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  1. News

NAMM 2018: Jetstar reissue leads Guild’s 2018 electric, acoustic and bass guitar announcements

By Michael Astley-Brown
( Total Guitar, Guitarist )
published 5 January 2018

Starfire Bass, F-55 and D-240E Flame Mahogany among new offerings

NAMM 2018: Guild has announced 5 new electric, acoustic and bass guitar models for 2018.

Most notable among the new offerings is the ace-looking Jetstar, which joins the likes of the T-Bird among Guild’s oddball ’60s reissues.

Elsewhere, there’s the return of the rather desirable Starfire Bass, and fresh acoustics, including a Flame Mahogany take on the venerable D-240E.

Head on through the gallery for the skinny, and visit Guild Guitars for more info.

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Guild Jetstar
$840 MSRP

Guild Jetstar

PRESS RELEASE: The Guild Jetstar embodies the ultimate retro vibe with a unique body shape that’s been off the grid since the 1960s.

In terms of style, this reissue remains faithful to the first iteration of the S-50 Jetstar with a solid mahogany body and set neck. Further period-correct details include six inline tuning machines and Guild’s rare pearloid pyramid logo on a scroll-shaped headstock.

The Jetstar features a shallow C shape mahogany neck and pao ferro fingerboard with simple pearloid fret markers.

Instead of its original shortened neck, the newly modified Jetstar has a 25 1/2” scale length for faster feel and improved response. Dual Guild LB-1 Little Bucker pickups bring a usable array of tones from sparkly clean single coil-esque spank to thick and warm humbucker sounds that fatten and sing when driven.

The Jetstar is available in Sea Foam Green with a cream pickguard, or Vintage White or Black with a tortoiseshell pickguard. It includes Guild’s deluxe padded gig bag.

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
Guild F-55
from $4,380

Guild F-55

PRESS RELEASE: The jumbo bodied F-55 (formerly F-50R) produces an extraordinary amount of volume and warmth, matching a tight grained solid Sitka spruce top with solid Indian rosewood back and sides for extraordinary separation and clarity.

Its strong, focused bass response, sweet, singing mids, and crisp highs give it a distinctive voice that sets this guitar apart from all others.

Elegant cosmetic appointments include the classic Guild “V-block” inlays, gold Gotoh hardware, and a beautiful Nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Exceptional build quality and premium specifications make it a worthy heir to the historic Guild jumbo legacy.

Available in Natural or Sunburst finish, and also available with LR Baggs Electronics.

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
Guild Starfire Bass II
$TBC

Guild Starfire Bass II

PRESS RELEASE: The Starfire Bass II Flamed Maple (FM) is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds additional sonic options to Guild’s iconic Starfire Bass.

The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead).

The addition of the BiSonic BS-1 neck pickup on the Starfire Bass II gives bassists a warmer, smooth sound for added tonal flexibility. As its name suggests, the Flamed Maple version replaced the original mahogany body with flamed maple. It includes dual Guild BS-1 pickups, individual volume, tone, and master volume knobs, and a pickup selector switch.

A clear, high gloss finish highlights this bass guitar’s natural beauty.

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
Guild Starfire II ST
$TBC

Guild Starfire II ST

PRESS RELEASE: Meet the Starfire II ST, a hollowbody electric guitar designed with a graceful single Florentine cutaway and extra thin mahogany body.

Equipped with dual LB-1 Little Bucker pickups (replicas of Guild’s original smaller size humbuckers), the Starfire II ST sounds uniquely Guild.

Other premium features include a mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, elegant ivory white body binding, and a beautiful high gloss finish.

This model features a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece for increased sustain and stability. Available in Black and Natural.

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Michael Astley-Brown
Michael Astley-Brown
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Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.

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