Bobbe Seymour

Tom Callahan · From: Dunlap, Tennessee, USA

Being fairly new to pedal steel guitar, I have mad quiet a few bad decisions. Then I ran into Bobbe. I just wanted to say that it is a real pleasure to deal with someone who will tell it to you straight and not try to snow you.
Bobbe has been over and above board in all my dealings with him and he has been a great help.
He seems to treat each and everyone that comes into his shop as his most valued patron.
My most recent dealing with him was just the same. Bobbe took time to remove any doubts that I had and went out of his way to provide the items that would remove any concerns about my new steel.
So for what it is worth, Bobbe you da man.

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T.C.
Emmons S-10
G.F.I. S-10

James Marlowe · From: Florida, USA

I agree, Tom. Bobbe is da man.
He certainly treated me like I was somebody, and for certain I'm a nobody in this world of steels.
Bobbe, thanks for being there for me, and thanks for the Zum that I'm thoroughly enjoying!
James
Zum SD10
GFI SD10

Ron Jones · From: Lenoir City, Tennessee, USA

I agree. Mo one could have been more help in my decision to buy a new steel than Bobbe and Danny. It took me 4 hours of back and forth between two guitars before I decided. Never once did I feel pressured or like I was being a pain. When money was an issue bobbe came through and made sure I was happy with the deal. Iam very happy with my new Fessenden. Thanks again Bobbe.

Dan Burnham · From: Greenfield, Tennessee

No Spin here just the truth, I report you decide.

I called Bobbe because I was considering buying a Carter Starter. Bobbe told me he didn't recommend the Carter Starter, "They won't keep tune." He said he had an Emmons in good condition that would be ideal for me.
Based upon his recommendation I bought the used Emmons over the Carter.

So what did I get for my $800.00?

A. Emmons 3Floors & 2 knees

B. Tone Control that didn't work, it was bypassed and wired directly to the pickup.

C. The lower set of hex screws that make the adjustments were not even in alignment with the holes. In order to tune the pedals and knees you had to enter at an angle to make any changes.

Because of my Multiple Sclerosis, I have trouble moving my fingers sometimes so it proved to be more trouble than worth to make the changes necessary for the guitar to be up to standard playability. The guitar wouldn't keep tune so I took it to an experienced steel player and he recommended I move it.

I also received with the guitar:
A. CD
B. set of Cobra Strings.

I called Bobbe and he said he would fix it if I brought it to him, some 2.5 hours from my home.

I decided to move it. I took 30 pictures of the guitar detailing every flaw I knew of and detailed it on ebay. I made a point to not mention who I bought it from but told all that was wrong with it, you see I would rather tell you all that is wrong with it so there are no surprises. I lost $300.00 on this guitar and that is not counting ebay fees.

Everybody that has ever bought from me will tell you I deal on the level and square with everybody I buy or sell to.
So what did I do, I bought a Starter Carter just to resolve that age old inquiry.

Results:
For under $800.00 I bought a guitar with 4 knees and 3 floors that came out of the box ready to go. Not fancy, but playable.

My suggestion when you buy,
If you can't evaluate intelligently or don't know how to negotiate, take your Daddy with you, ha! ha!

No spin, the truth, you decide.

Good Day

[This message was edited by Dan Burnham on 15 March 2004 at 06:25 PM.]

[This message was edited by Dan Burnham on 16 March 2004 at 03:13 AM.]

Jeff Lampert · From: queens, new york city

Bobbe is beyond great. He's one of a very select few players or dealers who I am truly glad to know as a person.

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[url=http://www.mightyfinemusic.com/jeff's_jazz.htm]Jeff's Jazz[/url]

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Well, I need to fix a few things here, I would recommend a Carter starter to anyone that didn't have the means to buy a more professional guitar. This little Carter guitar in my opinion is a wonderful way to get into steel guitar for almost NO money. It is a real value. This industry needs what the "Starter" has to offer. Would I recommend a more professional guitar if the money was available? Of course I would.
Now as for losing $300. on E-bay when I'd had fixed your Emmons or given all your money back, this was your decision. I sold you a used guitar and stood behind it, you choose not to take advantage of your warrentee. As for the volume and tone controls being bypassed, this is a standard mod. that most pros do to their guitars if the pro guitars even have vol. and tone controls. Most don't. Remember, I offered to fix your guitar. And, the holes didn't line up with the changer? Not true, this guitar was built by the Emmons company and there is no way the end casting could have moved.
I also have never said that the Carter Starter wouldn't "Keep in tune". It must have been another "expert" in you area.
I'm glad you are happy now with your new guitar. I hate that you lost $300.00 so I'll offer you a credit in this amount on the purchase of a new Peavey or Evans steel guitar amplifier, within the next year.
This way you will have lost nothing, and have gained all the free items that I sent you with the guitar.

bobbe

[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 16 March 2004 at 08:44 AM.]

