Where Might Guild Land Next?

[JohnW63]

All I can see on the web page is something about the Celebrity line. That's a low end model.

 

[idealassets]

If you look at all the Guild factories post-Westerly, they have been in locations that had a work force and infrastructure. Corona was producing Fender electrics, but Tacoma and NH were originally smaller manufacturers that FMIC purchased. Does Fender own any other US guitar makers? If not, my guess would be Corona. The problem with that is that Corona Guilds already have a very bad reputation regardless of the personal anecdotes that you can find on LTG that say otherwise.

I have always disagreed with that statement, especially after owning a few Corunna Guild guitars.

 

[Bill Ashton]

OK, apparently I don't have full rights, even though I subscribe to the magazine. I was able to log in but only got so far. Page 66 in print version, "Wherefore Art Thou, Ovation?" by Mark Segal Kemp. Nice article if you don't know they just got shut down...

Oh, and when I logged in a little news blurb did come up, seems similar to the piece linked earlier regarding the closing of Ovation production in the USA, has a Glen Campbell image with it...

 

[mavuser]

Not based on any type of logic, business plan or economic model...what would be cool in my opinion, is if Slash and Gibson got together, bought Guild and were able to keep the brand in New Hartford (or elsewhere in New England/New York/New Jersey/Northeast if that specific location is an absolute deal breaker). They could probably afford some losses initially (as a write off) although that part is merely speculation on my part. They could get Guild back to the boutique level and do a major marketing push, if Slash was up for it. A very small but very high end operation. Keep those jobs and those guitars as close to New Hartford as possible. I'm sure opinions vary on Gibson but they must be in better shape than fender, and from what I've been told Gibson does a much better job with artist relations, signature models, marketing and such. Also Guild could curb production to more limited quantities and market the repair/restoration of vintage Guilds as one of their primary functions, which would bring in labor dollars with just a fraction of the materials costs associated with building new guitars. Forum members have stated they got guitars restored at New Hartford but to my knowledge there was never a big marketing push, by Guild, to recruit more of that sort of thing (as "Gibson repair and restoration" has done...and they advertise they fix all guitars, not just Gibson...). Guilds have always been similar to Gibson but each still very much their own monster. If Gibson owned Guild I would think they could basically charge whatever they want for either brand acoustic. Not a monopoly but a nice hold on the American made acoustic market, even more than they have now. Just a couple big marketing efforts from Slash and those American Guilds COULD be back ordered for months, at current (previous) production rates. Of course there is likely some level of reality that makes this impossible. But who knows.

 

[Default]

Gibson isn't doing great either. They just sold their factory in Nashville and are leasing the property now. Personally, i don't see what Gibson gets out of the deal. They are happy being one of the worst companies to work for, so why would they care about skilled craftsmen? If they did make Guilds, they would be just as incosistant as the Gibsons are now. One of the charms of Guild was that you didn't have to play a dozen guitars to find one that didn't suck.

 

[Ridgemont]

I have always disagreed with that statement, especially after owning a few Corunna Guild guitars.

While I have not had much experience with Corona Guilds, the few I have tried have also been quite nice. But, the poor reputation of Corona Guilds within the guitar community can not be denied. It is hard to change a reputation especially a ~10 year old one.

 

[Watasha]

Gibson isn't doing great either. They just sold their factory in Nashville and are leasing the property now. Personally, i don't see what Gibson gets out of the deal. They are happy being one of the worst companies to work for, so why would they care about skilled craftsmen? If they did make Guilds, they would be just as incosistant as the Gibsons are now. One of the charms of Guild was that you didn't have to play a dozen guitars to find one that didn't suck.

Hard to disagree with this.

 

[Watasha]

While I have not had much experience with Corona Guilds, the few I have tried have also been quite nice. But, the poor reputation of Corona Guilds within the guitar community can not be denied. It is hard to change a reputation especially a ~10 year old one.

Perception very often is reality.

 

[adorshki]

One might think that with the "acceptance" of the GAD models that production could move overseas. I certainly hope not but, just sayin'.

Admittedly these quotes from the official press release are vague, but one would LIKE to think it means they will keep m aking guitars in the US:
"This decision represents a consolidation of production capabilities for FMIC U.S.-made acoustic instruments."
and
"U.S. production of Fender acoustic and Guild® instruments will transition to other facilities at a later date, while domestic production of U.S.-made Ovation musical instruments will cease."
The question is, if this is a "consolidation", where else are they making acoustics to "consolidate" production with?
Another question is why the redundant reference to "domestic production of U.S.-made Ovation musical instruments"
Huh?
Thought "domestic" did mean "U.S."
Which leads me to wonder if some less-than-literate PR flack is inadvertently letting some cat out of the bag?
Not to mention that "transition to other facilities" is flat out-open-ended. Again, we'd like to think that means "other U.S. facilities" but it sure ain't spelled out....

However, my prediction is Nashville, Tn. And with that move will come even higher prices for Guild guitars.

Y'know in one of those threads I did make a joke about Fender buying Gibson...

 

[adorshki]

Perception very often is reality.

Especially to one doing the perceiving.
:biggrin-new:

 

[twocorgis]

"U.S. production of Fender acoustic and Guild® instruments will transition to other facilities at a later date, while domestic production of U.S.-made Ovation musical instruments will cease."
Another question is why the redundant reference to "domestic production of U.S.-made Ovation musical instruments"
Huh?

Well, up until this point, there were still some Ovation guitars being produced at the New Hartford plant. Not many of them, and they were all high priced custom orders, but there was some production.

 

[adorshki]

Well, up until this point, there were still some Ovation guitars being produced at the New Hartford plant. Not many of them, and they were all high priced custom orders, but there was some production.

It was the redundancythat got me, not the reference to US made Ovations.....saying both "domestic production" and "US-built" about the same maker in the same sentence.
Poor editing job at the very least.