Where are NS Guilds made?

chazmo

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Under Fender, the guy who spearheaded the Gretsch electrics (Mike something, I believe) basically started the Newark Street series during Guild's 60th anniversary days. Though we'd seen the GSR electrics from New Hartford, it was nice to see the revival of electrics from Guild.
 

Minnesota Flats

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For some reason, it won't let me link directly to the page to which I wanted to direct you. You have to click on the first link on the page that my link DOES go to. This information evidently pertains to any NS Guild whose serial number starts with "KSG...", which, at least in my experience, seems to be all of the NS basses.
 
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dbirchett

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SPG makes most of them. The solid bodies are made by another company. I don't recall who they are at this point but will find out and post later.

OK Found it. WMI makes the solid bodies.

SPG is a company that was founded by former Samick employees much the same as former Gibson employees founding Heritage Guitars. It is not Samick but at one point contracted to make guitars for Samick. My understanding is that Samick itself no longer produces guitars in Korea.

SPG also makes guitars for Gretsch and D'Angelico, among others.
 
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fronobulax

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This is old news, at least if you also read the six string sections of LTG. But it is no longer true that ALL Newark Street instruments come from the same factory in Korea. There has been some evidence based speculation that there is now more than one Korean factory and there are definitely some solid body 6 strings being made in China.
 

SFIV1967

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There has been some evidence based speculation that there is now more than one Korean factory and there are definitely some solid body 6 strings being made in China.
We are in the bass area here, but nevertheless this is my break-down of the entire Guild Newark St. line:

Hollow and semi-hollow bodied models (Starfires, Aristocrat, A-, X-, T-models,...) come from SPG (Sound Professional Guitar Co, Ltd.) in Korea. (KSG serial numbers = Korea SPG Guild).

Update 2022:
The new Surfliner models come from PT. Cort in Surabaya, Indonesia. ("G4" serial numbers like G4220739)

Update 2020:
The new oddly named "Starfire I series" now comes from P.T. Samick, in Cileungsi near Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.
(ISG serial numbers = Indonesia Samick Guild).
"P.T." is an acronym for Perseroan Terbatas, a business entity that is formed and acts per commercial law. A member on Gretsch-Talk said this factory is operational since 1992 and their current guitar production capacity is 35.000 guitars a month (420.000 a year)! Now those are numbers!
EDIT 11/2022: The S-100 Deluxe also is ISG. (4 screws on the lid only).
EDIT 5/2023: The S-100 "Limited" also is ISG.
EDIT 12/2023: The "Polara Kim Thayil" is also ISG.

Solid-body electrics like the T-Bird, Bluesbird solid and S-100 come from WMI (World Musical Instrument Co. Ltd. ) in Incheon, Korea.
(KWM serial numbers = Korea World Musical).
The S-100 for instance already switched from SPG to WMI during CMG's ownership of Guild. (WMI mounts the lid over the pot chamber with 6 screws on the S-100 model vs. previously with 4 screws on the former SPG versions).

And since 2018 a new factoray was introduced with the new Jetstar model, coming from Yako Musical Instruments (Zhangzhou) Co., Ltd. in Zhangzhou city near Xiamen, China.
(GY serial numbers = Guild Yako).
EDIT: Also the 2019 introduced Aristocrat P90 and Aristocrat HH have GY serial numbers.


All those factories are also producting loads of guitars for other well known companies:

SPG in Korea produces for many like Gretsch, D’Angelico, Comins....
P.T. Samick in Indonesia manufactures for Greg Bennett, Silvertone, Fender/Squier (includes acoustics), Epiphone, Cordoba, Washburn, and Hohner among others.
PT. Cort in Indonesia manufactures for PRS, Squier, ...
WMI in Korea is producing for PRS, ESP, Agile, LTD, Chapman, Schecter...
Yako in China for instance is producing for FMIC (Gretsch, Squier) since 24 years already!

Ralf
 
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DThomasC

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from the sticky at the top of the hollowbody subforum:

Two more Yako made models in 2019: The chambered solid body Aristocrat HH and the chambered solid body Aristocrat P90.

Ralf

NO!!!! NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!!!

The Aristocrat is a hollowbody instrument. Always has been, always should be. They've already put the Bluesbird name on a chambered instrument. Why in the world would they put the Aristocrat name on something that should be called the "Bluesbird ST" or something like that? Good grief. People are already confused by whether or not the Aristocrat is hollow or chambered. Even Guild get's it wrong on their own website. Why would they... just why??
 
