Yamaha buys Guild

I agree, I don't know if it's going to make much of a difference. I'd like Guild to do well because I think they make good guitars, but I don't know how they could breakout in a bigger way.

I'd quite like one of their X175s with the DeArmond pickups. I'd also like DeArmond to do well too, but I don't know how Yamaha will do that either.
 
Guild is investors trying to cash in on a name that meant something a long time ago but not many people remember today. The acoustic instruments might be good but how many people care? I would wager that more people have heard of Yamaha than Guild; Yamaha’s acoustics have a great reputation for quality and value that will overshadow Guild. Epiphone has also been doing great in the acoustic space over the last few years. Guild’s electrics are revivals of weird designs for the sake of being weird and that fad has been passed by those alternate universe guitars from Fender. People might say that Guild is adding this or that to Yamaha’s lineup but if Yamaha really wanted to make acoustic basses they’d just have Cort slap their logo and headstock on something. So good luck to Yamaha, but I doubt they’ll have any more success with Guild than Fender did.
 
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jp_nyc said:
Guild is investors trying to cash in on a name that meant something a long time ago but not many people remember today. The acoustic instruments might be good but how many people care? I would wager that more people have heard of Yamaha than Guild; Yamaha’s acoustics have a great reputation for quality and value that will overshadow Guild. Epiphone has also been doing great in the acoustic space over the last few years. Guild’s electrics are revivals of weird designs for the sake of being weird and that fad has been passed by those alternate universe guitars from Fender. People might say that Guild is adding this or that to Yamaha’s lineup but if Yamaha really wanted to make acoustic basses they’d just have Cort slap their logo and headstock on something. So good luck to Yamaha, but I doubt they’ll have any more success with Guild than Fender did.
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When Fender took over Guild it was filling a gap in their range: hollow and semi-hollow type guitars (previously limited to what, thinline teles, Coronados, and Starcasters?). X175s, X350s and Starfires gave Fender something in the ballpark of Gibson ES guitars. But once Fender got Gretsch in 2002 there was no longer any reason for them to pump a lot of effort into building up Guild. The kinda people who'd buy a Guild X175 would probably rather have a Gretsch 6120 if it came down to it.
 
Aahzz said:
From 1995 to 2015, when Cordoba bought them.

Really, at this point in time, Guild is just a name.
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Guild was still pretty good until Fender closed the Rhode Island facility. My 1998 DV52 is from that era and I've played a few other guitars like that that are really good. I think my x500 was built in New Jersey in 1970. Once Fender moved the production out of RI it was pretty much all over.
 
Motorik said:
When Fender took over Guild it was filling a gap in their range: hollow and semi-hollow type guitars (previously limited to what, thinline teles, Coronados, and Starcasters?). X175s, X350s and Starfires gave Fender something in the ballpark of Gibson ES guitars. But once Fender got Gretsch in 2002 there was no longer any reason for them to pump a lot of effort into building up Guild. The kinda people who'd buy a Guild X175 would probably rather have a Gretsch 6120 if it came down to it.
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Yes, sort of like if Korg had owned the Watkins brand when they bought Vox in the early '90s. They could have made an effort to revive Watkins considering the emerging enthusiasm for everything vintage, but there'd still be a much larger demand for new AC amps, so developing and marketing new Watkins stuff, however cool and cute those amps and effects might have been, would probably have been a waste of money.
 
Motorik said:
When Fender took over Guild it was filling a gap in their range: hollow and semi-hollow type guitars (previously limited to what, thinline teles, Coronados, and Starcasters?). X175s, X350s and Starfires gave Fender something in the ballpark of Gibson ES guitars. But once Fender got Gretsch in 2002 there was no longer any reason for them to pump a lot of effort into building up Guild. The kinda people who'd buy a Guild X175 would probably rather have a Gretsch 6120 if it came down to it.
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They also purchased Tacoma guitars not too long after acquiring Guild (which was floundering as a company for a couple years prior to Fender buying them), which seemed to have created some confusion for Fender w/r/t Guild and Tacoma, ultimately turning Guild into an import-only label.

Edit: at this point since Yamaha has the price point spread covered on the low end, Guild could become whatever they want; maybe even a higher end USA only thing.
 
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Mark Wein said:
Guild was still pretty good until Fender closed the Rhode Island facility. My 1998 DV52 is from that era and I've played a few other guitars like that that are really good. I think my x500 was built in New Jersey in 1970. Once Fender moved the production out of RI it was pretty much all over.
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I have an 82 Rhode Island guild Mahogany Dread. One of my friends fell over while playing it and the guitar broke his fall. No breaks. Still plays like a champ. If I remember correct I think I payed $400 for it on eBay 10 or so years ago.

edit: I’m sure I’ve told that story here before but it’s worth telling again. Older guilds are awesome
 
Denverdave said:
Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. This purchase makes no sense. Yamaha is way better know and respected right now than Guild.

Unfortunately, the Guild brand is pretty much dead. If you want a Guild, you want one of the older US made ones.
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From the press release, the parts and accessories components of Cordoba plus the oxnard production facility were the main draw for Yamaha.
 
Monson said:
Yes, sort of like if Korg had owned the Watkins brand when they bought Vox in the early '90s. They could have made an effort to revive Watkins considering the emerging enthusiasm for everything vintage, but there'd still be a much larger demand for new AC amps, so developing and marketing new Watkins stuff, however cool and cute those amps and effects might have been, would probably have been a waste of money.
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That's a great analogy!
 
Motorik said:
When Fender took over Guild it was filling a gap in their range: hollow and semi-hollow type guitars (previously limited to what, thinline teles, Coronados, and Starcasters?). X175s, X350s and Starfires gave Fender something in the ballpark of Gibson ES guitars. But once Fender got Gretsch in 2002 there was no longer any reason for them to pump a lot of effort into building up Guild. The kinda people who'd buy a Guild X175 would probably rather have a Gretsch 6120 if it came down to it.
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I guess it’s splitting hairs, but Fender doesn’t own Gretsch, they just basically run it, Fred Gretsch still owns the company. Fender owned Guild.
 
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Gratuitous family photo:

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Aahzz said:
From 1995 to 2015, when Cordoba bought them.

Really, at this point in time, Guild is just a name.
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While I know what you mean, it's also the IP of the designs of all of the guitars and basses they've made throughout the years. That stuff is a goldmine, if marketed well, which obviously includes getting great instruments in the hands of great artists. They've been trying for decades, but being a part of FMIC and now Yamaha doesn't actually help that. These companies aren't likely to put their best effort into reviving a brand's that are ultimately going to be competition. Potentially cannibalizing their own products to build up Guild. It kind of made sense for Fender as a way to compete with Gibson, using already known designs that shared specs and possible appeal. FMIC actually did a decent job, but Guild has always been in Gibson's shadow...at best.

Among the obvious benefits for companies outside the U.S. to acquiring Guild:
- using the name in general, appealing to those that know it as a quality American brand
- then using said reputation to introduce new ideas through the brand
- they can also reintroduce various models in the electric line
- potentially use the name as a high-end brand?

But there's little that they could do that hasn't been done/tried before. Guild's reputation is not what it once was, but that has very little to do with the quality of the products, be they U.S.-built stuff or imports. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
 
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