FENDER / GUILD ERA IMPORT BRAND · 1990s–EARLY 2000s · DISCONTINUED
DeArmond
DeArmond guitars are a perfect early-2000s used-wall brand: familiar Guild-derived shapes, Korean and Indonesian production, and a famous old pickup name revived by Fender into a short-lived guitar line. The U.S. launch arrived around 1999, and production lasted only a few years. Today, DeArmond is entirely a used-market identification problem—and that short production window is part of the appeal.
MODEL SEARCH
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OVERVIEW
What to know quickly
DeArmond the guitar brand is not the same thing as DeArmond the historic pickup name. Identify whether you are looking at a late-1990s/early-2000s DeArmond guitar, a Guild instrument fitted with DeArmond pickups or something else using the name.
IDENTIFY YOUR GUITAR
Which DeArmond do you have?
The short DeArmond guitar run still included solidbodies, semi-hollows, hollow bodies and basses. Model number, origin and pickup type are the strongest clues.
- Find the exact model. M-65, M-70, M-72, M-75, S-65, S-73, Starfire, X-155, T-400 and Jet Star families occupy different tiers.
- Check country of manufacture. Korean and Indonesian examples can share styling while differing in construction and hardware.
- Look for “DeArmond by Guild” markings. Early examples may explicitly reference Guild on the truss-rod cover or rear headstock.
- Identify the pickups. Higher-tier models are especially associated with American-made DeArmond Gold Tone or 2K pickups.
- Photograph serial and headstock inlay. The Guild-style Chesterfield emblem and factory codes can help narrow the model.
HISTORICAL MODEL GUIDE
A short catalog with a surprisingly wide range
DeArmond guitars were produced only for a short late-1990s/early-2000s period. All figures are current used-market asking ranges, not new retail.
USED VALUE GUIDE
Short production helps—but exact model still matters
Guitar Center showed 17 DeArmond guitars in late September 2026. Current asks ranged from roughly $150–$300 for some M/S solidbodies to around $500–$750 for M-75, Starfire and X-155 examples.
- Confirm Korean vs. Indonesian origin before selecting comparables.
- Identify Gold Tone / 2K or other original pickups and check whether they have been replaced.
- Inspect set-neck joints, binding and hollow-body structure on higher-tier models.
- Check weight and balance; some DeArmond solidbodies can be substantial.
- Use the exact model number—small model-number differences can reflect a different construction tier.
CURRENT USED MARKET
See what the market is doing now
Because only a modest number circulate at any moment, one inflated listing can distort the apparent market. Compare several sources and prefer completed-sale evidence when available.
COMPARE
What else lives in this neighborhood?
DeArmond is best understood as a Fender-era affordable route into Guild-derived designs. Compare by model family rather than using modern Guild prices as a blanket reference.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Before you buy—or price—one
- Pickup-name confusion. DeArmond pickups existed long before the DeArmond guitar line.
- Guild inflation. A DeArmond based on a Guild design is not automatically valued like a U.S.-made Guild.
- Country differences. Korean and Indonesian variants can look similar while occupying different tiers.
- Short-run scarcity. Scarcity can reduce comparables without automatically making a model highly collectible.
- Modified electronics. Original DeArmond pickups are part of the appeal on many higher-tier models.
HISTORY & COMMENTARY
A pickup name became a guitar brand for one brief turn of the century
After Fender acquired Guild in the mid-1990s and controlled the DeArmond trademark, it revived the DeArmond name for an import guitar and bass line. A Guild publication announced the U.S. launch for January 1999, describing affordable instruments built along classic Guild lines.
That strategy produced one of the more memorable late-1990s import lines: M-series solidbodies, S-series guitars, Starfires, X-155 archtops and basses that delivered Guild-derived styling below U.S.-Guild pricing. The line lasted only a few years, which is why DeArmond still feels simultaneously familiar and frozen in the early 2000s.
WHAT PLAYERS LIKE
Why a DeArmond can be worth picking up
- Guild-derived designs. M-75, S-73 and Starfire models offered shapes uncommon in mainstream import lines.
- Distinct pickups. American-made DeArmond pickups on higher-tier models remain a strong part of their identity.
- Short production period. The line captures a very specific Fender/Guild corporate moment.
- Used affordability. Many examples remain accessible compared with vintage or current premium Guild electrics.
- Early-2000s character. These are exactly the guitars many players remember from used walls around the turn of the century.
CURRENT RETAIL & REFERENCE
DeArmond guitars are discontinued. Used-market observations were checked September 29, 2026.