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Topic: What motivates you to participate? |
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 20 Jun 2014 10:12 am |
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If you had the opportunity to INVEST in a recognized program/project/or...business.... Like buying into a
pedal steel manufacturers business...
WHAT would be the 'key' to moving you to action?
BIG BUCKs required to invest?
Penny stocks?
Just being a part of something "BIG"?
Bragging rights for being a part owner?
Just curious what makes steel players tick.  |
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Bill L. Wilson
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 20 Jun 2014 11:41 am The Investment.
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| If I had the money to buy The Emmons Guitar Co. And could talk Buddy Emmons out of retirement, and had a factory that could produce guitars as good and fast as it could build'em.......WELL, I think, I could take over the steel guitar world.....BUT, It ain't gonna happen, cause my wife and I just came back from a Carribean cruise, and I was informed to be expecting a new table and chairs to be delivered soon. Besides, she thinks my Emmons LeGrande, is all I need.......Funny how women always think furniture and vacations trump everything else......I can't really complain, cause I don't work, and all I do is pick on the weekends....Life is Good!!!! |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 20 Jun 2014 4:59 pm Thanks for your response................
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Decades ago, the U.S.S. Oregon, a battleship of WWI was scrapped after serving for years as a floating, community museum, here in Portland, OR.
The tall mast from that ship today adorns Portlands' water-front park and........
they cut up everything that was wooden on the ship and sold the pieces for $1.00 each as souvenirs.
If YOU could purchase the fully functioning EMMONS Guitar Company for incremental dollar amounts, that would allow the company to continue functioning yet requiring no MAJOR investment from you alone, would it interest you? Perhaps you and hundreds of other like minded individuals could band together to make it all happen without any great personal indebtedness
or liability risks. Perhaps a lithographed, full colored certificate, suitable for framing, could be
distributed 'for bragging rights'?
What say you? |
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Bill L. Wilson
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 20 Jun 2014 5:47 pm The Investment.
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| I'm not sure that everyone would want to invest in The Emmons Guitar Co. And like I said earlier, my wife and I apparently, only have money for cruises and furniture. But I really want The Emmons Guitar Co. to stay in business, and keep makin' what I consider the finest guitars available. Hopefully, I'll be able to buy parts for my LeGrande II, until I'm pushin up daisies, and hopefully, that's a few years down the road. |
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Dickie Whitley
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Posted 20 Jun 2014 6:03 pm
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OK, I'll put in my 2 cents where it's probably not wanted but here goes (based on if I won a big $ lottery):
I would want a majority stake in the Emmons company and would want some changes made including:
1. Redesigning of the changer to a more modern 3 raise/3 lower.
2. Bring back the lacquer PSG's
3. Standard SD-10 would be 4p/5k (the 4th pedal doesn't have to be PF...it could just be your experiment pedal)
4. First and foremost, buy enough inventory to get the backlog and parts requests taken care of.
I'll probably get flamed for some of this, but I would truly love to see Emmons come back and be a force in the PSG market again. Maybe even offer special order push/pull models on a limited basis.
Yeah, I know, just dreaming here. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Les Cargill
From:
Oklahoma City, Ok, USA
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Posted 20 Jun 2014 6:22 pm
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| Dickie Whitley wrote: |
I'll probably get flamed for some of this, but I would truly love to see Emmons come back and be a force in the PSG market again. Maybe even offer special order push/pull models on a limited basis.
Yeah, I know, just dreaming here. |
Damir's Promat sure look like good guitars to me.
Just sayin'... |
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Bud Angelotti
From:
Larryville, NJ, USA
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Posted 20 Jun 2014 6:40 pm
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It's all about volume Ray. Pedal steels or doughnuts.Most of us just try to play the steel, let alone build 'em, let alone operate a steel guitar factory.
Those folks down at that funny looking building that says "emmons guitar co." must really love those steel guitars, one at a time.
_________________
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not. |
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Robert Parent
From:
Gillette, WY
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Posted 21 Jun 2014 3:21 am
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ROI - Return on investment. A business is to make a profit. A hobby is for fun.
