DeArmond Jet-Star

I like so many others have alway wanted a Guild Thunderbird but the ones I've played I didn't like the neck or they had a broken headstock. Jet Star has a big neck (think 50's les paul) rosewood fingerboard and 22 small fret. The pickups H/H 2vol & 2tone passive 3 way switch and it weights about the same as a Les paul. Blue Gumby shaped body made of mahogany ,tune-o-matic bridge and gotoh I think tuner. ( the tuner might have to be tighten on the headstock or they tend to move this might be why there has been tuning problem with this guitar)

The pickups are Goldtone and they remined me of Gibson Firebird pickups which I like a lot. I used a variety of amps but you always have to dial it in for each guitar but that what all those Knobs are for . It can be used for any type of music you just have to work with it.

After I set it up and ajusted the pickups &neck the action was nice and low with no buzzes. The bridge didn't set they well on the ajusting post (one of the post was to big for the hole in the bridge)so but a minute with a grinding wheel and that was fixed. Like I said the tuner moved because the don't have a set screw on the back of the headstock so I just tighten the nut on the front of each tuner.

It seems like a solid guitar after a few ajustments and stay in tune very well.

N/A they no longer make DeArmond Guitars.

Ive been playing for 30+ year and have own to many guitars to say. This is a unique shape and sounding guitar and if stolen I would try to replace it. The feel is like a USA BC Rich( big neck) and sound close to a Firebird.

Well, seeing as this guitar was passed on to me from a cousin, I don't really have much info on it. Nice unusual body shape, a bit like the gibson firebird, and mines a cool dark purple colour with black scratchplate. Two humbuckers, two volume and tone controls. Theres a 3-way selector and tune-o-matic bridge (which i'm not too sure about how to use.)

My first guitar was a squier strat, so most guitars will sound better. The jet star has a nice bassy sound from the humbuckers which is much richer than the squier single-coil pick ups. I play quite a range of music and the sound suits blues and jazz nicely, as well as rock with a bit of distortion. I use the marshall jackhammer dist. pedal which goes great and a 15W marshall which is alright, but a bit hummy.

I don't know much about action and stuff, but everything seemed fine. The controls were quite loose, but that was probably because of the previous owner. My only complaint is the loose tuning pegs which can get quite irritating but i'll probably replace them soon.

I haven't played it live yet, but it seems like it would be fine. Most stuff seems solid, and the shape means that its easy to stand against an amp or wall without worrying.

Its a great guitar and, seeing as I was given it for free, quite a good deal! Before, as i mentioned, i was playing a squier strat, so this was a welcome change. Its got such a nice sound, and looks really cool.

I got this guitar at Andertons Guitar shop in Guildrford, Surrey, UK for #99 as it is being discontinued in the UK, and Andertons didnt have a clue what they were doing, it has 2 volumes and 2 tones and classic style US Humbucker pickups for a nice warm vintage sound, I play Post hardcore (Shellac, Oxes etc) and this really brings the edges out nicely

This is my perfect guitar, i had always wanted a guild sound and couldnt believe how close this sounds...i'm not 100% sure what De-Armond's links to Guild are as there is a Guild name plate on the head ala Gibson/Epiphone. I cannot explain to you how much i love the sound of this guitar, i snapped mine and was in tears when it broke, luckily its been repaired now and is my pride and joy.

I was used to using an SG before this guitar, so was a little concerned by the neck lenghth at first, but like any guitar you get used to it and learn to love it.

Live this is perfect, works well with my bsic pedal setuo of a Boss MD2, an AXL Trem and Boss TU2 tuner, i would however recomend not falling on it like i did as the length of the neck and head weight is just asking to snap off!

Never had to deal with De-Armond...i mean cmon man, its a guitar, it works and you like it, or it doesnt

I LOVE THIS GUITAR!!! if you love SG's and Les Pauls you will love this, it looks great and a little different from all the other guitars too so you stand out a bit...I got mine soooo cheap from the Mc Donalds of Guitar shops, but I got the last laugh as it is now my favourite guitar, this is better than the Special Series too, but i won't start on that...:) GET ONE!!!

I bought mine second hand on Ebay, and have only had it a few weeks. I believe from its s/n 8070736, that it was made in 1998, and it was made in Korea, but input on this would be appreciated. It has two volume and two tone controls, and the original goldtone pickups. The only drawback to me is that the lead socket is not angled. The original knobs have been removed and Gibson types fitted which look to me the same but better quality than those on my Jetstar Special. It also has graphite saddles, but otherwise is standard.

