My connection to Guild

[slow944s]

I googled "Guild Guitar History and read the Guild Bio. I didn't know that the company I went to work for in 2004 had owned Guild Guitars Inc from 1966 to 1995 when they sold them to Fender. Avnet Electronics!! OMGuild!!! I worked for them until 2007 when our division was sold to Calence LLC, and then in 09 to the company we are today Insight Enterprise Inc. Sponsers of the Insight Bowl in Phoenix. WOW, no wonder the Guild felt so good in my hands, it had found a co-worker. Gotta go play the Guild now.........slow944s

 

[Nigel Wickwire]

Interesting connection........there never seems to be much discussion of Avnet, hereabouts. They certainly don't seem to bring out the abhorrence and vile reaction that Fender does from the LTG faithful. I wonder why that is?


~nw

 

[taabru45]

Nobody knew??? :? Steffan

 

[Nigel Wickwire]

Old Testament, Book of Hans, Chapter 3, verse 15 and I quoth, "verily I say unto you, on this day in April 11th 1966 Avnet Inc., a major producer of electronic components, part and supplies announced an agreement to acquire the Guild Musical Instrument Corporation".

The deal was sealed with the sacrifice of many goats, sheep and chickens.


~nw

 

[hansmoust]

I googled "Guild Guitar History and read the Guild Bio. I didn't know that the company I went to work for in 2004 had owned Guild Guitars Inc from 1966 to 1995 when they sold them to Fender. Avnet Electronics!! OMGuild!!!

Hello slow944s,

Welcome!

Don't want to burst your bubble but the Guild history you've been researching is missing some bits and pieces. Fender (FMIC) did not buy Guild from Avnet. Avnet sold Guild in 1986 to a group of investors from the South, who subsequently sold it to the FAAS Corporation and after a name change to US Music, they eventually sold it to FMIC at the end of 1995.

That's it in a nutshell!

Old Testament, Book of Hans, Chapter 3, verse 15 and I quoth, "verily I say unto you, on this day in April 11th 1966 Avnet Inc., a major producer of electronic components, part and supplies announced an agreement to acquire the Guild Musical Instrument Corporation".

The deal was sealed with the sacrifice of many goats, sheep and chickens. ~nw

Yes, and you would get 3 extra free drinks if you were circumcised; this was checked at the door!
(I have a feeling this last part is in the wrong forum category).


Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[taabru45]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Ridgemont]

Well then a Guild ain't a Guild unless it was made before 1966!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm kidding...

 

[cjd-player]

The deal was sealed with the sacrifice of many ... sheep ...

DO NOT tell that to coastie! :shock: :shock:

 

[slow944s]

Thanks Hans; You are correct that the history on google was a little short. But I read that the move to Westerly RI. was after Avnet bought them, is this correct? Thanks again.....slow944s.

 

[hansmoust]

But I read that the move to Westerly RI. was after Avnet bought them, is this correct? Thanks again.....slow944s.

Yes, production in Westerly started about a year after Avnet bought Guild but it took till 1969 before the entire production was moved to the new location.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[adorshki]

Interesting connection........there never seems to be much discussion of Avnet, hereabouts. They certainly don't seem to bring out the abhorrence and vile reaction that Fender does from the LTG faithful. I wonder why that is?
~nw

Avnet moved 'em into Westerly. They were the good guys! Actually a component distributor buying a company that made electric guitars probably seemed like a good idea at the time when diversification was a corporate mantra. And you could sell chips at cost to your own company. I actually worked in a Silicon Valley branch of Avnet in '79-81, sold mil-spec components to Lockheed for black boxes for the nascent shuttle...it was kinda fascinating. Also sold stuff to Dan Healy the Grateful Dead's sound man, they were on permanent COD :lol: . Then there were these guys working out of a garage and selling kits for something called an "Apple" computer. The graphics on their literature was like something out of the Farmer's Almanac and Whole Earth catalog. Nobody thought those longhairs were gonna amount to anything....they kept going on credit hold! :lol: