Comprised of a range of jumbos, baritones and bass guitars.
As they gear up to celebrate their 70th anniversary as a company next year, Guild have showcased a new range of acoustic and bass instruments to join their lineup in 2021, with three new acoustics and a bass reissue being offered by the brand this year.
Summary
- Guild’s 2021 acoustic range features an assortment of jumbo-shaped instruments, including an eight-string baritone guitar.
- The company are reissuing the cult classic Starfire I bass in a short-scale format.
- All new instruments will hit shelves later this year.
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Guild BT-240E Baritone
For a deep, thick acoustic tone that’s bound to beef up any song, you can’t beat a big-bodied baritone acoustic, and there’s not many who do big-bodied quite like Guild do. The new BT-240E Baritone looks to continue this legacy with its large jumbo body and pressed-back build type, pairing an arched mahogany back and sides with a solid spruce top for a balanced, full-frequency sound.
Tuned a whole five steps lower than a regular guitar – that’s B-3-A-D-F#-b for those playing at home – the BT-240E is perfect for any singer-songwriter looking for a little more girth to underscore their vocal arrangements. It feats a pau ferro bridge and fretboard with 20 frets, while a Fishman GT-1 pickup system makes plugging in and playing onstage a breeze.
BT-258E Deluxe 8-String Baritone
Six strings not enough for your liking? This one should tickle you pink. Offering a deep, symphonic tone thanks to a clever choice of tonewoods and jumbo body design, the BT-258E is crafted with an arched rosewood back and sides and a solid spruce top, complementing both the shining high frequencies of the two octave strings and the thumping low-end of the guitar.
Tuned to B-E-a-A-d-D-F♯-B, the BT-258E Deluxe also features a mahogany neck and pau ferro fretboard, with other appointments including a Fishman GT-1 onboard preamp and an ultra-playable 45mm nut width. Hear both models in action below.
Guild F-240E
Taking design cues from an iconic Guild Jumbo shape that’s been a longstanding favourite for players in folk circles, the F-240E seeks to deliver those classic big-bodied tones at a price-point that’s all too affordable. It’s crafted from a solid spruce top with mahogany sides and an arched mahogany back for extra projection, delivering all the crisp tones and smooth sustain you’d expect from such a classic build.
The F-240E also features a bone nut and saddle with a mother-of-pearl rosette, while pau ferro once again shows up for the guitar’s bridge and fretboard. It’s also loaded with a Fishman AP-1 onboard preamp, and features that distinctive tortoiseshell pickguard that all those old school jumbo guitars are renowned for.
Guild Starfire I Bass
Presenting a contemporary take on Guild’s long-lasting Starfire design, the Starfire I squeezes all the specs of the original ’60s build into a slimmed down instrument with a shorter scale length and new neck design to reflect the needs of the modern bassist.
The Starfire I’s 30″ scale length, 1.5″ nut width and 2.4″ body thickness makes it a breeze to play, with the hollow construction of the bass unlocking all those warm low-end tones you know and love. It’s loaded with a Tune-o-Matic bride and harp tailpiece, while a split-coil BC-1 BiCoil pickup with Alnico 5 magnets is wired to a push-pull vintage switch to add presence and roll off low frequencies for maximum fatness.
With two different finish/tonewood variants on offer – Vintage Walnut is decked out with a maple top, back and sides, whereas the Cherry Red model steps out in all mahogany for a gloriously woody tone.
Guild Guitars are distributed in Australia through Zenith Music.
