FMIC Shuts down the New Hartford facility
- Thread starter mirrorimij
- Start date
I have a real hard time understanding how FMIC 'destroyed' Guild. Seems to me they kept at it for at least fifteen years past its sell-by date.
What did/does Guild have to offer, anyway? They did some electrics and semi-acoustics that were kinda like some Gibsons, and kinda like some Gretsches - but none that ever made me say "Oh, yeah, I want that" instead of the real thing.
For a long time they were the acoustic alternative to Gibson and, a lesser degree, Martin - but I think Taylor took that slice of the market away.
If ceasing production equates to "destruction" in your lexicon, well, that's cool - but I don't agree. "Destroyed" in the MI context would be better described I think with a Gibson-Steinberger example, or maybe a few other Gibson brands.
I know taste is individual, but I loved S100s and Starfires, and would take having the S100 I had back in the 90s over any SG. I also preferred their acoustics to Gibsons, particularly their 12-strings. Their jumbo sized 6-strings always sounded lovely to me. I can see an argument about their electrics often being Gibson-ish, but to me, their acoustics were "the real thing."
For what it's worth, I agree - but they were essentially "the American brand that's not Martin or Gibson". They weren't pioneers, and I think didn't have a lot of brand equity beyond being high-quality and American.
And Taylor just ripped a giant chunk out of the market for that. Taylor also knows how to market their stuff, something Guild (and Hamer for that matter) never really figured out in the post '70s ('80s, for Hamer) world.
That sucks.
I wish you all the best of luck in finding new gigs and weathering this loss.
Thank you for all the hard work and the magical instruments over the years.
I wish you all the best of luck in finding new gigs and weathering this loss.
Thank you for all the hard work and the magical instruments over the years.
Actually, Ovation/Kaman have been renting that facility since before I was born. They probably could have purchased it several times over for what they paid in rent. The landlord is a helluva nice guy ( and probably pretty wealthy from Ovation). I cant see that facility ever getting rented in this economic climate.
There are a few machines I would love to have. FMIC will probably sell it all to an auction house for pennies on the dollar. I bet there are 600 to 800 guitars in that warehouse that will never sell unless they are blown out for next to nothing. They even have a few unfinished Hamers that were taken off the production line when they pulled the plug a few years ago.
There are a few machines I would love to have. FMIC will probably sell it all to an auction house for pennies on the dollar. I bet there are 600 to 800 guitars in that warehouse that will never sell unless they are blown out for next to nothing. They even have a few unfinished Hamers that were taken off the production line when they pulled the plug a few years ago.
G
gearwhore
Guest
that sucks...I had hope still.
Crimsontider
New member
Guitar Center, the Walmart of the music stores. Walmart sold gallon sized Vlasic pickle jars for $2.97, at the very front of the store. Everyone soon had a year's supply of premium pickles for nothing. Vlasic had to nearly shut down from lack of demand and depending too much on one company. Greed can kill capitalism.
