Emmons Steel Guitars

Kenny Martin · Post by **Kenny Martin** » 17 Jun 2010 3:53 pm

Ya know, i have been reading all the B/S about Emmons and how they should do things as well as what the recent customer feels and thinks about how they have been treated!

I am 50 years old and have been in sales 34 years and work for a manurfactor that produces Freightliner trucks!

Every now and then they build a bad batch of trucks which takes a while to work through!

After all the years of building steel guitars, Emmons has made a few bad ones! So what! Every company does this because they are made by people and change in people can result in a bad product sometimes! You just fix it and move on and the best thing is to not comment good or bad as a company!

I bought Emmons in 1986 because it said Emmons on the front of it! I never question the quality because Buddy Emmons had his name on it and you would never think he would have his name on something that wasn't the best!

My daddy had a 1966 Emmons because it said Emmons on it and he also told me it was the best when i was 9 years old!

Bottom line is it is still the best or at least in the top two!

Funny thing is when you see steel guitars for sale they seem to always sale for less than a Emmons or a Franklin! I recently put my Derby D10 on the forum for sale and had one offer! $1500 less than what i ask for it!

I put my 1986 Emmons D10 P/P on the forum and it sold for $350 more than i paid for it in 1986! I sold my daddy's 1966 which needed work for around $2000! Daddy bought it for $800!

I still have the Derby for sale and no offers!

Bottom line is, stop bashing Emmons, even the new ones because they are still at the top and unless they do something very stupid, they will always be!

Yeah, i know there will be alot of comments on this but let me say this, i don't give a damn because the proof is in the demand and the demand is greater for Emmons and Franklin than any other steel being built or that has been built!

Also if you don't like this post i also don't give a damn!

Thanks Emmons for letting me play steel on the best guitar i have ever played since 1969 when i started!

And yeah, here's some ego! I can play, i'm not the best but i can play, so i can back up what i say!

thanks so much for stopping by!
km

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 17 Jun 2010 4:31 pm

Kenny Martin wrote:
I am 50 years old and have been in sales 34 years and work for a manurfactor that produces Freightliner trucks!

Every now and then they build a bad batch of trucks which takes a while to work through!

Ok, but would you expect a buyer to accept something that's not up to par? Most folks would expect the company to rectify any problems with their product and a conscientious company wouldn't try to pass off a defective product to a loyal customer then not reply to their numerous inquiries. You've had good luck with the Emmon's guitar company and that's a good thing, too bad they don't treat all their customers in the same manner.

Kenny Martin · Post by **Kenny Martin** » 17 Jun 2010 4:50 pm

Maybe i didn't say it clearly but all companies have to work through a bad build and yes make it right!

Doesn't matter, the point is it is still a good company!

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 17 Jun 2010 5:59 pm

the point is they 'have' seemed to do something stupid and they may not be the best company if they are rude to their customers and don't communicate properly and don't even return a pedalboard to the rightful owner if that is the case. i would say emmons' may still have good resale value, but i would put them in the top 20 otherwise. does franklin even make steels anymore? has anyone tried to buy one lately? how long for a new emmons? can you still order a new zum? what's the wait time?
...i like your derby. i'm surprised it hasn't sold. people don't seem to have much money to spend latey unless you're a banker or oil magnate.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 17 Jun 2010 6:10 pm

and i think even your daddy would have agreed that if a manurfactorer didn't make something right that needed to be made right, then they weren't a good company!
..i'm not the best picker either but i can back up what i say!

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 17 Jun 2010 6:35 pm

Chris,

Franklin's are still being made.....Dad has backed away from taking a lot of orders like he once did.

Paul

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 17 Jun 2010 7:43 pm

Kenny, you totally miss the point. Its obvious right off the bat that you have no respect and disdain for the Forum members here in that you say you don't care what anyone thinks here. This is not about BUILDING one bad steel guitar. Its about poor customer service. Poor customer service WILL put you out of business. Happens every time. The last thing I would want to do as a builder is publicly disrespect the many thousands of Forum members here. There are alot of them that can play, and they are more than able to back it up. Recognize the post above?

Chris Schlotzhauer · Post by **Chris Schlotzhauer** » 17 Jun 2010 8:33 pm

Yeah, i know there will be alot of comments on this but let me say this, i don't give a damn because the proof is in the demand and the demand is greater for Emmons and Franklin than any other steel being built or that has been built!

I think you should order a new one. You can blog about the progress for the next two years

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 18 Jun 2010 1:06 am

Building a quality product is one thing
Lack of proper customer service (communication & responsability) is another

Would i order a new Emmons from Emmons Co ?
NO !
would i order one from an authorized dealer ?
Yes !
On the other hand there are plenty of good used ones available...

Paolo Ercoli · Post by **Paolo Ercoli** » 18 Jun 2010 1:12 am

Mr. Martin,
what you said and wrote have NOTHING to do with what have happened.
You are completly out of tune, regards this matter.

Sincerely,
Paolo

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 18 Jun 2010 1:33 am

Kenny, our friend......top two in the world ?

according to who ?

Because it has a "name" tag on it ? You have owned at least ONE of every Steel made in the world ?

I would be willing to bet that there area a few builders of other premium Steel guitars that have a different opinion.

I have owned two Emmons Steels thru the years, both were Legrande's, nice axes, but they were not the best in the world . The last one I tore down and restored it except I could not remove the cross shafts...why would that be ? Design flaw ?

just sayin'... and yes, I would buy another given the right price...

top two in the world is quite a statement...

