Bob Wolfman is a JACKASS
noolives...@yahoo.com
Bob Wolfman in Arlington, Massachusetts a while back. I was polite
when I quit but this has been bugging me forever. So I'll vent here.
Bob was ALWAYS running late, although the lessons were IN HIS OWN
HOUSE (I was ON TIME, EVERY TIME). He taught me NOTHING, except the
names of a couple of books to buy. He spent most lessons distracted,
doing something else, eating his lunch, answering the phone, fixing
his amplifier, and there were a couple lessons where he SAT BEHIND HIS
COMPUTER AND DID HIS TAXES while pretending to teach. He had nothing
good to say about ANY of the guitarists I admired, and seemed to be
jealous of anybody who had ever acheived any fame (because he never
did). I did learn that he can spend hours on end talking about what a
great guitarist and teacher he is, but from my perspective it was all
talk. Over the course of two months I was $480 (that's the price of a
decent new guitar!!) poorer and had learned JACK SHIT. I couldn't
wait to get out of there, even though he spent the entire final lesson
begging me to stay (another 60 minutes wasted). No wonder Bob Wolfman
makes his students pay every month in advance and sign a "no refunds"
contract. So, if any of you are going to take lessons from Bob
Wolfman, save your money and avoid this worthless gasbag. Fuck you
Bob.
lemmy loud
<noolives...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:b73a4c8a.02042...@posting.google.com...
> I have to get this off my chest. I took VERY expensive lessons from
> Bob Wolfman in Arlington, Massachusetts a while back. I was polite
> when I quit but this has been bugging me forever. So I'll vent here.
I tried a few times to take lessons when I first started.
I wasnt ready for them but thats a whole different boring story....
Anyway, one of the guys who I tried to get to wave the magic
wand over me and make me play perfectly without all the stupid
theory, chords ( I thought I only needed one cord...duh) and
the most boorish of all, actual practice..used to have a big dog
that would jump all over the place, jump all over you while you
were trying to play and made the "studio" smell like a Vet's office.
He would eat big drippy sausage sandwiches while teaching.
Im a vegatarian and a cat person so this combination was doubly
undesireable.......When I quit he was dumbfounded...."you can be great"....
"a natural talent"...etc etc....yea right.....sure.
To end this epic saga I will opine, and Im sure wrankle someones
ass, but in this age of internet I cant see wasting money on lessons.
EVERYTHING I could need is a dial-up away. I had to stop
playing guitar for a few years to get some personal priorities
straightened out. When I came back and saw how much stuff was out
there I was amazed. Equally amazing is this stuff has made me
want to learn more and more instead of just kicking back and chilling
on up in da krib with only 3 chords and de amp on 10 !
I am actually more interested in scoring the perfect chord than the
what type of guitar I am seeking that chord on. For me, this is huge.
The internet...good for guitars !
Nate C.
issues with this guy, why are you telling us and not *him*? IMO, this falls
more on you than him if as you say, you were "polite when you quit" then go
on this public forum and bash the guy. Why didn't you get in this guy's
face and tell him that you paid him good money, therefore he OWES you some
real lessons, not sitting behind his computer doing taxes while "teaching"?
I'm not defending him; I don't know him from a hole in the wall, but you
could have and probably should have handled this situation a LOT
differently.
<noolives...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:b73a4c8a.02042...@posting.google.com...
.jason
news:aa5d2v$6eb$1...@laurel.tc.umn.edu...
> Dude, this comes across as wussy passive-aggressive shit. If you have
> issues with this guy, why are you telling us and not *him*? IMO, this
falls
> more on you than him if as you say, you were "polite when you quit" then
go
> on this public forum and bash the guy. Why didn't you get in this guy's
> face and tell him that you paid him good money, therefore he OWES you some
> real lessons, not sitting behind his computer doing taxes while
"teaching"?
> I'm not defending him; I don't know him from a hole in the wall, but you
> could have and probably should have handled this situation a LOT
> differently.
