They owned the brand until 1995 (when it was sold to Fender - correct me if I'm wrong)
So allow me to correct you... Avnet did not own Guild until 1995. Here is the timeline after Avnet:
Already in August 1986 Avnet had sold Guild to a group of investors:
"
In mid August of 1986, Avnet sold Guild to a management/investment group from New England and Tennessee. Officers of the newly formed Guild Music Corporation included company President Jerre R. Haskew (previously Chief Executive Officer and President of the Commerce Union Bank of Chattanooga Tennessee), Executive Vice President of Plant and Operations George A. Hammerstrom, and Executive Vice President of Product Development and Artist Relations George Gruhn (Gruhn later left the company in early 1988)."
And they sold Guild to FAAS Corporation (Chuck Faas) which changed name to U.S. Music Corporation.
"
Unfortunately, the remaining members of the investment group (Gruhn had already left) defaulted on bank obligations in November of 1988, leading to a court supervised financial restructuring. The Faas Corporation of New Berlin, Wisconsin (renamed to U.S. Music Corporation) bought Guild in January 1989."
FMIC bought Guild from U.S. Music Corporation in
November 1995.
And since I'm at it, let's continue:
In
2001 FMIC moved Guild production from Westerly, RI to Corona, CA. The last guitar finished in Westerly was an
Artist Award Benedetto prior to the permanent closing on August 31, 2001. The last remaining employees closed the door in Westerly in December 2001.
FMIC acquired the Tacoma Guitar Company on
October, 7th 2004.
Production of Guild guitars in Tacoma started "
after February 2005" (info in Guild serial number list).
Regarding the move from Tacoma to New Hartford:
"
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – (Jan 31, 2008 ) Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) announced today it will move production of Guild Guitars from Tacoma, Wash. to its newly acquired Ovation and Hamer Guitar manufacturing facility in New Hartford, Conn. The move will take place as a phased operational transfer, expected to be completed before the end of the year.
FMIC’s recent (Dec. 31, 2007) acquisition of Bloomfield, Conn. based Kaman Music Corp. also included the purchase of KMC’s Ovation and Hamer guitar brands, and their manufacturing facility in New Hartford, Conn."
Actual Guild production in New Hartford did not start until
2009 (and all production guitars came out of Tacoma until then).
And in
May 2014 FMIC sold Guild to Cordoba Music Group.
"
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (May 6, 2014) – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) announced today that it has finalized a letter of intent to sell the Guild guitar brand and related assets to Cordoba Music Group, the manufacturer of Cordoba acoustic guitars, ukuleles and accessories."
The Guild factory in New Hartford closed end of May 2014 (last guitar finished was an
American Patriarch X-500) and all equipment was moved to Oxnard, CA afterwards.
In
December 2015, the first M-20 and D-20 were produced out of the Oxnard, CA factory and were shipped out of the factory in
April 2016. Oxnard serial number C160001 was a D-20.
And YGG acquired 100 % of the equity interest of CMG in
February 2023:
"
CALABASAS, CA—February 6, 2023 – Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Yamaha Corporation, today announced the acquisition of Córdoba Music Group."
It was "Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc." (YGG) (formerly "
Line 6"), the U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Yamaha Corporation which has acquired 100 % of the equity interest of Cordoba Music Group, LCC (CMG), making it a sub-subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation in Japan. Cordoba as well as Guild and DeArmond and HumiCase are
brands of CMG. Also included are the US distruibution rights for Savarez and Aquila strings.
So Guild is now a division of a sub-subsidiary (CMG and YGG) of Yamaha Corporation but still operates under
CMG.
Ralf
)
