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View Full Version : Fender ate Kaman;Guild & Tacoma get barfed.



wingsdad
February 2nd, 2008, 08:35 AM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – (Jan 31, 2008 ) Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) announced today it will move production of Guild Guitars from Tacoma, Wash. to its newly acquired Ovation and Hamer Guitar manufacturing facility in New Hartford, Conn. The move will take place as a phased operational transfer, expected to be completed before the end of the year.

FMIC’s recent (Dec. 31, 2007) acquisition of Bloomfield, Conn. based Kaman Music Corp. also included the purchase of KMC’s Ovation and Hamer guitar brands, and their manufacturing facility in New Hartford, Conn. After closing the KMC acquisition, an extensive review of the Tacoma and New Hartford manufacturing facilities was conducted to determine the best long-term home for Guild production. The final decision to relocate Guild to New Hartford was driven by FMIC’s desire to improve overall production processes as well as meet the growing demand for Guild throughout the world.

“We are committed to moving forward in a strong and focused way to ensure that Guild instruments continue to meet the highest standards of quality, affordability and accessibility for our consumers,” said Bill Mendello, Chairman and CEO of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. “This decision will allow us to accomplish goals that we would otherwise not be able to meet in our Tacoma facility, while continuing our long-term commitment to manufacturing, world-class guitars in the United States.” Select Tacoma® brand guitar models will soon follow in the transition.

Approximately 70 Tacoma, Wash. based FMIC employees will be affected by the move throughout the year and will be provided with comprehensive assistance, including retention and severance packages, benefit continuation and outplacement services.

Steve206
February 2nd, 2008, 02:30 PM
I first heard it from Bruce Springsteen,,

"Poor men want to be rich,,,,And rich men want to be kings!!!

I wonder if the love of the product, has anything to do with the business model?

Steve

sunvalleylaw
February 2nd, 2008, 05:01 PM
Hmm, Tacoma, the town, that is, gets the stick many, many times. It is where I was raised, and is an old port town that is sometimes the ugly stepsister to more cosmo Seattle, 35 miles or so north. It bums me out as a Tacoman, that Fender did this to what was originally a local effort that the locals involved could be proud of. I am sure the original owners got paid when they sold to Fender. It is the artisans/luthiers that I am concerned about. Tacomans tend to be tough and survive though. I hope another Tacoma based guitar rises from the ashes.

wingsdad
February 2nd, 2008, 08:55 PM
When Gibson closed the original Kalamazoo, MI factory, rather than pull up roots, some of the employees bought it and started Heritage. It would be nice if the Tacomans, wonderful luthiers, could do the same here, Sun Valley Steve.

But times are different, and this is Fender. The bought Tacoma ostensibly 3 years ago ostensibly to move Guild manufacture there from Corona, CA, where they'd dragged Guild down so bad they had to start farming out to the Orient to create the GAD series just to sell Guilds and keep the brand alive.

But the Tacoma factory was/is leased (I've read through 2010, just a couple of more years, not owned. So they didn't buy that asset. Machines, yeah.

But what they got that revived Guild was the crafstpeople, the luthiers, Tacoma's people. And they cross-trained them to build Guilds. Then stopped making Tacomas. Now this.

Maybe this wouldn't have gone down this way if Fender didn't find its way to gobble up Kaman. But now that they have, it's just a business move to consolidate, for efficiencies.

It surely isn't for the love of the brand that drives this business model, Steve206. There's no heart in Fender's beancounters.

Does anyone really think they give a rat's *** about Stevie Ray's legacy or his widow in producing 'Lenny'?

sunvalleylaw
February 2nd, 2008, 09:02 PM
I love my Fender guitar, and really love the look of a lot of Fender amphs, vintage mostly. I do not love this move. But it is just business, I suppose.

wingsdad
February 2nd, 2008, 09:22 PM
Right there wit ya, SVL. I've been a Fender player since it was Leo's company. And my Tacoma jumbo is a Fender-era Tacoma. But this is indeed pure business.

The Tacoma Users Group has been in an uproar for 2 days.

Let's not forget that Takamine is a Kaman company,and they have that, too.

They don't need Tacoma guitars. Period.

And if they're going to build Guilds in a 3 story factory where 2 floors are for Ovations and 1 is for Hamer's USA models...well...they gotta make the Guilds someplace....and they have Hamer's imports to sell....it could be bye-bye American Hamers, next.