When did Fender buy out the Guild company?

[Doug B]

When did Fender buy out the Guild company? Thanks.

Doug

[SierraTango]

IIRC it was about 1995-96. However, I believe they were still producing Guild guitars in Westerly for awhile until they moved everything to Corona.
Others will chime in I'm sure.

[Doug B]

The reason that I asked is because I just bought the X170 (the one in my avatar) on Wednesday. Supposed to be delivered today. The only description the store had was that the guitar was made in Westerly Rhode Island shortly after Guild was bought by Fender.

[Mick-7]

Interesting webpage I found:

Where are Guitars Made? - All the Top Brands

Where are Guild Guitars Made?

[Jimmy Mack]

The X170 should be great. I had one. Enjoy it. Guilds are great!

[Doug B]

The X170 should be great. I had one. Enjoy it. Guilds are great!

Thanks, looking forward to it!

Doug

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Fender bought them in 1995, but the Westerly factory didn't close until the fall of 2001. One of our kids was a student at Brown, and we were on campus the week before it closed. I had a beautiful Guild acoustic and an X500 at the time, so we decided to visit the factory before it was gone forever. There were still a few workers there, but most of the staff was gone and production was finished. To say that the holdovers were bitter and depressed is an understatement. They were justifiably very proud of what the plant had done over the years, and they were truly disheartened by the sale and then the plant closure.

I asked if I could have some small souvenir to remember the place, and they gave me an unfinished half of a top from a dreadnaught. It's sitting on my library shelf.

[Doug B]

Fender bought them in 1995, but the Westerly factory didn't close until the fall of 2001. One of our kids was a student at Brown, and we were on campus the week before it closed. I had a beautiful Guild acoustic and an X500 at the time, so we decided to visit the factory before it was gone forever. There were still a few workers there, but most of the staff was gone and production was finished. To say that the holdovers were bitter and depressed is an understatement. They were justifiably very proud of what the plant had done over the years, and they were truly disheartened by the sale and then the plant closure.

I asked if I could have some small souvenir to remember the place, and they gave me an unfinished half of a top from a dreadnaught. It's sitting on my library shelf.

Thanks for the history. So until I get the guitar serial number, all I can say is it was from the late 90's.

[Stringswinger]

Fender bought them in 1995, but the Westerly factory didn't close until the fall of 2001. One of our kids was a student at Brown, and we were on campus the week before it closed. I had a beautiful Guild acoustic and an X500 at the time, so we decided to visit the factory before it was gone forever. There were still a few workers there, but most of the staff was gone and production was finished. To say that the holdovers were bitter and depressed is an understatement. They were justifiably very proud of what the plant had done over the years, and they were truly disheartened by the sale and then the plant closure.

I asked if I could have some small souvenir to remember the place, and they gave me an unfinished half of a top from a dreadnaught. It's sitting on my library shelf.

Westerly was the third Guild location after New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey. After Al Dronge, Guild's founder died, the company was a mess and changed hands a few times. Fender tried all kinds of things like building Guilds in Corona, CA, Tacoma, Washington and even at the old Ovation factory in the Northeast. Guild even was partnered with Bob Benesetto to try to get their high end archtops moving, but to no avail. Eventually, the brand was largely made a Chinese import brand. Over the years, I owned many Guild guitars, all made in Westerly (Though my first Guild, a 1968 M-20 had a Hoboken label though I think that it was probably made in Westerly). All were very fine guitars, but truth be told, I think Gibson archtops and both Gibson and Martin flattops are, in general, better guitars. Just as I think Gibson made better archtops than Epiphone (mostly), and I owned two New York Epiphones and a Philadelphia made Epiphone. Epiphone begat Guild as Al Dronge hired mostly ex-Epiphone workers to get the company going. Today both Guild and Epiphone are mostly thought of as off-shore guitar brands and that brings their value down. As a result, one can get a great buy on vintage Epiphones (made in New York, Philadelphia and Kalamazoo) and on vintage Guilds (made in New York, Hoboken and Westerly). Today, Guild is owned by Cordoba and they are making a few flattops in Southern California. To the OP, congrats on your Guild purchase and may she inspire your playing for many years to come. Be careful with her though, the 90's Guilds were finished in Poly paint and are not easily repaired.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Westerly was the third Guild location after New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey. After Al Dronge, Guild's founder died, the company was a mess

And his son Mark is the founder of DR Strings. Al had always wanted Guild to make their own strings, but it never happened. Mark made his father’s dream come true posthumously.

They sold excellent Guild-branded flatwounds for several years, but I’ve never found a definitive answer to the question of who made them. I started using their EA610 “mediums” (13-58) on my 175DN when I discovered them in about 1963 (which may be when they came out). I continued to use them on all my electrics until Guild stopped selling them, which had to be at least the early 80s if not later. They’re still in the 1979 catalog at $8.75, along with the “lights” (11-53 with wound 3rd) that I used on solid bodies.

They made some great guitars and sold excellent strings. Sadly, the company never seemed to escape problems of one kind or another. I’ve enjoyed every Guild I ever owned. My blond X500 was the sole remaining 6 string to be sold off when I switched to 7s in the mid ‘90s, and I even held on to it for a few years after I got my first archtop 7.

That X170 will bring you a lot of pleasure, and a Westerly guitar is a true piece of guitar history. Love it!

[Doug B]

To the OP, congrats on your Guild purchase and may she inspire your playing for many years to come. Be careful with her though, the 90's Guilds were finished in Poly paint and are not easily repaired.

I'm the OP and thanks. She's already inspiring me and the shippers haven't even delivered it to me yet. I shall handle her with kid gloves! :-)

Doug