The history and background of Guild Guitars
In the April 1953 issue of Musical Merchandise Magazine, a brief ad
appeared marking the debut of a brand-new company:
A new corporation, known as Guild Guitars Inc., with headquarters at
220 Fourth Ave., New York, N.Y., has been formed to manufacture
high-quality guitars, including Spanish and Hawaiian electric
— solid wood body electrics, amplifiers, cases and strings.
With this rather modest announcement, the Guild® company began
its rise from a small Manhattan guitar workshop to one of the world's
premier makers of high-quality acoustic (and several popular electric)
guitars. Registered in October 1952, the fledgling Guild Guitars
company set up a 1,500-square-foot manufacturing facility on the second
floor of a factory at 536 Pearl St., not far from where Al Dronge's
Park Row music store used to be in the 1930s and '40s.
The Al Dronge Era
Avram "Alfred" Dronge—"Al" to many—was born in
Warsaw, Poland, on Aug. 16, 1911. His family left Warsaw for Paris in
1914, and left Paris for New York City in 1916. He practically grew up
in Manhattan's Park Row music stores, becoming an accomplished banjo
player and guitarist along the way. Dronge gave guitar lessons and
played professionally in New York clubs and cruise ships, and opened
his own successful Park Row music store in the mid-1930s. An astute,
hard-working and well-liked businessman, he sold the store in 1948 and
amassed a small fortune in the late '40s and early '50s importing and
distributing accordions.
Guild's genesis was simple. In 1952, Dronge's friend George Mann
suggested that the two men start a new guitar company. Another friend
of Dronge's, Gene Detgen, suggested the name "Guild." And that was
that. Guild was in business, with Mann and Dronge as president vice
president, respectively.
The first catalog and pricelist, from April 1954, referred to Guild as
"The Stradivari of Guitars," with a small selection of arch-top
electric and flat-top acoustic guitars. Arch-top acoustics were added
to the line in 1955, by which time Mann had left and Dronge had taken
the company's helm.
Guild founder Alfred Dronge and plant manager Jim Deurloo in the
Westerly, R.I. plant.
Healthy sales, vigorous growth and Dronge's vehement opposition to what
he called "inappropriate union interference" meant Guild needed new
digs with more room; the factory was consequently moved to several
thousand square feet on the sixth floor of the Neumann Leathers
building, across the Hudson River in nearby Hoboken, N.J.
Guild flourished in the rest of the '50s and in particular throughout
the '60s. Although they had started out as a line of mainly jazz
guitars, Guild's popularity and solid reputation spread quickly, and
over the years its instruments found their way into the hands of
high-profile rock, pop, blues and jazz guitar heroes including Johnny
Smith, Duane Eddy, Roy Orbison, John Lee Hooker, Merle Travis, Paul
Simon, Keith Richards, Dave Davies, George Benson, Buddy Guy, Howlin'
Wolf, Richie Havens, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller, Eric Clapton, Muddy
Waters, Doc Watson, Ry Cooder, George Strait and so many other
acclaimed artists.
In 1966, the Guild Musical Instruments Corporation was bought by
electronics giant Avnet Inc., and, having once again outgrown its
factory, was moved to a new plant in Westerly, R.I., where operations
remained for almost three decades. Sadly, Dronge perished in May 1972
when the small aircraft he was piloting—on the way to the
Guild's Westerly plant—crashed in Connecticut. Even with such
a tragic loss, Guild guitars continued on as popular, distinctive and
highly regarded instruments.
Acoustic Excellence
Guild's signature excellence in acoustic flat-top guitar design has
made its name synonymous with fine quality and craftsmanship.
From three models introduced in 1954—the F-30 Aragon, F-40
Valencia and F-50 Navarre—Guild founded an acoustic empire.
The famous D-40 Bluegrass Jubilee and D-50 Bluegrass Special
dreadnoughts were introduced in 1963 (at the insistence of Guild
veteran Mark Dronge, Al's son), and Guild's flagship dreadnought, the
D-55, first appeared in 1968. These guitars and many other Guild six-
and 12-string acoustic flat-tops enjoyed widespread use and acclaim
from artists and amateurs alike well into the ensuing decades.
In those heady late '60s days, perhaps the foremost exponent of Guild
acoustic guitars was the great Richie Havens, a thoughtful interpreter
of songs and a soulful, electrifying performer who opened rock's
legendary 1969 Woodstock festival by single-handedly mesmerizing the
audience of 400,000 with his powerful voice and a Guild D-40, on which
he displayed his trademark breathtaking rhythmic force. It was a
shining moment for Havens and for Guild, and he continues to entrance
audiences to this day with Guild guitars.
After almost 30 years in Rhode Island, Guild moved west. Operations
were moved to sunny Corona, California shortly after Guild was acquired
by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in 1995. This was the
beginning of a new chapter in Guild history.
Through the '90s and well into the new millennium, a diverse new
generation of gifted, spirited players recognized the excellence of a
truly fine Guild guitar. From the sultry Jazz and Blues of Cassandra
Wilson, to the scorching 'hellbilly' pickin' of Hank Williams III, or
the solo acoustic magic of Willy Porter; it was a Guild acoustic guitar
that became the vehicle for their expression. Recording studios and
concert halls everywhere continued to reverberate with the full, pure
sound of Guild guitars.
Guild Today
Today's Guild is as dynamic and prolific as ever! They continue to
champion the timeless history and heritage of old-world craftsmanship,
modern design innovation and solid value that has become synonymous
with the Guild name.
In a continuing quest for operational excellence, Guild has move again
in recent times; from Corona, California to Tacoma, Washington in 2005,
and most recently from Tacoma, Washington to a newly acquired facility
in New Hartford, Connecticut in 2008 - all in an effort to provide
musicians with the best Guild guitars ever!
Whether it's a 12-string jumbo, a dreadnought, or a small-body
acoustic, Guild guitars remain among the most sought after instruments
in the world.
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History Of Guild Acoustic Guitars