I am not an experienced guitarist, and have only been playing a matter of months, but compared with my son's guitar, this really has an amazing range of sounds depending on the pickup selection and controls. My other guitar is in fact a Jetstar Special, and though it sounds good, the Guild Jetstar has it well beat. No dislikes at all, to me its perfect.

As with the Jetstar Special, for me the action is just right. I note in previous reviews a common comment is that the neck is thick, but for me, and I do have large hands, it is just right. Considering at the time of purchase this guitar is I believe six years old, it is in mint condition. The only noticeable area of wear was on the pick guard, and 5 minutes with a good metal polish soon sorted that out. I have gone over it with a fine tooth comb, and can find no problems. Action was a tad high for me, but after reading the resources on the Fender site, I lowered the bridge, and in fact everything else was spot on after that. Such an easy guitar for a beginner like me, as well as an experienced guitarist like my son. It has a semi transparent mahogany finish, and looks jaw dropping.

As already indicated, it's 6 years old, and had a lot of previous use, but is still in mint condition. I understand the frets have been dressed by a professional, but after a careful examination, there are no signs of paint wear, flaking etc., and looks as though its good for years to come. I have had it checked, and I am told its as new, with no twisting or warps, the guy thought I had bought it new. A super guitar.

N/A

I already had a Jetstar Special, but after reading reviews, decided I would get a Guild Jetstar if I came across one. This one came up on Ebay, and I won it, then decided to drive the 380 mile round trip to collect it, rather than risk the post and possible damage. Its condition is so good, I am glad I went to the trouble. I thought the Special was good, but just standing the two guitars side by side, the Guild stands out. I am very tall, and this guitar fits me like a glove. It rests on my knee when playing seated, and my arm rests in a very natural position on the top. As a beginner, I am not yet into playing while standing, but it does feel just as comfortable. It was a real bargain, and contrary to what I have read a few times in reports that its not really suitable for people learning, as a beginner, I find it just right, and my son who has been playing guitars for 7 years, cannot put it down. If it was stolen I would search out another, but I doubt I would find one in such good condition. It will not be sold.

1999 Korean made (better than the Indonesian Special). 22 frets. I don't know the type of wood used in the construction of this terrific guitar. Two volume knobs, two tone knobs, three way switch. Two Dearmond Gold top pickups that are unique and totally kick ass. All passive electronics. The one I bought is black. Very nice finish. It has the shape of the old Guild Thunderbird which I have longed to own, but never had two to four thousand dollars extra for a guitar. Tuners are decent, I might change them down the road. It has a fat neck. If you dislike burly necks, beware. I thought my hands were in shape from playing my other Guilds, now their cramping because of the big old neck Dearmond smacked on this sucker. I like it. Alot. I bought it used and got a crappy, old Kramer Case that fits it perfectly, but I'll definitely be looking out for a Dearmond case.

This guitar is perfect for me. I got it two days ago, and I cannot put the thing down. I play mostly rock and blues now, I used to be in a noise metal band. This guitar made me start cranking my amp up a bit more than usual in order to rehash those thrash days. I even got a complaint from my landlord the first day I got it. He's like ninety two years old, and I lost track of time and ended up playing really loud, distorted, metal, mayhem rock which ended up keeping him up. I play through a Vox Tonelab SE into a Crate VFX 2X12 vintage tube amp. The pick-ups seem to have a pretty high output that gives the guitar a vintage feel and sound. I've found myself mainly playing on the bridge pickup. I like higher lead like sounds.

Action is dead on. I got a free set up at the store I bought it from. (30th Street Guitars in Manhattan, NY)I might raise the pick-ups. When I tried it out in the store, The three way selector was broken. The store owner put in a neew selector switch and put on GHS Boomer 10 gauge strings, Which I play on all my electrics. Now everything is really good. The only thing I might change is the configuration of the Volume and Tone knobs.

I want to tour with this guitar. I think it can stand up to the road. I'm being a little cautious as far as bumping walls and such, I think it will last. I usually put on strap locks. I always bring a backup guitar no matter what.

I bought this at 30th st. Guitars in Manhattan. They do set ups on all the guitars they sell, they repaired the broken selector switch for free. If anything goes wrong with the guitar they will repair for free. I'd say that's great service.
As far as Dearmond goes...well, they went under if you did not know already. That's too bad in my opinion. They made some great, affordable guitars and great pickups! The Jetstar is a fine example of an affordable, quality guitar that simply blows the socks off any epiphone, squire or other cheapo guitar manufacturer.

