Guilds "Made in Sweden"

SFIV1967

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This is a question to Hans.

I recently came across the picture you posted some years ago about a Hoboken label of a Guild "Classic Isabella" model with a "Made in Sweden" stamp on the label.

BjartonGuild_label.jpg


Now I had never seen such a guitar model and noticed you also had written that you found this label in a Bjärton guitar.
Bjärton manufactured for Hagström. And Guild distributed Hagstöm guitars in the US in the 60ies.

My main question would be if those guitars with the Guild label inside had actually "Guild" written on the headstock or "Hagström" ?

Just to put some information together which I found:

Who is Bjärton? Bjärton Musikinstrumentfabrik located in Bjärnum, Sweden, started making guitars around 1952. In ca 1960, Hagström ordered a line of guitars for their branch in Norway. In 1961 Bjärton began building the Tarrega line of acoustic guitars for Fender and also the España line of acoustic guitars for Buegeleisen & Jacobson, Inc.
The orders came through Hagström who had acquired the exclusive rights to export Bjärton made instruments.
By 1963 Hagström was also selling the regular Bjärton guitar models under the Hagström name through their international network of distributors.
Source (there are cool old pictures as well): http://www.vintage-guitars.se/Bjarton/Bjarton_history.htm

Guild had a sourcing relationship with Hagström at that time for guitar parts and I guess that is how Hagström started using Guild to also sell guitars in the US.

The Bjärton Isabella on the left as shown in a Bjärton catalog and on the right in a Hagström catalog from 1967 as HC15 model.

Page03L.jpg
HC-15fr.jpg


Hagstöm shows this model, which they called HC-15 in the US and HC-4 in Canada, in various interesting adds at that time:


Beautyis.jpg
hagstr2.jpg



Back to my original question, I would be interested if those Classic Isabella models with the Guild label inside had actually "Guild" written on the headstock or "Hagström" ? Any pictures you could show?

Ralf
 
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walrus

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Ralf, I'm just going to quickly agree that those ads, particularly the second one, are "interesting"...

walrus
 

SFIV1967

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No, that particular guitar was branded Bjärton.
Thanks Hans! That's interesting as I thought only Hagstöm branded versions made it to the US.

Ralf, I'm just going to quickly agree that those ads, particularly the second one, are "interesting"...
That was the cover page of the 1972 Canadian Hagström catalogue produced by Canadian distributer ARC. Featuring Kathy Robertson - a 'famous Canadian Ballad singer and guitarist' - playing a Hagstrom HC4 (Bjärton Isabella) acoustic.

hagstrom1972p1.jpg

Source: http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/hagstrom/catalogues/1972_index.php

Ralf
 
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