What's in a name? Guild's brand reputation.

[iJamF47M]

First off, thanks to everyone for the nice comments and warm welcome in the thread below. It's nice to be associated with a "club" of like-minded people. To be honest that was one factor in my decision when I decided I wanted a top-end guitar. Brand is important to me, it's not the only thing, but a brand name means something. When somebody asks you, "What kind of guitar do you have?", I like the fact that I can now say "Guild". I've already gotten some blank stares and responses like, "Never heard of that, must be expensive." or "Ohhhh- Guild...Nice!" It tells me right off the bat where they are coming from. Seems people that actually know what they're talking about with guitars know very well what a Guild is. The reputation is strong among them. My electric-only friends only seem to know what a Gibson, Martin and Fender is. Outside of that, they are kind of clueless.

I have nothing against Martin, Gibson or Taylor brand guitars, they are all first rate and I considered many of them, but they've gotten so popular that they are starting IMHO, to become a "me-too" brand name. In other words, you have a lot of people who have to have them just because everyone else does. With any of my hobbies, I never choose the me-too brands. I like a certain amount of individualism and uniqueness. In my other hobbies, I have noticed the same brand phenomenon. In the cycling world, it's Trek. In archery, it's Matthews. In home theater, it's Bose.

I'm curious as what responses you all get when the statement "I have a Guild" is made.

iJamF47M

 

[fronobulax]

Funny. One of the reasons I bough my Guild is because everybody else was playing a Fender or a Gibson.

Folks who know Alembic or The Dead or the Jefferson Airplane seem to "appreciate" the Guild name immediately. I often find acoustic players will respond by saying they didn't know Guild made electric basses.

But far and away the most common reaction I get is along the lines of

Wow. That's older than I am!

For better or worse the age seems to make more of an impression than the brand.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Wow, That's older than I am!

Well that brought a chuckle!

Way back when, one of my friends set up an audition with some "kids" from his neighborhood who were looking for a bass player. So I showed up with my 1979 B-302 and guess what was the first thing they said?

The audition went downhill from there! :?

 

[chazmo]

iJam,

I think Guild's brand reputation is very important to the folks on this board. We love our Guilds. We are rather defensive of the brand, and we get very touchy about the myriad things that we believe can (and do) affect Guild. That passion breeds from our appreciation of the fine instruments that Guild has built over its many years.

I'm not sure my perception of other brands is the same as yours... i.e., I can't see Martin, in particular, as a me too brand. But I do see Guild as an underdog, and I think many of us do. That's one of the attractions... that and the fact that Guilds have always represented fantastic value.

In any case, welcome aboard (again), and look forward to seeing you around the board.

 

[jte]

I don't let other people make my decisions for me. If Trek is popular, and they make a bike that's right for me, then I'll buy it. I did in fact last spring when I decided I needed a commuter bike. The Trek Allant was perfect for me- already has the rack and fenders, fairly light for the kind of bike it is (yeah, a LOT heavier than my Litespeed Firenze), and the Trek dealer is the good bike shop in town[*]. If they don't make one that's right for me, I won't buy it. That's like rejecting music just because it's popular, or because it's NOT popular.

Judge them on their own merits.

Now, I used to manage a guitar store for 11 years and saw folks buying Gibson and Martin acoustics because of the name on the headstock. Some folks bought them for the right reason (because the guitar sounded right to them). But most of the Gibson acoustics I sold were to people who said the Guilds I had them try sounded and felt better, but they always wanted a Gibson.

The thing is however, going the other way and choosing something just because it's different from the mainstream could be very limiting. So I keep an open mind. Heck, I still try out Taylors everytime I see one in a store. It's been 20+ years, but I still haven't played one that sounded great to me, but I keep trying.

I like Guilds because they consistently sound great, because I don't care much for the typical rosewood dreadnaught sound for myself, because they have the most stable necks in the business, and because they're consistentley well made. I got hooked back around 1976 when I played a used F-30R that was in a friend's store. And then when I started working at another store that was a Guild dealer (and owned by a man who loved Guilds) I learned more and more about them. But just because they're a less popular brand isn't a good reason to buy one.

*My position on bicycles is that the store you buy it from is much more important than the specs or brand on a particular bike. It's critical that a bike fit you right, and a good store is the best insurance of that. So, I go to the good store because I figure that the differences between a Trek, a Specialized, a Bianchi, etc. at any price point are pretty minimal. One might have better brakes while the other has a better derailluer. But the over-all level winds up being about the same. So the good bike store carries a good range of good brands and they take the time to fit people well, listen and understand the riding they're gonna do, and can recommend several choices. Then you ride the ones they recommend and choose the one that feels best to you. That's how I got my Trek 2120 back in 1993 or so (whenever the 2120 first came out), how I got my Litespeed, and how we picked the other eight bikes we've bought over 25 years.
John

 

[plaidseason]

I don't let other people make my decisions for me. If Trek is popular, and they make a bike that's right for me, then I'll buy it. I did in fact last spring when I decided I needed a commuter bike. The Trek Allant was perfect for me- already has the rack and fenders, fairly light for the kind of bike it is (yeah, a LOT heavier than my Litespeed Firenze), and the Trek dealer is the good bike shop in town[*]. If they don't make one that's right for me, I won't buy it. That's like rejecting music just because it's popular, or because it's NOT popular.

