Fender sells Guild.

bluesypicky · May 6, 2014

mavuser said:
Are they still going to make Guilds overseas like the F-150 R or Newark street Starfire bass?

My thought was that they might keep the electric line made overseas, given the fact they have no experience in building electrics at all......

Brad Little · May 6, 2014

SFIV1967 said:
....At least from my point of view, Larry Thomas liked Guild.
Ralf

And GSI like acoustic guitars, even if nylon.

SFIV1967 · May 6, 2014

To put faces to names:

(L-R) President Jon Thomas holds an original 1850s Antonio de Torres guitar, CEO Tim Miklaucic grips an original 1937 Hauser; Chief Designer and Master Luthier Kenny Hill is focused on maintaining the tradition.

Ralf

ladytexan · May 6, 2014

davismanLV said:
Toni, what specifically about that article makes you "very, very afraid"? I read the whole thing.... I saw nothing terrifying. Did I miss something?

Tom, my concern revolves around a very short time Cordoba has been making guitars in the USA, major acoustic guru is a classical guitar guru (Kenny Hill is VERY respected as a classical guitar luthier), the Oxnard facility is mainly a distribution center (20,000 sq. ft.) with a very small 'workshop' area (5,000 sq. ft.), lack of state-of-the-art equipment, i.e., "I find Kenny Hill, who spends a couple days each month overseeing the work of the four luthiers in the shop. He shows me some of the equipment he has arranged for the project. “This one’s like a Rube Goldberg machine,” he says of a wood-bending apparatus he’s fashioned to bend the sides of the guitars, heated by a pair of 300-watt light bulbs."

I PRAY I am wrong and wishing Cordoba the best. I'm just not sure the Oxnard facility and staff can produce the quality of Guilds (with nitrocellulose finishes - with California regulatory restrictions, i.e.,Taylor uses UV-cured polyester finish, etc.) we have become accustomed to from the NH facility. Good news is, at least Cordoba's main endeavor is making guitars vs. hamburgers. Also, it seems Larrivee guitars (just a few blocks from Cordoba in Oxnard) seem to be doing well. So, again, wishing and hoping it all turns-out...but still a bit scared and concerned.

tommym · May 6, 2014

This has got to be better news than if Fender just sat on the brand name and put it out to pasture. I'll keep an open mind and see where they can take the Guild brand name; hopefully in the right direction.

Tommy

adorshki · May 6, 2014

davismanLV said:
They make guitars in Spain, China, and Oxnard, CA.

I think what he meant was that their steel-string line specifically is "MIC". (Not to be confused with "FMIC", which acronym just struck me as being somehow eerily ironic.)
Personally, I'm hopin' their plan is to branch out into domestic built steel string flattops.

Brad Little · May 6, 2014

ladytexan said:
he Oxnard facility is mainly a distribution center (20,000 sq. ft.) with a very small 'workshop' area (5,000 sq. ft.)

Oh, I should have read closer, I quickly scanned and saw 200,000 and 50,000. Mea Culpa.

Brad Little · May 6, 2014

So far the responses over on AGF are much more optimistic than here.
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=340546

SFIV1967 · May 6, 2014

"The Cordoba Story - A Renaissance of the Nylon String Guitar":

Ralf

davismanLV · May 6, 2014

After they closed New Hartford, I was really thinking the worst for Guild. This smaller company seems like a good fit for the Guild brand. Not in the electrics, true. But for acoustics. I'll just wait and see. I have no fear. The worst they could do is screw it up and .... then we will all have more stuff to talk about! They may surprise us.....

JohnW63 · May 6, 2014

I have to look at the positives and keep hoping.

1) Guild is still owned by a US company and they intend to keep making Guilds

2) The company is about making acoustic guitars and little else.

3) They are a lot closer to ME.

4) They are NOT made in Mexico, like Al said, before he THEN said this purchase was not a surprise.

5) Maybe Jean Larrivee needs to rent out some space and just found a customer ?

6) ( I just sent them an e-mail and I hope to fill the rest of the list with good answers to my questions. )

JohnW63 · May 6, 2014

They may surprise us.....

How many were worried when they got moved into the bunk bed with Ovation people ?

I wasn't posting here then, and to be honest, hadn't followed Guilds address through the years. I just always wanted one.

I think them New Hartford folks did the brand proud.

jte · May 6, 2014

It's a small company owned by people who like guitars and play guitar. They've been successful selling expensive niche-market instruments and aren't a mass-market big numbers company. That could bode well for Guild in the long run. They really can't ruin it's market presence worse than all the previous owners have. Simply put, Guild has a history of being the worst-marketed major guitar company ever, and that's been the case since Alfred Dronge died. ALL the owners have managed to miss the boat with selling the stuff. FMIC hasn't done any worse IMO than any of the others, and they've kept it going for almost 20 years. I think that's longer than anyone else has owned 'em.

John

davismanLV · May 6, 2014

Thanks, Ralf!! :encouragement:

ladytexan · May 6, 2014

Just did a cost of living comparison between counties. And, good news! Other than housing being a bit more, the overall cost of living between New Hartford and Oxnard is not that much different. So, if Cordoba is going to be adding staff, let's hope the NH folks have a chance.

P.S. I know there are other personal and career considerations when one evaluates whether to move for a job or not. But, I'm still encouraged.....

Walter Broes · May 6, 2014

jte said:
It's a small company owned by people who like guitars and play guitar. They've been successful selling expensive niche-market instruments and aren't a mass-market big numbers company.

I get the impression their core business is low priced Chinese-made ukes and classicals.

Jeff Haddad · May 6, 2014

Hopefully this bodes well for the brand. I find especially interesting the Jonathan and Larry Thomas connection. Curious to see if they continue with the NS line.

SFIV1967 · May 6, 2014

Walter Broes said:
I get the impression their core business is low priced Chinese-made ukes and classicals.

Currently yes: "Cordoba Music Group, formerly Tornavoz Music Company, has become the leading distributor of nylon string guitars in the United States".
http://cordobamusicgroup.com/
But I hope the Thomas' family knows what they want to achieve with this major acquisition.
Ralf

Brad Little · May 6, 2014

A brief article in Acoustic Guitar Magazine online:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/News/Guild-sale-nearly-complete-say-Fender-officials

SFIV1967 · May 6, 2014

By the way, I noticed a slight difference in the wording of the CMG press release vs. the FMIC press release: "Upon finalization of the sale, Cordoba Music Group is expected to begin production of some models in Cordoba’s factory in Oxnard".
Now all we need to see in the next 6 month how many "some" are and which. They have to build up from scratch in Oxnard, that will take many month...
Ralf

Fender sells Guild.

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