I have fallen in love with this guitar. I will never get rid of it. I realize I paid more for mine than others did, but I did'nt want to chance an ebay let down, and now I have lifetime repairs from the store I bought it from. That is, if they stay in business. I had been looking for a new guitar to for awhile now, I own four Guild guitars, one from the 60's, the others are from the 70's. I wanted a Guild Thunderbird but did not have 2-4 thousand around for that. So I settled for the next, best thing. The Jetstar is a great guitar. They are relatively affordable now, you can get lucky on ebay and get one for $200-400. Make sure you ask if it was made in Korea or indonesia. The Korean Version is ten times better. Dearmonds are not made anymore so these guitars are now official collectible. I kinda wish Dearmond was still making guitars. It's always nice having more guitars to drool over.

I am the proud, smiling owner of a 2000 DeArmond Jetstar guitar. This guitar was made in Korea but don't let that fool you - this guitar totally cooks my balls! Mine is a nice, deep Crimson Red Jetstar with USA GoldTone humbuckers. When I ordered this guitar I rushed into it and I am not sorry I did, because if I hadn't I would have had to stab the dog. It has two volume and two tone knobs, but they were some rinky-dink cheap japcracker plastic shit so I replaced them with some nice cream speed knobs. I also broke in and rewired the guitar because I didn't like the way it was wired before. Now it'ts the greatest!

Oh heeby jeeby weebus. This guitar sounds so awesome! My musical style is that of goodness, one should watch and play. I am using an Ampeg Reverborocket R-12R. This guitar sounds great clean AND distorted! The GoldTones are the richest, ringiest buckers I've ever heard: they aren't muddy at all! The only thing I don't like about the sound is how sometimes it can be a little bright. But that's what tone knobs are for you stupid idiot!

The set-up was pretty good for probably being done by a Dominican kid. I always do my own set-up when I get the guitars but I didn't have to do much to this one. I also put .11s on it. I'm supposed to stop it. I mean I'm not supposed to sit there and take it! Anyways Ronald Reagan would love it.

I gig with this guitar often and I also play it every damn day for hours on end. The hardware seems fine to me as far as I can tell, it will last forever. The finish is great too; it definitely does not look like a dogshaith. I depend on my Jetstar with all of my heart and soul. I always take a backup guitar when I play a gig, but I would probably feel confident playing this guitar at a gig without a backup. However, if I broke a string on stage, I'd have to shake a loaf out of my trouser leg!

Never tried to contact them. I think they all committed Harikari.

I've been playing for so long that I have multiple sex partners! And I am the man to show them the way. If this guitar were stolen I would shave off my eyebrows and curse, and then I would vomit with the force of a thousand hurricane gale-strength winds. When I got the guitar I ripped the box open and I screamed as if I had just seen a foreigner who didn't speak good English!

1999 JetStar, crafted in Korea by Cort for Guild's import line DeArmond. Thick neck, 22 large frets, 24.75" mahagony setneck guitar with dual US made GoldTone humbuckers with individual tone and volume controls and a 3 way switch. The 3 way is in a very convenient and accessible spot near the bridge. Sort of a take on a non-reverse firebird shape.

Mine is finished in 'moon blue' which is an attractive 'candy apple' like finish (but in deep blue,) that varies quite a bit in looks depending on lighting and angle. Thick, comfortable kneck with very cheap looking rectangular plastic inlays but decent looking neck binding and cool asymmetrical headstock. Nice firebird inlay on the headstock and the two-tone GoldTone pickups are quite attractive themselves. All in all a unique and interesting guitar. Definately not another super-strat or les paul!

The guitar design has a fairly serious design flaw in that the tune-o-matic style bridge must be removed to remove the pickguard. This only affects maintenance, not playability, however.

I play psychedelic rock influenced by classic rock, blues, brit-pop, noise, and space-rock. I like going from crisp, chiming cleans to heavily compressed fuzz and the JetStar really shines with these sounds.

To start with, the JetStar has a great sound when unplugged. The body and neck are resonant and lively, and even unplugged, note decay sounds natural smooth. This translates into good amplified tone. The Goldtone humbuckers are brighter and livelier than most humbuckers and are fairly low-output, and put out really crisp and well-defined cleans without being harsh.

