The DeArmond brand was originally used on pickups invented by Harry DeArmond and made in the USA by Rowe Industries from the mid 1930s onwards. DeArmond pickups were widely used on guitars made by Harmony, D’Angelico, Eko, Epiphone, Fender, Galanti, Gretsch, Guild, Hofner, Kustom, Levin, Martin, Meazzi, Messenger, Micro-Frets, Ovation, Premier, Silvertone, and Standel.
After purchasing Guild Guitars in 1995 and the DeArmond Company in 1996, Fender's Research and Development department determined which DeArmond pickup models could be recreated and how best to use these classic designs. They created the DeArmond guitar line in which the sound of these modernized, American-made pickups was reunited with classic guitar designs by Guild.