Robert |
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Buck Reid
From:
Nashville,TN
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Posted 21 Jun 2014 6:12 am
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Ray... realistically a bigger market would be a good start. Currently the market is very small and very competitive. Very difficult to make even a modest living.
_________________
www.BuckReid.com |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 21 Jun 2014 9:03 am
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If I were forty years younger, and I had unlimited resources, I might start some sort of musical instrument manufactury. But I'm reminded about the luthier who won $8,000,000 on the state lottery. Asked whether this would change his life he responded, "No, I'm just going to continue building guitars until it's all gone." 
Now, at 68, the prospect of all that organization that would be required of me, getting up in the wee hours of the morning, driving to work, and coming home late every night, doesn't appeal to me. In fact I find it difficult to get motivated to do anything at all which involves a lot of effort.  |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 21 Jun 2014 9:18 am A different point of view.............
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What if it WASN'T a guitar manufacturing company?
What if it was, like a national park, a local zoo or philharmonic shell in a public park, a famous airplane or race car or a bench or statue with your name emblazoned thereon, a one of a kind 'thingie'.........that could never be replaced and you were looking for somewhere to preserve it so that the world could enjoy it as much as yourself? What if it were a famous musical instrument, like Speedy Wests' BIGSBY in the Nashville Country Hall of Fame?
Might YOU be inclined to donate $2.00 - $5.00 along with your friends and like-minded acquaintances to make it happen? Just to own a fractional part of it yet with 100% bragging rights?
It would be a charitable project under the 501.(c)(3)
Federal guidelines that could be established.
Say YOU.......What might it take to gain YOUR enthusiastic voluntary, charitable support?
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2014 9:26 am
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Man, I'm just happy playing music - pedal and non-pedal steel, old timey banjo, jazz piano, bass and guitar! I have had a burning desire to play as far back as I can remember.
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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Bill L. Wilson
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2014 7:48 pm I Do Like The National Parks.
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| I love to go to the Grand Canyon, but I have a Park Pass because I'm a senior citizen. I get in free to all National Parks. I just visited, the old fort in San Juan,"Castillo San Felipe Del Morro", two weeks ago, and although it's not expensive, my wife, our two friends, and myself got in free on my pass. So I don't need to own the parks, to enjoy them, I just show up and they let me in. I'm kinda in the same vein as Alan, I don't wanna do much at my age, but pick steel&guitar on the weekends, and do stuff around the house the rest of the week. I did some sheetrock repair last week, and it wore me out. I've got to many screws in my back and knee, to do very much anymore. |
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Bud Angelotti
From:
Larryville, NJ, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 3:34 am
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It's a private business Ray. It's owned by private individuals. The National parks are owned by the people, yet still have to charge admission to off-set costs as their budget does not cover everything. What you are saying, and correct me if I am wrong, is for folks like us to "chip in" to bankroll the emmons guitar company. Bless you. it's a noble idea of the best intentions, however, not real practical. NOT impossible mind you. Just not pratical. Now, if it was a not-for-profit organization that would be another story. But it's not. It's for profit. The folks that work there need to get paid or it goes away. Thats life. The steel guitar community is fortunate that emmons steel guitars ARE still being built. Take care! Bud
_________________
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not. |
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Len Amaral
From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 4:12 am
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With a start up business you don't just invest money but you jump in with both feet. If you think investing money, just because it's a good idea is a non starter. Many good ideas fail because the zeal and fire in the belly were not there to make the business suceed in the first place. It's also the 80/20 rule where only 20% of the people do the work and maybe 1 person with their eye on the ball drives and directs the effort.
My assesment is not just an opinion as I was there and did that and had the opportunity to view other start up business with great ideas fall by the wayside.
Just sayin...
Lenny |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 9:48 am
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| If I had unlimited resources I would fund the reopening of a closed railway line, or the extension of a preserved line. I would also fund the building of replacement steam locomotives for some of those famous classes of engines of which none survived, such as the London & North Western Claughton class. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 10:17 am I should point a misconception that I apparently created.