The guitar gets a great blues tone when played through an overdrive and a good distortion pedal takes it into hard-rock. The neck pickup gives beautiful round distorted leads while the bridge pickup has a sparkle that shoes through even under heavy distortion. Sustain is quite good.

Rolling back the tone brings this guitar into more familiar LP and SG territory, but the guitar really shines with the little bit of the top end definition dialed in.

Fit and finish on this guitar were generally very good. The binding and fretwork are top-notch and the finish is thick and uniform with the exception of some extremely minor overspray on the headstock. The inlays, while they appear to be of cheap materials, are well placed in the neck, with no gaps or filler showing. The firebird and DeArmond name inlays appear to be of a different, higher quality material and are also excellently fitted. The bridge and tuners are of good quality. The guitars intonation was slightly off when I recieved it, but this is understandable seeing as it was in a box for 4 years.

I've owned the guitar for about five months. This guitar is thick and sturdy. The finish is tough and has resisted knick and dings quite well. The tuning machines and bridge are sturdy and well made though I'm tempted to replace the tuners.

The DeArmond line has been discontinued, but Fender continues to provide schematics and setup information on their website. The only real question mark is the future availability of a replacement for the somewhat oddball guid-style stop-piece, though this is not likely to need to be replaced any time soon.

I've tried to avoid the 'everything's a ten' syndrome on this review, but in the final review, this guitar was an absolute steal at $169. The quality to price ratio is insane. This guitar definately achieves Les Paul and SG like tones while still having a unique character of its own with a crisp definition even when heavily distorted. The low end is also quite well defined compared to most humbucker loaded guitars and this lends itself to a great clean rhythm sound on the neck pickup--almost piano like at times.

The guitar has a somewhat unusual, but not unprecidented shape as kind of a warped non-reverse firebird. Still, people don't think of that when they see it, most just think it is weird and striking. Many don't like its looks. It may take a while to come to grips with the shape, but it is completely ergonomic and sounds terrific.

This guitar has all the elements that make it a future classic to those interested in guitars that are original, unique, and just a little bit off-kilter. This guitar has the benefit of combining a unique style with rock-solid construction and a rich and appealing tone.

This guitar has the low-end, LP/SG balls to handle classic/hard rock stuff like Sabbath, or AC/DC, or Led Zeppelin, but its top end response also allows to hit some of the jangle of the Brit-pop and J Mascis type stuff I also like. It doesn't "nail" these tones necessarily, but it certainly fits well in all those styles while retaining its own character.

Hold on to your JetStar--these will be collectable after the rest of the DeArmond line has been mostly forgotten.

2 USA humbuckers,set neck,all mahogany with very comfotable and sturdy neck.

you can get both les paul,SG or guild straight classic rock sound with fullness or even jazz super clean.both clean and dist sounds are expressive.2 tone and 2 vol controls made it happen.very good singing sustain too.

good action,finish and fit.looks and feels like 1500$ guitar.

nonstop giged,dropped.nothing happened.it can break both fenders and gibsons with ease.superfine hard ware and all mahogany(body and neck)made that happen.

never dealt wirh it.now fender owns it so must be good.

I've been playing for 17 years and this is one of the best guitar I've ever had.Owned vintage SG, USA strats,a Charvel,les paul studio and some crappy RG series from ibanaz.This guitar made you play the sound rather than doing scales.becauce anywhere in the neck is extremely comfortable.When you plug into an amp it can give you both jazzy clean and kick ass dist sound.I wouldn't sell mine.It's becoming a classic.

My Jet-star is a 1998 one bought second hand at a guitar collectors fair. I paid 275 European bucks for her including case. She's in near mint condition, the guy who sold it said that he had a second one and bought her as a back up but ended up never using her. ^_^ My Jet-Star is in a rich black finish and when picking her up I just knew I had found a good one. She's completely stock and I guess I will keep her that way.

I play in a heavy blues band (think the Black Crowes) and I use two heavily modified Fender telecasters as my two main gigiing guitars but for some things they tend to be a little too bright, I innitally was planning to buy an SG at the Fair but all of the guitars I tried felt kinda flimsy (I don't like it when a guitar goes out of tune when I grab a chord) My Jet Star also isn't as neck heavy, her curves make her perfectly balanced and her beveled body actually feels way more comfortable to my lower arm than either of my teles. (I gave them both strat contours)

I wasn't really sure about the humbuckers but when I plugged her in she had this amazing singing voice coming from them, they have a relatively low output but that keeps me from having to adjust the volume settings of my amp when I switch to one of my two telecasters.
She doesn't quite handle big distortion settings like I would like her to but with a medium crunch she just sounds fabulous.

