We now play Yamahas
- Thread starter AcornHouse
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Westerly Wood
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According to Wiki, the Fender overall ownership lasted at least to f2008:
After several changes in management and ownership, Guild was eventually purchased by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in 1995. In late 2001, Fender decided to shut down the Westerly, RI factory (citing difficulty in climate control and factory production workflow as primary motives)[5] and moved all Guild production to its factory in Corona, California. To ease the Corona facility (which had only made electric guitars up to this point) into making archtop and acoustic guitars, the Westerly factory artisans and workers prepared guitar 'kits' that they shipped to Corona. These kits were near-complete production guitars that only needed finishing and final assembly before being sent to retailers.
Production in Corona was short-lived, however, as Fender acquired the assets of Washington-based Tacoma Guitar Company in 2004, and moved all American Guild acoustic guitar production to Tacoma, Washington and discontinued production of US-made Guild electric guitars completely.
In 2008, Fender again moved Guild when it acquired Kaman Music Corporation and its small production facility in New Hartford, Connecticut, where hand production of all US-made Guilds resumed in a manner consistent with other high-end, boutique guitar builders. The New Hartford Guild facility began production in early 2009, starting with the top-end D-55 and F-50 models. Production quickly ramped up to include most of the popular Traditional Series acoustic guitar models. Acoustic-Electric versions of these models were also made available. Starting with 2012 models, all US-built Guild Traditional Series guitars were available in right- and left-handed configurations.
fronobulax
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As a thought exercise, would that be a good thing? Does the conglomerate crack down on the Chinese companies making faux Guilds or does the conglomerate acquire those companies (if it doesn't already own them) and make real (in the sense of intellectual property) Guilds on the production lines that made faux Guilds? Even that might be a good thing since the faux Guild sellers offer a lot of built-to-order options, something some people want from Guild and have not gotten yet.
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
Japan production is a speck on the global radar?
Not saying that to minimize Chinese efforts, which are unreal. China's undergoing a guitar boom.
Whereas this is what it's like researching Japan made guitar like Gretsches made at Terada and Dyna Gakki, and how incestuous this guitar industry is, with great consequences for guitar buyers.
"Dyna Gakki were established in 1972 at Nagano and currently build some of the Fender Japan guitars and also build some of the Gretsch guitars as well. Dyna Gakki made the early 1980s Ibanez Blazer guitars for Hoshino Gakki and have also made Greco guitars for Kanda Shokai. Dyna Gakki made the Yamaki/Daion/Founder/Joodee solid body guitars for Daion in the 1970s and early 1980s (the Daion "Joodee" brand should not be confused with the "T and Joodee" brand by Japanese luthier Shiroh Tsuji).
Terada were established in 1912 at Nagoya and concentrate mostly on making Semi Acoustic and Acoustic guitars and have made guitars for Ibanez, Orville by Gibson, Epiphone Japan, Gretsch and other well known brands as well. At their production peak (in the late 1970s/1980s/early 1990s) they were producing around 10,000 guitars a month using 3 factories, the Higashiku factory, the Kanie factory and the Shirakawa factory. Terada's output is now about an 1/8th of what it was at their peak and they are still actively producing guitars at their Kanie factory. "
Interestingly, FMIC bought Gretsch in 2002, Guild in 1995, so owned em both for a while, still owns Gretsch but they never saw fit to have Guilds made in Japan, a shame really.
Not saying that to minimize Chinese efforts, which are unreal. China's undergoing a guitar boom.
Whereas this is what it's like researching Japan made guitar like Gretsches made at Terada and Dyna Gakki, and how incestuous this guitar industry is, with great consequences for guitar buyers.
"Dyna Gakki were established in 1972 at Nagano and currently build some of the Fender Japan guitars and also build some of the Gretsch guitars as well. Dyna Gakki made the early 1980s Ibanez Blazer guitars for Hoshino Gakki and have also made Greco guitars for Kanda Shokai. Dyna Gakki made the Yamaki/Daion/Founder/Joodee solid body guitars for Daion in the 1970s and early 1980s (the Daion "Joodee" brand should not be confused with the "T and Joodee" brand by Japanese luthier Shiroh Tsuji).