>
Maybe he's warning anyone in Arlington, Massachusetts about this guy through
the ng? ...
The Colemans
".jason" <ad...@studentrick.com> wrote in message
news:B3Ax8.6627$ha.827...@hestia.telenet-ops.be...
> "Nate C." <conn...@tc.umn.edu> schreef in bericht
> news:aa5d2v$6eb$1...@laurel.tc.umn.edu...
> > Dude, this comes across as wussy passive-aggressive shit. If you have
> > issues with this guy, why are you telling us and not *him*? IMO, this
> falls
> > more on you than him if as you say, you were "polite when you quit" then
> go
> > on this public forum and bash the guy. Why didn't you get in this guy's
> > face and tell him that you paid him good money, therefore he OWES you
some
> > real lessons, not sitting behind his computer doing taxes while
> "teaching"?
> > I'm not defending him; I don't know him from a hole in the wall, but you
> > could have and probably should have handled this situation a LOT
> > differently.
> >
>
> Maybe he's warning anyone in Arlington, Massachusetts about this guy
through
> the ng? ...
>
I think it's pretty goddamned stupid to read the below post and then knock
the posters.
For one thing, there's the great american tendendcy to defer to authority..
the poster thought bob was going to back up his statements and promises..
thought he had knowledge and experience.. was himself anxious to get on with
it.. and was kind enough to let a few things slip..
Now.. sure.. he should have been more forceful, and gotten what he paid for
or a return on his money.. but...
he's still the victim, he's still the one who got ripped off, and whether he
handled the situation perfectly is vastly unimportant in the context of the
real subject of the post which is.. bob wolfman is a lousy teacher..
He warns not only people in his area, but everyone out there that age
experience and bullshit can be used to intimidate a younger person. He warns
that just as every music store clerk seems to have a high and lofty opinion
on all things guitar, they dont' all know anything.
He warns that you should shop well for a teacher, and be up front about what
you expect, or what you don't like.
Real life experience posts are valuable. Being able to admit in a post that
you made some small mistakes and they cost you a lot takes a bigger man than
it takes to criticise that same person.
The ability to admit your own errors, the ability to see that a mistake is
not a rip off.. (the intentions are completly different..) the ability to be
willing to share what is slightly embarrassing in order to help others out..
those are all good things, and ought to be appreciated.
Bob Wolfman is no rarity.. he's around every corner.. and he's hoping to
find a kid who wants to play guitar but has little knowledge about guitar,
and who he can then rip off.
It's NOT uncommon.
You don't say to someone.. well dumbass you should have taken you shotgun to
school since we all know there might be a crazy kid with his shotgun.. and
you don't say to a victim that he's a fool.. point out his errors, if you
must, but try to recognize.. he's the one on YOUR side.
Twang!
Nate C.
it the wrong way. As a part time guitar teacher, I would be outraged at a
student who didn't have the spine to tell me that they weren't satisfied
with my teaching then to go out behind my back and drag my name through the
mud. I addressed your other points below:
> For one thing, there's the great american tendendcy to defer to
authority..
> the poster thought bob was going to back up his statements and promises..
> thought he had knowledge and experience.. was himself anxious to get on
with
> it.. and was kind enough to let a few things slip..
I think being kind enough to let a few things slip versus allowing himself
to get so outraged as to trash the guy behind his back is a HUGE difference.
I suppose there will always be passive people out there that will never
speak their mind and stand up for themselves, but to finally explode in this
passive-aggressive manner is unacceptable and unfair.
> Now.. sure.. he should have been more forceful, and gotten what he paid
for
> or a return on his money.. but...
> he's still the victim, he's still the one who got ripped off, and whether
he
> handled the situation perfectly is vastly unimportant in the context of
the
> real subject of the post which is.. bob wolfman is a lousy teacher..
"Get ripped off once, shame on you. Get ripped off twice shame on me." It
took this guy $480 worth of lessons to figure out that the guy was a lousy
teacher??