Her last owner had given her a good set up before putting her up for sale, I am a luithier and I found nothing that I wanted to change about her set up so far so he did a good job.

The only quircks are hum when I shut the volume down and the tail piece feels rather sharp. Luckily, being a fender player, I usually play away from the bridge anyway. The knobs on her controlls are flimsy and I'll replace them as soon as I have the opportunity to do so.

Her body style is also perfect to keep her from tipping and falling over when I put her against my amp.

I have yet to use her on a gig but I already used her in rehearsals and she held up better than my teles. Our send guitarist who's a dedicated Strat man commented that her voice made the band sound so much fuller and given the fact that she plays better than my teles I'm almost sure that she will become a live favorite.

I have replaced the strapbuttons with Schaller Straplocks. And when I will bring her out on the road, I'll have one of my teles (one outfitted with seymore duncan little 59 humbuckers) as a back up.

Nothing so far.

I own about eighteen guitars my Telecasters being my favorite ones. I like my jet-star because she's sexy and feels way more comfortable than any guitar I ever had. I have owned a few Les Pauls but they all were too heavy and their top binding hurts my arm. At the fair I had the chance to try out a real Guild Thunderbird and I'd like to own a Jet-star with a whammy like that but allas Fender has pulled the plug on De Armond (those morons) Maybe if I have saved up enough money I'll order a custom shop Jet star from Guild.

This is one of the Jet-Stars that were on the Ebay blowout a few weeks ago. It's a made in Korea set neck guitar with the typical two humbucker, 4 knobs and a toggle configuration. The pickups are DeArmond's own Goldtones. The body is solid mahogany with a deep red transparent finish. The neck is somewhat thick but comfortable, and the frets are fairly heavy. The volume and tone controls are wired in an unusual way, in that the two tone controls seem to interact, and turning one volume all the way down will shut off both pickups. After experimenting a little, I actually like the way they work - you can get quite a range of tones out of this guitar. The Jet-Star shape is very unique, but actually quite comfortable.

This is where this guitar excels - the sound is great. The Goldtones are very bright and clear for humbuckers, and have lots of punch and bite. I waited to post this review until I was able to try it out at a rehersal, and the Jet-star shone very brightly! The neck pickup alone is thick but brighter than most hummers, but rolling off the high end can give you a pretty good jazz vibe. The bridge pickup is very bright, but not as harsh as a strat. Both pickups on gives a very sweeeeet, fat, bright sound thats great for blues, rock, or even country. The pickups are very sensitive to where a string is plucked, more so than most guitars, bright and twangy on the bridge, sweet and mellow near the neck. Tweaking the tone and volume knobs can get nearly any kind of sound except a strat quack.I can get a Gretsch jangle, 335 sweetness, or Jazzmaster twang. The guitar is virtually dead quiet - no hums. I am playing it thru a Roland BC-60, which tends to have a beefy, punchy sound.

The action, fit and finish were all very good right from the factory. However there were some other minor problems with sloppy assembly. Two of the pickup adjusting screws were sticking up about 1/4". The problem was caused by the screws hitting the wires in the body. I had to unscrew the pickups and push the wire over to get the screws down. Also, the two tone pots were loose on the pickguard and had to be tightened. Also, one of the pickguard screws was missing the body due to a slight overrout. On the other hand the neck was perfect, and the finish flawless. Nice work on the headstock with the thunderbird inlay. The guitar was constantly going out of tune, but tightening the tuning key screws quickly solved that problem.

All in all, this guitar seems very solid. The pots feel like they are not the highest quality, but so far so good. I did have the high E string jump out of the bridge notch on a powerful up pick, so I'll need to be a bit more careful with my energetic playing.

DeArmond is now history - too bad. I don't know how well Guild or Fender will back this product.

I've been playing for about 40 years, and currently own a Gibson 175, Hagstrom Viking, and a Samick Ray Benson tele. The Jet-Star may become my main rock/blues ax; time will tell. The best thing about this guitar is it's sound, and unique looks. I do wish its had a master volume control, but I think ALL guitars should have a master volume control.
In summary, this was one great deal for $169, but I'm not sure if I would have to replace it if it were stolen - there are lots of great guitars out there!