Guild at NAMM 2023?

[merlin6666]

I think the spring NAMM show is wrapping up and I didn't see any Guild news posted. Did they even have a booth or were they part of the Yamaha section, or no presence at all?

 

[SFIV1967]

They had a booth together with Cordoba, we covered it all under the Surfliner discussions I guess. Nothing else was new to me.

Cordoba introduced the Córdoba Stage Natural Amber model. The construction is quite unusal, a flame maple veneer on a (obviously below) solid spruce top (calling it a solid spruce top if there is a maple veneer on top?), and chambered mahogany back and sides.



A few pictures I found on Instagram from a Columbian shop:





Guild had a video on Instagram which is however gone, so here are a few booth pictures from Vintage Guitar Magazine:







So in general I have not seen any Cordoba or Guild posts about NAMM 2023. There was a press event with Yamaha on 4/13, but so far no press reported about it!

Ralf

 

[merlin6666]

Thanks I didn't follow the surfliner thread. I am also interested in ukuleles and again this year the Hawaiian K brands did not show. In previous years some of them had live streaming of major stars playing at their booths.

 

[Walter Broes]

I hope the Yamaha thing is going to work out funds-wise and proper USA F30's and F40's are coming back eventually. And ummm...USA-built electrics? Heck, with Japanese build quality even MIJ Guilds would be cool!

 

[Roland]

This makes sense to me. Yamaha didn't actually buy Guild, they bought Cordoba and Guild came with it. So is Guild under Yamaha or are they still under the Cordoba umbrella? The question might be not what Yamaha is going to do with Guild, but what is Cordoba going to do now that it is owned by Yamaha? There seems to be a layer in there that I hadn't really thought about until now.

 

[lungimsam]

Only two Guild bass models at NAMM, huh? Doesn’t bode well for basses this year I guess.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Three, if you count acoustic basses.

 

[SFIV1967]

Yamaha didn't actually buy Guild, they bought Cordoba and Guild came with it. So is Guild under Yamaha or are they still under the Cordoba umbrella? The question might be not what Yamaha is going to do with Guild, but what is Cordoba going to do now that it is owned by Yamaha? There seems to be a layer in there that I hadn't really thought about until now.

Yes, it is sometimes confusing...
It was "Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc." (YGG) (formerly "Line 6"!), the U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Yamaha Corporation which has acquired 100 % of the equity interest of Cordoba Music Group, LCC (CMG), making it a sub-subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation in Japan. (as YGG is a subsidiary of Yamaha Corp.).

Now Cordoba as well as Guild and DeArmond and HumiCase are brands of CMG. Also included are the US distruibution rights for Savarez and Aquila strings.

The YGG own press release specifically mentioned Guild:

“We’re thrilled to be making this announcement,” said Joe Bentivegna, President of Yamaha Guitar Group. “Córdoba Music Group’s brands, in particular their flagship Córdoba and Guild lines, are revered throughout the world. We are honored to take on the next phase in maintaining and evolving these beloved brands.”

What I don't read in the official Yamaha Corp Acquisition press release is how long CMG might continue to exist as subsidiary of YGG or if at some point they drop the CMG subsidery and they move the ownership of all CMG brands directly in YGG.

The Guild webpage shows:



So Guild is now a division of a sub-subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation.

And YGG proudly lists all the new brands on their page:

Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.

yamahaguitargroup.com

Ralf

 

[GGJaguar]

how long CMG might continue to exist as subsidiary of YGG or if at some point they drop the CMG subsidery and they move the ownership of all CMG brands directly in YGG.

Yes, I think that is the big question. If that happens, there will be re-alignments and personnel changes (moving managers, merging duplicate functions, layoffs, etc). That's when process changes might begin to happen at Guild.

 

[Roland]

Yes, their press release specifically addressed the acquisition of Cordoba and Guild. But that particular press release was targeted. Good chance that wasn't their only press release.

 

[SFIV1967]

Yes, their press release specifically addressed the acquisition of Cordoba and Guild. But that particular press release was targeted. Good chance that wasn't their only press release.

