Vague Guild - Heritage connection

[Teeky]

I was just browsing the Guild website http://www.guildguitars.net/company/guild_history.php when I noticed a familiar name. Scroll down on the link and look at the picture caption.

 

A young Jim Deurloo with Guild founder Alfred Dronge.

 

We all know Jim's connection with Gibson, but twice in fact. Jim was a Gibson employee who left to become Guild's plant manager in Rhode Island, only to be brought back to Gibson in 1974 to manage the expansion and transition to Gibson's new facilities in Nashville.

 

Do we know of any other luthier connections with the other Heritage founders?

[FredZepp]

I was aware of Jim Deurloo working at Guild for a spell, but hadn't seen that pic....

 

Guild founder Alfred Dronge and plant manager Jim Deurloo in the Westerly, R.I. plant.

 

I almost picked up an old Guild acoustic recently that would have been from around this era... but it was priced so well it went too quick.

[big bob]

heritage ghost built some of the guild shredder guitars, they looked a lot like the stats.

[111518]

The cloud inlays on Golden Eagles remind me of Epiphone and the Epi/K'zoo connection, and, Guild was organized around the original Epiphone craftsmen, who struck and lost their jobs when Epi decided to pack up shop and leave NY.

 

So, I guess you could say that in some ways Guild, at least in its origin, was to Epi as Heritage was to Gibson (not that Gibson left in the immediate aftermath of a strike, but most sources suggest the fact that the K'zoo workers were organized had an impact on the decision.)

 

(Epi never recovered, and sold out to Gibson ...I guess based on some recent fiascoes, maybe the jury is still out on Gibson.)

[TalismanRich]

During PSPII, I mentioned to Jim that I had a Guild S100 from the days when he was at Guild. He said that he was involved in the design of that guitar. Its a lot like the SG, but a lot more comfortable, with a great smooth heal and a nice sound with the Guild humbuckers. I was playing it tonight after playing my Milli and was amazed how much of a smooth jazz sound I got out of it on the neck pickup.

 

[FredZepp]

Nice Guild there, Rich... it looks like a rocker. (even though it does some nice jazz tones also)

 

and a sweet pic of that 157, I don't recall that one. Very nice looking Heritage there.

[TalismanRich]

Nice Guild there, Rich... it looks like a rocker. (even though it does some nice jazz tones also)

 

and a sweet pic of that 157, I don't recall that one. Very nice looking Heritage there.

 

Thanks Fred. The 157 was my first, ordered in 2003 as a 50th birthday present for myself. I had it at PSPII but played my 535 most of the time. Holding the 157 for any length of time is a pain (literally). Ah, to be young again.

 

Little did I know what I was getting myself into when I ordered that guitar!

[NoNameBand]

Who knows what Jim Deurloo currently does for Heritage?

[TalismanRich]

He was at PSPIII. If you watch the plant video, he was making some covers for the backs of a 150. I imagine he does just about any job in the place.

[FredZepp]

The fact that he worked at almost every department at Gibson and was really adept at setting up the machines, made him a good choice for plant manager in the Gibson days at Parsons St. ( and why they had him set up Nashville )

 

There's not much that he didn't do with Gibson.. and he carries that knowledge into the Heritage plant.