Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Lag HyVibe HV10ACE
Acoustic Guitars “Powerful, extremely versatile and creatively refreshing, it offers a ton of inspiration if you click with it”: LAG HyVibe 10 HV10ACE review
Harley Benton NAMM 2026 releases include left-handed options on its V-style electric and offset bass guitars, fresh finish options for the SC single-cuts, and new colours for its HSS S-style
Guitars Harley Benton’s 2026 mega-drop: Metallica makeovers, fresh colours and a baritone SC Custom III, all-solid acoustics for under $250 and more
Gary Clark Jr plays his signature Cobra Burst ES-355 live onstage.
Artists Gary Clark Jr channels the King of the Blues for limited edition Gibson Custom Shop collab
Cory Wong with his Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II
Electric Guitars How Cory Wong reimagined Ernie Ball Music Man’s iconic bass for a signature electric with “that George Benson sound”
Gibson Original Collection (L-R) featuring the SJ-200 60s, J-160E, and the LG-2 50s.
Guitars The Beatles-approved J-160E makes its return as Gibson unveils a trio of Original Collection flat-tops celebrating the golden era of acoustic guitar making
Harley Benton R-458MN LH WH MultiScale
Guitars Harley Benton just dropped an 8-string for southpaw players that has a multi-scale fretboard, high-gain humbuckers and offers change from 300 bucks
Deals of the week
Tech MusicRadar deals of the week: We round up all the best Presidents' Day discounts from Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, and Sweetwater
A Fender Vintera II 50s Nocaster electric guitar on a yellow background
Electric Guitars Get golden-era guitar tone with $600 off thanks to the awesome Presidents' Day sale on Vintera II guitars over at the official Fender store
NAMM 2026
Tech NAMM 2026: rolling news from the world's biggest music-making gear show
Fractal Audio ICONS; the amp modelling company debuts its first-ever plugin suite for guitarists.
Guitars Amp modelling titan Fractal Audio unveils its first guitar plugin suite
Hottest music tech gear of NAMM
Tech The best music tech gear of NAMM 2026: Epic polys, acoustic synths, budget samplers, a Behringer Juno and more
Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s
Gear & Gadgets A whopping $900 discount on a stunning Gibson Les Paul is the headline act of Guitar Center's early Presidents' Day sale, plus a generous up to 30% off a range of music-making gear
The new models of theMartin Road Series 2026 are photographed in a living space.
Guitars Has Martin redefined the workhorse acoustic? Legendary brand announces blockbuster refresh of its Road Series
All the best guitar gear from this year's NAMM Show
Guitars The best new guitar gear of NAMM 2026: More effects, more amps, more guitars and more tech than ever
Man presses acoustic bridge pin into an acoustic guitar
Guitar Strings Best acoustic guitar strings 2026: Find your favourite acoustic strings
More
  • NAMM 2026: as it happened
  • Best NAMM tech gear
  • Joni's Woodstock
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Guitars
  2. Electric Guitars

NAMM 2018: Jetstar reissue leads Guild’s 2018 electric, acoustic and bass guitar announcements

News
By Michael Astley-Brown ( Total Guitar, Guitarist ) published 5 January 2018

Starfire Bass, F-55 and D-240E Flame Mahogany among new offerings

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

NAMM 2018: Guild has announced 5 new electric, acoustic and bass guitar models for 2018.

Most notable among the new offerings is the ace-looking Jetstar, which joins the likes of the T-Bird among Guild’s oddball ’60s reissues.

Elsewhere, there’s the return of the rather desirable Starfire Bass, and fresh acoustics, including a Flame Mahogany take on the venerable D-240E.

Head on through the gallery for the skinny, and visit Guild Guitars for more info.

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Guild Jetstar

Guild Jetstar

PRESS RELEASE: The Guild Jetstar embodies the ultimate retro vibe with a unique body shape that’s been off the grid since the 1960s.

In terms of style, this reissue remains faithful to the first iteration of the S-50 Jetstar with a solid mahogany body and set neck. Further period-correct details include six inline tuning machines and Guild’s rare pearloid pyramid logo on a scroll-shaped headstock.

The Jetstar features a shallow C shape mahogany neck and pao ferro fingerboard with simple pearloid fret markers.

Instead of its original shortened neck, the newly modified Jetstar has a 25 1/2” scale length for faster feel and improved response. Dual Guild LB-1 Little Bucker pickups bring a usable array of tones from sparkly clean single coil-esque spank to thick and warm humbucker sounds that fatten and sing when driven.

The Jetstar is available in Sea Foam Green with a cream pickguard, or Vintage White or Black with a tortoiseshell pickguard. It includes Guild’s deluxe padded gig bag.

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
Guild F-55

Guild F-55

PRESS RELEASE: The jumbo bodied F-55 (formerly F-50R) produces an extraordinary amount of volume and warmth, matching a tight grained solid Sitka spruce top with solid Indian rosewood back and sides for extraordinary separation and clarity.

Its strong, focused bass response, sweet, singing mids, and crisp highs give it a distinctive voice that sets this guitar apart from all others.

Elegant cosmetic appointments include the classic Guild “V-block” inlays, gold Gotoh hardware, and a beautiful Nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Exceptional build quality and premium specifications make it a worthy heir to the historic Guild jumbo legacy.

Available in Natural or Sunburst finish, and also available with LR Baggs Electronics.

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
Guild Starfire Bass II

Guild Starfire Bass II

PRESS RELEASE: The Starfire Bass II Flamed Maple (FM) is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds additional sonic options to Guild’s iconic Starfire Bass.