> He warns not only people in his area, but everyone out there that age
> experience and bullshit can be used to intimidate a younger person. He
warns
> that just as every music store clerk seems to have a high and lofty
opinion
> on all things guitar, they dont' all know anything.
> He warns that you should shop well for a teacher, and be up front about
what
> you expect, or what you don't like.
These are good points but quite a reach to say these are the points that the
original poster is trying to make. Read the original post again. It's a
bash session based on a personal vendetta.
> Real life experience posts are valuable. Being able to admit in a post
that
> you made some small mistakes and they cost you a lot takes a bigger man
than
> it takes to criticise that same person.
But this guy did is criticise that "same person"!! That's been my point all
along.
> The ability to admit your own errors, the ability to see that a mistake is
> not a rip off.. (the intentions are completly different..) the ability to
be
> willing to share what is slightly embarrassing in order to help others
out..
> those are all good things, and ought to be appreciated.
>
Of course.
> Bob Wolfman is no rarity.. he's around every corner.. and he's hoping to
> find a kid who wants to play guitar but has little knowledge about guitar,
> and who he can then rip off.
> It's NOT uncommon.
Which is why you need to do your homework before you pick a teacher.
> You don't say to someone.. well dumbass you should have taken you shotgun
to
> school since we all know there might be a crazy kid with his shotgun..
Duh.
>and
> you don't say to a victim that he's a fool.. point out his errors, if you
> must, but try to recognize.. he's the one on YOUR side.
So if a guy hops into a car, floors it and drives out of control into a tree
and kills himself, is he a victim of the evil automobile industry, or just a
fool? There are certain things that fall under 'personal responsibility'.
Hopefully this is a lesson to the original poster and other people out there
about being weary of shister salesmen disguising themselves as guitar
teachers, but like I said before, there's no need to tiptoe around the
teacher, say things are great, then turn around and stab him in the back.
That's not the socially acceptable way to do things.
> Twang!
What?
D.G. Devin
>Over the course of two months I was $480 (that's the price of a
>decent new guitar!!) poorer and had learned JACK SHIT.
Why on earth would you pay that much for lessons? That's at least a third
too expensive based on what good teachers seem to charge.
And why did you go through more than one lesson like that without asking why
you were not getting what you were paying for? Are you one of those born
victims who buys clothes that obviously don't fit because the salesman says
they do?
And why are you telling us about it rather than your ex-teacher, or the
Better Business Bureau? You picked the wrong time and the wrong place to
finally stand up for yourself. It's a shame you got ripped off, but from
what you have told us, it seems like you were half the problem.
David Morgenlender
>>Over the course of two months I was $480 (that's the price of a
>>decent new guitar!!) poorer and had learned JACK SHIT.
>
>Why on earth would you pay that much for lessons? That's at least a third
>too expensive based on what good teachers seem to charge.
From what I've seen, teachers in the Boston area are much more expensive than
the rates I've seen mentioned on this newsgroup!
=======================================================
Dave Morgenlender
e-mail: dmo...@alum.mit.edu
=======================================================
Thomas Andersen
I've gotten into playing swingmusic - you know Setzer, Louis Jordan,
Calloway etc. etc.. What guitar would you recommend, besides the obvious
(Gretsch, Gibson and the other expensive). In other words, any good swing
guitars out there, for instance Epiphone, Tokai and that kind of thing!!!
The Colemans
"Thomas Andersen" <tand...@tiscali.dk> wrote in message
news:Kjfy8.5640$HZ2.4...@news000.worldonline.dk...
Epi wildkat.. twin p90s, bigsby type vibrato, semi hollow..
oo lah lah!
and a good price, good setup/action, lifetime warranty..
Twang!
ok ok.. So I have a crush on them.. *transluscent black, flame maple top*
Dan Stanley
"Thomas Andersen" <tand...@tiscali.dk> wrote in message
news:Kjfy8.5640$HZ2.4...@news000.worldonline.dk...
You might want to look through the *kat series from Epiphone. There are
three models. One has a Bigsby, flame graphics, two mini-buckers. I think.
