Guild Starfire I Jet 90 Electric Guitar - Satin Black Reviews
Guild brings its iconic Starfire single-cut archtop body to bear on a slick new performance platform: the Newark St. Starfire I Jet 90. The 6-in-line headstock and triple Franz P-90 pickups give the Jet 90 a mean modern rock aesthetic. But thanks to its versatile 6-way rotary selector, the Jet 90 handles even traditional styles of jazz and rockabilly with timeless Guild grace. Bridge-leaning pickup positions lend a toothy P-90 bite to all your favorite rock riffs. And neck-leaning positions supply a warmth and fullness that rivals some venerated old-school archtops. What makes the Jet 90 a solid live performer is its center-blocked chambered maple body, which keeps weight nice and light for long sessions onstage while controlling feedback for cranked-up numbers. Factor in an expressive Guild vibrato tailpiece, nickel-plated bridge and tuners, and a mouthwatering satin poly finish with matching headstock and head-to-toe ivory ABS binding, and the Newark St. Guild Starfire I Jet 90 ticks an impressive number of boxes at an appealing price.
Earn $35 back in Bonus Bucks† OR pay $30/month with 24 month financing*
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As low as $30/month
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Highest Rated Reviews
Gorgeous guitar and delicious sound
I was looking for a guitar with P90 pickups and found the Starfire Jet 90. The looks were cooler than cool and with the big tremulo bar had that raunchy rocker vibe.
The sales engineer Derek hooked me up and FedEx did not disappoint. It arrived without a scratch, perfectly set up and with a minor retune was playing almost immediately. I could hardly wait the day to open the box but was definitely worth it!
I've been having so much fun with this guitar I forgot to write a review!
I did a ton of searching for a semi-hollow that checked all the boxes for me. Didn't want a floating bridge, wanted a larger body and definitely wanted a Bigsby-ish trem. Went through a few Gretsch models which were very nice but didn't have the bite and versatility I was looking for. Then I found the Starfire I Jet 90 and gave it a shot. I immediately put it to work in my weekly rotation and it has gotten more time than many of my solid body PRS and Fender guitars.
The neck is incredibly comfortable. For me, it's the perfect profile for my hands. The frets are excellent and the binding is very attractive. It's a neck that feels like a truly vintage instrument. It doesn't fight back. Just feels right and does what you tell it to do.
The pickups were a surprise. Neck is fat and round but not mushy at all. Middle, the way I play, is there for use with either the neck or bridge. I don't play the middle by itself. The bridge and middle is just luscious. This combination offers a bit of Strat-like quack but almost with a slight chorus vibe. Just so much depth and chime for days. The bridge pickup I have at about 1/16" off the strings and it's powerful and absolutely rips. I review my playback recordings and am always shocked at how that Franz p90 screams. Raw, big and powerful like a good roots p90 should be.
The selector knob gives me more than I really need. I spend a lot of time on the bridge pickup, the bridge and middle and the neck pickup. Also, the designers at Guild made a great choice having a single volume and tone control on this guitar. Much preferred over a four-knob setup imo.
The trem is perfect. It does exactly what I want which is a bit of pitch bend on chords. Stays in tune very well. It's a nice chunk of metal which adds to the overall tone and feel.
Fit and finish were good. Couple of small finish imperfections but I've grown to love them. Nothing major at all. For me, it just makes it mine.
It's a well made, great sounding and playing instrument that offers a ton of tonal options along with a nice splash of uniqueness. They could add $400 to the price and it would still be a great value.
Mine is the satin white and my next will be satin black.
If you're in the market for a high quality semi-hollow, this is the one.
A fine work of playable art
Just got it yesterday and I am blown away.
As beautiful up close as she is in her pictures, the Jet 90 looks as good as it sounds. I played it bare with just the Amp and no effects and there was a great range of tone and distinctive sound just with playing with the pickup selector switch and tone knob.
I am inspired.