[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 16 March 2004 at 08:46 AM.]

Nicholas Dedring · From: Beacon, New York, USA

In the interactions I've had with Bobbe, he's seemed real friendly and helpful, including sending a part for nothing for a guitar I didn't buy from him...

If Bobbe had promised an instrument in a condition that was not what was delivered, and hadn't offered to make it right by you, I can understand being upset. He did offer to fix it, from what I understand here, and that's a pretty upstanding thing to do.

As to losing money on an instrument, I would never ever ever expect to buy something from a retail store, and sell it on a private party one on one sale and get my money back... especially not on ebay.

Not trying to give you a hard time, and I definitely don't have a dog in this fight... but as you said, you report... the reader decides, and that's my opinion on it.

Gerald Menke · From: Stormville NY, USA

I have a question for you guys who insist on slinging mud at businessmen like Bobbe, the people at Carter or Emmons, instead of picking up the phone and trying to settle the problem privately:

What in the world are you trying to accomplish?

Is is some misguided humanitarian impulse to save the rest of the steel community from these big bad steel guitar builders/vendors? I have some news for you. Instead of making the builder/vendor look bad, it makes the poster look like a schlub who doesn't have the cojones to settle the problem privately, and takes some pleasure in engaging in some kind of mudslinging against a small business owner. There have been a fair number of these lately, and I find it really irritating.

For the record, I've done business with Bobbe and found him to be a fair and generous gentleman in all respects.

Gerald

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

Bobbe, "Priceless" is one of them $1000 CD's. Awesome work, and for this old Ray Price fan it's a real pleasure to listen to. Same for the "Masters" CD. They've been crowdin' out the "Legal Defense Fund" CD so I haven't had the chance to listen to it yet. Much too much good steel to handle at one time...

[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 16 March 2004 at 10:13 AM.]

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Bobby Seymour is one of my dearest friends on this earth. He and I have a close relationship.

That being said, I find NO problem in anyone stating their negative (real or imagined) experiences on this forum in a sincere decent manner. The fact that I love Bobby Seymour to death; the fact that 99 out of a hundred have had no problem, does NOT mean that the one out of a 100 did not have a problem.

It is NO different to "slam" a poster or posters than what the poster is accused of doing.

The poster stated facts in a clear and consise way. He did not personally attack Bobby. He told us of his experiences. While I have had nothing but superb relations with Bobby and will stand behind him, the poster HAS a right to state his experiences on this forum, without being made to feel he is some kind of a jerk. Or committed and unforgivable sin.

I also will stand behind HIM in this endeavor. I know nothing of any of the facts. But I will respect ANY one who states their experiences; good OR bad.

If the PU was wired directly to the jack, this should have been told to anyone purchasing it. The fact that some players bypass it does not mean all do. I have never seen an Emmons with the tone control circuit bypassed. That does not mean there aren't some.

I know what the gentleman is talking about when he says the allen screws do not line up. This is the way it tends to work for the most part on Emmons' P/P raise return screws.

HOWEVER, JD Maness sent Larry Sasser an entire set of parts to build a complete Emmons' P/P from scratch. Larry took it to Mac Atcheson to put together. When the end plates were put on, the allen screws did NOT align. They were a 1/4" off!

Of the hundreds of Emmons I have seen and worked on, I had never seen this before. But there was no question the end plate had been drilled incorrectly. Larry, Mac and I checked it out and sure enough that WAS the case.

The only way that Mac could even make them come close was to put extra washers on one end of the changer axle in lieu of putting them on the other end. Thus shifting all the fingers to try and compensate for the error in drilling of the end plates.

Now folks those are facts. It happened. I have no idea whether it happend on this man's guitar. Probably not and probably it is a case of him not realizing that the raise allen screws move and do tend to be offset in various ways. (NOTE: NOT like the one Mac built. This one was really out.)

