singermcl
Junior Member
Hello all.
I can't believe I didn't know about this forum long before! I found it today and dove right in. By way of introduction:
I was signed as an artist endorser by Guild/Fender in 1998. I was getting ready to release my 2nd album and Del Breckenfeld at Fender learned of it (and my love of jumbo-body Guilds) and he was kind enough to sign me to a deal at that point.
As a result of that deal I was lucky enough to go to Rhode Island and tour the Westerley plant with the uncomparable Willie Fritscher. I got to know him well and he would lunch with my wife and I when we visited the plant. What a wonderful, kind and knowledgable guy! He showed me where he had all the original abalone/mother of pearl neck decoration pieces and printed layouts for every Guild made since the 40's! For those of you familiar with the early 12-string that John Denver had on the cover of his "Rhymes and Reasons" LP, you'd recognize that unconventional decoration scheme in the different fret positions. He had it there! The stars, the rosettes, the square blocks, the "squiggles"; all of them. It was truly amazing.
I saw the drying room with all the woods stacked together and Willie told me about how he picked woods and the difference in sound each wood made. I was blown away by the machine that creates the deep arch-back on the maples like on the JF-30's. I was mesmerized by the fact that these guys made guitars largely BY HAND and I will never forget the deep love Willie and his staff demonstrated for their craft. I wish I could convey it all here but I remember it fondly. I dragged my wife with me and even she left in awe even though she doesn't even play.
Willie told me an interesting thing. He said that he felt that artist endorsements were ineffective. He said that, since the 80's he had not seen any change in the numbers of orders for guitars placed because a certain artist had endorsed the product. He said he didn't think it sold guitars at all; a revealing observation and one of many things he shared about the factory. What was plain was the true pride each person in that factory took in his or her job; really an "old world" operation.
In any case, he gave me a Guild shop apron as a parting gift (one I still have) and we maintained contact for some time after. I saw Willie at NAMM a couple of times but not since about 2002. I haven't tried to track him down.
It saddened me to read (on this forum) that the Westerley factory was no more.
Bruce Bolen SR in the Nashville Custom Shop is also a wonderful guy. He and his staff were kind enough to lend us instruments on many ocassions since we lived in California and hated to try to fly our acoustics on the airlines when we came to Nashville for shows. I did an interview in his "back room" at the custom shop (which was a drool fest for me and the guys in my band) and he blew me away when he let me use a Guild acoutic that I can't remember the model (it had the hand-carved heel and the abalone "tree of life" inlays all over the neck) for an important gig. That was one of the sweetest guitars I've ever played.
So it's great to be among you. I love my Guilds and share your love of them. Thanks for starting this forum!
Marc Corey Lee
-----------------
F-50
F-412
JF-30
I can't believe I didn't know about this forum long before! I found it today and dove right in. By way of introduction:
I was signed as an artist endorser by Guild/Fender in 1998. I was getting ready to release my 2nd album and Del Breckenfeld at Fender learned of it (and my love of jumbo-body Guilds) and he was kind enough to sign me to a deal at that point.
As a result of that deal I was lucky enough to go to Rhode Island and tour the Westerley plant with the uncomparable Willie Fritscher. I got to know him well and he would lunch with my wife and I when we visited the plant. What a wonderful, kind and knowledgable guy! He showed me where he had all the original abalone/mother of pearl neck decoration pieces and printed layouts for every Guild made since the 40's! For those of you familiar with the early 12-string that John Denver had on the cover of his "Rhymes and Reasons" LP, you'd recognize that unconventional decoration scheme in the different fret positions. He had it there! The stars, the rosettes, the square blocks, the "squiggles"; all of them. It was truly amazing.
I saw the drying room with all the woods stacked together and Willie told me about how he picked woods and the difference in sound each wood made. I was blown away by the machine that creates the deep arch-back on the maples like on the JF-30's. I was mesmerized by the fact that these guys made guitars largely BY HAND and I will never forget the deep love Willie and his staff demonstrated for their craft. I wish I could convey it all here but I remember it fondly. I dragged my wife with me and even she left in awe even though she doesn't even play.
Willie told me an interesting thing. He said that he felt that artist endorsements were ineffective. He said that, since the 80's he had not seen any change in the numbers of orders for guitars placed because a certain artist had endorsed the product. He said he didn't think it sold guitars at all; a revealing observation and one of many things he shared about the factory. What was plain was the true pride each person in that factory took in his or her job; really an "old world" operation.
In any case, he gave me a Guild shop apron as a parting gift (one I still have) and we maintained contact for some time after. I saw Willie at NAMM a couple of times but not since about 2002. I haven't tried to track him down.
It saddened me to read (on this forum) that the Westerley factory was no more.
Bruce Bolen SR in the Nashville Custom Shop is also a wonderful guy. He and his staff were kind enough to lend us instruments on many ocassions since we lived in California and hated to try to fly our acoustics on the airlines when we came to Nashville for shows. I did an interview in his "back room" at the custom shop (which was a drool fest for me and the guys in my band) and he blew me away when he let me use a Guild acoutic that I can't remember the model (it had the hand-carved heel and the abalone "tree of life" inlays all over the neck) for an important gig. That was one of the sweetest guitars I've ever played.
So it's great to be among you. I love my Guilds and share your love of them. Thanks for starting this forum!
Marc Corey Lee
-----------------
F-50
F-412
JF-30
