to bring back the much-loved S-100 model – now as a bona fide Thayil signature model.
There are two guitars that will form part of what is being called the Thayil x Guild S-100 Polara – one guitar made in Asia at the affordable end of the market, and a limited edition version made by Guild’s master builder at the company’s Oxnard, California HQ.
Both guitars look very similar with the primary difference being that the USA guitar is white, while the import model is black, but appearances can be decieving.
Just 30 of the USA Artist Edition guitars will be made, and each onefeatures an aged old-growth Honduran Mahogany body and neck, Guild’s 70s era enlarged headstock with slim neck shape, bound Indian Rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl block inlays, Grover Original Rotomatics tuners, and custom Guild USA HB-1 Humbuckers hand wound by master pickup maker Jason Lollar.
There’s also a repro Guild/Mueller style bridge and compensated stopbar tailpiece, phase switch, Soundgarden “King Animal” truss rod cover, “Badmotorfinger” back cover hand-signed by Thayil, a custom case, and a numbered Certificate of Authenticity also hand-signed by Kim Thayil.
The Polara Kim Thayil model sits in Guild’s more affordable Newark St Collection range, and features less premium materials and components, though you do still get vintage-correct HB-1 Humbuckers, complete with Alnico II magnets and a phase switch, and the same Soundgarden “King Animal” truss rod cover and “Badmotorfinger” signature back cover (albeit unsigned in this instance).
The USA Artist edition will set you back a pretty penny at $6,999, while the Polara is a more reasonable $899.
“We’ve been talking about doing this together for many years and are excited to finally bring these guitars to life,” says Guild President, Jonathan Thomas about the long-gestating launch of the new S-100. “It’s hard to look at a Polara and not think of Kim, his influence in music, and long connection to his Guilds.”