One has a pair of humbuckers, and the third has a humbucker in the bridge
and a mini-bucker up front. Something like that. I *think* the only one with
a Bigsby is the one with the flame graphic. It has dice knobs, too.
But you can fit a Bigsby to either of the others, if you want one but prefer
a more sedate guitar.
Epiphone also offers a nice version of the old Gibson switch master, that'd
be a guitar worth trying.
Also look for Guild Starfire II and III, Dearmond's version, or the Squier
version that has supplanted Dearmond.
Dan
Chip L
Chip L
The Colemans
"Dan Stanley" <vze2...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:_Ofy8.2016$iJ....@nwrddc02.gnilink.net...
>
> "Thomas Andersen" <tand...@tiscali.dk> wrote in message
> news:Kjfy8.5640$HZ2.4...@news000.worldonline.dk...
> > Hi
> > I've gotten into playing swingmusic - you know Setzer, Louis Jordan,
> > Calloway etc. etc.. What guitar would you recommend, besides the obvious
> > (Gretsch, Gibson and the other expensive). In other words, any good
swing
> > guitars out there, for instance Epiphone, Tokai and that kind of
thing!!!
>
> You might want to look through the *kat series from Epiphone. There are
> three models. One has a Bigsby, flame graphics, two mini-buckers. I think.
> One has a pair of humbuckers, and the third has a humbucker in the bridge
> and a mini-bucker up front. Something like that. I *think* the only one
with
> a Bigsby is the one with the flame graphic. It has dice knobs, too.
alleyKat.. wildKat .. flameKat
alley humbuck bridge mini humbuck neck no bigsby
wildKat two p 90 single coils and bigsby
flameKat two mini humbucks and bigsby
bigsby here means epis version of it.. the vibrotone.. so close to the same
thing..
> But you can fit a Bigsby to either of the others, if you want one but
prefer
> a more sedate guitar.
>
> Epiphone also offers a nice version of the old Gibson switch master,
that'd
> be a guitar worth trying.
zephyr blues deluxe.. triple p 90s thick body.. trapeze tail..
a monster and the price just went down!
> Also look for Guild Starfire II and III, Dearmond's version, or the Squier
> version that has supplanted Dearmond.
no. just look at epis cause I like them.
*s*
Twang!
> Dan
>
>
>
D Bone0164
of useful stuff, and he is very polite in email. Sorry to hear all this stuff.
Why did you keep going back?
Dan Stanley
> > > What guitar would you recommend, besides the obvious
> > > (Gretsch, Gibson and the other expensive). In other words, any good
> swing
> > > guitars out there, for instance Epiphone, Tokai and that kind of
> thing!!!
> >
> > You might want to look through the *kat series from Epiphone. There are
> > three models. One has a Bigsby, flame graphics, two mini-buckers. I
think.
> > One has a pair of humbuckers, and the third has a humbucker in the
bridge
> > and a mini-bucker up front. Something like that. I *think* the only one
> with
> > a Bigsby is the one with the flame graphic. It has dice knobs, too.
>
> alleyKat.. wildKat .. flameKat
> alley humbuck bridge mini humbuck neck no bigsby
> wildKat two p 90 single coils and bigsby
> flameKat two mini humbucks and bigsby
Thanks for getting it all sorted out....I knew I didn't have it right. I've
played a couple of each. No worries, pretty good guitars over all, and I bet
a little poking around would turn up a great one, and a little set up work
could work wonders on even a normal one.
> bigsby here means epis version of it.. the vibrotone.. so close to the
same
> thing..
Right.
> > Epiphone also offers a nice version of the old Gibson switch master,
> that'd
> > be a guitar worth trying.
>
> zephyr blues deluxe.. triple p 90s thick body.. trapeze tail..
> a monster and the price just went down!
Really? I might go look for one. I don't need one, but still...!
> > Also look for Guild Starfire II and III, Dearmond's version, or the
Squier
> > version that has supplanted Dearmond.
>
> no. just look at epis cause I like them.