But that STILL gives this man the right to complain if he feels his complaint is legit on this forum.

The world we live in is NOT all peaches and cream. Bobby is to be commended. And as I say, I love him dearly. I met Bobby when he first opened his store in Nashville. NO business person has ever treated me better than Bobby did. And I did not buy one single thing.

But I still will give this poster the right to state what he did. Bobby responded also. I respect both of them. I will stand behind BOTH of them in stating the facts as each "sees" it.

God help us if we ever reach the point where people are NOT allowed to post legitimate negative things they feel they have experienced. As long as it is done without personally attacking another person. I pray it will always be a right; not only on this forum; but in America as well.

Sadly, the term "offended me" seems to be the politically correct crutch nowadays. I call it stifling truth. And that will turn any nation into a dictatorship in a hearbeat; if we do not stop it quickly.

The right to publicly "protest" is a right few nations permit. It is one that many of our forefathers died to keep. I do hope we never lose it in this nation.

"Give me liberty or give me death."

"I do not agree with what you are saying, but I will defend with my life, your right to say it ."

carl

Nicholas Dedring · From: Beacon, New York, USA

Carl, if you buy something, and the person who sold it to you offers to make good the problems you have... that's them fulfilling their responsibility.

This makes it sound like Bobbe told the gentleman not to get what he wanted, and proceeded to sell him an overpriced piece of garbage. That was apparently not the case... so as far as it goes, this definitely seems like an effort to make bobbe seem like a real shifty guy.

For what it's worth, nobody above talked about being "offended"... if you choose not to have it fixed for free, and instead to sell it, that's not bobbe's fault as far as I can tell.

Savell · From: Slocomb, AL

I vote thumbs up for Bobbe. I don't know Bobbe personally. I have spoken with him on the phone and through email and bought some stuff from him. He certainly treated me with great conversation and service.

A man brought a complaint against him in the midst of a post that was meant to lift his feelings a bit (beings to how Bobbe is droopin a little due to that lawsuit and all - course, I'm sure that money from the new CD helps too). Probably would have been best if Dan had started his own post. Well Bobbe had the guts to address it immediately in order to make things right. I thought he done a good job at it too! Here's one for you Bobbe...

Dan needs to get on over there and take advantage of that amp deal. Bobbe, if he don't take it can I get his $300 off a good used Nashville 400 for me?

Gerald Menke · From: Stormville NY, USA

Dear Carl,

I write with all due respect, am aware that you have been playing steel longer than I have been alive, and are clearly a wise and thoughtful man. But my point was not to silence the poster or others like him but merely to ask what they hope to gain by some of these threads. That's what I'm trying to understand. What benefit comes of a poster going after a vendor/builder in a public forum like that? Especially when it's pretty clear Bobbe was and is willing to make things right for the guy.

Believe me, I am a free speech advocate of the first order, but we all know none of our rights are absolute. I object when someone takes a matter like that public, when it seems to me, it would have been much more productive to deal with the vendor directly, rather than create what amounts to a Web log of "how this builder or dealer done me wrong", which we've seen time and time again.

respectfully,

Gerald

Tom Callahan · From: Dunlap, Tennessee, USA

Bob; I started this thread, please close it.

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T.C.
Emmons S-10
G.F.I. S-10

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Bobbee did'nt know me from Adam, when i ordered a ShoBud Professional that was on his site.
well i still have it and have enjoyed many hours of playin' on it.
Even tho' i have never had the pleasure of meeting him, i want to say that Bobbee is All Right in my book and he'll go out of his way to keep you satisfied
Thanx Bobbee

[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 16 March 2004 at 12:52 PM.]

Peter · Posted 16 Mar 2004 2:41 pm

I certainly cannot afford to spend $700 in extra shipping fees, just because a dealer cannot recognise that a guitar needs to be fixed before he ships it.

If a dealer cannot fix the guitar before it is sent off in the first place, he is not going to fix it when it is returned to him. If he could, he would have done it in the beginning.

IF I buy a guitar, I prefer to have it working properly without the free gifts and entertainment by a famous personality.

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Peter den Hartogh
Emmons 1978 S10-Fender Artist S10-Remington U12
Hilton Volume Pedal-Gibson BR4-Guya "Stringmaster"
MusicMan112RP-Peavy Rage158
My Animation College in South Africa

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Closed per Tom's request.

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