Judge them on their own merits.

Now, I used to manage a guitar store for 11 years and saw folks buying Gibson and Martin acoustics because of the name on the headstock. Some folks bought them for the right reason (because the guitar sounded right to them). But most of the Gibson acoustics I sold were to people who said the Guilds I had them try sounded and felt better, but they always wanted a Gibson.

The thing is however, going the other way and choosing something just because it's different from the mainstream could be very limiting. So I keep an open mind. Heck, I still try out Taylors everytime I see one in a store. It's been 20+ years, but I still haven't played one that sounded great to me, but I keep trying.

I like Guilds because they consistently sound great, because I don't care much for the typical rosewood dreadnaught sound for myself, because they have the most stable necks in the business, and because they're consistentley well made. I got hooked back around 1976 when I played a used F-30R that was in a friend's store. And then when I started working at another store that was a Guild dealer (and owned by a man who loved Guilds) I learned more and more about them. But just because they're a less popular brand isn't a good reason to buy one.

*My position on bicycles is that the store you buy it from is much more important than the specs or brand on a particular bike. It's critical that a bike fit you right, and a good store is the best insurance of that. So, I go to the good store because I figure that the differences between a Trek, a Specialized, a Bianchi, etc. at any price point are pretty minimal. One might have better brakes while the other has a better derailluer. But the over-all level winds up being about the same. So the good bike store carries a good range of good brands and they take the time to fit people well, listen and understand the riding they're gonna do, and can recommend several choices. Then you ride the ones they recommend and choose the one that feels best to you. That's how I got my Trek 2120 back in 1993 or so (whenever the 2120 first came out), how I got my Litespeed, and how we picked the other eight bikes we've bought over 25 years.
John

And even Cannondales are no longer "Made in USA" - so now that arguments gone out the window.

I'm riding and racing an old 2.8 road frame now, but just like with guitars, I'm always looking . . .

 

[iJamF47M]

quote: "But just because they're a less popular brand isn't a good reason to buy one."

Exactly. I was just pointing out that there are more than a few people who want to buy a product and pre-decide that they will only buy brand X and will exclude everything else from consideration without even trying it. I didn't set out thinking I was going to buy a Guild. To be honest, I was trying Gibson, Martin and Breedlove and was considering a few of those models more at first, but wasn't finding the right fit, sound and price I was looking for.

iJamF47M

 

[adorshki]

This is interesting because I was thinking of that same issue this morning. My hypothesis is that people who REALLY play recognize good quality when they experience it. People who WANT to play buy a brand name because it's the only thing they've heard of and figure it must have a reputation for a reason.
There may also be that "me too" thing, kind of like those logo T-shirts that help people remember who they are. That reminds me, I left my label at home today....nobody's gonna know who I am... :lol:

 

[shepke]

The important thing about Guilds for me is the quality and value of these instruments. The tone, construction, and playability of Guilds are at least comparable to the output of their major competitors, Martin and Gibson. Also, as a younger company, the period of peak build quality was at a time when the other majors were in a bit of a decline. I can buy a vintage Guild for much less than a comparable Martin or Gibson and not feel like I’ve cut corners in any way. Brand name is important, but if brand means a big premium in cost without a corresponding increase in quality then brand isn’t everything. My ears and fingers tell me what I need to know. When I’m in a room playing with people who are holding vintage Martin 000-18s and Gibson J-45s (all fine sounding instruments), it doesn’t take long before they start commenting on the sound of my Guild (and I’m not bragging about my playing, either). I’ve made more than a few converts that way. And as far as 12ers are concerned, forget it - Guild hands down.

 

[southernGuild]

