Factory built steels,how many?

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 27 Jun 2001 12:49 pm

Now here is the question, How many "factory" built steel guitars are there? Fender,Emmons,GFI,Carter,Sierra,Sho-Bud(Gretsch)? Help me name them, the list may be short.
Bobbe [This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 27 June 2001 at 02:02 PM.][This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 June 2001 at 02:44 PM.][This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 June 2001 at 11:31 PM.]

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 27 Jun 2001 1:05 pm

I mean,by this post, How many factorys are there,not how many guitars were built by them. Savvy?
Bobbe,The great question asker!

Bill Bailey · Post by **Bill Bailey** » 27 Jun 2001 6:59 pm

Bobbe,
In business now or do you mean in the past.
I beleive Emmons,Mullen,Sierra Seymour, would be my 2 cents, what do you think???
Bill Bailey

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[This message was edited by Bill Bailey on 27 June 2001 at 08:01 PM.][This message was edited by Bill Bailey on 27 June 2001 at 08:02 PM.]

Jerry Roller · Post by **Jerry Roller** » 27 Jun 2001 8:28 pm

I decided to pass on this one!
Jerry[This message was edited by Jerry Roller on 27 June 2001 at 09:48 PM.]

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 27 Jun 2001 9:03 pm

Bobbe- with your description of "Factory", I would say None?..........al...

Harry Hess · Post by **Harry Hess** » 27 Jun 2001 10:11 pm

Bobbe,

But.... do you find factory tone to be acceptable?

Regards,
HH[This message was edited by Harry Hess on 28 June 2001 at 11:55 PM.]

Lem Smith · Post by **Lem Smith** » 27 Jun 2001 11:24 pm

Wow, See-Mo!!! Me think's you're gonna stir up a hornets nest with this one!!!!!

Lem[This message was edited by Lem Smith on 28 June 2001 at 12:27 AM.]

Mike Weirauch · Post by **Mike Weirauch** » 28 Jun 2001 12:10 am

OK Sizemour, email me with the punch line on this one. By the way, isn't the "Rolls Royce" of steel guitars built in the basement of the manufacturer's home and don't you have a certain "PURPLE" guitar on order from said person? As far as business and taxes goes, the above company is a legal corporation paying taxes like all the rest. I was just staring at the certificate of corporation not 3 hours ago. If those are catagorized as homemade guitars, I'll take all I can afford (which is one that is on order now)!

David Parker · Post by **David Parker** » 28 Jun 2001 12:36 am

I build guitars (Remington) (Parker) (American) (SShawaiian) in the backyard in the garage and have tax id on the wall with the most techinical CNC machine hardware and software in the world. I have also made aircraft parts for four major aircraft corps. in my garage. Henry Ford developed the gasoline engine out in his barn.Lots of major inventions have come from the garage Factory. Factory is defined as an estalishment or as a place to do business D.P. [This message was edited by DAVID PARKER on 28 June 2001 at 03:11 AM.]

Rick Garrett · Post by **Rick Garrett** » 28 Jun 2001 2:26 am

Personally speaking I dont give a rip about where my guitar was made as long as it was done right and has "THE" sound Im after. Besides this country was built by alot of Mom and Pop operations working out of their garages. I havent been around here long enough to know everyone but from a newbies standpoint it seems maybe Bobbe has an "Axe" to grind.

Rick

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 28 Jun 2001 2:56 am

Being a politician, I can see both sides to this. The basic question is legitimate, as there were/is some "factories" that build steels.

On the other hand my "non-factory" steel is far superior to ALL the "factory" built steels I've owned.

A "factory" or "assembly line" built steel generally is not going to be as good as the smaller "craftsman" companies.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 28 Jun 2001 5:25 am

I don't know why some people are getting their bowels in an uproar over this question, since I didn't detect any prejudice The Bobbster has about factory guitars over "shop" guitars in his original post. But if y'all want to be offended, that is your right as a white American middle-aged male

.

Now, as to the question at hand, using Bobbe's definition of the word:

Fender certainly qualified as having a factory;

Emmons has a factory;

MSA had a factory;

Sierra has a factory;

Carter has a small assembly shop that can be considered a factory by BS's definition

Sho-Bud definitely had a factory when they moved to 2nd Ave.; though the 3rd floor over the retail store at 416 Broad might have qualified, Shot's garage in Madison would have fallen into the "home shop" category.

