New Guild Electrics at NAMM 2013

[chazmo]

Folks, I split this thread out from the original Korean Guild one after Walter dug up the LA Music blog. Please post any information, pictures, etc. about NAMM here. Tnx!

Ralf, perhaps you confirm and detail exactly which are the new model series and where they're coming from. Are these "American Patriarch" and "Newark Street" series, as the LA Music blog says?

The blog seems to indicate an AA, SF3, and X-175.

[edit: there is also another thread on the subject, PM me if you think it shold be merged viewtopic.php?f=4&t=34868 ]

 

[chazmo]

So, I think we need confirmation on this (much) larger list from the press kit. Which of these is real? Also, I thought there were issues with the Starfire name, so I'm skeptical about that part? Think Guild solved that?

GUILD® CUSTOM SHOP
60th Anniversary Custom Shop [this we know is real!]
American Patriarch Artist Award™
American Patriarch M-75 Aristocrat™
American Patriarch X-500 Stuart™
Orpheum Jumbo
Orpheum Mahogany Orchestra
Orpheum Rosewood Orchestra
Orpheum Slope Shoulder 12-Fret Dreadnought
Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Mahogany Dreadnought
Orpheum Slope Shoulder 14-Fret Rosewood Dreadnought

GUILD
Arcos AD-5CE
Arcos AO-5CE
GAD D-125
GAD D-125CE
GAD M-120
GAD M-120E
Newark Street A-150 Savoy™
Newark Street A-150B Savoy
Newark Street M-75 Aristocrat
Newark Street S-100 Polara™
Newark Street Starfire™ III w/Bigsby®
Newark Street Starfire IV
Newark Street Starfire Bass
Newark Street X-175 Manhattan™
Newark Street X-175B Manhattan

 

[chazmo]

Re: Anyone have information or pictures of new Korean Guilds?

There's obviously somebody who's having a lot of fun with Photoshop!

I've seen more impressing ones though!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Oh, Hans, are you throwing the BS flag? Which one(s)?

 

[hansmoust]

Re: Anyone have information or pictures of new Korean Guilds?

There's obviously somebody who's having a lot of fun with Photoshop!

I've seen more impressing ones though!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Oh, Hans, are you throwing the BS flag? Which one(s)?

Not really! Just have been looking at real guitars for so long that it feels funny when you're looking at photos showing guitars that are pieced-together with a bunch of the same parts. I guess that's all part of the 'virtual' world we're living in!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[mellowgerman]

MIK Starfire bass with a bisonic repro?! I'm intrigued!

 

[chazmo]

Re: Anyone have information or pictures of new Korean Guilds?

There's obviously somebody who's having a lot of fun with Photoshop!

I've seen more impressing ones though!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Oh, Hans, are you throwing the BS flag? Which one(s)?

Not really! Just have been looking at real guitars for so long that it feels funny when you're looking at photos showing guitars that are pieced-together with a bunch of the same parts. I guess that's all part of the 'virtual' world we're living in!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

I guess much remains to be seen (non-virtually ) here. In any case, the Guild/Fender execs at LMG3 in October couldn't spill the beans on any of this, but they did say that we had a lot to be excited about this year. That would appear to be an understatement!

 

[Bill Ashton]

I am about to burst! Lets see images of the drop shoulder Orpheums as soon as they materialize!

 

[Gild The Lilly]

Reissue Dearmond Model 1100 and 1000 floating pickups?!?!?!

Next they'll be trotting out Thunderbirds...kickstands optional.
Hollowbody M-85 basses, perhaps? Wow, this is huge.

 

[Walter Broes]

Re: Anyone have information or pictures of new Korean Guilds?

There's obviously somebody who's having a lot of fun with Photoshop!

I've seen more impressing ones though!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

I thought exactly the same thing Hans, they're digitally pieced together images.

But I can't imagine FMIC releasing these images, and showing guitars at NAMM that look completely different. Even the specs are very specific about body and headstock shapes, etc...

 

[dapmdave]

So... Guild has won back the right to use the Starfire name, now? (Guild Starfire™)

Whoops! Just noticed you had already brought that one up, Chaz.

