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Guild pilot help needed
- Thread starter gregnb3
- Start date
Argh!!!
First, FMIC bought Guild in 1995. And despite the common thought that being bought ruins a company, the truth is that Guild has had at LEAST five owners since 1954, and "Fender" (FMIC) has probably done the most to sustain the name and try to market them well... Due to the primitive nature of the Westerly, RI factory, they closed it in 2001 and moved production of all Guild products to Corona, CA. However, they had stopped making the Pilot well before then, maybe even before FMIC bought them. They learned that making the solid body electric Bluesbird guitar went well at Corona, but that making flat-top acoustics was more of a challenge. As FMIC also owned Tacoma, they decided to move production to the Tacoma plant in Washington, but that was only flat-tops. No other product has been in the Guild line since then. The Tacoma plant had some QC issues even before FMIC bought them so they eventually closed it. Guild acoustics are now made in Connecticut, at the factory FMIC acquired when they bought Kaman Music about four(?) years ago. That's the same plant that's been making Ovations for about 40 years, and has been making Hamer guitar since Kaman bought Hamer around 2003 or so.
FMIC did have an import line of electric instruments based on classic Guild designs. These were marketed as DeArmond guitars, and they included both a 4- and a 5-string Pilot. They say "DeArmond" on them. If yours is truly a Guild it's not a 2007, as there simply weren't any, not even DeArmonds by then.
Also, the Guild factory records were notoriously inconsistent and poorly maintained over the five decades they've existed (Al Dronge started Guild Guitars in 1954, making quality arch-top jazz guitars). There are some dating charts on the internet, but they're almost all wrong and incomplete. To really date it accurately, sign up at the Let's Talk Guild forum ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]). There's a dedicated Bass forum on there. But the best thing is that Hans Moust, the man who wrote THE book on Guild history and has the most complete records available hangs out there.
From there you can contact Hans and he can help you date your bass with very good accuracy.
Have fun!!! I love Pilots and think they're criminally under-rated and under-valued. And the same rule applies at Lets Talk Guild as applies here- if there ain't pictures, the bass doesn't exist!!
John
First, FMIC bought Guild in 1995. And despite the common thought that being bought ruins a company, the truth is that Guild has had at LEAST five owners since 1954, and "Fender" (FMIC) has probably done the most to sustain the name and try to market them well... Due to the primitive nature of the Westerly, RI factory, they closed it in 2001 and moved production of all Guild products to Corona, CA. However, they had stopped making the Pilot well before then, maybe even before FMIC bought them. They learned that making the solid body electric Bluesbird guitar went well at Corona, but that making flat-top acoustics was more of a challenge. As FMIC also owned Tacoma, they decided to move production to the Tacoma plant in Washington, but that was only flat-tops. No other product has been in the Guild line since then. The Tacoma plant had some QC issues even before FMIC bought them so they eventually closed it. Guild acoustics are now made in Connecticut, at the factory FMIC acquired when they bought Kaman Music about four(?) years ago. That's the same plant that's been making Ovations for about 40 years, and has been making Hamer guitar since Kaman bought Hamer around 2003 or so.
FMIC did have an import line of electric instruments based on classic Guild designs. These were marketed as DeArmond guitars, and they included both a 4- and a 5-string Pilot. They say "DeArmond" on them. If yours is truly a Guild it's not a 2007, as there simply weren't any, not even DeArmonds by then.
Also, the Guild factory records were notoriously inconsistent and poorly maintained over the five decades they've existed (Al Dronge started Guild Guitars in 1954, making quality arch-top jazz guitars). There are some dating charts on the internet, but they're almost all wrong and incomplete. To really date it accurately, sign up at the Let's Talk Guild forum ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]). There's a dedicated Bass forum on there. But the best thing is that Hans Moust, the man who wrote THE book on Guild history and has the most complete records available hangs out there.
From there you can contact Hans and he can help you date your bass with very good accuracy.
Have fun!!! I love Pilots and think they're criminally under-rated and under-valued. And the same rule applies at Lets Talk Guild as applies here- if there ain't pictures, the bass doesn't exist!!
John
