Update on Emmons Guitar Company

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 31 Jul 2014 2:42 pm

Brian,
You mentioned CARTER in present tense. They've been out of business for several years now.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 31 Jul 2014 3:16 pm

Henry, throughout the 70s, Emmons never averaged more than about 3 per week. Zum and Franklin did around 1 a week. Should they have kept their lists short, turning away orders? When I ordered my Zum, Bruce told me there were 50 orders ahead of me, which meant about a year.
If you work at a known rate, the only way to keep the wait down, you'd have to turn away orders, which Bruce did at about 75. And the list would close til he got it down again.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 31 Jul 2014 4:16 pm

When I bought my Carter in 1999, there was a standard 30 delivery on stock 8 & 5 guitars, with custom guitars taking longer. My guitar was 8p & 10 k, and I got it in just over 30 days. Since Carter pre- machined the front and rear rails for 10 pedals and 10 knees, a custom guitar was just about adding the hardware under the guitar. Since they usually had all parts in stock, a fully loaded guitar really didn't take much more time than a standard. Of course, lacquer guitars took longer.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 31 Jul 2014 4:17 pm

When I bought my Carter in 1999, there was a standard 30 delivery on stock 8 & 5 guitars, with custom guitars taking longer. My guitar was 8p & 10 k, and I got it in just over 30 days. Since Carter pre- machined the front and rear rails for 10 pedals and 10 knees, a custom guitar was just about adding the hardware under the guitar. Since they usually had all parts in stock, a fully loaded guitar really didn't take much more time than a standard. Of course, lacquer guitars took longer.

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 31 Jul 2014 4:49 pm

Yeah, I realise that Carter has closed up shop!

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 31 Jul 2014 4:50 pm

Yeah, I realise that Carter has closed up shop,but I think hat I was try ing to say that with the Fabians business equmen, and Bud Carter's engineering ability they each enjoyed a great life, an good remuneration from the building and sale of steel guitars. Much like the new MSA

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 1 Aug 2014 3:15 am

When I was looking for my first steel, there was a company that showed their shop and inventory of bare bodies and parts. That is probably the key to making pedal steels efficiently, Having a smaller selection of models that can use interchangeable hardware, and they having the parts inventory works.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 1 Aug 2014 7:20 am

When Henry Ford started building the Model T's, you could get them in any color, as long as it was black.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 1 Aug 2014 7:57 am

Erv Niehaus wrote:When Henry Ford started building the Model T's, you could get them in any color, as long as it was black.

And, I bet they drove better than cars in other colors.

Ken Pippus · Post by **Ken Pippus** » 1 Aug 2014 8:01 am

Or at least sounded better.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 1 Aug 2014 8:38 am

Perhaps someone should start a different topic, since this one has strayed so far from original intent. The last two pages had very little about the Emmons company.

John Palumbo · Post by **John Palumbo** » 1 Aug 2014 12:59 pm

Thanks Bob, I agree.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 1 Aug 2014 2:36 pm

This thread has.pretty much run it's course. It got to people just saying pretty much the same thing over and over. That's probably why it got off track.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 1 Aug 2014 2:36 pm

Oops!

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 1 Aug 2014 7:10 pm

Jason Duguay · Post by **Jason Duguay** » 1 Aug 2014 8:07 pm

This is the internet and all, but really? I don't know Mike but he seems to have a lifetime of honest hard work to his credit, lets back off the cheap shots.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 2 Aug 2014 4:18 am

Stephen Gambrell wrote: Mike Cass... ...asked to be taken off the Forum's membership list. (But not until he posted his phone number LOL).

Seems reasonable enough for Mike to leave a phone number for people to contact him now that he no longer wishes to participate in this Forum.

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 2 Aug 2014 6:14 am

Yep, we're definitely straying from the topic and Shawn's issues with Emmons. Instead of being sympathetic and helpful, we continue to have detractors and "Emmons faithful" steering it away from it's true course. I wish it was some of the "Emmons faithful" that had their money tied up in this, and I don't think it would be as well.

