Guild readies first offerings from new factory

With production now up and running at its new factory in Ventura, California, resurgent Guild has announced a host of new models for NAMM.

The first models to come out of its new California factory, since it moved production from Hartford, Connecticut, under the new ownership of Cordoba, are the M-20 and D-20 –  authentic reproductions of the classic Guild M-20 and D-25, which were first introduced by Guild in the 1960s. 

The M-20 is a concert-size acoustic guitar, nicknamed “the Nick Drake guitar” for its inclusion on the album art of Drake’s album, Bryter Layter. 

The D-20 is a classic Guild dreadnought, based on the historic D-25. Both models are constructed with solid mahogany tops, backs, and sides, rosewood bridges and fingerboards, and bone nuts and saddles. They have an RRP of around $1299 (£884).

Also launching are five new arched back additions to the firm’s Westerly Collection. The newest arched back models are available in four classic body shapes: dreadnought (D-240E), concert (M-240E), orchestra (OM-240CE and OM-240E), and jumbo 12-string (F-2512E Maple). They feature Guild’s AP-1 pickup, bone nuts and saddles, rosewood bridges and fingerboards, tortoiseshell pickguards, fully bound bodies, mother-of- pearl appointments, and padded deluxe gig bags. RRPs will range from $399-$499 (£271-£340). 

Lastly, there are two new Starfire models. The Starfire II ST (pictured) is a semi-hollow guitar with a single Florentine cutaway and extra thin mahogany body. It is equipped with dual LB-1 Little Bucker pickups, replicas of Guild’s original smaller size humbucking pickups.  Other features include a mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, ivory white body binding, and high gloss natural finish. It also features a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece for increased sustain and stability.

The Starfire VI has been reintroduced, based on the original Starfire V. It has a double-cutaway Starfire body shape,  AAA flamed maple top, back, and sides, and a solid centerblock and Dual LB-1 Little Bucker pickups, replicas of Guild’s 1960s smaller size humbucking pickups. 

It is constructed with a three-piece maple/walnut/maple neck and a bound rosewood fingerboard inlaid with mother-of-pearl and abalone V-blocks. It also features a pinned Tune-O-Matic bridge with rosewood base, rosewood bridge, and comes with gold hardware, five-ply black and ivory purfling, deluxe f-hole and body binding, and a Guild Vibrato Tailpiece. It is available in a high gloss blonde finish, and includes a hardshell case.  An RRP of around $1,499 (£1000) is expected.