Hi Frono; WIW isn't the only ex-Westie here and that isn't the only thread in which ex-Westies made comments on the subject of pre-and post-FMIC QA/QC. And, as I suggested, it's possible that some of more negative remarks could be attributed to the tendency for people to be more inclined, given the ill-will that the plant closing generated, to express negative rather than positive thoughts.
After the glowing report from New Hartford tour
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adorshki
Reverential Member
I agree with Frono that there's definitely som "factionalism" about "which factory was best". With all due respect for Mr. Ashton I don't think it devalues the brand identity. The debates about "which ones are best" bring out information which I think ultimately enhances the whole brand name.
I humbly offer this comparison: I'm sure all of us consider ourselves loyal citizens of our respective countries according to our own consciences, but I'm also absolutely positive we could all point out exactly what any given administration screwed up! :lol:
I humbly offer this comparison: I'm sure all of us consider ourselves loyal citizens of our respective countries according to our own consciences, but I'm also absolutely positive we could all point out exactly what any given administration screwed up! :lol:
West R Lee
Venerated Member
Call it "dogma" or "catma" or whatever you like, these are the facts. Westerly was in business of for what.....34 years? Did they make good guitars....................absolutely. How do we know that, because most of us own them, some several. Have they aged well............absolutely.
And it's not a post Fender question to me as I own a few that were built after Fender bought Guild.....and I love mine. Furthermore, Hideglue, who worked at Westerly, will tell you that Westerlys best guitars came after '95 and the Fender buyout as Fender implimented several quality control standard that to that point, hadn't been in place, although my pre Fender Westerlys are tremendous guitars too..
So my rant is not an anti Fender rant, not an anti NH rant, merely a statement of fact. Again, when NH has been around for several years, and they're still building quality guitars, I'll not only become a believer, but I might actually buy one.
West
And it's not a post Fender question to me as I own a few that were built after Fender bought Guild.....and I love mine. Furthermore, Hideglue, who worked at Westerly, will tell you that Westerlys best guitars came after '95 and the Fender buyout as Fender implimented several quality control standard that to that point, hadn't been in place, although my pre Fender Westerlys are tremendous guitars too..
So my rant is not an anti Fender rant, not an anti NH rant, merely a statement of fact. Again, when NH has been around for several years, and they're still building quality guitars, I'll not only become a believer, but I might actually buy one.
West
... as they're made to be ...alpep said:
adorshki
Reverential Member
From a sheer pride of ownership perspective that's exactly what I want to believe. But my lack experience with anything other than the ones I own means I got no grounds to put down any of the other factories. I'm just trying to say I don't think the "factionalism" here is neccessarily a bad thing, and I don't think it's as divisive an issue as some might think. It just is what it is. We all got our favorite sports teams for many good reasons. The other teams all suck. :lol:West R Lee said:
steverok
Member
I'm a Cubs fan and all I know for sure is that MY TEAM REALLY DOES SUCK !!
adorshki
Reverential Member
:lol: :lol: :lol:steverok said:
adorshki said:
You are probably right about this. We sit here and bicker about which Guilds are good, which ones are questionable and which ones have yet to prove themselves. These are just the intricacies and petty issues of being a loyal fan. All in all, the average consumer probably doesn't give a....
adorshki
Reverential Member
Doesn't give a chihuahua? :?
adorshki
Reverential Member
As far as the average consumer, you're right.Ridgemont said:
fungusyoung
Senior Member
adorshki said:As far as the average consumer, you're right.Ridgemont said:
Honestly, I've never tried to make any of these debates about which Guild era, factory, etc. was "best". That's something that's extremely difficult to quantify, and almost anyone with an interest of any sort would have their own biases. Including ME!
But, I will say that the Westerly era was and remains the most suitable and "best for me personally".
Why?
Well, here's my own 2 pennies...
- NYC / Hoboken: Don't know enough or have firsthand experience playing these to comment (some old-time Guild enthusiasts swear the company was never better).
- Westerly: Have owned over a dozen, played dozens more & they're extremely well built, consistent & very economically priced (still the case today with the used ones).
- Corona: Very short-lived stay there, Westerly craftsmanship was clearly gone & there was inconsistent quality (I've played quite a few dogs & a handful of real nice ones).
- Tacoma: Another very short lived stint. This had some real potential, but it fell apart fast. The D40's I played were outstanding instruments. However, the prices started climbing pretty high by this point.
- China/Mexico: I'm not gonna go there, but I understand the need to service the entry level market.
- CT: No experience at all, but the price tags already have me running for the exits. Why? Because I cannot ask for a better dread than my '98 DV6. I can't ask for a cooler 12 string than my '72 F112. And, I could buy an AMAZING Westerly era D25 for under 800 bucks. So... why would I want to pay north of $2K? I wouldn't. Maybe I'm just not a good enough player to appreciate the difference, but I've played a bunch of higher end guitars & I know I'm well beyond satisfied with the quality & value I see in Westerly era Guilds. The used ones are still ridiculous bargains. Just pick up a DV52, D25, D30, D40, D55, D15, D17, F30, F50, GF30, J30-12 or any of the other ones sometime. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar... these are still some of the finest acoustic guitars you can buy today.
Besides, what the hell's ever going to happen with Guild electrics?
cjd-player
Senior Member
Hey, my team (Pirates) is worserer than yours. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:steverok said:
Yeah, but they've had a few titles since the Cubs won. As a former Dodger fan converted to the Red Sox when the Bums left, I loved the 1960 Bucs, not too mention the years with Pops. I can sympathize with Cubs fans, and the Red Sox only went 86 years between titles, Cubs have been futile for a little over a century-even older than Fenway OR Wrigley.cjd-player said:
However, I will grant that since Barry Bonds left, the Pirates have been a big disappointment. They did let us have Wakefield and his 175 wins.
Brad
West R Lee
Venerated Member
adorshki said:
Oh did it sound like I was "putting down a factory" or that "another team sucked"? If I did, I certainly didn't mean to, just stating facts. I think there may be some words being put in my mouth. Fungus said it more diplomatically I suppose.......short lived stints everywhere since Westerly....period.
Having said that, from what some of say that have been to the New Hartford plant, all sounds very encouraging. It sounds as if Fender is finally doing some marketing, not only to you guys that visited, but based on an earlier post, in Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Does anyone know when the first Guild was completed at the new plant :?:
West
West,
There are prototypes of D-55s from 2008 (I'm talking about New Hartford, that is), but the first one you'll find will be from January of 2009. That's when production began in earnest, and it was the D-55 only for a little while.
There are prototypes of D-55s from 2008 (I'm talking about New Hartford, that is), but the first one you'll find will be from January of 2009. That's when production began in earnest, and it was the D-55 only for a little while.
adorshki
Reverential Member
Not at all! In fact YOU were one of the reasons I joined, since I've got a bit of prejudice in favor of my 2 Westerlys myself. Way back in '07 before I joined I actually printed out your quotes from Hideglue to store in Hans' book, in case I ever wanted to try to make a point to somebody about Westerly's quality.West R Lee said:
I'm only saying I don't think there's anything wrong with the so-called "factionalism" here, I think it's actually a good thing. What I meant was I'M not going to put down any of the various factories just because I believe Westerly was actually the best, although now I can understand you might have thought I was trying to imply somebody else was. Sorry!
guildzilla
Senior Member
Factionalism. Kind of like the two-party system. What fun we will have! :lol:
West R Lee
Venerated Member
Chazmo said:
Thank you Chazzy. Just wanting to know when the clock started ticking. :twisted: Just kidding.....just kidding!!!!! Actually, I was really wondering.
West