Which Guild is it?

The name Guild has been on guitars since 1952no source. Over that time it has had 6 controlling companies and has been built at 10 places, 3 of them outside the USA. Which version you hold depends on the year and the serial number.

6owners
10build sites
3outside the USA
OwnerPlant in the USAPlant outside the USADisputed version
Controls the nameowner of the brand
USAbuilt in the USA · from 1952no source
DeArmond (Korea)imported · from 1998no source
GAD (China)imported · from 2000no source
Westerly Collection (China)imported · from 2015no source
←

Pick any bar on the neck. The card shows the dates, the quoted passage behind them and the source, and any rival version of the same date.

Reading the neck

Each decade is a fret. The top strips show who controlled the name. The strips below them show where each product line was built, one group per line.

Hatched strips with a country stamp are plants outside the USA. Outlined strips are versions of a date that sources disagree on; they sit in the same place as the version they compete with.

The stamp on a card is the grade of the sources behind the dates, from primary company documents to community posts. Every card shows the passage it rests on.

Where it was built

Every plant on record, overseas ones first, with the product lines each one built. Press play to watch the brand move: lit plants were building that year, faded ones had already been left behind.

All years

Showing every plant on record. Press play to watch Guild change hands and move, from 1952 to today.

10 plants, 3 outside the USA

  1. Chinese GAD builder (Guild; builder unverified)CN

    Chinano source
    • GAD (China)2000–now[14]

  2. Chinese Westerly Collection factory partners (Guild; unverified)CN

    Chinano source
    • Westerly Collection (China)2015–now[15]

  3. Korean DeArmond builder (Guild; builder unverified)KR

    South Koreano source
    • DeArmond (Korea)1998–now[13]

  4. Fender CoronaUS

    Corona, CA, USAno source2 brands
    • USA2001–2004[10]

  5. Guild HobokenUS

    Hoboken, NJ, USAno source
    • USA1956–1971[9, 3]

  6. Guild NYC workshopUS

    New York, NY, USAno source
    • USA1952–1956[1]

  7. Guild OxnardUS

    Oxnard, CA, USAno source
    • USA2015–now[12]

  8. Guild TacomaUS

    Tacoma, WA, USAno source
    • USA2004–2008[10]
    • USA (disputed)2005–2008[1]

  9. Guild WesterlyUS

    Westerly, RI, USAno source
    • USA1967–2001[10]
    • USA (disputed)1969–2001[1]

  10. New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant)US

    New Hartford, CT, USAno source2 brands
    • USA2009–2014[11]

Eras

An era is a stretch of one product line where the controlling company and the plant stay the same. These rows are computed from the dated ownership and production facts, never typed in. 22 eras

LineYearsControlled byBuilt atGrade · sources
Guild USA1952 – 1956Alfred Dronge / Guild Guitars, New YorkGuild NYC workshopsecondary[1]
Guild USA1956 – 1966Alfred Dronge / Guild Guitars, New YorkGuild Hobokensecondary[1, 9, 3]
Guild USA1966 – 1971Avnet, Inc.Guild Hobokensecondary[3, 9]
Guild USA1967 – 1986Avnet, Inc.Guild Westerlysecondary[3, 10]
Guild USA1986 – 1988Management/investor group incl. George Gruhn (legal name unverified)Guild Westerlysecondary[4, 10]
Guild USA1988 – 1995FAAS Corporation (renamed U.S. Music Corp. 1993)Guild Westerlysecondary[1, 10]
Guild USA1995 – 2001Fender Musical Instruments CorporationGuild Westerlycommunity[5, 6, 2, 10]
Guild USA2001 – 2004Fender Musical Instruments CorporationFender Coronacommunity[5, 6, 2, 10]
Guild USA2004 – 2008Fender Musical Instruments CorporationGuild Tacomacommunity[5, 6, 2, 10]
Guild USA2008 – 2009Fender Musical Instruments Corporationno plant on recordcommunity[5, 6, 2]
Guild USA2009 – 2014Fender Musical Instruments CorporationNew Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant)community[5, 6, 2, 11]
Guild USA2014 – 2015Cordoba Music Group, LLCno plant on recordprimary[7]
Guild USA2015 – 2023Cordoba Music Group, LLCGuild Oxnardsecondary[7, 12]
Guild USA2023 – nowCordoba Music Group, LLC
parent: Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.		Guild Oxnardsecondary[7, 8, 12]
Guild DeArmond (Korea)1998 – 2014Fender Musical Instruments CorporationKorean DeArmond builder (Guild; builder unverified) KRcommunity[5, 6, 2, 13]
Guild DeArmond (Korea)2014 – 2023Cordoba Music Group, LLCKorean DeArmond builder (Guild; builder unverified) KRcommunity[7, 13]
Guild DeArmond (Korea)2023 – nowCordoba Music Group, LLC
parent: Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.		Korean DeArmond builder (Guild; builder unverified) KRcommunity[7, 8, 13]
Guild GAD (China)2000 – 2014Fender Musical Instruments CorporationChinese GAD builder (Guild; builder unverified) CNcommunity[5, 6, 2, 14]
Guild GAD (China)2014 – 2023Cordoba Music Group, LLCChinese GAD builder (Guild; builder unverified) CNcommunity[7, 14]
Guild GAD (China)2023 – nowCordoba Music Group, LLC
parent: Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.		Chinese GAD builder (Guild; builder unverified) CNcommunity[7, 8, 14]
Guild Westerly Collection (China)2015 – 2023Cordoba Music Group, LLCChinese Westerly Collection factory partners (Guild; unverified) CNcommunity[7, 15]
Guild Westerly Collection (China)2023 – nowCordoba Music Group, LLC
parent: Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.		Chinese Westerly Collection factory partners (Guild; unverified) CNcommunity[7, 8, 15]

Models and materials

Notable models by year introduced, and what a part was made of on a line and when that changed.

YearModelLineGrade · sources
1954First electric archtop · archtopGuild USAunverified[11]
1956Artist Award archtop · archtopGuild USAunverified[11]
1956Stuart series · archtopGuild USAunverified[11]
1969D-40 · acousticGuild USAunverified[11]
1972S-100 Polara · electricGuild USAunverified[11]
1999X700 · archtopGuild USAunverified[11]
1999Benedetto-redesigned Artist Award · archtopGuild USAunverified[11]

Guild year by year

Pick the year your Guild was built to see who owned the name and which plant built each line that year.

1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s

Compare Guild with

Where Guild was built

Sources

Every numbered marker on this page points here: the document, its grade and the passages relied on. An era is computed, so it cites the ownership and production facts it was derived from. A fact marked “no source” has no claim attached yet.

  1. 1
    bluebookofguitarvalues: guitar amplifiers/manufacturers/guildgraded secondary
    • "started in 1952 by Alfred Dronge"Alfred Dronge / Guild Guitars, New York, owns, 1952 – 1966
    • "lasted until 1988 when the Faas company… bought them out"FAAS Corporation (renamed U.S. Music Corp. 1993), owns, 1988 – 1995
    • "New York City from 1952 to 56"Guild USA at Guild NYC workshop, 1952 – 1956
    • "moved to Westerly… in 1969"Guild USA at Guild Westerly, 1969 – 2001
    • "bought in 2005"Guild USA at Guild Tacoma, 2005 – 2008
  2. 2
    premierguitar: artists/cordoba music group acquires guildgraded secondary
    • "founded in New York in 1953"Alfred Dronge / Guild Guitars, New York, owns, 1953 – 1966
    • "Upon finalization of the sale, Cordoba Music Group is expected to begin production in Oxnard, Calif."Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, owns, 1995 – 2014
  3. 3
    acousticmusic: research/guitar information/large shop guitar builders/guildgraded secondary
    • "bought by Avnet for about $5,000,000 in July of 1966"Avnet, Inc., owns, 1966 – 1986
    • "By the end of 1971, all factory operations had been transferred to Westerly"Guild USA at Guild Hoboken, 1956 – 1971
  4. 4
    jedistar: guildgraded secondary
    • "1986 Avnett sells to investors including George Gruhn"Management/investor group incl. George Gruhn (legal name unverified), owns, 1986 – 1988
    • "1989 Sold to FAAS Corporation"Management/investor group incl. George Gruhn (legal name unverified), owns, 1986 – 1989
  5. 5
    blogspot: 2025/11/the convoluted history of guild guitars.htmlgraded community
    • "FMIC bought Guild from U.S. Music Corporation in November 1995"Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, owns, 1995 – 2014
  6. 6
    fender: newsroom/news/408graded primary
    • "(May 6, 2014)… letter of intent to sell the Guild guitar brand"Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, owns, 1995 – 2014
  7. 7
    Yamaha Guitar Group press release 2023-02-06graded primary
    • "Guild Guitars… was added to the CMG portfolio in 2014"Cordoba Music Group, LLC, owns, 2014 – present
  8. 8
    yamaha: en/news release/files/news/23020701/pdf/2302070101.pdfgraded primary
    • "acquired the equity interest of Cordoba Music Group, LLC… making it a sub-subsidiary"Cordoba Music Group, LLC under Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc.
  9. 9
    bluebookofguitarvalues: electric guitars/manufacturers/guildgraded secondary
    • "larger workshop in Hoboken… late 1956"Guild USA at Guild Hoboken, 1956 – 1971
  10. 10
    mmone: guild guitarsgraded secondary
    • "opened in 1967 in Westerly"Guild USA at Guild Westerly, 1967 – 2001
    • "moved to Fender's headquarters in Corona… until 2004"Guild USA at Fender Corona, 2001 – 2004
    • "2004, when Fender acquired Tacoma"Guild USA at Guild Tacoma, 2004 – 2008
  11. 11
    Wikipedia: wiki/Guild Guitar Companygraded community
    • "began production in early 2009, starting with the top-end D-55 and F-50"Guild USA at New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant), 2009 – 2014
  12. 12
    guitar: features/a brief history of guild guitarsgraded secondary
    • "begin making acoustics in its Oxnard facility in 2015"Guild USA at Guild Oxnard, 2015 – present
  13. 13
    fandom: wiki/Guild Guitar Companygraded community
    • "manufactured in Korea under the DeArmond brand name"Guild DeArmond (Korea) at Korean DeArmond builder (Guild; builder unverified), 1998 – present
  14. 14
    acousticguitarforum: forums/showthread.php?p=5240671graded community
    • "made at a factory in China under a contract"Guild GAD (China) at Chinese GAD builder (Guild; builder unverified), 2000 – present
  15. 15
    guitarreviewed: posts/7d090c8ea9b256752ae03e3a1476b661graded unverified
    • "made in China by our skilled factory partners"Guild Westerly Collection (China) at Chinese Westerly Collection factory partners (Guild; unverified), 2015 – present
  16. 16
    gretschguitars: 2014/01/ten years of the gretsch custom shopgraded primary
    • "U.S. Gretsch Custom Shop is now located in… Corona, Calif."Fender Musical Instruments Corporation ran Fender Corona, year unknown
  17. 17
    Fender to close Ovation factory in Connecticutgraded secondary
    • "built Ovation… for the last 47 years"Kaman Corporation / Kaman Music Corporation ran New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant), 1966 – 2008
    • "Work… will end by June"Fender Musical Instruments Corporation ran New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant), 2008 – 2014
  18. 18
    glencampbellforums: viewtopic.php?t=341graded community
    • "the factory will resume production in October, 2015"Drum Workshop, Inc. (DW) ran New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant), 2015 – 2020
  19. 19
    Ovation New Hartford reopeninggraded secondary
    • "officially reopened its doors"GEWA music GmbH ran New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant), 2021 – present
  20. 20
    GEWA purchases Ovation Guitarsgraded secondary
    • "Custom Shop will focus on… Adamas models"GEWA music GmbH ran New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant), 2021 – present

Seed data for ten brands from a research report dated 2026-10-14. Every fact carries a numbered citation to its source and, where the report gave one, the quoted passage. Facts with no source yet are marked as such. All facts are still unreviewed. Map positions are city-level placeholders. Plant-to-brand links in Indonesia rest on trade, retail and forum sources; no customs records were found.

Disputed dates are kept as separate rows and left out of the eras until a reviewer settles them.