When you hear the name Guild, the first thing that comes to mind are the unique players who chose a Guild as their go-to instrument from Mississippi John Hurt and Richie Havens to the newer musicians like St. Vincent. Guild as a brand has always been considered something of a third rail in the acoustic and electric instrument market. Not garnering the same amount of press as the other two major competitors (Martin and Gibson), Guild established itself as a rogue entity that was sought out for its distinct tone and playability. Musicians wanted something outside of the box literally. We have more people come into the shop to reminisce about the Guild guitar they owned in the 60’s and 70’s than any other brand. Guild has created a loyal following from being an outsider.
The Guild brand established its reputation early on when original owner Alfred Dronge paired up with George Mann to build a full line of guitars in 1952. Throughout the rise, boom, decline and resurgence of acoustic popularity over the sixty years, the Guild brand always managed to maintain an elevated sense of respect within the community of musicians who played them.
In 2014, Cordoba, a well-established manufacturer of classical guitars and ukuleles based in California, purchased the Guild brand from Fender. The buzz on the social media and chat forums for Guild since this purchase has exhibited a renewed sense of musician curiosity… What does this change in ownership mean for the beloved Guild brand?
Cordoba’s intentions are honorable; “Guild is an iconic American brand with a rich heritage and we’re truly excited and honored to be the ones to move it forward. It’s a great complement to our current position in the acoustic guitar market and provides opportunities for growth in new categories.” said Cordoba Music Group President Jon Thomas. “We will continue to make instruments of exceptional quality in the USA, and look forward to giving one of the industry’s great American brands a new home.”
From our conversations with management, marketing and sales at Cordoba, we are confident that Guild is in good hands and that the company is going to move forward in a quality manner. There is a clear commitment to making sure Guild is given the space and the facilities they need in order to not only maintain their reputation, but to enhance their ability to make new meaningful strides in bringing back old popular version of Guilds. As such, we’ve replenished our GAD line of Guild’s here at Maple Leaf Music. This solid wood imported line of guitars are a great value for any musician who is looking for good tone at under $1,000. In early summer 2015, Maple Leaf Music will be receiving our first shipment of the American made line of Guilds. We have several of the classic Guild models on order and plan to continue pairing these guitars with players who love them or are just discovering them for the first time.