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fronobulax

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from the sticky at the top of the hollowbody subforum:



NO!!!! NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!!!

The Aristocrat is a hollowbody instrument. Always has been, always will should be. They've already put the Bluesbird name on a chambered instrument. Why in the world would they put the Aristocrat name on something that should be called the "Bluesbird ST" or something like that? Good grief. People are already confused by whether or not the Aristocrat is hollow or chambered. Even Guild get's it wrong on their own website. Why would they... just why??

Wow! (in a good way). I thought Ralf nailed it so I made the sticky. I look forward to the give and take that ends up with and augmented or corrected sticky.

And I speculate about where the solid body JetStar bass, if it is reintroduced, would be made, thus redirecting the veer.
 

DThomasC

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I thought Ralf nailed it so I made the sticky.

And I'm glad you did. It's the kind of fact that should be referenced often. If LTG had a FAQ, "where was my Guild made?" would be question #1. Maybe even "Where was my NS Guild made?"

And, I hope everyone realizes that I wasn't ranting at Ralf. Both his knowledge and grace are valuable assets here. I was ranting at some other nameless, faceless person that may in fact have simply misspoke. :cheerful:
 

adorshki

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And I'm glad you did. It's the kind of fact that should be referenced often. If LTG had a FAQ, "where was my Guild made?" would be question #1.
There IS an FAQ area:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/forumdisplay.php?129-Forum-News-Events-FAQ-s
:tongue-new:
BUT the number one question is indisputably "What kind of strings should I put on my guitar?" which is as complex and unanswerable as "Is there a God"?
And, I hope everyone realizes that I wasn't ranting at Ralf. Both his knowledge and grace are valuable assets here. I was ranting at some other nameless, faceless person that may in fact have simply misspoke. :cheerful:
THIS nameless person?
NO!!!! NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!!!

The Aristocrat is a hollowbody instrument. Always has been, always should be. They've already put the Bluesbird name on a chambered instrument. Why in the world would they put the Aristocrat name on something that should be called the "Bluesbird ST" or something like that? Good grief. People are already confused by whether or not the Aristocrat is hollow or chambered. Even Guild get's it wrong on their own website. Why would they... just why??
Yes I fell exactly the same way about the "F40" which they acknowledge right in the product description is a revival of the F48.
'At's like Chevy putting a Corvette nameplate on a Camaro and insisting it's still a Corvette.
 

DThomasC

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There IS an FAQ area:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/forumdisplay.php?129-Forum-News-Events-FAQ-s
:tongue-new:
BUT the number one question is indisputably "What kind of strings should I put on my guitar?" which is as complex and unanswerable as "Is there a God"?

I suppose the first question should be "Where is the FAQ?"

THIS nameless person?

Well, yeah, that person definitely might have misunderstood. But that person wasn't in the signal chain on its way to Ralf, so you can't blame him. :topsy_turvy:

Yes I fell exactly the same way about the "F40" which they acknowledge right in the product description is a revival of the F48.
'At's like Chevy putting a Corvette nameplate on a Camaro and insisting it's still a Corvette.

Exactly! The Camaro is a perfectly good car with a perfectly good reputation. Would they really think it's going to help anyone make a buying decision by calling a specific version a Corvette?!? It would only add confusion, make a lot of trouble for salesmen, and create a curfuffle on the internet forums. And lower my confidence in Chevy as a company. (Are you listening, Guild?).

OTOH, Chevy hasn't done that, and we don't know exactly what Guild has done, so I should just chill out. :watermelon:
 

SFIV1967

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NO!!!! NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!!! The Aristocrat is a hollowbody instrument. Always has been, always should be. They've already put the Bluesbird name on a chambered instrument. Why in the world would they put the Aristocrat name on something that should be called the "Bluesbird ST" or something like that?
Actually they could have re-named the first one Bluesbird ST and then call the new one Bluesbird to follow their naming of the Starfires.

Bluesbird:

bluesbird_burst_front.jpg


Aristocrat HH:

Aristocrat_HH_TBB_front.jpg



Naming doesn't make any sense here. Should not be called Aristocrat as a solid body. Both should be Bluesbirds.

Ralf
 
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