Guilds at Yamaha dealers?
- Thread starter Br1ck
- Start date
from the Guild website:
*Select Guild Guitars are not yet available in stores, but we’d be happy to provide you with more information and status updates in the time leading up to their release dates. In the form below, please select “Pre-Order”. In the Message box, please provide your address and the model you’re interested in. Thank you!
… and this continues to be the story / situation in my area.
If I were giving any thought to buying new, I’d need to drive at least 2 hours to even find a limited sampling of US made Guild’s.
*Select Guild Guitars are not yet available in stores, but we’d be happy to provide you with more information and status updates in the time leading up to their release dates. In the form below, please select “Pre-Order”. In the Message box, please provide your address and the model you’re interested in. Thank you!
… and this continues to be the story / situation in my area.
If I were giving any thought to buying new, I’d need to drive at least 2 hours to even find a limited sampling of US made Guild’s.
LesB3
Member
I haven't honestly seen a *new* USA Guild in the wild anywhere, though a dealer (somewhat) near me does have three in stock at the moment, an F-40E and two D-20's. The big box stores and the mom-and-pop down the street all stock export only.
Yeah, that is (sadly) the case. I'm hoping (pure conjecture) that Yamaha ownership help grease the skids for the US-built Guilds. Cross your fingers. I see no signs yet.
fronobulax
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I am comfortable in saying New Hartford never produced more than 5000 Guilds in a year. I am willing to extrapolate, in the absence of data to the contrary, that Oxnard production is similar.
So, to make the math real easy, that is less than ten new Guilds per USA state per month. It should be no surprise that they are hard to find in stores. Things get worse if you make the math more realistic since we know some production goes to dealers in Europe and some sales are online and so the instruments never make it into stores.
For perspective, it is claimed that Martin makes 150,000 guitars a year. Thirty times more! Westerly had one year in the 60's where they "used" about 25,000 serial numbers (which includes electrics). So by comparison Oxnard Guilds are rare and it is reasonable to expect they will be hard to find until production ramps up significantly.
This can be awkward for people who still expect MIA Guilds to be commodity guitars, widely available and unsurpassed in "bang for the buck". The commodity component of Guild's lineup has shifted to overseas production and the fact that new non-Oxnard Guilds are generally available reinforces that shift.
So, to make the math real easy, that is less than ten new Guilds per USA state per month. It should be no surprise that they are hard to find in stores. Things get worse if you make the math more realistic since we know some production goes to dealers in Europe and some sales are online and so the instruments never make it into stores.
For perspective, it is claimed that Martin makes 150,000 guitars a year. Thirty times more! Westerly had one year in the 60's where they "used" about 25,000 serial numbers (which includes electrics). So by comparison Oxnard Guilds are rare and it is reasonable to expect they will be hard to find until production ramps up significantly.
This can be awkward for people who still expect MIA Guilds to be commodity guitars, widely available and unsurpassed in "bang for the buck". The commodity component of Guild's lineup has shifted to overseas production and the fact that new non-Oxnard Guilds are generally available reinforces that shift.
adorshki
Reverential Member
They must have upped their inventory budget.
Westerly Wood
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and I try to not pick them up to try them out, but when I do, I immediately place them back. the MIC guilds that are not GADs are just not the same. I would rather save some cash to get an old Westerly off reverb.
Br1ck
Senior Member
There seems to be little visible evidence that Yamaha owns Guild. Perhaps Yamaha is the rare company to leave well enough alone, or maybe Guild is selling all they can make and it wouldn't do to increase dealership without a production bump. Id imagine all new models are run by Yamaha management. We just don't know anything about anything.
GGJaguar
Reverential Member
If we knew, we'd know. But we don't.
fronobulax
Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods
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True, but wait. Watching mergers and acquisitions in other industries suggests to me that it takes about 12 months before the customers can actually observe changes made by the new owner.
Except for CBS. Everybody knew Fender products had immediately turned to junk the instant the ink on the sale dried. That included the products that were in retail shops the day of the purchase
midnightright
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The good news for me locally, is this--that the music store in the mall (band instruments - high school) now sells American Guilds as well, in addition to those made overseas that they've had for centuries~ / slight exaggeration! They used to carry them in the '90s, but then switched or changed over to Martin ever since. Now, it seems they've swapped out - or, "back" again.
Westerly Wood
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My local GC, which carries Yamahas, carries only MIC Guilds. And no electrics.
Br1ck
Senior Member
Martin can't keep dealers stocked with D 18s, so expecting any expansion is unrealistic. Would we really want to see Guild double production with all the attendant problems? Remember how excruciatingly slow they were to make all those models we wanted? If Yamaha wants to do that, they certainly know how. I'd imagine baby steps as new people are trained.
Our local music store is a Yamaha dealer. Guitars aren't even their main emphasis, they mostly cater to band instruments. That said, I was in there last month picking up some strings, they have good prices on Elixir strings, and I asked if they were going to start carrying Guilds and the store manager said that it wasn't something they were going to jump on. It was a maybe someday. I'm guessing if they do, it will be the Westerly collection and not the USA made Guilds.
adorshki
Reverential Member
Why the assumption of new people? Oxnard never closed.
RBSinTo
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To add to this discussion, neither of the two music stores I frequent here in Toronto stock Guild guitars, although one (Cosmo Music) does carry Yamaha instruments.
The other, (The Twelfth Fret) stocks neither Guild nor Yamaha, but does, oddly enough have two used Guilds, one acoustic and one electric for sale on consignment.
Both LA Music stores, and Remenyi House of Music, in Toronto do stock both Guild and Yamaha guitars.
And there is at least one other high end music store here that I visited a few years ago, but can't recall if they stock either Guilds or Yamahas.
RBSinTo
The other, (The Twelfth Fret) stocks neither Guild nor Yamaha, but does, oddly enough have two used Guilds, one acoustic and one electric for sale on consignment.
Both LA Music stores, and Remenyi House of Music, in Toronto do stock both Guild and Yamaha guitars.
And there is at least one other high end music store here that I visited a few years ago, but can't recall if they stock either Guilds or Yamahas.
RBSinTo
Cougar
Enlightened Member
Hey, welcome to LTG, Guild Man!
As for my "local" GC, living in the forest as I do, it's 90 miles away, in a different state.
Br1ck
Senior Member
Want to increase production to provide a bunch of Yamaha dealers product? How else would you increase capacity?
This is going to be tricky for Yamaha. Would they want Import Guilds to dilute from Chinese Yamahas? I imagine when contracts run out, they will produce Guilds in their Chinese plant. The nicer Yamahas compete with US Guilds too. Tricky waters for them.