I think for me, Chaz summed it up quite well. Spot on. I also like Jte's remark that in selling guitars, the people liked to feel and sound of the Guild better, yet still bought a Gibson.........THAT sort of sums up the ways of the 'less than well informed' buyer.......Going with the flow, because they dont trust their OWN opinion....Assuming that ALL THOSE OTHER people must be right, knowing 'something' that they dont. And thereby spending MORE to get the same or less. Some people equate "better", with the more expensive....they believe if it costs THAT much MORE it must be that much BETTER. Oh well....
Over time, and through experience , people can learn that this is NOT the case. Thats where the comment of one of you made fits.......about when you take out the Guild in the company of other guitarists, and they have a go and say something like..."THIS GUITAR SOUNDS GREAT! "as good, or BETTER than my XXXXXX". Then THEY start to think in Guilded ways themselves! ( dare I say, even GAD guitars) LEARNING is constant to an open mind, but some folks dont WANT to learn anymore than they have decided is the status of things years ago. Some resent and resist any challenge to their old thoughts, as if to add to them, or replace them , is TOO MUCH hassle, or bad. Those folks will stay stuck wherever they are......not just in 'guitar land ' either.
SO MANY variables in all of this........what sounds great now, but made of inferior products, or cost cutting measures, will not last so long and be difficult to repair, etc.......So it is ALL about continuing to learn and staying informed as best we can. Then basing our decisions upon THAT.
BRAND does mean alot to me..........for what it represents in the build , sound, and quality, value of an instrument. for ME, Guild has that, and continues to have it. I also have a sentimental attatchment to the name and brand, since I was about 8 years old.....GUILD meant GUITAR to me...That Chesterfield headstock always shines out to me like a beacon...BUT , I would have dismissed with that if the brand did not meet those other fine quality criteria in the here and now.
Fortunately for us all, Guild has made and continues to make fine guitars......Guitars we can get excited about, and are worthy of our care and attention. I LOVE to play mine! and when i play, I know i have ahold of something of quality that will likely be around longer that I will, i am just its caretaker for now, and its future ( be it with my daughter someday, or nephew)......is WIDE OPEN. Alot of "ME" goes into it.....and alot of "ME" comes out, and THIS part of lifes journey, we take together! under the Guild headstock, that comes with all that Guild history......music, and music history, me and my familys history....It just all comes together that way ....for ME.
I love those photos of little children with guitars bigger than they are ( especially GUILDS!) .......the joy and pride in their faces....and someday, as adults, they will likely play that very guitar, with a lifetime full of memories, still happy and proud of that guitar! The history just rolls on!
I 'reckon, Its all GOOD!

 

[Graham]

Guilds sound like guitars should sound!

Welcome to the club.

 

[Ian]

Yip, I'm a Guild guy. Something about the sound really does it for me. Played D28's and all, never bought one or likely to. It's nice to have something a bit different to what everyone else uses, especially nice when it kills them with the sound.

Prices of Guilds and Martins is pretty comparable over here, I certainly dont see any savings !!

BTW: wouldnt mention BOSE in the same sentence as Guild, BOSE are a bit of a joke in HiFi circles...

Eg: No highs no lows it must be Bose.

Paul Klipsch and Omar Bose walking down the street on opposite sides of the road. Paul cups his hands round his mouth and hollers over to Omar, " Hey hows it going ?". Omar puts his hand over his mouth and mumbles " fine".

 

[JimbowF212]

Well,
I want to relate a little story to y'all. When I was 11 my folks bought me a Maderia, Guild import, and that was my first experience with one of their products. If you check my signature you will see that I still have it. It is now 37 yrs old and still has life in it although it does need some repairs from the ravages of time. Later on they got me an F-212NT which you see in my Avatar. IMHO the Guild 12s are the very best Money can buy, PERIOD!!! In 1984 on Christmas Eve my old Maderia's bridge split into pieces and the guitar was out of commission untill my dad repaired it. My dad had promised me his Martin when I got to where I could play better then him, well, he wasn't through with his Martin when that day came and so he offered to buy me any guitar I wanted to replace my old Maderia. I really wanted a Guild and I went looking. I settled on the F-50R. My dad and I went looking for one that was @ a price we would pay. I had got into Bluegrass and Flatpicking and I figured the F-50R should fill the requirement. While looking @ a F-50R factory 2nd, the store owner showed me a Martin HD-35, I played it and began to look at other brands of guitars. One day I went into the store for a flatpicking lesson and I saw my D-35V hanging on the wall. When I hit the first chord on it I new I had found the guitar I was searching for, not because it said Martin but because it had the tone and projection that suited me. Now had I found a Guild that I took to like the Martin I would have snatched it up very fast it was that the Martin was the one I was supposed to have this time and not the Guild. Simple as that. I will say further that I sold my F-212 and I wish I had held onto it but, my musical tastes changed and it was getting too little use.

 

[iJamF47M]

BTW: wouldnt mention BOSE in the same sentence as Guild, BOSE are a bit of a joke in HiFi circles...

oh, I wouldn't intentionally do that. I know all about that story. That's why they are a "me-too" brand. Or rather "me-too" kind of people buy it. I've owned Krell, Meridian, and Magnepan...not exactly house-hold names but need no explanation to those in the know. Kind of like Guild!

 

[iJamF47M]

You all have probably seen this cool video, however Jim's story reminded me of it again.

Verlon Thompson's The Guitar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Lkg7GsKQQ

 

[JimbowF212]

You all have probably seen this cool video, however Jim's story reminded me of it again.