Here's a thought....

ALL Franklin's are made by Paul Sr, ALL Zums are made by Bruce, ALL Mullen are made by Del, ALL Carters were made by Bud and John ....etc...

ALL Emmons were made by various people during the history of the company. Ron Jr , as good as he is was not even involved with the Co for many years...

Don't get me wrong, Emmons guitars are fine, world class, but that's not what the thread ( recent) was about, it had nothing to do with the build quality of the guitar.

Two totally different and unrelated topics...

PS , every time I tell someone I play the best Telecasters made in the world (Fender) WWIII starts ! So much for the name tag !

t

Al Miller · Post by **Al Miller** » 18 Jun 2010 3:37 am

Kenny ,
Mabye Emmons will send you that pile of trash they built paolo's friend for your endorsment

b0b this one is going to get out of hand too might as well lock it up now..

Marc Mercer · Post by **Marc Mercer** » 18 Jun 2010 5:23 am

Kenny Martin wrote:Maybe i didn't say it clearly but all companies have to work through a bad build and yes make it right!

So what's your stand when a company WON'T work through a bad build and WON'T make it right?

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 18 Jun 2010 6:58 am

I made my purchase from the EMMONS factory.......in 1972.

I was treated fairly and with respect and the price was right. The entire transaction was right up there with all of my dealings with Paul A. Bigsby, my previous guitar purchase-1956.

HOWEVER, from all of the negative verbalizations that have gone on now for the past several years...... I wouldn't consider purchasing an EMMONS under any circumstances for a number of different reasons.

I've felt the urge to purchase my last pedal steel during the past couple of years.........but even after traveling at considerable expense to Dallas and St.Louis, I've found none of the manufacturers'
personnel seemingly interested in my fist full of money.......and my burning desire to purchase a new guitar at the top of their priority list.

If one wasn't in their circle of picking buddies, you couldn't even get close to the 'sample' guitars on display.

John Ummel · Post by **John Ummel** » 18 Jun 2010 8:08 am

Thanks for your calm clear perspective Ray, you're a gentleman and a scholar. I worked Warranty/Customer Service for many years and I know how important it is to treat people well.

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 18 Jun 2010 8:46 am

Let me say this.........There is NO excuse for a bad guitar!!!!!!!!!!!! Period!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 18 Jun 2010 8:46 am

I made my purchase from the EMMONS factory.......in 1972.

I'm with you, Ray. Got mine in '75 from the factory, no problem. My previous guitar was a Sho~Bud, bought from the store in Nashville in '72.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 18 Jun 2010 8:50 am

I didn`t want to get involved in this but being european I`d like to point out the following:

The two most well known cases of customer/Emmons problems recently have been with European customers. One can only guess if the customer who is less likely to come knocking on the factory door is more likely to get a less than perfect product or less than eager communication....
If this is the case the company has no clue how global the market and customer feedback is these days.

A great company in -72, probably the best.
If an old buddy robbed someone, would you defend him just because he was such a nice kid in high school...

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 18 Jun 2010 9:29 am

an interesting side note: as paul says, his dad isn't taking so many orders as he once did. this seems to me to be a very smart business approach with customer service at the top of the list.
franklins and zums are very desireable...partly because they are so well made with builder pride a major ingredient. both paul, sr. and bruce z. have cut back on taking orders so they can continue to provide the best instruments in a timely fashion, rather than taking people's orders and money, rushing to put out an inferior product, and getting a backlog of impatient customers breathing down their necks. bravo!

Johnny Thomasson · Post by **Johnny Thomasson** » 18 Jun 2010 9:44 am

Chris Schlotzhauer wrote:
Yeah, i know there will be alot of comments on this but let me say this, i don't give a damn because the proof is in the demand and the demand is greater for Emmons and Franklin than any other steel being built or that has been built!
I think you should order a new one. You can blog about the progress for the next two years

And when you order it, be sure and pay in full up front like Ivano did. Let us know how it goes.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 18 Jun 2010 10:15 am

Wish I'd kept the pictures of that first guitar! The endplate was a reject, I'm sure.

Post by **Joey Ace** » 18 Jun 2010 10:36 am

I never question the quality because Buddy Emmons had his name on it and you would never think he would have his name on something that wasn't the best!

Too many folks believe that.

The Emmons name on the guitar no longer has anything to do with Mr. Buddy Emmons, hasn't for decades.

http://www.emmonstropicalfishandpond.com/

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 18 Jun 2010 10:40 am

Kenny Martin wrote: I bought Emmons in 1986 because it said Emmons on the front of it! I never question the quality because Buddy Emmons had his name on it and you would never think he would have his name on something that wasn't the best!
km

This erroneous notion has been highlighted a few times in these threads. The Emmons guitar has nothing to do with the musical abilities or otherwise of Buddy Emmons. Of course he helped start the company and design the original push-pull mechanism, but it is my understanding that he severed ties with them a long time ago. So why do people keep using this association in an argument about Emmons guitars?

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 18 Jun 2010 10:41 am

We are on the same wavelength today, Joey. Must be the easterly winds of Canada blowing in the same direction.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 18 Jun 2010 11:38 am

chris ivey wrote: franklins and zums are very desireable...partly because they are so well made with builder pride a major ingredient.

Chris, right on.
I would like to include Gary Carpenter and the Rains as well.

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