Gorgeous guitar, tons of fun
This is my first P-90 equipped guitar and I must say it does not disappoint at all. I can totally nail most of the famous semi/hollow boy P-90 sounds from the records I love. For some context, I am not the biggest Mayer fan, but for some context listen to his guitar outro from "I Guess I Just Feel Like" -- I can pretty much get that exact same tone with this guitar. The six position switch offers a ton of versatility. And lastly, I mean, c'mon: look at this thing. It's gorgeous. Having a blast with this guitar. It comes stringed with 11's (I prefer 10's) and the action is a little high, but those things are easily fixable. This guitar in one word: WOW.
Beautiful sound, beautiful guitar
I don't know why it took me so long to get a semi-hollow bodied, but I'm so glad I did, and I'm so glad this is the one I chose! It features several different tone options, and they all sound great. And just look at it! It seemed too good to be true, but it exceeded my expectations.
Great guitar
This guitar can really play anything on it. The bridge and mid pickup together almost sound like a humbucker if you like that sound. The neck is comfortable. I have other hollowbodys that sound muddy or dark, but not this guitar.
Killer guitar for the money!
I bought this guitar after seeing a lot of videos pop up about it and I was looking for another guitar with P-90's. I own about 20 guitars right now and wanted a hollowbody with P-90's. I absolutely love the 3 pickup configuration and love the pickup selector. The guitar plays awesome and the pickups sound great. I pretty much just stick to the first position which is the bridge and neck pickup together because it sounds so good. I love how big the body is on this guitar. The finish is super cool being Matte Black, but keep in mind a finish with no gloss shows any imperfections much more. Mine has some finish imperfections here and there, but I really don't care about that since I bought this guitar to play and not just put on display. For the money, this is an excellent purchase. I have played other guitars in this price range that had much worse quality than this one. This is my 5th guitar with a bigsby and the one on this one stacks up the same with my other ones as equal. This guitar came strung up with 11's (I usually play 10's), but I am keeping it as is since I really can't tell they are thicker when playing and they make this guitar sing! This is my first Guild guitar and I am very happy with this guitar.
Amazing sounds, looks and feel
I am blown away with the sounds this guitar makes. This is my first semi-hollowbody, normally I play a Fender Strat and decided to give Guild a try. So.......very happy with this guitar, glad I went with the pleking. I have bought other guitars and been very happy, but the pleking makes it play on another level. Great neck and body with good intonation and playability, I haven't put it down in six days and had to tune it once. Nick from Sweetwater hooked me up big time, I had to wait 40 days on pre-order/case and he was always keeping me in the loop with emails and calls. It's that treatment from Nick and Sweetwater, those little things that make a huge difference.
Jet90
Received the Jet 90 this week.
Came well packaged by Sweetwater. I gave the guitar a once over and it appears to be nearly flawless. A couple took marks on the pickup covers, but those are destined to be scratched up eventually, so I'm not too worried about it. Frets and neck feel great. Pickups are also impressive, with plenty of warmth and clarity. This guitar is comparable to ones that cost several hundred dollars more.
Great guitar
I'm a long-time player and had a lot of guitars. This Guild had the trem and pickups I was looking for. Now that Guild is no longer a fender product- I decided to try one. The guitar sounds and plays great, and looks killer in the flat black. The quality is much better than any Epiphone in a comparable price range. It's a lot of quality for the price.
PS- the 6-way pickup switching is super
Guild Starfire Jet 90
I got this guitar a week ago, plays great and looks great. I have to send it back because it has a bad buzz coming from the bridge. It's really annoying, I would love to keep it, but I just can't live with it. I even paid an extra $ for the set up with new strings. I can't believe that it passed the 55 point inspection. My wife heard the buzz from a few feet away. I'm very disappointed because I really love the guitar. It's built well, plays great, but you can even hear the buzz through the amp. It's kinda like a loud rattle, and it's just too noisy for me. I have been buying guitars and all my gear from Sweetwater since 2006. They always take great care of me, so I'm not worried at all, just the inconvenience of the whole deal. If it wasn't for this problem I'd give it 5 stars for sure.