I think it shameful the way people pop in here with best wishes and great stories on Emmons service, trying to change the subject to something it isn't.

I intend to do whatever I can that is legally possible to prevent this from happening to anyone again once Shawn has had his situation resolved one way or the other.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 2 Aug 2014 8:26 am

Jason Duguay wrote:This is the internet and all, but really? I don't know Mike but he seems to have a lifetime of honest hard work to his credit, lets back off the cheap shots.

No cheap shots intended.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 2 Aug 2014 8:36 am

Jack Hanson wrote:
Stephen Gambrell wrote: Mike Cass... ...asked to be taken off the Forum's membership list. (But not until he posted his phone number LOL).
Seems reasonable enough for Mike to leave a phone number for people to contact him now that he no longer wishes to participate in this Forum.

As a couple of guys have already noted, a lot of people don't read the Forum. And I haven't tried it, but a Google search would probably find him, a search here on the Forum would CERTAINLY find him, and I think he was in the room when Bobbe first hurt his hand. And since Emmons appears to be kaput, nobody has to worry about "voiding the warranty" if they take their Emmons to a "non-factory certified" guy for repair, or whatever.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 2 Aug 2014 8:39 am

let's make a list of the customers the emmons company has screwed monetarily and/or emotionally. that should give us a good indication of where we stand. i'll start the list:

shawn
ivan (or ivan's friend)

(please continue)

brian...'equmen' is an interesting word from an english teacher. what does it mean?

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 2 Aug 2014 8:57 am

Chris, perhaps he meant "acumen", which would make more sense.

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 2 Aug 2014 9:35 am

Remember when daily newspapers had a feature where someone would write in with a problem and the paper would try to help resolve it? Probably 20 years ago, someone wrote in to one of the Detroit papers, he had this exact complaint, he paid The Emmons Co. in full for a guitar and a couple of years had passed, no guitar received. I've always remembered that. Over the years, this seems to have been repeated again and again. It looks like standard behavior at the Emmons Co. It's sad, and a shame that they continue to trade on the value of the Emmons name, while operating in an unethical manner. I feel very sorry for Shawn and all the others that have had this happen to them. Disgraceful, is the only way to describe it.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 2 Aug 2014 10:03 am

Dickie said:

I think it shameful the way people pop in here with best wishes and great stories on Emmons service, trying to change the subject to something it isn't.

I agree, but don't think they are trying to turn the thread into something different. They want to take the heat off Emmons by saying what a great company they are because they placed a parts order and got it asap. Sure, they sold them the parts that should have gone on whatever guitar they were building at the time. And some who say, "I went to their factory, and Ron took the time to fix/adjust my guitar". Again, taking away time that should have been spent on the guitar they were making.

Companies that have cash flow problems do what they have to do to get cash coming in. Even at the expense of "cheating" someone that paid in full and hasn't got their guitar yet. As I have said before, I have a friend waiting on his guitar, a year and a half now, and the company he is dealing with (not Emmons) is doing just what I described, and has no conscience what-so-ever about "cheating" my friend.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 2 Aug 2014 10:04 am

Bill Moore wrote:Remember when daily newspapers had a feature where someone would write in with a problem and the paper would try to help resolve it? Probably 20 years ago, someone wrote in to one of the Detroit papers, he had this exact complaint, he paid The Emmons Co. in full for a guitar and a couple of years had passed, no guitar received. I've always remembered that. Over the years, this seems to have been repeated again and again. It looks like standard behavior at the Emmons Co. It's sad, and a shame that they continue to trade on the value of the Emmons name, while operating in an unethical manner. I feel very sorry for Shawn and all the others that have had this happen to them. Disgraceful, is the only way to describe it.

A local TV station here had that service. I don't know if they still do.