Terada were established in 1912 at Nagoya and concentrate mostly on making Semi Acoustic and Acoustic guitars and have made guitars for Ibanez, Orville by Gibson, Epiphone Japan, Gretsch and other well known brands as well. At their production peak (in the late 1970s/1980s/early 1990s) they were producing around 10,000 guitars a month using 3 factories, the Higashiku factory, the Kanie factory and the Shirakawa factory. Terada's output is now about an 1/8th of what it was at their peak and they are still actively producing guitars at their Kanie factory. "
Interestingly, FMIC bought Gretsch in 2002, Guild in 1995, so owned em both for a while, still owns Gretsch but they never saw fit to have Guilds made in Japan, a shame really.
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Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
And now I get to quote myself.
I once had a Joodee, or rather she had me
A once in a lifetime find, in person, back yard sale. I had to get rid of it, all my expensive Les Pauls felt threatened. That headstock, that's some real lawsuit stuff there, and this is just one of millions of 70's Japan copies, some never made for the US market for obvious reasons, it was probably better than the junk Gibson was cranking out by a long ways.
Hi, I'm Mac, and I'm a recovering Gibson addict...
All of the guitars I've shown on this thread, Cortez, and this one, all set neck if you were wondering.
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
No. FMIC bought the Guild brand in late 1995 and sold it to CMG in May 2014. So almost 19 years.
Ralf
West R Lee
Venerated Member
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
adorshki
Reverential Member
I had to do the math too, then I realized I think he meant the closing of Westerly. Which was a pretty big deal to a lot of folks at the time.
For clarity though let's recall Fender invested significantly in Corona to build a climate-controlled mfg facility and a new state-of-the-art spray booth.What I still don't get is why they moved to Tacoma.
Friendlier business environment re CARB and other issues (labor costs?), perhaps?
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adorshki
Reverential Member
In Westerly, yes.
Westerly Wood
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adorshki
Reverential Member
I meet you and raise you D'Addario's string warehouse:
The greatest guitar warehouse ever known.
Westerly Wood
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can I have the pallet on the right shipped to me? let's quit the subtle tactics.I meet you and raise you D'Addario's string warehouse:
adorshki
Reverential Member
UPS surcharge for oversize package currently $823.00, standard delivery (15-23 days).
Westerly Wood
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that time frame is not going to work for me Al.
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
Looks like the history of the Japanese guitar industry is still unfolding, the economic cold war that's led us to where we are today, many factors from the past still with us today.
I've never been let down by a Yamaha product.
Drive a Subaru, wishing I'd never ever bothered with BMW's but better to learn late than never.
We rely on Honda for survival, fire pumps x 2 and generators x 3, never a failure.
Japan good, and this will be interesting to watch. Also quite an opportunity, to run with the Guild brand, the sky's the limit. Send your comments now.
I've never been let down by a Yamaha product.
Drive a Subaru, wishing I'd never ever bothered with BMW's but better to learn late than never.
We rely on Honda for survival, fire pumps x 2 and generators x 3, never a failure.
Japan good, and this will be interesting to watch. Also quite an opportunity, to run with the Guild brand, the sky's the limit. Send your comments now.
West R Lee
Venerated Member
You know, you make a point. I've only spoken to Hans recently via PM, and haven't seen him since the last Arlington. I know that Hans discussed photography cost with me alluding to those costs. I did indeed also see, but not read any of Volume II which Hans had on his laptop at the time.
Having said that, I wonder if Guild changing hands over and over has liability implications for Hans? Would an author have to be approved to write about a product by that product's new owners? Is it OK to write about Guild once Yamaha owns them? Is Hans legally permitted to write about Guild under Cordoba ownership? Would one be required to obtain some sort of license or approval? I know nothing about business law, or copyright. Just curious?
West