Fender sells Guild.

[iWood]

Oxnard is not pretty. Couldn't we have Carmel, or Big Sur Guilds?

No, it's not, but gosh, there's a Guitar Center right in the middle of it.

 

[JohnW63]

I got a reply from Cordoba...

Hi John,



Thanks for writing to us! As you can imagine, we have been receiving a lot of questions regarding Guild’s future, and we’re paying very close attention to the Let’s Talk Guild & Acoustic Guitar Forums and the concerns of the Guild community. We are still working out a lot of the specifics, and will continue to share information as the acquisition is completed. We appreciate your patience and your support, and have every intention to remain true to the Guild brand.



Sincerely,

KIM WHITE

NATIONAL ACCOUNTS SALES & MARKETING

Cordoba Music Group

Looks like they are watching what we type. Keep it clean and be nice !

 

[adorshki]

Not John but Jon...
Ralf

Well heck I took my cue from a thread title:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/sh...ponse-Email-from-John-Thomas-President-of-CMG
:culpability:

 

[Jahn]

I will always be thankful for Fender's time with Guild. If not for the Custom Shop's repair of my Starfire VI, I doubt this blonde phoenix would have ever risen so majestically again from the ashes:

http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/sh...Starfire-VI-repaired-by-the-Guild-Custom-Shop!

That said, both my acoustics are pre-Fender. In fact, I was tempted to give them the Custom Shop repair treatment too, both need a neck reset which isn't the most fun thing to do. Perhaps I missed my window, forever. New Hartford, you treated me right, and I only wish I had a big enough wallet to throw more cash at you when I had the chance!

 

[204084]

I wonder what's going to happen to the employees of Guild.

 

[fronobulax]

I wonder what's going to happen to the employees of Guild.

Facts - the press release says 46 people were laid off when FMIC closed New Hartford. The Cordoba press release notes that all that has happened so far is a letter of intent has been signed. Specifically the details of the acquisition have not been finalized. The Cordoba email to LTG people notes that the situation concerning the NH employes is "fluid".

Informed speculation from me and others: The available information does not preclude Cordoba purchasing the NH plant, equipment and rehiring the workers there. Moving equipment to Oxnard and offering jobs in Oxnard to some of the NH employees is also a possibility given what has been communicated so far and perhaps more likely. As has been noted offering a NH employee a job in Oxnard does not mean that person will be willing and able to accept the offer.

My opinions: People supporting the Guild brand outside of the USA are FMIC employees so they may be reassigned to support other brands within FMIC or they are contract workers whose contract will go away when Guild is sold and may have a job again if the contract is renegotiated with Cordoba. People supporting the brand, in the USA, who are not factory employees will either be re-assigned or laid off. My guess is that there are fewer than 10 people in the latter category.

 

[Neal]

Speaking of Guitar Center, I got an email yesterday from the Richmond, VA GC, thanking me for buying guitar strings a week ago.

Not sure if this has become standard business practice, but it does represent a change for that Guitar Center, anyway. I bought a Gretsch 5120 in there a while back (before I realized that I really am not an electric guitar player), and did not get the same love that I just got for buying strings!

Neal

 

[Synchro]

Speaking of Guitar Center, I got an email yesterday from the Richmond, VA GC, thanking me for buying guitar strings a week ago.

Not sure if this has become standard business practice, but it does represent a change for that Guitar Center, anyway. I bought a Gretsch 5120 in there a while back (before I realized that I really am not an electric guitar player), and did not get the same love that I just got for buying strings!

Neal

They probably made more profit on the strings than on the guitar.

 

[adorshki]

They probably made more profit on the strings than on the guitar.

When you buy a guitar, they send you the quarterly catalog for a couple of years.
When you buy strings, all you get is a lousy email.
Kidding aside, slightly, they now have your email address for all kinds of marketing uses, even selling it, just like old-time mailing lists.
SO they're not just thanking you for the strings.
:laughing:

 

[Synchro]

When you buy a guitar, they send you the quarterly catalog for a couple of years.
When you buy strings, all you get is a lousy email.
Kidding aside, slightly, they now have your email address for all kinds of marketing uses, even selling it, just like old-time mailing lists.
SO they're not just thanking you for the strings.
:laughing:

I use email aliases for virtually everyone I do business with. It all forwards to my real email address which is so top secret that I don't even know it.

 

[rarkyrie]

Fender unloads Guild

Don't know if this is a good place for this, but I just got off the phone with Scottsdale. He told me the company is closing the CT factory, and the Guild brand had been for sale for about 3 weeks, and an offer was rumored to be made by Cordoba.

 

[Default]

Several threads on this topic, rarkyrie, we've been discussing this for a while. They have also been clearing out the factory and some of us have picked up some deals through Union Music.

 

[SFIV1967]

Hi rarkyie, welcome to LTG! You are a "bit late" with the news, just have a look though this and other threads or use the search function. It's not any rumor but a fact. There are official press releases as well from both companies on their webpages, as mentioned previously.
Ralf

 

[Westerly Wood]

hillarious...and welcome to the LTG!

 

[Walter Broes]

I just though of something, one line of guitars that will probably die along with FMIC's ownership of Guild : the resonators they've been making!

I kind of forgot about those, as I'm not a resonator guy, and I've rarely, if ever, seen them mentioned here.

Anyway, I'd be very, very surprized if Guild's new owners decided to still manufacture these. I don't think FMIC sold lots of them.

 

[SFIV1967]

I just though of something, one line of guitars that will probably die along with FMIC's ownership of Guild : the resonators they've been making!

I don't know how the sound of them was compared to the established resonator brands, I tested them at NAMM but had nothing to compare with. But the total lack of marketing for them by FMIC was killing them...I never understood why FMIC did not hire somebody similar to Doyle Dykes to demo the resonators at NAMM and at other shows. Just zero marketing for them, unbelievable! They were probably damn good resonator guitars! Too bad...
Ralf

 

[adorshki]

hillarious...and welcome to the LTG!

Wonder if he joined up just to let us know?
Noble fellow even if a bit late to the party.....
:biggrin-new:
Yes Rarkyrie, welcome aboard and hopefully you'll understand the gentle hazing we share with well-meaning newcomers!
So......out of curiosity, why were you on the phone with Scottsdale?
Are you a proud new Guild owner ?
:excitement:

 

[gilded]

Welcome! Thanks for being thoughtful. Hope you'll stick around the forum.

 

[Neal]

Hey, rarkyrie, and thanks for taking the time to check in with LTG. We were pretty depressed around this forum initially when we found out about New Hartford closing, because they were nice people who made really great guitars.

The mood has shifted a bit in the past week, though, as it was confirmed that Cordoba bought the Guild brand. Cordoba management has already checked in with LTG and we now understand that Cordoba will open production of US Guilds again in Oxnard, CA.

Neal

 

[southernGuild]

Welcome Rarkyrie! Yes, News is better late than never....so Thanks!
How'bout yourself? Any Guilds?............
Welcome to LTG :laughing: