Model · Guild
Stuart series
A Guild archtop, introduced 1956[1]. Built on the Guild USA line.
How it changed
No changes to this model’s spec are on record yet. If you know one and have a source, send it with Suggest an edit at the top right.
Who owned it and where it was built
The eras of the Guild USA line in the years this model was made. No end year is on record, so the last row runs as far as the line does. The model rides on its line: when the owner or the plant changed, it changed for this model too.
| Years | Owner | Parent | Plant |
|---|
| 1956–1966[2, 3, 4, 5, 6] | Alfred Dronge / Guild Guitars, New York | — | Guild Hoboken |
| 1966–1971[6, 3, 7, 8, 9, 5] | Avnet, Inc. | — | Guild Hoboken |
| 1967–1986[6, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1] | Avnet, Inc. | — | Guild Westerly |
| 1986–1989[11, 3, 8, 12, 10, 1] | Management/investor group incl. George Gruhn (legal name unverified) | — | Guild Westerly |
| 1989–1995[11, 3, 8, 10, 1] | FAAS Corporation (renamed U.S. Music Corp. 1993) | — | Guild Westerly |
| 1995–2001[13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 4, 8, 18, 19, 10, 1] | Fender Musical Instruments Corporation | Schultz-led investor group (William Schultz, Fender employees and outside investors incl. Servco Pacific) | Guild Westerly |
| 2001–2004[13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 4, 8, 19, 18, 10, 1] | Fender Musical Instruments Corporation | Weston Presidio (private equity funds) | Fender Corona |
| 2004–2008[13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 4, 8, 19, 18, 10, 1] | Fender Musical Instruments Corporation | Weston Presidio (private equity funds) | Guild Tacoma |
| 2008–2009[13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 4, 8, 19, 18] | Fender Musical Instruments Corporation | Weston Presidio (private equity funds) | No plant |
| 2009–2012[13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 4, 8, 19, 18, 1] | Fender Musical Instruments Corporation | Weston Presidio (private equity funds) | New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant) |
| 2012–2014[13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 4, 8, 18, 19, 1] | Fender Musical Instruments Corporation | Servco Pacific Inc. and TPG Growth (equal partners in Fender) | New Hartford CT (Kaman/Ovation plant) |
| 2014–2015[20, 15, 21] | Cordoba Music Group, LLC | — | No plant |
| 2015–2023[20, 15, 21, 22, 23, 1] | Cordoba Music Group, LLC | — | Guild Oxnard |
| 2023–now[20, 15, 21, 24, 25, 26, 22, 23, 1] | Cordoba Music Group, LLC | Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. | Guild Oxnard |
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 facts it was derived from. A fact marked “no source” has no claim attached yet.
- 1
Wikipedia: wiki/Guild Guitar Companygraded community- In late 2001, Fender decided to shut down the Westerly factoryEra: Guild USA, 1967–1986
- moved all Guild production to its factory in Corona, CaliforniaEra: Guild USA, 2001–2004
- Fender acquired the assets of Washington-based Tacoma Guitar Company in 2004, and moved all American Guild acoustic guitar production to Tacoma, WashingtonEra: Guild USA, 2004–2008
- "began production in early 2009, starting with the top-end D-55 and F-50"Era: Guild USA, 2009–2012
- In the late spring/early summer of 2014, Fender's New Hartford Guild facility closed its doorsEra: Guild USA, 2009–2012
- Córdoba started production in late 2015, releasing its first models (M-20 and D-20) in early 2016.Era: Guild USA, 2015–2023
- 2
- 3
Guild (manufacturer history) - Blue Book of Guitar Valuesgraded secondary- Guild was founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge (who did hire great guitar builders).Era: Guild USA, 1956–1966
- In 1966, electronic parts producer Avnet Inc. bought Guild Musical Instruments, and Alfred Dronge stayed on as president.