OK... what is this eBay auction? "Orpheum by Guild?"

[LateStart]

Came across this eBay auction in my search for Orpheum's. I am guessing the experts here will know, but caught me off-guard. Made in Tacoma. Is this GAD before GAD?

Click here for eBay auction: Orpheum, Guild Pre-Fender?

Ralf?

 

[Westerly Wood]

Not Guild. Made in Indonesia. Doubt Guild owns the word, "Orpheum ".

 

[LateStart]

Read the description, a bunch of text about factory being sold, Guild competing with Fender, etc. It's certainly something I didn't know.

 

[tjmangum]

Orpheum was a brand owned by Tacoma Guitars, made in Asia. Fender acquired Tacoma Guitars and then moved Guild to it's facility. I believe the Orpheum name was acquired at that time.

 

[fronobulax]

I also think there was an Orpheum branded guitar in the 1930's or 40's. The modern Guild Orpheum dates to the later New Hartford years when Ren Ferguson started working with/for Guild. I'd say the seller is trying to imply a link that does not exist. While FMIC did acquire Tacoma guitars and did make Guilds in the factory that had made Tacomas there was no effort to continue the Tacoma brand. And Ren Ferguson and other Guild employees never mentioned a link to Tacoma when talking about the Orpheum name or design philosophy.

I personally think the seller is jumping to conclusions and doing so because it makes the item for sale seem "better" than it is.

 

[Neal]

But these Indonesian guitars are "Appalachian at heart".

Neal

 

[chazmo]

In any case, looks like a nice guitar. Not a Guild Orpheum, though.

 

[txbumper57]

I remember Tacoma had an "Olympia" by Tacoma line but I didn't know they had an Orpheum overseas line. Orpheum was also a brand of Guitar/Banjo/Mandolin company in the late 20's-30's. That is the homage I think the Guild Orpheum series is Named after, Not some indonesian Knock off Guitar.

 

[D30Man]

Looks pretty nice... Not sure it looks $900 nice though...

 

[adorshki]

Came across this eBay auction in my search for Orpheum's. I am guessing the experts here will know, but caught me off-guard. Made in Tacoma. Is this GAD before GAD?

To be clear, GADs were introduced in '04 while Guild was still in Corona. Fender acquired Tacoma in '04 and the first Tacoma Guilds are '05 models, so that "Orpheum" guitar, being described as an '01-03, would predate any Fender-Guild involvement.
So I agree with Frono that seller's all wet when commenting about Fender realizing it was competing with itself.
Fender-branded acoustics NEVER got any respect, and they'd been trying since the '60's..
Personally my perception was that they were out to buy up respected brand names to finally get some creds and a share of the market.
FWIW when I was looking at buying my D25 in early '97, the sales person I was working with said he believed the 3 best bang-for- the-buck makers at the time were Guild. Larivee, and Tacoma.

 

[SFIV1967]

Lot's of BS in that add in my mind. According to what I had found when the Guild Orpheum line came out in 2013:

"In 2001, Tacoma reintroduced the Orpheum brand name on a line of acoustic instruments. In 2005, when Fender bought Tacoma and related trademarks, Orpheum became only a bluegrass trademark as mandolins, resonators, and banjos were offered. By 2006, Orpheum no longer appeared with Fender the status of the trademark is unknown."
Sources: Tom Wheeler, American Guitars, Orpheum Manufacturing Company catalog courtesy John Kinnemeyer, JK Lutherie.

So FMIC owned indeed the Orpheum brand name and the Orpheum trademark is now owned by CMG as you can read here.

Bottom line: The Orpheum guitar in the add has zero relationship to Guild.

Ralf