Guild Starfire I Jet 90 Electric Guitar - Satin Gold Reviews

I'm a full-time musician performing primarily original folk-pop, and I needed a guitar that would pair the natural resonance of acoustic tone-woods with the versatility of an electric. This guitar totally delivers. The Starfire is the perfect marriage of feel/playability and beautiful tone; I'm a huge fan of the neck, pickups, and tonal quality.

Honestly, I'm not sure you can find better quality for this price - it holds up really well alongside my Maton acoustic on the road, and has already made its way into several studio recordings. I highly recommend it!!

The Jet 90 is actually not the guitar I originally wanted, but somehow fate intervened and it's what I ended up with. The great thing is that I'm totally happy with it. The experience has been a long process that I won't go into. I'll just say that getting the Jet 90 was an unexpected result that turned out to be the right choice. When the Jet 90 popped up as an option at the last minute, I became fascinated. It was a guitar that I haven't been aware of until now. Shawn Fitzgerald at Sweetwater was a HUGE help with my decision and the process so I owe him a big thanks. Also, the Sweetwater guitar support was very helpful with my issues and questions.

I was a little worried about only having 20 frets, but after playing it I realized that it's not even going to be a problem and the shorter neck seems to give it a different kind of sound that I like. The sound that comes out of the semi-hollow body is very nice too so it feels like I don't need to plug it in all the time to play it. The P-90 pickups are fantastic and I love the 6-way selector switch. The variety of sound coming from the 6 different pickup choices or combinations is very nice. I'm starting to get used to the 3 large p-90 pickups. They seemed a little close to the strings so I was worried about how when I'm using a pick that it would keep hitting the middle pickup. The pick hits the pickup sometimes, but it doesn't seem to be a problem as I get more used it. The Guild vibrato is also a nice addition to help with expression. I've never had a whammy bar or vibrato tailpiece on a guitar so it's a lot of fun figuring out how to use it.

The Jet 90 is a very different awesome guitar. After having it in my hands I'm so glad I ended up with it.

As a player of mostly PRS guitars, I wanted a large, semi hollow that would also have a lot of tone options. Tried a couple of Gretsch models but nothing really grabbed me. Took a chance on the Guild and it checked all the boxes.

The Franz p90s are spectacular. But where this guitar really shines is the pickup selector. So many options. The 2nd position (bridge and middle) offers a beautiful strat-like quack while the neck pickup alone screams blues.

I have my amp setup to the edge of breakup. The pickup selector along with the volume know gives me everything from pure cleans to raunchy dirt, especially on the bridge.

The Bigsby trem is amazing. Stays in tune when adding a little vibrato (this is not a deep dive trem) and the vibrato along with a nice analog delay creates a huge soundscape that fills the mix.

Comfort is key with this guitar. Sits perfectly on a strap with zero neck dive. As well, the neck is comfortable and familiar.

The only thing I might do is swap the bridge pup for a Virtual p90, simply to add a little more grit plus to get rid of noise (which isn't terrible stock btw)

This is a guitar that is suited for anyone, pro or novice. I've played it live about a dozen times and it's always been a pleasure. As well, it's one of those guitars that evolves with the player. I get more and more feel every time I use it.

Great mid-priced instrument.

I first heard of the Jet 90 in September 2020, when a thread was posted about it on the Telecaster Discussion Page. I found the gold option very tempting...I love P-90s, I'm crazy about the tonal options with 3 pickups, and when I found out it came stock with a neck + bridge option, I was sold. However, various pandemic-related circumstances meant I couldn't get it then. Flash forward 10 months, things have improved, and I couldn't get the gold Jet 90 out of my mind. RJ Ronquillo's demo video certainly didn't help! I decided it would be a perfect belated birthday gift and called Jared at Sweetwater.

