Guild solid body electrics. Page 8 shows three solid body electric guitars all new to the Guild line for 1963, the Guild Thunderbird S-200, Polara S-100 and Jet-Star S-50. These guitars would undergo many small changes over the relatively short period of production, including in pickups, scratchplate shape, and most notably for the S-200, body design. Whilst in 1963 these guitars all have the same 'batwing' body style and single coil pickups (and this would remain on the Polara and Jet-Star through to 1968), the Thunderbird would be redesigned, with a longer top horn and (sometimes!) anti-hum pickups by 1964. Note both the Polara and Thunderbird are equipped with the Hagstrom vibrato tailpiece - a very effective unit that would also be available for the Jet-Star from 1965. Compare these guitars with the examples pictured in their final catalog appearance.
The Guild S-200 was described as follows:
Powerfully exciting! An instrument for the hard-driving guitarist who searches continually for new horizons of sound. This beautifully balanced, comfortably contoured solid body electric is 13 1/4" wide, 17 3/4" long, and only 1 9/16" deep. Has Guild's lightning-action bound mahogany neck with deluxe fingerboard having 8 inlaid position blocks. Scale is 243/4", with 22 frets. Equipped with 2 adjustable Guild Anti-Hum Pick-Ups with 2 tone and 2 volume controls, plus toggle switch for pick-up selection. Engineered on the humbucking principle, Guild's Anti-Hum Pick-Ups are hypersensitive to every string vibration, yet filter out all hum and other interference. Has Guild Adjusto-Matic 6-Way Bridge, specially engineered vibrato tailpiece, and input jack. Factory-fitted with Guild EA-610 Strings.
In this catalog, the Guild Thunderbird and Polara are offered in Sunburst, Cherry red and Emerald Green as standard. As the sixties progressed Emerald Green (along with Amber, Ebony Grain and White) would become a custom order finish, available at a slight premium.
1963 US prices for these guitars were as follows: Guild Thunderbird S-200 $359.50; Guild Polara S-100 $279.50; Guild Jet-Star S-50 $149.50.
$1399
$600
$45
$2700
$700
$585
$3139
$650
$650
$759
$6500
C $3000
£6995
€2963
€494
€760
£2690
€444