Of course, the reason why companies with "factories" can charge less is Economy of Scale: the first steel guitar a company builds could cost $50,000 in R&D, the 10,000th one would cost $750. The trick is, how do you skip the first one and cut right to the 10,000th?

Answer that one, and you'll make a gazillion dollars. Not in the steel guitar world, though.

When I was an advertising manager, I'd handle customer complaints about mistakes my staff had made. One woman said "why don't you come up with a way for them not to make mistakes?"

She could really cut right to the core problem.

I told her "lady, if I could come up with a way for human beings to not make mistakes, I'd leave the advertising business and go into the 'Preventing Mistakes' business. I'd make a hell of a lot more money, lemme tell ya."

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 28 Jun 2001 6:15 am

When Dekley was in business we had about a 5,000 square foot building divided in half for machining and assembly. At our peak we were building and delivering 30 guitars a week.

I'd say that would qualify as a factory.

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@home.com
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden Ext. E9/U-12 (soon to be U-13) 8&5 (so far)=-

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 28 Jun 2001 6:51 am

Bobbe

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 02 January 2002 at 08:13 AM.]

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 28 Jun 2001 8:00 am

Barry Thomas had a small "factory" going before he shut it down. Thomas pedal steels are excellent instruments, by the way.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 28 Jun 2001 8:05 am

Is everyone doing their part to support this forum?
Bobbe [This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 June 2001 at 10:48 PM.][This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 June 2001 at 11:34 PM.][This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 June 2001 at 11:38 PM.][This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 June 2001 at 11:39 PM.]

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 28 Jun 2001 8:21 am

Hey, I just figured out why steel guitars are so expensive;___no robot assembly here. At first I thought the reason for the high price was that this manufacturing sector had not yet discovered crazy glue.

Rick

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 28 Jun 2001 8:29 am

Perhaps Bobbe's question has less to do with where a guitar is made and more to do with the lasting quality of the instrument and the lasting support the customer will receive from the builder after the fact. A larger company with a significant capital investment is more likely to be around when you need them. And it's also likely that the reason they got big in the first place was by building great products and providing good service after the sale.

That doesn't mean there aren't dedicated and responsible individuals making great guitars, just that there's probably a larger risk factor when you buy that way.

Maybe the question behind the question is "Who's been burned?", either by getting a poorly made instrument or poor service after the fact. [This message was edited by Stephen O'Brien on 28 June 2001 at 09:30 AM.][This message was edited by Stephen O'Brien on 28 June 2001 at 09:30 AM.]

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 28 Jun 2001 8:40 am

Bill Baily,No, I was never a legal mfgr.of the Seymour guitar until I quit building them,The first 6 months of the MSA brand was in my garage at 628 So. Winnetka,Oak Cliff,Dallas Texas, No licence,wrong zoneing,etc. When we moved to the back of Barry Music,on Jefferson,we had to be licenced at that time.
Harry again, why didn't you mention Stradivarous? he was a "home builder".He built a good prouduct,and Jack, two sides to what? this isn't one thing against something else, we are all after HONESTY and the furthering of steel guitar, right? I just like to see things kept Straight.And I know you do also---Thankyou,good buddy.
Bobbe[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 June 2001 at 11:42 PM.]

Jeff Lampert · Post by **Jeff Lampert** » 28 Jun 2001 8:47 am

now whats the problem?

I think everyone is just feeling bitchy. I know I am. I mean, I can't even write a one line post without two f*****g edits. S**t.[This message was edited by Jeff Lampert on 28 June 2001 at 09:48 AM.][This message was edited by Jeff Lampert on 28 June 2001 at 09:49 AM.]

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 28 Jun 2001 9:03 am

Steve O'Brian,your a brilliant man,I think you understand completly.
Jeff L.,I think I understand,your OK.I wish I'd have seen the post before the edits though! ha ha!
Bobbe[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 June 2001 at 10:07 AM.]

Rick Garrett · Post by **Rick Garrett** » 28 Jun 2001 9:35 am

Hey Mr. BS! My "Axe to Grind" statement was a stab at dry humor. I seem to remember you using Dry humor often and I enjoy that. Sorry you didnt get it.

Rick
P.S. Sidebar, My "Sorry you didnt get it" line is yet another attempt at dry humor.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 28 Jun 2001 9:58 am

Rick! I KNEW I was gonna like you !
Bobbe!

Henry · Post by **Henry** » 28 Jun 2001 10:12 am

MESSAGE for BOBBE http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum1/HTML/013894.html