Wednesday 17 February 2010

Goya solidbody with a possible Martin connection

guitarz.blogspot.com:
We've had another email, as follows:
Hey - was wondering if you or your audience could give me any info on this guitar.

I picked this up a couple years ago, and don't know much about it. It's a Goya that looks very similar to a Martin E-18, which from what I can tell is their only foray into solid body electrics. I've seen these online with headstocks labeled EF Martin, Sigma Martin, but never Goya. It's my understanding that Goya was bought by Martin at some point in the late 70s, so I'm guessing the E-18 was just a rebranding of this Goya model? I don't know. It's a great sounding and playing guitar, never seen another one though.

Thanks in advance!
-Tim
My own understanding of the Goya brand, was that it was just that - a brandname used to sell guitars in the United States. For example, Sweden's Hagstrom guitars were re-badged "Goya" for the US market.

I think you may have (semi)-answered your own question, Tim. That it was a brandname bought out by Martin. Perhaps they badged their own electric solidbodies with the Goya brandname because the Martin name was so firmly established in everyone's mind as being an acoustic brand. That the guitars also appeared branded Martin and Sigma suggests different marketing strategies at different timess, perhaps?

If anyone else reading has any more info, please let us know!

G L Wilson

NB: Please make sure you are reading this Guitarz post at guitarz.blogspot.com and not on a Scraper blog that copies posts without permission (and steals bandwidth) so as to profit from advertising. Please support original bloggers!

1 comment:

  1. Interestingly,i had a Goya model 101 hollowbody thinline guitar( single cutaway,guild style) for some years that was lost in a pawnshop that beat town before I could pay off my loan in Baltimore. It had Martin style DeArmond dynasonic pickups on it. I'd always assumed that it was modded,but after seeing yours,im not so sure now! I bought it from a shop in Pennsylvania,not far from the hometown of Martin instruments. I really loved that guitar too. Wish I could locate her!

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

ShareThis