As part of Guild‘s 70th anniversary and in collaboration with Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Guild Guitars is proud to introduce the all-new Thayil x Guild range of signature S-100 Polara models. Hitting the streets in early September 2023, these guitars bring Thayil’s preferred specs and design elements to the famous Polara line, his instrument of choice for over 3 decades. “We’ve been talking about doing this together for many years and are excited to finally bring these guitars to life,” adds Guild President, Jonathan Thomas. “It’s hard to look at a Polara and not think of Kim, his influence in music, and long connection to his Guilds.”
The lineup includes 2 models, the flagship USA Artist Edition S-100 Polara Kim Thayil as well as the Polara Kim Thayil, a production model that will street at $899. The USA Artist Edition is a limited run of 30 master-built guitars coming out of Guild’s California facility that feature an aged old-growth Honduran Mahogany body and neck, Guild’s 70’s 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. Additional features include a reproduction Guild/Mueller style bridge and compensated stopbar tailpiece, phase switch, Soundgarden “King Animal” truss rod cover, “Badmotorfinger” back cover hand-signed by Kim Thayil, and a white nitrocellulose gloss finish. Each guitar comes with a custom case and a numbered Certificate of Authenticity hand-signed by Kim Thayil, commemorating a timeless connection between artist and instrument.
The Polara Kim Thayil model brings Thayil’s signature design elements to a model that sits in Guild’s more accessible Newark St. Collection, including a Mahogany body and set neck with Guild’s distinctive ’70s large headstock with Chesterfield Inlay. Vintage correct HB-1 Humbuckers, complete with Alnico II magnets and phase switch, reproduce Kim’s signature tones. A bound Rosewood fingerboard with Pearloid block inlays, a Tune-o-Matic bridge, Guild compensated stopbar tailpiece, multi-ply pickguard, Soundgarden “King Animal” truss rod cover and “Badmotorfinger” signature back cover, and gold hardware round out each signature instrument.
Visit www.guildguitars.com to learn more about this exciting new collaboration between Kim Thayil and Guild Guitars, and to see the company’s complete range of instruments.
Guild USA Artist Edition S-100 Polara Kim Thayil- $6,999 Street • $9,700 MSRP
Guild Polara Kim Thayil – $899 Street • $1,245 MSRP
