Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $739
Standard/Professional
$400
$1001+
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Price History
Based on price data from 2 merchants for "Guild S-100 Polara". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Introducing the Guild S-100 Polara, a modern reimagining of a '70s classic. This electric guitar boasts a slightly off-shape design and a unique 24.75" scale neck, epitomizing Guild's vintage swagger with a contemporary twist. Its solid mahogany neck and body seamlessly blend with a rosewood fretboard, providing a rich, resonant tone and an enchanting playing experience. Equipped with a pair of potent HB-1 pickups, this guitar delivers a versatile range of tones, making it suitable for any genre. The S-100 Polara, part of Guild's Newark St. Collection, is lauded for its timeless looks and its infinitely playable soft "U" neck, coupled with modern updates like a compensated stopbar tailpiece. This guitar is not just an instrument, but a testimony to Guild's legacy in creating genre-defining guitars.
Key Features:
- Solid mahogany neck and body
- Rosewood fretboard
- Unique 24.75" scale neck
- Infinitely playable soft "U" neck
- Pair of HB-1 pickups
- Part of Guild's Newark St. Collection
- Compensated stopbar tailpiece
- Slightly off-shape design
- Suitable for any genre
- Timeless looks
Product specs
| Brand | Guild |
| Model | Newark St. Collection S-100 Polara |
| Finish | Black, Cherry Red, White |
| Year | 2013 - 2021 |
| Made In | Korea, Republic of |
| Categories | Solid Body Electric Guitars |
| Body Material | Mahogany |
| Body Shape | Double Cutaway |
| Body Type | Solid Body |
| Bridge/Tailpiece Type | Stop-Bar |
| Color Family | Black, Red, White |
| Finish Style | Gloss |
| Fretboard Material | Pau Ferro |
| Fretboard Radius | 10" |
| Neck Construction | Set-Neck |
| Neck Material | Mahogany |
| Number of Frets | 22 |
| Number of Strings | 6-String |
| Nut Width | 1.6875" |
| Pickup Configuration | HH |
| Right / Left Handed | Right Handed |
| Scale Length | 24.75" |
FAQs
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What type of neck does the Guild S-100 Polara have?
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The Guild S-100 Polara features a set-neck construction with a soft U-shaped mahogany neck, providing a comfortable grip and smooth playability for various playing styles.
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What kind of pickups are on the Guild S-100 Polara?
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The Guild S-100 Polara is equipped with HB-1 Dual-Coil pickups, offering a rich and warm tone suitable for a variety of music genres, from rock to blues.
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Is the Guild S-100 Polara suitable for beginners?
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While the Guild S-100 Polara is a versatile guitar, its features such as the dual-coil pickups and set-neck construction are often appreciated by more experienced players. However, its comfortable neck profile can be suitable for beginners looking for a quality instrument to grow with.
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What is the body material of the Guild S-100 Polara?
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The body of the Guild S-100 Polara is made from solid mahogany, which contributes to its warm tone and sustain.
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Does the Guild S-100 Polara come with a case?
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Yes, the Guild S-100 Polara comes with a gig bag, offering basic protection for transporting the guitar.
Videos
Guild Guitars
Guild S-100 Polara
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Guild S-100 Polara.
Mods and upgrades
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Some owners replace stock tuners with GOTOH SD90 Magnum Lock Traditional 3 x 3 for better tuning stability.
Source
Setup and maintenance
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Issues with tuning stability may require nut replacement; stock nut can struggle to hold tune.
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Features and functionality
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Coil splits are present, but the guitar excels with gain in humbucker mode, especially on the bridge pickup.
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Build quality
Comparisons
5.0 out of 5
Based on 4 Reviews and 20 Ratings
Great instrument, may need a bit of setting up depending on how you get it
Most people know this from Kim Thayil (Soundgarden). You don't need to play heavy on it though, it's a very versatile instrument. Also: I don't think it's really a cheaper SG. It's very much it's own thing. I bought the Polara mainly because of the interesting pick-ups (so be aware that some 90ies models are stacked differently!). It's a pretty cheap guitar and as usual, that means it depends a lot on how your seller sets it up (or doesn't). In my case, I had to order it online and when it arrived I had to have the saddle lowered and adjust the trussrod. there's also some questions on the wiring: there's a lot of cable in that electronics space, I had a fifties wiring done by my luthier and the sound is a bit more direct now. All this being said, I love this guitar. The overall quality is amazing for the price. The sound is unique, it's wide and huge, beautifully warm and full of textures and harmonics. There's a transparent warmth on the neck pup. The bridge-pup has a great powerful bite but also stays transparent. Think Telecaster meets Gretsch. Playabilty took me a bit of getting used to, coming from mainly Fender guitars. The neck is full and wide, frets are higher than I was used to as well. But now that I figured out just what this thing is good for, it's gonna be with me for a while.
Dark / stoner rockery sounding guitar
It is gorgeous peace of art. I really like the sound of this guitar. My guitar sounds pretty dark and has this stone / doom metal vibe. Really inspires to create those type of dark riffs. Had some problems with pickup selector. Had to change it pretty fast after buying it. Also pot seems weak, paint around pot cracked and pot in self began to have connection issues. Probably I was just unfortunate with these things, couldn't safely enjoy instrument to fullest and use it in gigs as it lacked my trust.
