Guild Polara Kim Thayil Signature Electric Guitar - Black Reviews
During his tenure with Soundgarden, Kim Thayil's heavy, thunderous riffing exemplified what would eventually become known as the "Seattle Sound." The Guild Polara Kim Thayil Signature is a high-octane grunge machine, able to tackle sludgy power chords and scorching leads with equal aplomb. This solidbody electric guitar's slightly offset mahogany body strikes an imposing profile, which is matched sonically by its Guild HB-1 humbucking pickups. Its Vintage Soft "U"-shaped neck offers extreme comfort, whether you're engaging in erratic riffage or unleashing pent-up pentatonics; its 22-fret, 12.5-inch-radius rosewood fingerboard facilitates the entire gamut of fleet-fingered fretboard workouts. The Kim Thayil Signature's Tune-o-matic bridge and Guild compensated stopbar tailpiece were tailor-made for palm muting, and its 18:1-ratio tuners ensure that your tuning remains rock solid in every musical situation. The Guild Polara Kim Thayil Signature boasts a King Animal truss rod cover and a Badmotorfinger back plate with a gold print signature.
Earn $45 back in Bonus Bucks† OR pay $38/month with 24 month financing*
$45 Earn $45.00 back in Bonus Bucks† on this purchase when you use your Sweetwater Credit Card without financing. Select your offer in checkout. Terms
As low as $38/month
with 24 month financing*
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Highest Rated Reviews
A rather amazing rock machine!
I always been after a Guild guitar having grown watching Duke Eriksson and Steve Marker from Garbage. Unfortunately, there were no dealers nearby.
I was not a big fan of the SG type guitar, until I saw the Polara. This is a different animal though, it is very well constructed, heavy but not uncomfortable. Binding and fretwork is so good. I had to adjust it a bit, but overall, I'm very happy. This guitar has a very peculiar tonal character, that helps to navigate between nice cleans and dark grit.
Keep it up!
Kim Thayil Signature
This guitar is a blast to play! It sounds incredible clean but really shines when you throw some dirt in the mix, and the phase switch is a fun addition that adds a lot of versatility. The neck is my favorite part; it's not quite baseball-bat hefty but it's chunky enough that it fills your hand comfortably, and my hands are on the smaller side. The treble side of the neck feels slightly thinner than the bass side and it's just a joy to play all around. The pickups sound thick without being too dense and retain a lot of clarity even through a lot of gain. Tuning stability seems fine, I've had no issues at all.
Amazing!
I was so excited to get this and my excitement was warranted! Plays like a dream, fast but chunky neck. Pickups are clear and take distortion really well. Not a shred guitar, but you can do A LOT with this marvel. My first Guild, but it won't be my last. Even for a Chinese guitar, the quality is impecible.
Excellent SG Alternative
I've been playing Les Pauls, both Gibson and Epiphone, almost exclusively for many years now and recently got an itch for a new SG.
Although I do like the new lineup that Epi is offering, I really didn't want another one (I own 4 signature Les Pauls), and I don't care for the 490 pickup combo in the Gibson SG Standard. That meant it was time to look at other brands.
Now, the release of this beauty popped up on my news feed, and seeing as I've been a Soundgarden fan since Lollapalooza '92, it was clear to me what to order.
I've got to spend a few days with this guitar now, and I'm very happy with it.
The neck shape feels like a wide, soft D shape. The Alnico 2 pickups sound great. Warm, but not muddy. The electronics all work flawlessly, the genuine Rosewood fretboard looks and feels fantastic. The gold hardware, with metal-topped Guild reflector knobs look classy and mean at the same time. The small gold marker dots are actually embedded in the body and are actually one of my favorite features. Top this off with Grover machine heads and perfect balance (No Neck Dive!) make this Polara a perfect alternative to an SG, and at roughly half the price of a new Gibson SG Standard.
5 star guitar after some tweaking
I bought this guitar a few months ago just after the release. Initial impression was that the build quality is excellent, the finish and the fretwork are top notch, they didn't skimp on hardware either. The Guild "9" knobs are a unique touch, and the pots are all smooth and accurate. The feel of the guitar is super comfortable to play standing or sitting - it just fits me perfectly - and the tone is amazing, even unplugged it sounds great and is nearly as loud has a hollow-body with great resonance and sustain. Out of the box setup was okay but needed some tweaking. After a little time working to get things dialed in, I felt like I was chasing my tail and almost sent it back for the minor but multiple setup issues. After adjusting the intonation, the bridge buzzed obnoxiously and no amount of tightening up the keeper wire improved this. So once I got it dialed in, I used the candle wax trick to help lock everything in place and silence the bridge. Then it was time to address the tuning stability... it had none, the pitch was constantly creeping out of tune. After adjusting and lubing the nut it was better, but it wasn't until I replaced the tuners with some Grover roto-matics that the issue was cured. The stock Grover tuners were not the most precise and after only a few minutes of playing were leaving it completely out of tune. The roto-matics were a drop-in fit so no reaming or drilling required. With the initial tuning issues I got really close to returning this guitar out of frustration, but I am glad I took the time to sort it out. It has become my go-to in my stable of 10+ electrics with several USA builds including one custom shop... It's just one of those guitars you fall in love with.
Finally!
I have a vintage '71 S-100, and I LOVE the neck. It's got the best action/feel of anything I've ever played. Benchmark. Fretless wonder.
The modern S-100s didn't really carry on with that neck profile, but I'm hoping (I haven't played one of these yet) that this stays more true to that vintage feel.
Very excited to get my hands on one of these.
