Acoustic guitars have been hugely important in almost every musical style since their invention. One of the top manufacturers in the United States for quality acoustic guitars is the Guild Guitar Company. Guild guitars are renowned for their quality wood types and hand wound pickups. Guild guitars are available in acoustic and electric versions, but the company is best known for their acoustic product line. Alfred Dronge started the Guild Guitar Company in 1952. The company started out in New York City and later moved to New Jersey and then Rhode Island. During the course of the company’s history, many notable musicians regarded the Guild guitars very highly. John Denver, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton are just a very few of the famous musicians who played the acoustic guitars made by Guild. Two of the most popular acoustic Guild guitar models are the F50 and the D50.
Guild guitars are also manufactured in solid body and hollow body electric versions. The Guild Starfire is the most prominently successful of the electric guitars offered by Guild. Creedence Clearwater Revival guitarists were avid fans of the Guild Starfire, and the guitar could be seen on the cover of their album Cosmo’s Factory.
Guild guitars were well known for their quality craftsmanship, beauty and warm tone. This was partly due to the individual manufacturers of Guild guitars. The company founder, Alfred Dronge, started the company with a group of Italian immigrants. During that time, Italy was well known for superior musical instrument quality. Often times, one individual would be responsible for the manufacturing of a single guitar. This led to a reputation of durability for Guild guitars.
In addition to having tremendous value, durability, sound and craftsmanship, Guild guitars were affordable for beginner guitarists. Besides rock and roll musicians, jazz musicians largely favored the Guild guitars, as well. Jazz performers were fans of the archtop acoustic guitars while acoustic flattop designs and electric guitars were more favorable to rock and roll and folk musicians.
The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation purchased the Guild Guitar Company in 1995. Fender guitars had already made quite a name for itself in the guitar industry, and the acquisition of Guild guitars helped boost the sales of Fender’s acoustic guitars. Fender brought out a new Guild guitar series in 2005 that was built in China. The Chinese built models were the Guild GAD acoustic guitars. Korean built Guild guitars were also manufactured for awhile. DeArmond was the brand name for Korean built Guild guitars.
Guild guitars are now built in Tacoma, Washington. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation also purchased the Tacoma Guitar Company and moved production of Guild guitars to the Tacoma factory. The factory is now one of the largest acoustic guitar manufacturers in the United States. Guild guitars still feature the innovative and original designs that set them apart of the beginning of the guitar revolution. The all-time favorite models that made the Guild guitars famous are also still available, and they still feature the craftsmanship, durability and affordability that started the company on the road to success.
