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FMIC Shuts down the New Hartford facility


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Ugh. The worst. Sorry to hear about the losses of employment most importantly. Ovations and Guilds now in Fender plants? I'm well past the point of buying anything new from Gibson. Seems I'm there with Fender now (despite never having bought anything new from them....EDIT, oops. Bought a US Charvel about 5 years ago). Guess that new line of American made Guilds ($8000?) couldn't turn as much profit and volume as they erroneously hoped they would.

The Guitar Center thing is interesting. Hopefully Gibson and Fender will start tailing off their production over a period to actually meet demand, as opposed to forcing the big boxes to carry way more inventory than they can sell. The current model is disastrous. Public companies are not in it for product quality or nostalgia. They hope the pleebs will continue to buy new product off nostalgia alone. It has worked for Gibson and Fender for a while now. The problem is how all this will reverberate to the smaller players involved.

This GC matter could very well take those brands off the cliff with them, especially if the brands don't change that mentality. Much like the housing implosion and the unprecedented period of growth before it, living off credit continuously until all lines run out and the real serious challenges begin. By that time, the Bain Capitals, etc. have already profited billions and have hoofed it for another company to hollow out. That is what a "sell out" is.

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Read the other thread first and didn't realize the whole place was done,wow! Sorry for all you guys that are now going to be looking for work! The end of a chapter, I took many a trip to New Hartford, always with a smile on my face looking forward to the visit. :(

ArnieZ

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Sad that Hamer really is gone now, and for keeps.

Best of luck to all those who have to look for new employment. I hope you all find something suitable for your (not inconsiderable) talents.

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Very sad day. While I didn't hold out hope for the return of Hamer USA when Fender shut down the brand, it was good to know the fine Hamer craftsmen were continuing making high end Guilds and Fender acoustics. As sad is it is to see a beloved brand go, losing this kind of talent from the industry is a major loss. Best wishes to those who lost their jobs, and here's to landing on your feet.

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"Sad" would be a great understatement, as I am sure we all hoped against hope for word of Hamer being OK'd to start taking new orders. I wish all you talented and loyal Hamer staff the best.

It is certainly not the only pitiful thing FMIC has done over the years and only one of many brands it has destroyed.

"Stupid is as stupid does."

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only one of many brands it has destroyed.

What are the others?

EDIT - this is a sincere question, BTW. I don't know "Mr. Fender", I have no allegiance with or against them.

But AFAICT Fender has done pretty well. Gretsch is making guitars that are/rival the best in their history. Same with Charvel and Jackson. I can't think of any going concerns that Fender has acquired/partnered with that were 'destroyed'.

I'm not nearly as close to Hamer as many here were, but from my vantage point it was undone by Jol's efforts to turn it into his own hobby shop, making/not making things as he pleased.

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From the way that sounds, this may be it for Guild as well, at least as far as I'm concerned. I always liked Guilds US stuff, even though I know they moved all over the place for about a decade after being bought out by FMIC.

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Tacoma and Guild come to mind.

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.

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What terrible news. Really puts into prespective what seems like a crappy day. Closing of hamer was bad enough now to shut down everything. Best of luck to everyone involved. I hope all your talents will find you a new brighter future.

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Tacoma and Guild come to mind.

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.

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."

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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.

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I was very bummed to get that news first thing this morning.

All the best to you, Bob, as well as Mike, Dave, Jackass and everybody else up there. You are all talented beyond words in many ways, and have definitely made an impact on me personally over the years.

^^^^

This

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They'll list the property and fixtures for sale after they've taken or repurposed the equipment/fixtures.

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