The Starfire Bass II originally debuted in 1967, shortly after the single-pickup version, and quickly garnered a following that included Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead).

The addition of the BiSonic BS-1 neck pickup on the Starfire Bass II gives bassists a warmer, smooth sound for added tonal flexibility. As its name suggests, the Flamed Maple version replaced the original mahogany body with flamed maple. It includes dual Guild BS-1 pickups, individual volume, tone, and master volume knobs, and a pickup selector switch.

A clear, high gloss finish highlights this bass guitar’s natural beauty.

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
Guild Starfire II ST

Guild Starfire II ST

PRESS RELEASE: Meet the Starfire II ST, a hollowbody electric guitar designed with a graceful single Florentine cutaway and extra thin mahogany body.

Equipped with dual LB-1 Little Bucker pickups (replicas of Guild’s original smaller size humbuckers), the Starfire II ST sounds uniquely Guild.

Other premium features include a mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, elegant ivory white body binding, and a beautiful high gloss finish.

This model features a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece for increased sustain and stability. Available in Black and Natural.

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Michael Astley-Brown
Michael Astley-Brown
Social Links Navigation

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Chris Buck RS02CB Revstar Signature Electric Guitar in Honey Gold
“The truest conduit between the acoustic resonance of the guitar and its electric voice” says Chris Buck of the custom P90-style pickups in his new signature Yamaha Revstar
 
 
Faith Guitars Nexus Neptune and Venus 2026
“For those seeking acoustic power, projection and an enormous amount of volume": Faith unleashes a slew of updates and new models at NAMM
 
 
Gibson Original Collection (L-R) featuring the SJ-200 60s, J-160E, and the LG-2 50s.
The Beatles-approved J-160E makes its return as Gibson unveils a trio of Original Collection flat-tops celebrating the golden era of acoustic guitar making
 
 
A glam shot of a cherry red Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Firebird Les Paul Special in action
Epiphone revamps core lineup with the Inspired By Gibson series
 
 
The new models of theMartin Road Series 2026 are photographed in a living space.
Has Martin redefined the workhorse acoustic? Legendary brand announces blockbuster refresh of its Road Series
 
 
Taylor Next Generation Grand Auditorium: the two refreshed cutaway electro-acoustic guitars are photographed in front of a green sofa and a vintage hi-fi unit.
Taylor refreshes flagship acoustic with a trio of game-changing features – meet the Next Generation Grand Auditorium
 
 
Latest in Electric Guitars
Gary Clark Jr plays his signature Cobra Burst ES-355 live onstage.
Gary Clark Jr channels the King of the Blues for limited edition Gibson Custom Shop collab
 
 
A Fender Vintera II 50s Nocaster electric guitar on a yellow background
Get golden-era guitar tone with $600 off thanks to the awesome Presidents' Day sale on Vintera II guitars over at the official Fender store
 
 
Cory Wong with his Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II
How Cory Wong reimagined Ernie Ball Music Man’s iconic bass for a signature electric with “that George Benson sound”
 
 
Gibson Custom Shop Aged Greenybucker Set: with the nickel housings given the Murphy Lab treatment, these are exacting replicas of the pickups found in the Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett “Greeny” Les Paul, complete with the out-of-phase middle position sound.
Gibson unveils the $449 Murphy Lab aged humbucker set that will make your Les Paul sound like ‘Greeny’
 
 
Harley Benton NAMM 2026 releases include left-handed options on its V-style electric and offset bass guitars, fresh finish options for the SC single-cuts, and new colours for its HSS S-style
Harley Benton’s 2026 mega-drop: Metallica makeovers, fresh colours and a baritone SC Custom III, all-solid acoustics for under $250 and more
 
 
Harley Benton R-458MN LH WH MultiScale
Harley Benton just dropped an 8-string for southpaw players that has a multi-scale fretboard, high-gain humbuckers and offers change from 300 bucks
 
 
Latest in News
Line 6 Helix Stadium
Could the Line 6 Helix Stadium Floor be a serious rival to the Quad Cortex?
 
 
MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 19: Billy Idol, Steve Stevens and The Warning Rock Band with Alejandra Villarreal, Daniela Villarreal and Paulina Villarreal perform during the GRAMMY celebration of Latin Music on October 19, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images)
“Digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker”: Billy Idol doc to be released next week
 
 
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 20: The band Gorillaz during their performance at the Pulse of Gaia Festival, at the Universidad Autonoma, on September 20, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. Gorillaz, the iconic virtual band led by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, is in the spotlight this 2025 for the announcement of their new album, "The Mountain," which will be released worldwide on March 20, 2026 through their own label, KONG. The band is celebrating its 25th anniversary with special concerts in London and the tour to present the new album, which in 2026 will tour Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin and culminate at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. (Photo By A. Perez Meca/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Damon Albarn suggests that Gorillaz helped to lay the groundwork for the success of KPop Demon Hunters
 
 
Josh Middleton takes a solo on his signature ESP / LTD electric guitar during a Sylosis live show in San Francisco, 2025.
“You can have a great amp but if the speaker sucks it won’t sound good”: Sylosis' Josh Middleton on the most important link in your signal chain
 
 
Close-up of headphones on the table in the broadcasting room at the radio station.
“These chemicals may be migrating from the headphones into our body”: Research suggests headphones contain dangerous toxins
 
 
Pitbull
“Know you’re about to have the time of your lives”: Pitbull fans will attempt to break a world record in July
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...