Lack of Guilds in the wild?

[rscottmurray]

I dropped by Carter Vintage the last time I was in Nashville and was surprised to find zero Guild acoustics on the floor. there was only one Guild in the store and it was electric. are Guilds that rare on the marketplace, or is there some other reason for the lack of representation at one of Nashville's biggest acoustic guitar dealers?

 

[adorshki]

I dropped by Carter Vintage the last time I was in Nashville and was surprised to find zero Guild acoustics on the floor. there was only one Guild in the store and it was electric. are Guilds that rare on the marketplace, or is there some other reason for the lack of representation at one of Nashville's biggest acoustic guitar dealers?

Hi RScott, welcome aboard!
Guild was never as big as Gibson or Martin even in its '70's heydey. Then multiple closures in sequence with months-long lapses between production resumption further aggravated the situation. US production has been dwindling for years. Thus the paucity of new US-built product, let alone vintage/used which folks around here have been noticing for years.

On the other hand a search for one of the more popular models rarely lasts more than a couple of months.

 

[fronobulax]

I dropped by Carter Vintage the last time I was in Nashville and was surprised to find zero Guild acoustics on the floor. there was only one Guild in the store and it was electric. are Guilds that rare on the marketplace, or is there some other reason for the lack of representation at one of Nashville's biggest acoustic guitar dealers?

Welcome. Production numbers can explain a lot. There are more Martins and Gibsons in the marketplace than Guilds so it stands to reason they would be less represented at a vintage dealer that is not specializing. There is also a perception issue. People who have little or no experience with Guilds tend to underrate them. People who have to deal with a market that underrates them may choose to stock something with better profit potential. While Nashville may be a music capital of the world there are not a lot of Guilds on stage which means less interest in Guilds and fewer Guilds in the local market.

The folks at Carter may think that Guilds are among the finest instruments in the world but Carter is a store, not a museum, so they can't tie up too capital in instruments that won't sell quickly in their market.

Or it could be that Carter just cant keep them in stock and they sell within hours of arrival

 

[Guildedagain]

are Guilds that rare on the marketplace

Yes, and always have been. And if it wasn't for the Chinese ones there would be a cajillion less of them out them, the reissues and all, more Guilds out now than ever and still going to every guitar store/pawn shop in town yesterday not one Guild, and that's normal. Seeing a Guild would be abnormal.

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I can't remember the last time that I saw a new American built Guild at a guitar shop.
It would have to be back in the late 70's when I purchased my D-212.

 

[kitniyatran]

Welcome. Production numbers can explain a lot. There are more Martins and Gibsons in the marketplace than Guilds so it stands to reason they would be less represented at a vintage dealer that is not specializing. There is also a perception issue. People who have little or no experience with Guilds tend to underrate them. People who have to deal with a market that underrates them may choose to stock something with better profit potential. While Nashville may be a music capital of the world there are not a lot of Guilds on stage which means less interest in Guilds and fewer Guilds in the local market.

The folks at Carter may think that Guilds are among the finest instruments in the world but Carter is a store, not a museum, so they can't tie up too capital in instruments that won't sell quickly in their market.

Or it could be that Carter just cant keep them in stock and they sell within hours of arrival

I've watched some YouTube videos lately from Alamo guitars in San Antonio and they say that very thing: when they get the Guild D50's and the D40's they can't keep them in long enough to do demo videos with them.

 

[Guildedagain]

I found one used Guild over the years at local pawnshops and I bought it on the spot, guess I was a pretty fart smeller even back then.

My 1970 D35, from the way back machine, the noughties, 2 days before Xmas 2003 it looks like.

I fiddled with it until I made it sing like a bird, then sold it because acoustic guitars sadly help me realize how terrible my playing is. Went to the UK, to a bandmate's of Dave Davies just ahead of some recording project/tour.

 

[wileypickett]

You might have to beat the bushes a bit, but they're out there -- my guitar room is testament to that!

 

[jeffcoop]

Local shop Reno's Music used to carry American Guilds==indeed, for a while they sold their own line of New Hartford Custom Shop Guilds with star inlays and headstock logos. But they ended their relationship with Guild when Cordoba took over. I haven't seen a USA Guild in a shop around here in years, though admittedly I don't get to shops very often these days.

Eight/nine years ago I played regularly at an open mic where there were usually four or five Guilds, more Guilds than Martins or Gibsons. Except for mine, though, all of the Guilds were from the 20th century.

 

[Guildedagain]

Local CL is doing well on Guild, always a few, and gorgeous black Bluesbird in Seattle right now, lots of acoustics.

 

[Br1ck]

Yamaha will take care of the lack of dealers. But older Guilds will always be scarce because there weren't many to begin with. Hopefully Yamaha wants to support US Guilds, not eliminate them.

 

[jeffcoop]

Hopefully Yamaha wants to support US Guilds, not eliminate them.

This is the big, unanswered question, isn't it?

 

[Theblues15]

When I got my 66 starfire from Carters a month ago they had at least a handful of each electrics and acoustics. 10 tops probably and i had to ask where they were, business must have been good past few weeks

 

[rscottmurray]

interesting. I guess their inventory fluctuates, but it's strange they went from having just one in the store to 10.

I appreciate the replies.

 

[Theblues15]

interesting. I guess their inventory fluctuates, but it's strange they went from having just one in the store to 10.

I appreciate the replies.

Just checked their website looks like there are 6 in stock

 

[Br1ck]

Isn't their website both in store and Reverb like listings now? I can't remember who it was, but wasn't there a member who bought, fixed and sold Guilds on his own website? I've come to realize what a decent deal buying an older guitar already fix by a good shop repair guy is. Not cheap, but not a crapshoot either.

 

[davenumber2]

Isn't their website both in store and Reverb like listings now? I can't remember who it was, but wasn't there a member who bought, fixed and sold Guilds on his own website? I've come to realize what a decent deal buying an older guitar already fix by a good shop repair guy is. Not cheap, but not a crapshoot either.

https://guildacoustics.com/blakes-guilds

 

[Wellington]

For reference, I have never seen a Guild in the wild in a store besides one small shop 6 hrs away that just Closed its doors.

 

[Westerly Wood]

https://guildacoustics.com/blakes-guilds

dang, Blake has some sweet Guild acoustics as of late.