DeArmond Guitars?

[dbt]

Four or five years ago, my son spent a summer of odd jobs and table-waiting to get the money for a good electric guitar. So, one fine day, he comes lugging in this gorgeous, blonde, double cutaway, semi-hollowbody with dual humbuckers and it looks for all the world like a Guild Starfire!

Of course, it says "DeArmond" on the headstock and it's got a "D" everywhere that the Guild would have a "G." This Korean-made instrument is utterly FINE! It came right out of the store with perfect intonation and pickups adjusted to compensate in volume for a soft G string. There was no way I could tweak it that would improve it a BIT! The action is sublime and the tone is just what you'd expect from a Guild: balanced, yet tending toward the bright and well-defined. It cost him around $900.00.

Until that moment, I had seen a few apparently-budget DeArmond models, mostly solidbodies with vintage-looking pickups and even a Bigsby or two, but Son's guitar just knocked me out! He is heavily into Jazz and knows chords that I can't even pronounce; this all-but-a-Guild is just perfect for him.

I seem to recall that Fender acquired Guild some years back and moved production to Arizona (???). I've heard that the DeArmond line was their "budget" line, but I cannot see why anyone would want to pay the extra bucks for a Guild name when one could have an axe as great as my son's for under a thousand dollars! He later told me that the brand had been discontinued by Fender--and I can sure see why!

Anybody in these parts know about DeArmond electrics?

Anxiously Yers,
dbt

[Pepperbelly]

1. I have a Dearmond solid body ...

two chromed humbuckers.

My only complaint has been with the toggle switch. I thought it was flimsy and it broke. I got another put on and broke that as well so perhaps the fault lies not in the stars, Brutus.

Sounds great. Great action, Perpetual sustain. Stays in tune.

Mine is the m65c.

[dbt]

2. Home Skillet!

Why am I not surprised that YOU would know about DeArmonds? You're right about 'em staying in tune; seems to be a mark of the breed. Best wishes for a serene holiday in Pepperland!

:smoke:
dbt

[cleofus1]

3. never played a de armond

but i had a guild 12 string for a couple of years...

sigh...that bird could sing...i would strum it and people across the street would turn their heads...

[emulatorloo]

4. I got a M-75 on closeout when Fender killed the brand

It is a great guitar -- they still have a tech support website re electronics setup etc up:

http://www.dearmondguitars.com/pickups.html

Some user reviews here:

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/DeArmond/