Anyone Else get spammed by Lil House of Music?

Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

Just received an email from a company called Lil House of Music in Colorado alerting me to a Rick Frypan that just went up on Ebay, which I assume they are selling. They got my email address from the Steel Guitar Forum and I was cc'd (not bcc'd which makes it even worse) with alot of other forum members.

The email is completely illegal for a number of reasons. It provides no opt-out mechanism, they harvested my email address rather than ask my permission, they cc'd my address with dozens of others - a major faux pa. All of these rules are covered by the Can-Spam laws which govern email solicitations. Everything about this email is offensive.

Perhaps we should let Lil House of Music know what they did wrong.

[This message was edited by Bill McCloskey on 29 December 2005 at 04:33 AM.]

Gary Boyett · From: Colorado/ Lives in Arizona

I didn't get the email but here is the Ricky: Rickenbacker lap steel auction on eBay.

I am in CO but have never heard of these bozo's.

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JCFSGC,RMSGC,HSGA member
Do it with "Glass"
Boyett's Glass Bars

Edited by Brad Bechtel to shorten the URL.

[This message was edited by Brad Bechtel on 29 December 2005 at 09:17 AM.]

Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

Here's the email. I was cc'd with about 50 or so other forumites email addresses. :

Lil' House of Music
210 N. Main St.
Fountain, Co. 80817
719-382-8162

Item # 7378204667

A Rickenbacker Frying Pan Lap Steel Guitar 1934 just went on ebay. I thought you or someone you know might be very interested in it since your a member of the steel guitar forum and it's the collector item of all steel guitars. VERY RARE.

Here's what it says about it on ebay:

Rickenbacker Electro Frying Pan 1934

It's a 1934 "Rickenbacker Electro Frying Pan" model A22 with a 221/2" scale, cast aluminum body and a horseshoe magnet pickup that works. The nameplate says " Rickenbacher Electro Los Angeles". The Serial # 00125 is stamped in the end of the hollowed out headstock. There is some peeling of the aluminum finish on the back of the neck and on some of the body and it's missing two of the ten small dot inlays on the front of the neck. It has a Stevens slide.

The case is in poor condition and is missing the handle but still latches shut.

We verified the Rickenbacker Frying Pan through "Gruhn Guitars" with photos and a description. The following is what Gruhn Guitars had to say about the Frying Pan:

Gruhn Guitars

400 Broadway

Nashville, Tn.37203

Phone 615.256.2033
www.gruhn.com

We certify that the lap steel described is, in our opinion, a Rickenbacker model A-22 made circa 1934.

Description: Serial number 00125. The owner states that there is some
peeling of the finish on the neck and body, but the instrument appears to be
in very good condition for one of this age. It conforms to the typical
specifications of the model for the period with cast aluminum construction,
horseshoe magnet pickup with 1 ½ inch magnet width, slotted peghead, one
volume knob, and strings running through the body at the bridge end. The
so-called "frying pan" lap steel such as this one was the earliest
commercially made electric guitar. These instruments are sought by
collectors as well as musicians.

This article originally appeared in VG's March '04 issue. Vintage Guitar magazine.
Rickenbacker A22

Frying Pan

By George Gruhn

The Rickenbacker model A22 lap steel was the first commercially available electric guitar.
The Rickenbacker Electro Frying Pan models were offered in the model A22 with 221/2" scale (pictured) and the A25 model with 25" scale. Both feature cast aluminum bodies and the so-called horseshoe-magnet pickup with the strings running under the magnet. Although advertising literature spelled the name Rickenbacker, the metal nameplate on the peghead continued to used the older German spelling of Rickenbacher until '49, when it was changed to Rickenbacker.

The Frying Pan models are notable not only in being the first commercially available electric guitars, but they're also extraordinarily fine-quality instruments eminently suitable even today for professional use onstage or in the studio. The horseshoe magnet pickup gives as fine a sound for lap steel as any ever made by any manufacturer. It's ironic that with all the advances in electronic technology since these guitars were introduced none have surpassed them in tonal quality such that modern steel players still seek these instruments for actual playing use in addition to their appeal as prime collectibles. The heavy cast aluminum construction makes these guitars virtually indestructible. The only drawback to the design was tuning instability if temperatures changed rapidly, since the aluminum neck and body construction would slightly expand or contract in response to heat or cold.

Thanks

Lorelei Crosser

Owner and Operator of Lil' House of Music

littlehouseofmusic@att.net

cdblues@att.net

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

I got it too! Ain't gonna buy the Rick, though!

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

I don't appreciate they way in which they chose to do this email solicitation but I suspect they are merely uninformed. I made the same blind CC mistake myself once and paid the price for it. As a small business person, I can understand why they would want to target market to a group of potential buyers most likely to have interest in their item; a rare, unusual intrument that, for all intents and purposes, is still not widely understood and played. Most of us Forumites are at least interested when a frypan comes on the market. The company needs to learn how to better communicate and offer potential recipients an "opt out" option.

Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

Yes, the way to do it is to join the forum, post the ebay offer, and pay Bob his percentage. The way not to do it is to harvest email addresses.

Imagine if everyone selling a lap steel on ebay did the same?

John Bushouse · Posted 29 Dec 2005 8:21 am

Or better yet, notify the Federal Trade Commission.

By the way, can nonmembers see member e-mail addresses?

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I got it too, and I'm pissed.

I'm in the process of switching software so that only members can see other members' email addresses. Plus I've asked Wiz if we can block this spammer's IP address.

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Bobby Lee
-b0b- quasar@b0b.com
System Administrator
My Blog

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I've moved this topic to the Forum Feedback section.

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