Verlon Thompson's The Guitar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Lkg7GsKQQ

What Guild model was that he was playing??????

 

[GardMan]

I don't really have any guitar playing friends outside of LTG... I don't play out, except at our biannual ranch vacations and annual family reunion. For the most part my extended family knows nothing about guitars. So, I don't get a lot of comments on what I play. At my local luthier/technician's shop... I am sort of know as "the strange guy that wears an engineer's cap has all the old eBay Guilds." But Tom hasn't made a lot of comments, other than that they're nice guitars. I think he was most impressed by the ash D-46 and pearwood D-44, because they are so unusual compared to the typical mahogany/maple/rosewood. Another local tech complimented my old, beat up D-35... saying it was a "neat old guitar." Considering this fellows personality, that was a real compliment! I did have a fun time at the family reunion this past 4th of July... one of my cousins whom I hadn't seen in years came with her husband, and we started talking guitars. Turns out, he plays an old Guild D-40 from the 60s... had a lot of fun talking to him, showed him LTG and invited him on in...are you out there lurking somewhere, Dennis?

So, why Guild? I bought my first Guild 37 years ago next month. I spent a couple weeks looking for my first acoustic guitar... tried epiphones, and a couple other brands I can't remember. I couldn't afford Martins or Gibsons. I found my Guild in a little shop in Portland. There were three Guilds on the wall... a flat-backed all mahogany D-25, my D-35, and what must have been a D-40. I knew nothing of the Guild brand, but was trying anything I could find under $200 (remember, this was 37 years ago!). So I started with the the D-25 (which was $225, just a bit over my budget), and thought it had possibilities. I next tried the D-35... even though, @ $265 sans case, it was considerably more than I told my Dad I would spend. From the moment I took the D-35 down, I knew it was the guitar I wanted, even tho' it cost me a months pay and a bit of H*ll from my dad. It just felt and sounded right. It was the first guitar that really sang to me. Came back with my cash the next day, and carried it home on the bus in a loaner pasteboard case... I couldn't afford the hard case ($35) until my next paycheck.

Tho' I never really followed the Guiild brand after that... I did buy a used D-35 for my girlfiend (wife) back in the 80s. Then, when I wanted a travel guitar a few years back, I wanted the same sound and comfortable feel of my old D-35. So, it seemed logical to look for a used Guild... but not another D-35. I found LTG, stumbled into my D-25 and G-37, and the rest is history. The one thing I will say, is that all my Guilds have that comfortable "family" feel. Like siblings, they aren't the same...each has its own personality... different necks and different sound. But there is no mistaking their heritage, and they just feel right to me. Why should I get anything else?

 

[Ian]

BTW: wouldnt mention BOSE in the same sentence as Guild, BOSE are a bit of a joke in HiFi circles...

oh, I wouldn't intentionally do that. I know all about that story. That's why they are a "me-too" brand. Or rather "me-too" kind of people buy it. I've owned Krell, Meridian, and Magnepan...not exactly house-hold names but need no explanation to those in the know. Kind of like Guild!

Ah, I see your point. Exactly !!! It's Michell, Graham, Luxman, Rega, Duntech, Fisher, REL and Sugden around here...

 

[jcwu]

When I got my Guild, I was still a pretty new guitar player (though I thought I knew a lot). I had played classical, then got a Takamine acoustic with a pickup (but almost never used the pickup), then I wanted to invest in a nicer acoustic. Walked into Guitar Center, not knowing what exactly what I was looking for, and the salesman pulled a guitar off the wall and suggested I try it. I strummed it, liked the sound, liked the feel, and bought the Guild DV52. I'd never heard the Guild name, but didn't "know" enough yet to have brand snobbery (I think this was even before I knew the difference between Squier and Fender).

Well, I've owned and played the DV52 for the last 15 years or so, and grew to loving the guitar. While in college, two good friends of mine also had their guitars - one a Martin, one a Taylor. And I played both their guitars - the Martin was ok, but I just really disliked the feel of the Taylor for some reason. Again, this was before I knew much about different guitar brands and their associated status. The Guild was always the one I preferred.

About a year and a half ago, I decided to look up information on the DV52 model, and stumbled across this forum. Thus my love affair with Guild guitars started. I now have a twin to the DV52, a JV52 (thanks to Treem). Nowadays, I read so much info on the net that I'm too biased to make a really fair call, but to me, Guild earned its reputation (to me) fair and square, simply because I didn't know any better.

Was in the shop the other day working with the tech on some issues with the JV52, and I'd brought along my DV52. The tech's comment on the DV52? "Wow. That thing's loud. It's like a cannon." That put a smile on my face.

 

[southernGuild]

Gotta LOVE THOSE V-52's !!!! Great pair of guitars you got there! :lol: and the best part is.....YOU KNOW IT and appreciate them!