NS Polara Limited

[barrycreed]

Is the standard Polara still made in Korea?

 

[GGJaguar]

Is the standard Polara still made in Korea?

So far it is, yes.

 

[SFIV1967]

Not only in black and white but there is also the cherry red version available as "limited" made by P.T. Samick in Indonesia!
Sweetwater shows HB-1 with coil split, that would be new!

"So, what’s so limited about the Polara Limited? This Guild is loaded with elegant appointments from head to toe, not least of which is the sleek ebony fingerboard’s highly refined look and feel. Handsome ivoroid binding wraps around the headstock and fingerboard, giving Guild’s classic rock machine a decidedly upscale edge. Finally, the fingerboard and headstock are studded with beautiful pearloid designs to ensure that both you and your audience won’t be able to take your eyes off the Guild Polara Limited."

Guild Polara Limited Electric Guitar - Cherry

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Cherry

www.sweetwater.com

Bottom line: There might be no Korean production of the S-100 anymore. Do you find a new Korean one online anywhere? (I mean with 2022 or newer Serial number)

Ralf

 

[chazmo]

Not only in black and white but there is also the cherry red version available as "limited" made by P.T. Samick in Indonesia!
Sweetwater shows HB-1 with coil split, that would be new!

"So, what’s so limited about the Polara Limited? This Guild is loaded with elegant appointments from head to toe, not least of which is the sleek ebony fingerboard’s highly refined look and feel. Handsome ivoroid binding wraps around the headstock and fingerboard, giving Guild’s classic rock machine a decidedly upscale edge. Finally, the fingerboard and headstock are studded with beautiful pearloid designs to ensure that both you and your audience won’t be able to take your eyes off the Guild Polara Limited."

Guild Polara Limited Electric Guitar - Cherry

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Cherry

www.sweetwater.com

Bottom line: There might be no Korean production of the S-100 anymore. Do you find a new Korean one online anywhere? (I mean with 2022 or newer Serial number)

Ralf

Boy, this story is really getting confusing. Then again, the price differences and appointments among the Starfire models was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Well, if this brings the prices down, it'll be good news for 'leccie crowd!

 

[SFIV1967]

The "limited" has at least Ebony for the fingerboard again instead of the Pau Ferro used on the normal one. And a white binding around the headstock (well really below the black overlay, not around the overlay) which the standard did not have. And a black switch tip vs. the bright orange one. And no star anymore on the pickguard. And a new HB-1 with coil split. Still a $999 guitar, so double in price of the Surfliner line. And again a 4 screw lid on the back like the SPG version, the WMI version used 6 screws.

Ralf

 

[GGJaguar]

Do you find a new Korean one online anywhere? (I mean with 2022 or newer Serial number)

Guild S-100 Cherry Red Newark Street Collection (new) | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Guild S-100 Cherry Red Newark Street Collection (new) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Guild Newark St. Collection S-100 Polara | Reverb

Capture classic sounds with the Guild S-100 Polara Electric Guitar Reissue on Reverb.com

reverb.com

Guild S-100 Polara, Black | Reverb

Enter the Guild S-100 Polara — the solidbody Guild style from the '70s that returns back and better than ever. This awesome instrument was built in Korea from a solid mahogany body with a gloss Black finish, along with a comfortable one-piece mahogany set-neck that boasts a vintage soft U-prof...

reverb.com

 

[GGJaguar]

To be fair, those 3 examples are all from very early in 2022 and could be the last ones made in Korea. We won't know until we see some with higher serials or Guild removes the Korean S-100 from their website.

 

[SFIV1967]

To be fair, those 3 examples are all from very early in 2022 and could be the last ones made in Korea. We won't know until we see some with higher serials or Guild removes the Korean S-100 from their website.

Good, but the "limited" versions are also having 2022 serials. So at least it is good to still see 2022 WMI models (KWM serials). I only noticed that Sweetwater has no WMI versions shown anymore and they are often leading the news.

Ralf

 

[GGJaguar]

I just realized that the two Sweetwater exclusives - NS S-100 Deluxe and NS S-100 Ltd Ed - are the nearly the same guitar with 3 differences. The Deluxe has the Guildsby, a bone nut and a 10" radius fingerboard while the Ltd Ed has a stop tail, a plastic nut and a 12.5" radius fingerboard. Things that make you go "Hmmmm".

 

[SFIV1967]

NS S-100 Deluxe and NS S-100 Ltd Ed - are the nearly the same guitar with 3 differences.

I thought the Limited has new coil-split HB-1 pickups vs. normal HB-1 on the Deluxe? True? Also the Limited has binding around the headstock.

Ralf

 

[GGJaguar]

I thought the Limited has new coil-split HB-1 pickups vs. normal HB-1 on the Deluxe? True? Also the Limited has binding around the headstock.

It's not listed in the specifications, but the Deluxe has 2 push-pull volume pots to split each HB-2 (to me the reissue HB-1 and HB-2 are sonically equivalent). The Deluxe has a bound headstock, too.

 

[lungimsam]

Thanks for the info!
The nut I would not worry about since I can replace it with a zero glide/zero fret nut if I did not like the stock nut.
I don't think I have ever felt any diff in fingerboard radius.
Now trem or no trem; that is the question!
I'd have to try it in person to see if the term played without going out of tune, or if I could get it to play without going out of tune.

 

[SFIV1967]

...the Deluxe has 2 push-pull volume pots to split each HB-2.

Those are not HB-2 I believe. I though HB-2 is standard size with only one height adjustment screw on the bass side but those have two! The specs read HB-1. Now a normal reissue HB-1 had no coil split, so they seem to be new HB-1 ?

Ralf

 

[GGJaguar]

Those are not HB-2 I believe.

Ralf you are correct! The HB-2 is found on the new Surfliner Deluxe and the Aristocrat HH. The S-100 models use the HB-1s. Too many pickups.

 

[Dirtyhands]

My question, after reading all of everyone’s comments about the hardware, Korea vs Indonesia, etc, is: has anyone actually played one of these, and if so, how do they sound and feel in hand?