Guild S-100 Polara

KEY FEATURES: Double cutaway
mahogany body and 629mm [24.75"]
scale ‘rounded’ profile set maple neck,
305mm [12"] radius rosewood
fingerboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets,
Gibson 490T humbucker [bridge],
Gibson 490R humbucker [neck], 2x
volume, 2x tone, three-way pickup
selector toggle switch, Vintage Deluxe
tuners, soft shell case.
FINISH: Vintage Cherry Satin [as
reviewed], Natural Walnut
CONTACT: gibson.com
AT A GLANCE
KEY FEATURES: Double cutaway
mahogany body, flame maple laminate
top, 629mm [24.75"] scale three-piece
mahogany C profile set neck, 350mm
[13.7"], 22 jumbo frets, Yamaha VH5b+
humbucker [bridge], Yamaha VH5n+
humbucker [neck], master volume,
master tone with push/pull Dry Switch,
brushed satin finish combined bridge/
tailpiece and diecast tuners, padded
gigbag FINISH: Snake Eye Green [as
reviewed], Burnt Charcoal, Brick Burst
CONTACT: yamaha.com
AT A GLANCE
TOTAL GUITAR MARCH 2019
102
This is basically your classic SG then?
Well, it throws that timeless shadow, right down to the double
pointed body horns of Beelzebub. The sculpted mahogany body,
‘bat-wing’ scratchplate and nickel hardware are all iconic
appointments. The only real surprise on the spec sheet is the
substitution of maple over the more traditional mahogany for the
neck timber.
Some SGs have super-thin necks...
You’re referring to the “60s slim taper” profi le that Gibson spec on
The first time I’ve seen a mahogany SG-style with a flame top...
Okay, it’s a fair cop. The RS620 has a thin maple top with a sweet-
looking fl ame veneer. The fact that the body is predominantly
mahogany qualifi es it for inclusion in this round-up. So there. By
the way, the RS620 pays tribute to the 70s Super Flighter models,
the so-called ‘Les Paul killers’ Yamaha despatched to snag the
punters when Gibson was struggling with quality control.
This one looks pretty high spec from here...
Yeah, someone really put the hours in on the drawing board with
many modern SGs. The Tribute has a slightly meatier ‘rounded’
shape that’s reminiscent of mid-60s SGs. Don’t get the idea that it’s
hard to handle. This neck hits that sweet spot between pleasantly
plump and thin.
Is the fingerboard made of something weird?
It’s a fact that Gibson has been quite experimental with its tone
wood choices in recent years. You can put that down to
environmental concerns or cold, hard economics. In this case,
nothing has been baked or sautéed to make it look like rosewood.
The Tribute comes spec’d with a generous slice of the real deal.
the RS620. Quality touches include a satin top off set by the rest of
the guitar’s gloss fi nish. That juxtaposition alone makes this guitar
look more expensive than it is. We also like the satin fi nish
hardware and the additional tonal variation off ered by the push/pull
Dry Switch.
What’s that all about then?
The Dry Switch circuitry sucks the bass out of the humbuckers to
give a single-coil like tone. Unlike traditional coil-splitting,
Yamaha’s approach doesn’t result in excessive volume drops or
annoying background hum when you engage the circuit.
GIBSON 2019 SG
STANDARD TRIBUTE
The devil’s in the detail...
YAMAHA REVSTAR
RS620
Another ‘killer’ from Yamaha?
TH
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£899
£772
TGR316.gear_test.indd 102 31/01/2019 19:19