I had linked both YGG (US) and Yahama (Japan) press releases above. Those were the only two. They are slightly different.
Ralf

 

[Midnight Toker]

The NAMM reviews have Guild products listed as one of the biggest hits of the year.

NAMM 2023: the 11 biggest things we discovered at this year's show

The hits, the misses and the game-changing tech – 2023’s guitar gear extravaganza did not disappoint

www.yahoo.com

 

[fronobulax]

Reading comprehension is clearly influenced by coffee consumption. I read that article before coffee this morning, noted a Surfliner pic but missed the one call out to Guild.

But....

NAMM 2023: Guild’s affordable Surfliner offset just got even more appealing – meet the Surfliner Deluxe

With the brand's first-ever roasted maple neck, a bound rosewood fretboard and newly designed floating vibrato tailpiece, the Surfliner Deluxe takes Guild's offset platform to even greater aesthetic and functional heights

www.guitarworld.com

 

[krysh]

Reading comprehension is clearly influenced by coffee consumption. I read that article before coffee this morning, noted a Surfliner pic but missed the one call out to Guild.

But....

NAMM 2023: Guild’s affordable Surfliner offset just got even more appealing – meet the Surfliner Deluxe

With the brand's first-ever roasted maple neck, a bound rosewood fretboard and newly designed floating vibrato tailpiece, the Surfliner Deluxe takes Guild's offset platform to even greater aesthetic and functional heights

www.guitarworld.com

Only that the vibrato is not newly designed but newly branded…

 

[Westerly Wood]

lol

 

[GGJaguar]

lol

Yeah, that's what happens when you don't have a Martin as CEO of Martin. Yeesh!

 

[SFIV1967]

lol

Yeah, that's what happens when you don't have a Martin as CEO of Martin. Yeesh!

It's interesting to see Martin jumping on the heavy relic train. They now have the D-18 StreetLegend™ and the D-28 StreetLegend™...
What I'm surprised about is the MSRP for the D-18 of $2,399.00 and for the D-28 of only $2,799.00. Isn't a D-28 usually more expensive?

Martin D-18 StreetLegend® Acoustic Guitar | Martin Guitar

Shop D-18 StreetLegend® and other Martin Guitar apparel, accessories, and guitar straps!

www.martinguitar.com

Martin D-28 StreetLegend® Acoustic Guitar | Martin Guitar

Shop D-28 StreetLegend® and other Martin Guitar apparel, accessories, and guitar straps!

www.martinguitar.com

Ralf

 

[Westerly Wood]

It's interesting to see Martin jumping on the heavy relic train. They now have the D-18 StreetLegend™ and the D-28 StreetLegend™...
What I'm surprised about is the MSRP for the D-18 of $2,399.00 and for the D-28 of only $2,799.00. Isn't a D-28 usually more expensive?

Martin D-18 StreetLegend® Acoustic Guitar | Martin Guitar

Shop D-18 StreetLegend® and other Martin Guitar apparel, accessories, and guitar straps!

www.martinguitar.com

Martin D-28 StreetLegend® Acoustic Guitar | Martin Guitar

Shop D-28 StreetLegend® and other Martin Guitar apparel, accessories, and guitar straps!

www.martinguitar.com

Ralf

And while I like to poke fun at Martin, I would love the D-18 Street Legend.

 

[merlin6666]

And while I like to poke fun at Martin, I would love the D-18 Street Legend.

One of my friends who is big Martin fan and already has an old D28 and a new OM42 got himself one of these reliced street masters just before pandemic. It is a surprisingly nice and fun guitar.

 

[lungimsam]

Street legend doesn’t sound nice. Makes me think of a some guy in an inner city sitting on a 5-gallon bucket playing for dimes.

Martin has a past that evokes imagery that would be better expressed like:

“Trainbadour” series
“Greenwich Club Crawler”
“Laurel Canyoneer” series.
“Appalachian Trail” series, etc.