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My reference to the Emmons Guitar Co., was meant only to use that as a well recognized entity in our steel guitar community and for purposes of this discussion only.
No discussion, agreement or intent has ever been discussed with the Emmons people nor any other established business.
I own a 1972 Emmons Dbl-10 and have NEVER tho't of replacing it.
My thinking was more in line with the preservation of
a famous musical instrument, one that should not be sold off as nothing more than a collectors prize for his/her own personal gratification.
Instead of 'wishing' for some rich musician to come along and buy it, I tho't if the 'prize' had enough shared interest, just possibly this instrument could be saved for musical generations to come simply by a sizeable number of musicians choosing
to contribute toward its preservation, with a certificate of 'ownership' or whatever and guaranteed bragging rights.
Time is of the essence and I was hoping to gain a host of would-be contributors. Probably just a pipe dream..............
I just felt a contribution in the small amount of
$2.50 each to preserve this famous piece of musical history would not be too much to hope for out of some 12,000 active musicians. To do this, some 2,000 players would have to be willing to make such a financial sacrifice without any expectation of receiving any financial benefits or rewards.
More than one $2.50 ticket or whatever you might choose to call it, can be had by any one single participant. The unit could be put on display at many of the national guitar shows.
What's the RISK of a $2.50 contribution with no expectation of ever getting anything more than bragging rights for this gesture. This is not a
pyramid scheme like some well known con-artists have done in the recent past. It's keeping an important
ICON in the public's eye. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 12:12 pm
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Several years ago, many of us here contributed to buy Shot Jackson's Sho-Bro from his widow, Donna, to donate it to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Is this the kind of thing you're talking about doing, Ray?
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 12:12 pm
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| b0b wrote: |
| ...I wouldn't want to own 1/2000th of an instrument. No motivation at all. |
Neither would I.
I agree with Bobby Lee. Instruments are made to be played. I don't like it when I spend months building an instrument only for it to be hung on a wall as a decoration.
Remember that some of the world's great art masterpieces will never be seen by the public again. They're owned as investments and stored away in security vaults.  |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 12:27 pm YES Jim..............
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YES Jim, that is what I was speculating about.
I had no idea such an event had been, re.Sho-Jacksons
guitar. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 1:09 pm Re: I should point a misconception that I apparently created
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| Ray Montee wrote: |
My thinking was more in line with the preservation of
a famous musical instrument,[/b] one that should not be sold off as nothing more than a collectors prize for his/her own personal gratification.
Time is of the essence and I was hoping to gain a host of would-be contributors. Probably just a pipe dream..............
I just felt a contribution in the small amount of
$2.50 each to preserve this famous piece of musical history would not be too much to hope for out of some 12,000 active musicians. To do this, some 2,000 players would have to be willing to make such a financial sacrifice without any expectation of receiving any financial benefits or rewards...
More than one $2.50 ticket or whatever you might choose to call it, can be had by any one single participant. The unit could be put on display at many of the national guitar shows...
What's the RISK of a $2.50 contribution with no expectation of ever getting anything more than bragging rights for this gesture. This is not a
pyramid scheme like some well known con-artists have done in the recent past. It's keeping an important
ICON in the public's eye. |
Personally, I have no interest in making someone else richer - just so I can have "bragging rights and a certificate". IMHO, if a guitar is to be donated, then the owner should be donating it, not a bunch of investors for the sake of their own egos. |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 1:30 pm
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In the case of the Sho~Bro, we banded together to save the instrument that otherwise Donna would have had to sell privately to raise cash. Nobody wanted to see that happen as we felt the instrument should be saved for posterity, so we did what we did and it was donated to the CMHOF. Nobody did it for any kind of 'bragging rights'. We wanted to help out Shot's widow and save the instrument for posterity, that's all.
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Bud Angelotti
From:
Larryville, NJ, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2014 5:08 pm
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The heck with the guitar Ray. Just hope YOU are alright. You have introduced me to much great music, and we've never actually met!
Looks like this internet thing is good for something after all! 
Cheers!
Bud
_________________
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not. |
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