ajgorman said:
All things will pass as fungusyoung says one day these guitars will have their just place in Guild tradition.
It's possible, of course, but I doubt it. No offense, just my opinion, but I believe the Corona acoustics you have seen may have been the exceptions. Corona experienced a large proportion of returns in those days due to to faulty workmanship. Bad finishes, bad joints, you name it. Fact is not many of the Westerly crew came west, and acoustics are not what the Corona guys do best. The articles and quotes you cite are corporate spin - what else were they going to say? They had to convince investors and dealers - not customers and players. Fender realized they screwed up when they moved Guild to Corona and I believe the move to Tacoma bears that out. If humidity was bad in Rhode Island, does anyone believe it is better in Tacoma? Yet the products coming out of there are getting rave reviews and bolstering Guild's reputation. I submit that's because Tacoma knows how to build acoustic guitars, they have rigorously adhered to Guild specs, and their innovations on new models have found strong support in the marketplace. And if it was imperative to consolidate manufacturing facilities, then what changed to make it okay to go to Washington? No, I believe Fender failed to realize any real cost benefit moving to Corona, their product quality was suffering - and the California environmental requirements really are a bitch.
Many of the Corona acoustics are very good guitars, but it behooves a prospective buyer to examine the axe very carefully. I only buy a guitar about once a decade anyway, so I'll skip that one, thanks.
That's my 2¢. Where's my change?