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Courant.com
Guild Guitars To Be Made In New Hartford
By ERIC GERSHON
Courant Staff Writer
June 4, 2008
WINDSOR LOCKS
It was shortly after 10 a.m. and Chris Donovan, majority leader of the state House of Representatives, sat in Terminal A at Bradley International Airport, intently fingering a Bo Diddley lick on an electric guitar.
"We'll play everything, from Little Richard to Radiohead, as long as it's rock 'n' roll," said Donovan, 54, a member of the legislature's unofficial rock band, The Bad Reps.
To his right and left, in three domed glass cases, about 20 other guitars stood upright with no one to make them sing, but for all to see.
Donovan's performance Tuesday was a solo gig, and the majority leader wasn't even the star — the guitars were. Ovations, Hamers and especially the Guilds, a legendary brand of acoustic guitar. Richie Havens played a Guild at Woodstock.
In August, the Fender Musical Instrument Corp. of Arizona will start producing Guild guitars in Connecticut at the New Hartford factory of Kaman Music Corp. Fender bought Bloomfield-based Kaman Corp.'s music division at the end of December for about $117 million.
After the deal was consummated, Fender decided to move Guild production from Tacoma, Wash., to New Hartford, bringing the brand back to New England. For decades Guilds were made in Westerly, R.I.
Throughout the summer, the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism is showcasing guitars made by Kaman and Fender near the US Airways ticket counter. Meanwhile, Kaman is retrofitting about 25,000 square feet of its 74,000-square-foot factory to accommodate Guild production, said Frank Untermyer, who oversees the New Hartford operation.
"When you think of 'made in Connecticut,' I think a lot of people think of jet engines," Untermyer said Tuesday before Donovan played a little Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and The Beatles.
"We make a musical instrument, and we have troubadours representing Connecticut all over the world," he said.
State officials are negotiating financial assistance with Fender now, according to Ron Angelo, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The state has not yet committed to any amount, he said.
As a member of The Bad Reps, Donovan, of Meriden, normally plays with fellow Democratic Reps. Peter Tercyak of New Britain and Chris Perone of Norwalk, and Andy Woodcock, a drum-beating legislative aide.
"I'm not great," said Donovan, who began playing guitar at age 40, "but it's fun."
Contact Eric Gershon at egershon@courant.com.
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Guild Guitars To Be Made In New Hartford