Dave

 

[twocorgis]

MIK Starfire bass with a bisonic repro?! I'm intrigued!

Me too Ingo. I wonder where they're sourcing those pups, and (more importantly) how they sound?

That 12 fretter slope has really piqued my interest too. 8)

 

[chazmo]

For discussion of the new "Orpheum" acoustics, I added a thread in acoustic/electric: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35211&start=0

 

[fronobulax]

Specs for the SF bass are here.

I note two points:

Bridge: Guild® Combo Bridge-Tailpiece with Rosewood String Saddles
Pickups: Guild® "Bi-Sonic" Bass (Bridge)

Those are both parts that were sourced from Hagstrom in the 1960's so you have to wonder who is making them now. If this is for real then it also means that saddles for vintage basses may be easier to get.

I also note that the design inspiration seems to be an an earlier bass. the picture could pass for a '66 if the TRC and knobs were right.

Since it has been oft repeated that Guild listens to folks at LTG, I will tell a story.

At LMG II there was a Fender employee present who I understood to be quite involved with electric guitars. He noted Kurt's (Guilds of Grot) collection and started talking to Kurt about Starfire basses. At some point Kurt referred him to me and I recounted the variations I could discuss from memory including the move from a single bridge PU in "the sweet spot" to a neck PU. I have no proof that my comments influenced the decision to locate the PU at the bridge for both the GSR SF I and the Newark Series Starfire Bass, but there is a chance they did :wink:

 

[chazmo]

Jamie, I daresay that our (many) comments about Guild electrics and all other matters Guild at our Let's Meet Guild events have had frikkin' HUGE impact on the company and its direction. Can you possibly doubt it at this point?

Look at the bounty over the past few years! 2013 (Guild's 60th) is "kid in a candy store" time for Guild lovers!!!!!!

 

[walrus]

The fact that Guild/Fender is listening to you guys and using you for market research is great - very smart on their part. They are doing what they think they need to do to "revive" the Guild name.

Kudos to them - this is exciting! I'm loving the Aristocrat!

walrus

 

[Thunderface]

So if I'm reading this right, there will be an American-made Aristocrat and a Korean-made Aristocrat, the difference being about $3,000 in price. I'd be very curious to see who the Korean-made Aristocrat sounds, because if you want an Aristocrat and you don't have $5 grand to spend on a new or vintage one, it might be the way to go.

It's like the Gibson vs. Epiphone debate. I've never owned a Gibson Les Paul, but I've had two Epiphone Les Pauls, and I think the majority of people would be hardpressed to find $2,000 worth of difference in the sound between the two.

 

[chazmo]

T-face,

I am not 100% sure that is the correct reading, but it might be.

We need confirmation. It's not unlikely that these two "series" of guitars, American Patriarch and Newark St., are not entirely built in one location or another. They muddied the water in many ways recently with the GAD acoustics, and now this could just be a continuation of the same.

But, really... TWO M-75 Aristocrats? It does seem highly likely that the budget (Newark St.) version would not be US-built. We'll see!

 

[Thunderface]

I based it on this website, where they list two Aristocrats, one for $1,050 (third one down) and one for $5,000 (eighth one down). I'm assuming the lesser priced one is made overseas, in either Korea or China.

http://www.lamusic.ca/SearchResults.asp?Search=guild+electric

 

[chazmo]

I based it on this website, where they list two Aristocrats, one for $1,050 (third one down) and one for $5,000 (eighth one down). I'm assuming the lesser priced one is made overseas, in either Korea or China.

http://www.lamusic.ca/SearchResults.asp?Search=guild+electric

You're almost certainly right. I just wanted to caution against generalizing that American Patriarch == made in New Hartford and Newark St. == MIK. That may not be 100% right.

 

[Thunderface]

There's always the strong possibility that I am wrong, hence the avatar. But I am very intrigued by the Newark Street Aristocrat, given my history with Epiphone Les Pauls, which I found to be great in both sound and construction quality. I only sold 'em because I got into Guilds. 8)