133
Now my main electric.
This is a beautiful guitar. Adding to its beauty is the truth that you really have to work to get a bad sound out of it. That’s rare these days, especially with a guitar that you can have for under a bill. It’s especially good for dropped tunings. The thing stays in tune no matter how much I throw it around. You can get the specs anywhere, I’m just trying to give y’all a sense of this righteous instrument! Play one. Always play an instrument before you purchase it. Common sense, no? Well, with Amazon, Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, etc., it’s easy to browse and buy just by looking and reading reviews, but quality can vary so always play before you buy. I’ll tell you though, Guild is an excellent manufacturer and this is a badass instrument.
40997
you should try an old guild
133
Haha! I went into a local music shop about two weeks back where I had tracked one down. I played it until finally this cat came over and asked how I liked it. I asked him what time it was because I’d lost all track. Almost two hours passed in what seemed like a moment and I figured if that’s was true, how in the world could I pass it up? I ended up buying it right then because either they all sound this incredible, or I had stumbled onto an especially wicked example. Whichever the case, I wasn’t gonna let it slip away. I’ll post a review of it and a few photos as soon as I can get to it. Thank you for the suggestion, my man
Artist usage
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In this picture, Annie Clark can be seen playing a black Guild S-100 with a Bigsby.
In this article by Guitar Player, Kim Thayil says, "A particular attribute of the Guild S-100— which is still my main guitar—is that the low strings are very resonant behind the bridge. That helps create weird harmonics when the signal is feeding back. I pick below the bridge, and slide my left hand up and down the string around the 12th fret to create a pulsating, harmonic effect. The other prerequisite is hot pickups. I noticed as a teenager that my guitar was louder than my friends’ SGs and Les Pauls. The S-100’s pickups are also slightly microphonic, so they are great for distortion and feedback."
In this photo, Stephen Malkmus is holding his Guild S-100 electric guitar. In an 2014 article from The Current, he talks about it:
What kind of guitar are you playing?
This is a Guild; I think it's called the S-100. This is the same guitar that Kim Thayil from Soundgarden uses, and I was looking for a SG-style guitar, but I just thought I could take it in a more creative direction and get something a little more off the radar.
Do you remember where you got it?
My friend Reuben Cox sold it to me in Los Angeles. He's married to a good friend of mine named Miwa, and Reuben had just started a guitar store in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. He was just kind of getting his feet wet, and Miwa said, like, "You should just buy this."
She kind of really wanted me to buy it, but I did also. It wasn't like I was doing charity work — not in the least — but I wanted to buy it from Reuben. And now, his business is expanded to a point where, you know, he's really successful and is going great. So this reminds me of him and his business and how he's getting his feet.
How long ago did you get it?
Only like four years ago. It's relatively new in my arsenal. I'm known as a Fender player by most people. I don't know how geeky this series is, but it's not that geeky to say there's Fender people and Gibson people, and there's kind of a divide there.
But this guitar kind of bridges the gap in a certain way because it's not purely — well, Guild is kind of Gibson, but not dyed-in-the-wool Gibson, so my Fender side doesn't get offended. "O-Fender-ed"!
What do you like about the tone of it?
It's how you play it. Like any guitar, it can sound good if you play it right. Almost any guitar.
And I'm still learning how to play it with my amp and everything, and how to hit the strings, hard or soft. I like how it is when you don't bash on it too hard. It's kind of nice. But it's hard to remember to be a little light-handed with your right hand when you're playing a concert. You want to dig in. But a lot of great people don't really dig in.
Is that something you've been trying to work on?
Yes. I play with my fingers a lot more, too. You can kind of create more dynamics when you play with your fingers. You can have your guitar quite loud, but you can not hit it as hard.
And of course, with the distortion pedal, you can get all the sustain you need. You don't need to be picking. You can just pluck it a tiny bit and it will ring out forever.
Did you write a lot of the album on this?
No, I write on acoustic. That's just my way. I don't play electric guitars except in concerts or in rehearsal. I'm all totally acoustic when it comes to songwriting. That gives you a more round sound, it enables you to imagine a band a little more, and to sing along with that is easier than with electric guitar.
I mean, you can write songs on electric guitar if you have a practice room with a microphone and you can kind of fantasize, "I'm in a band when I'm doing this!"
But I don't really do that in the songwriting phase; I save the electric guitar for later with the whole group.
In this live performance image, Carrie Brownstein is seen playing her Guild S-100 Polara.
Daniel Rossen is seen using the Guild S-100 Polara electric guitar in performances of songs like "Sleeping Ute" and "Gun-Shy," as captured in a user-uploaded photo on Wordpress.
On this picture, Ray Davies seems to play on a Guild S-100, maybe in a natural finish.
They’ve even mixed in a couple of electric guitars, including a Guild S-100
Album Usage
The Guild S-100 Polara has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Guild S-100 Polara, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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