I'd say this is a perfect summary of the general feeling around here. I would also like to say that I had a conversation about Guild with my local bricks-and-mortar retailer a few years ago and he said -- flat out -- if Fender hadn't put the MIC Guilds in the lineup, he would've had to drop Guild completely. IMO, Guild, as a new brand, would've probably died. The economics of the 2008 - 2011ish era were such that barely any of the US models moved here in central MA. The simple fact is that people buying high-end bought Taylors or Martins. Guild was a VERY distant third here.It took the MIC Guilds a while to be accepted at LTG but their position as a "gateway" to more expensive Guilds has been acknowledged. The Newark Street line did not suffer quite as much resistance since they are the only new Guild electrics available.
. . .