Acoustic Guitar Magazine Cover Story: Guild!

[hansmoust]

with your permission Hans

You got it!

I actually got on an airplane to shoot that picture!

 

[hideglue]

Hans,

That is awesome! I've never seen that photo before. Never knew it was sitting on fill....though that explains Canal Street's lack of canal.
And yes, the "ring", behind the chain-link fence, is a bit troubling (looking a little sickly here)...

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Jeff]

Absolutey no argument from me on which building I'd chose to call home.

Architecture on the Westerly building is light years ahead of the "Temporary Building" in Tacoma.

Something isn't quite right when it's economically unfeasable to renovate a classy building like the Westerly Plant. The building in Tacoma is indicative of the kind of industrial sprawl that's filling up the rich Farmland here, probably everywhere.

Miles & Miles of utilitarian single story concrete tip up bldgs with flat hot tar roofs.

Previous generation left us some nice architecture. :wink:

 

[hansmoust]

...though that explains Canal Street's lack of canal.

and it might explain the presence of the 'textile union' as well, although I'm not 100% sure of that!

By the way, fantastic Google Earth shot!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[fronobulax]

By the way, fantastic Google Earth shot!

The scary thing is that I entered "Canal Street Westerly Rhode Island" and was able to locate the plant in the image by looking for that "circular patch".

 

[capnjuan]

And yes, the "ring", behind the chain-link fence, is a bit troubling (looking a little sickly here)...

Something isn't quite right when it's economically unfeasable to renovate a classy building like the Westerly Plant.

Hi Jeff; maybe 'Glue and Hans are pointing to what might not be 'quite right'; see John K's 'rant' re/ eco-bombing. There's probably a reason no grass grows under the former tank. One could be there's a concrete pad that the former tank sat on that prevents the growth of grass although people don't normally fence off concrete pads.

Another could be that, out of sorrow and respect, the grass refuses to grow as an act of protest for the plant closing. Another reason could be that the site is, at least in part, contaminated a/k/a a Brownfield site; spelled HANFORD up in your parts. This could probably be determined by a Rhode Island DEP or USEPA public records search. I don't know whether G owned or leased the property. In some states, you can use a contaminated site provided you don't disturb the doo-doo but, if you want to make enhancements or improvements - like updating for manufacturing use - you have to get a permit. Assuming FMI at least considered sticking around, they would have had engineers and consultants perform all the due diligence including permits.

If no one is interested in the 'too drafty, too humid, too hard to heat' argument, this is another theory that might explain the facts. I don't know the chemical attributes of nitrocellulose but I'd expect you'd have to have solvents to thin it; solvents containing VOCs were the industrial norm for quite some time and, of course, the place could have been roached up when G got there in the early 70s. Who knows; all speculation on my part but...

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Here's some more satellite pix using Live Search's Bird's eye view feature.

The tank circle looks a little "greasy" to me!

 

[hansmoust]

I don't know whether G owned or leased the property. In some states, you can use a contaminated site provided you don't disturb the doo-doo but, if you want to make enhancements or improvements - like updating for manufacturing use - you have to get a permit. Assuming FMI at least considered sticking around, they would have had engineers and consultants perform all the due diligence including permits.

Hello cj,

The big gas tank was not on the same property, so Guild and/or FMIC never had anything to do with it.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[jwsamuel]

Now for the negative: The article had very little that was not already known, just a rehash of old information. For me, it was just an old history lesson.

There is a difference between what you know and what the average reader knows. What is a rehash to you is new information to most readers of the magazine.

Jim

 

[dklsplace]

There is a difference between what you know and what the average reader knows. What is a rehash to you is new information to most readers of the magazine.

Yep, & I'd say it's a safe bet that the large majority of folks who read AG aren't well versed in anything related to Guild.

 

[jwsamuel]

Yep, & I'd say it's a safe bet that the large majority of folks who read AG aren't well versed in anything related to Guild.

I knew nothing about Guild until I read Hans' book...and that was only a month before the AG article came out.

Jim

 

[dklsplace]

Yep, & I'd say it's a safe bet that the large majority of folks who read AG aren't well versed in anything related to Guild.

I knew nothing about Guild until I read Hans' book...and that was only a month before the AG article came out.

Have you seen the light?!? 8)

 

[Jeff]

CJ said.......a/k/a a Brownfield site; spelled HANFORD up in your parts..........

My Grandfather & several Uncles worked careers at Hanford. Grampa was there during the war, (the big one) & rarely spoke of what went on out there.

My Uncles speak of What's Hot" & "What's Not". Much is, hot mosquitoes one of the more interesting rumours.

 

[capnjuan]

Hello cj,The big gas tank was not on the same property, so Guild and/or FMIC never had anything to do with it. Sincerely,
Hans Moust http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Thank you Hans; that would clear that up and, of course, I was only speculating. cj

 

[Scratch]

Watch for it - you heard it here, although not first - carbon taxes are coming. And none too soon. Probably, in fact, much too late.

End of Kidder diatribe.
-30-

That will be one of the biggest scams to date.

Al Gore can now rapidly inspire the carbon taxes thanks to his invention of the Internet. Some tax proceeds will help restore the Aleutian land bridge wiped out centuries ago by global warming... The remainder will fund (now) politically correct nuclear power plants. The irony... :wink:

 

[jwsamuel]

Have you seen the light?!? 8)

Have you looked at my signature? :lol:

Jim

 

[dklsplace]

Have you seen the light?!? 8)

Have you looked at my signature? :lol:

Jim

Good point! :lol:

 

[hideglue]

Twas on that very front doorstep I renewed an old acquaintance who had changed his last name from Deutschendorf to Denver in the years since we'd last spoken...

6

6,
Wait...JD sat on those steps? And all you do is drop a quick line about it?
Do tell....

 

[Jake The Loafer]

8) Just bought my copy yesterday & just glanced thru it so far. That sure is a nice looking guitar on the cover.

I needs me some more money as I still have Guild Gas up the A$S!!

 

[Graham]

Hey Jake, nice to see you.

Aside from severe GAS, how are ya? :mrgreen: