Guild jetstar
An old 60s shape takes flight again with new tweaks
There can be an odd paradox with electric guitar players – some bemoan a lack of innovation and fresh approaches to guitar design, but when they come they’re passed over by the majority in favour of the tried and true. Nevertheless, there are always people looking for something different and Guild might have just what they want.
The US company has previous form recently reviving its 60s oddity the Thunderbird as the T-bird, and now resurrecting another 1963-born model, the single-pickup S-50 Jetstar with changes for the modern era here. Guild has never been a go-to for electrics in the way it has with acoustic but the new T-bird made a strong case for that to change. Can this Jet fly as high?
The Jetstar’s back contoured body looks broad in pics but it’s deceiving - this is packing Guild’s new LB-1 (standing for Little Bucker) mini humbuckers and the dimensions make a lot more sense now we see it before us, though it’s not what you’d call slim. There’s a glossy black neck to match the body and it does look mightily impressive set with the contrast of tortoiseshell scratchplate and chrome hardware. The back angled Firebird-esque headstock design fits in well too.
This 7.74lb guitar sounds resonant unplugged – always a good sign – and a slinky low action combined with a shallow C-shaped neck offers alluring comfort for bends and runs, allowing us to take advantage of the great upper fret access. The 254mm (10") radius neck hitches its wagon between the Fender and Gibson worlds; so while the shape may put some off, the feel is more in a middle ground.
The Jetstar balances quirky retro with evergreen rock appeal, and that’s reflected in performance because those Little Buckers cover the breadth of ground we hoped for with jangle and raucous bite on the bridge that’s surprisingly Fender-y. They help fuzz and distortion sound articulate, rather than mushy, with the resonance coming through sustain that begins to suggest this is a solid contender for a main instrument.
Of course, we are all familiar with how certain guitars lend
it balances quirky retro with evergreen rock
themselves to specific approaches when you pick them up, and we can’t help but find ourselves going down the riffier blues rock route a la Rival Sons and Gary Clark Jr. But stoke the gain and the bite channels into chunk clarity for classic metal rhythm, with some wonderfully plummy lead tones on the neck.
All in all, it’s no slight return for the Jetstar but rather an update that offers players a wonderful, eye-catching design with a solid build and powerful performance that manages to be retro without being niche.
Rob Laing