Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil has been synonymous with Guild for decades, and has now finally teamed up with the brand to release two new signature S-100 Polara electric guitars.
One of the S-100 Polara Kim Thayil models is a luxurious, ultra-limited, USA-made instrument with jaw-loosening appointments, while the other – the “Newark St. Collection” model – is an assembly-line guitar with a far more accessible price point.
You can see the alt-rock guitar hero demonstrate the S-100 Polara's capabilities in the demo below.
The US-made S-100 Polara boasts premium specs, among them a Honduran mahogany body and neck with a slim, Thayil-favored shape, and a bound Indian rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays. Sounds on the guitar come by way of a pair of custom Guild USA HB-1 humbuckers hand-wound by Jason Lollar, with an additional phase switch included.
Hardware-wise, the six-string features a reproduction Guild/Mueller style bridge and compensated stopbar tailpiece, and Grover Original Rotomatic tuners. The guitar's back cover pays tribute to Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, while its truss rod cover is a nod to the band's final studio album, King Animal.
The Guild USA Artist Edition Kim Thayil S-100 Polara – to give it its full name – is limited to just 30 examples, and comes in a white nitrocellulose finish. It's also housed in a custom hardshell case with a certificate of authenticity.
Each model is also hand-signed by Thayil, and rings up at a healthy $6,999.
Distinguishable from its US-made sibling by its black-as-the-night finish, the Newark St. Collection Kim Thayil S-100 Polara features a mahogany body and set neck that sports a bound rosewood fingerboard with pearloid block inlays.
Sounds come by way of two “vintage-correct” HB-1 humbuckers, built with Alnico II magnets. These can also be tweaked by an onboard phase switch.
In terms of hardware, the Newark St. Thayil S-100 is outfitted with a Tune-O-Matic bridge and Guild compensated stopbar tailpiece, with the same illustrated custom truss rod and back covers. Its price tag is $899.
For more info on both Thayil signature models – which are set to be released later this month – visit guildguitars.com.
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