The quality of the Jet 90 is outstanding. Fit and finish are perfect, it plays like a dream. I read reviews that said the neck is skinny and the vibrato spring is flimsy. That's not what I found. The neck has a nice 'U' shape that is very comfortable. And the spring feels perfectly sturdy to me. Of course, you're used to dive-bombing, it's not made for that!

The Franz P-90s sound incredible. They can growl or chime with the best of them. I wish I'd had the Jet 90 and it's THREE noise-cancelling options back in the day. I was gigging with a P-90 equipped Les Paul and I would have to bring a LP with humbuckers just in case the wiring in the club was dodgy, which would cause the P-90s to hum so loud the guitar was unusable.

Just as important, this guitar is a looker! Absolutely gorgeous. Definitely worth the wait. My first Guild, not to mention my first Bigsby-equipped guitar!

I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out to Sweetwater. Jared put a D'Addario Humidipak free of charge in the Gator case I ordered to maintain the proper humidity while shipping. And the strings were properly detuned when it arrived at my house. The packing was outstanding and the Jet 90 got home safe and sound. I've bought my last three guitars from Sweetwater, and unless some other vendor had an exclusive that I just had to have, I can't imagine a reason why I'd shop anywhere.

But excuse me...I need to get back to playing my Jet 90!

I've had my eye on owning one of these since November when I saw they were coming out. I called Brad Jahn, my sales tech, and ordered the satin gold and a case in the middle of December. For the 3 months I waited, if I needed a fix, I just would go online and watch RJ Ronquillo put it through its paces. After receiving it in March, I'm happy to say it's every bit the instrument I thought I was getting. The Sweetwater setup was wonderful out of the box. After plugging it in, it was noticeable immediately that my Marshall didn't have to be turned up much to get the growl from the P 90's. It's a great rock and roll guitar and you can also dial in a variety of tones with 6 different pickup selections. It has a cool retro kind of look and as Guild says, "Made To Be Played". A very enjoyable, playable guitar at a great price. And the Gretsch strap was made for it! You can find it here, too!

There's just no downside to this guitar. The Guild Starfire Jet 90 delivers way beyond its price point. The three P90 pickups and the 6-way switch, when considering features, already set this guitar apart from other semi-hollows. I was able to dial in many preferred settings with ease. The satin finishes are all wonderfully understated--I was partial to the gold top. The satin finished neck is a big bonus and just feels right of the bat. The Jet 90 is simply a beautiful guitar. Love the design of the headstock.

What a value this guitar has it all. First gorgeous vintage look very classy. P90s are ridiculous how great the sound. The 6way rotary switch tones for ever.
Devon Cunningham always a class act at Sweetwater
If you don't get this guitar you're missing out

This guitar is rewardingly a little off the beaten path. The Franz style pickups do not sound exactly like other P90s I've played, a little less output, and so they have their own thing. I don't know if it's just mine, my Starfire I 90 is just slightly/pleasantly microphonic (most pickups are to at least a small degree). This combined with the semi-howllowbody here makes for an appealing acoustic like response with paired with a clean amp. As others have mentioned, the switching options have some extra settings not often found even in 3 pickup guitars. The click knob with small dots is not the easiest to use if you like to switch PU settings within songs and it's sometimes hard to tell which selection you have without counting the clicks from one of the end points of the rotation.

Another thing to make clear, this is NOT a guitar for those that like glossy/flash looking guitars. The entire thing has a satin finish, and from the amount I seen here in Demo stock status and in stores there may be slight finish flaws more often than even some other similarly priced guitars. This bothers me not in the least. No one can tell on a recording or from the audience in a dark club how shiny the finish is, and the satin finish on the back of the neck feels nice.

Mine is lighter than many 335 type guitars and it balances well.

Don't get the idea that because I point out the oddities of this design that I don't like this guitar! If you're a player who likes the idea of something different, or already has "the usual" covered with other instruments you already own, this guitar is well worth considering. I think it might be particularly welcome to someone who usually plays acoustic but wants an electric guitar with a little more acoustic feel and response than more common electric guitar models.