Here's a question: I've heard of at least two factories that have manufactured Guild guitars, Westerly and Hoboken. First, are there other factories in other places? Also, is one of these factories considered to produce better guitars than the others?
Factories
- Thread starter chadt
- Start date
There are lots of rumors and bandwagoning about which factory is/was Guild's heyday, but the reality is that Guild has maintained relatively good quality in all its (US) locations. So, "better" is usually not a term that we usually use around here if we're discussing guitars dispassionately.
Have a look through GAD's blog to get a picture of the timeline:
Have a look through GAD's blog to get a picture of the timeline:
Guild Guitar Factories | GAD's Ramblings
I think we as guitarists tend to think of guitar factories as glorious magical places where our favorite instruments are born. Reality paints a different picture, however, because guitars aren’t born. Guitars are made, and they’re made in factories. A random question on a forum made me wonder...
www.gad.net
Thanks!There are lots of rumors and bandwagoning about which factory is/was Guild's heyday, but the reality is that Guild has maintained relatively good quality in all its (US) locations. So, "better" is usually not a term that we usually use around here if we're discussing guitars dispassionately.
Have a look through GAD's blog to get a picture of the timeline:
Guild Guitar Factories | GAD's Ramblings
I think we as guitarists tend to think of guitar factories as glorious magical places where our favorite instruments are born. Reality paints a different picture, however, because guitars aren’t born. Guitars are made, and they’re made in factories. A random question on a forum made me wonder...www.gad.net
If you find a specific guitar you're interested in, Chad, we can usually give you any dirt on anything that should be avoided, etc.
Br1ck
Senior Member
To me the defining criteria is the weight of the build. After around 73 Guilds began a beefier construction. I prefer a lighter guitar. I have decades of blank spots in my knowledge, but into the eighties and nineties, Westerly guitars were on the heavy side for me. I'm not saying one is better or worse. Tacoma, well I have no knowledge. New Hartford guitars I've played were back to lighter build. Oxfords, I'm clueless. I'd define the Westerly years as light and heavier eras.
For certain I have liked every 12 string and D 55 I've ever played regardless. As always, play the guitars.
For certain I have liked every 12 string and D 55 I've ever played regardless. As always, play the guitars.
Well said, Br1ck. Yes, it was around the mid-70s that Westerly builds got heavier. The lightening of the guitars really began in Tacoma, as I recall; I don't think Corona had those changes on their plate, but Tacoma certainly did. For example, in 2007, Tacoma was able to implement the change to take the two truss-rod design of the 12-string necks to one truss rod flanked by carbon rods. This was then taken to its ultimate form by New Hartford where they had the coolest multi-axis neck milling machine I've ever seen (part of their Ovation history).
It's worth noting that one of the reasons Fender shut down Tacoma was that Tacoma's tool shop (among other things) was not up to the high frequency of change orders that the corporate luthiers were making to Guild. New Hartford really excelled at that, and that's primarily why Guild ended up there after Fender purchased KMC. Much of this stuff was related to revising the build specs to revert (sort of) to Hoboken or early Westerly production, i.e., "lightening."
It's worth noting that one of the reasons Fender shut down Tacoma was that Tacoma's tool shop (among other things) was not up to the high frequency of change orders that the corporate luthiers were making to Guild. New Hartford really excelled at that, and that's primarily why Guild ended up there after Fender purchased KMC. Much of this stuff was related to revising the build specs to revert (sort of) to Hoboken or early Westerly production, i.e., "lightening."
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Wasn't the whole point of the DV series to make them more like the old ones? "Vintage voiced" and all?
I think the distinction, GAD, is that Westerly created the DVs / JVs as a separate series. I'm not sure if their intent was to "make 'em like we used to make 'em" or just do something new with a vintage voice... The change orders I am referring to with respect to Fender's post-Westerly years were to the existing models that had gotten heavy in the '70s. I may be overstating the difference here, but that was my take on it when I discussed the situation with the New Hartford gang.