> *s*
Heh. I've got a couple Epis here, a V and an EB-0 bass. I've changed what
needed changing, and have a ball with them.
Dan
droid
Sounds like you are thinking semi-hollow and hollow. There are plenty.
Those with a harp tailpiece can accomodate a bigsby nicely enough.
Those with stop tailpieces, a LesTrem over at stewmac.
People have mentioned the epis, and there are plenty of good ones out
there. You might consider the company that makes the epis, Samick.
Samick has come out with a nice closed hollow body with bigsby. Review
here:
http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Samick/CCT650-Closed-Hollowbody-01.html
This would be a really nice ticket.
Plenty of the artist and Bennett series from Samick to think about as
well. Do a search concerning the recent Samick artist series that
folks at rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz have been purchasing.
Somebody already mentioned the DeArmonds. Cort has some models that
would be good. The TRG2, now sold by Musicians Friend, is real sweet.
Lots of twang on the bridge pickup. The neck pickup is smooth enough
for jazz of all sorts. This guitar really covers some bases with
regard to sound.
You can also check it out at Cort's web site. That Tennesse Orange job
is a beaut.
Thought I'd throw two really choice candidates out there that are off
the beaten track.
I've been around some monsters on teles. Also, what has been passing
for, "swing," as of late is actually jump blues. The artists you
mentioned are all good fun. If you want to really swing, start out by
getting some Benny Goodman records. Cop the vibe and play those licks
on your guitar. You'll be the envy of many of the players you know.
Want to get real classy and smooth, go get some Glen Miller. Be
prepared for some extremely well written songs. Great vibes and you
can do your own thing with them. From there, the swing world will open
up. Don't be surprised if eventually you find yourself digging bebop.
I've heard/seen master swing on a Strat, as well as world class be-bop
on a Jaguar.
Which of course means, if you can swing, you can swing on any guitar.
Have fun.
Patrick Keenan
news:316a8bd3.02042...@posting.google.com...
> "Thomas Andersen" <tand...@tiscali.dk> wrote in message
news:<Kjfy8.5640$HZ2.4...@news000.worldonline.dk>...
> > Hi
> > I've gotten into playing swingmusic - you know Setzer, Louis Jordan,
> > Calloway etc. etc.. What guitar would you recommend, besides the obvious
> > (Gretsch, Gibson and the other expensive). In other words, any good
swing
> > guitars out there, for instance Epiphone, Tokai and that kind of
thing!!!
As it happens, there's a 1951 Epiphone Deluxe Regent at the 12th Fret right
now:
http://www.12fret.com/used/epiphoneDlxRegentcb.jpg
However, I'd hesitate to call it an 'inexpensive' guitar.
-pk
Adam Childers
different ones. The Flame Kat seems like would be a really cool guitar.
"Thomas Andersen" <tand...@tiscali.dk> wrote in message
news:Kjfy8.5640$HZ2.4...@news000.worldonline.dk...
Count Scrofula
quite some time, and that's saying a lot from the folks at Gibson/Epi. Dice
knobs...what crap.
Find a used Guild.
Adam Childers <adam...@home.com> wrote in message
news:kv6z8.82485$3C4.1...@news1.east.cox.net...
The Colemans
"Count Scrofula" <bre...@asxbestosjuxstice.com> wrote in message
news:Gvdz8.3105$MH6.10...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com...
> Ick. That flame kat is the ugliest over-priced piece of shit I've seen in
> quite some time, and that's saying a lot from the folks at Gibson/Epi.
Dice
> knobs...what crap.
>
> Find a used Guild.
You know..
two things.
first off. I thought the big epi logo on these things looked lousy
too..until I saw one not in a picture.. and again when I saw one in a
picture but life size.. it looks pretty cool to me, now.
second, I've see the flameKat in pics and they don't do it justice.. there's
a beegees concert where one is used, and it looks just like it ought to.
as for the dice knobs.. I can see your complaint, since they are square they
seem to be tilted in relationship to one another.. but I kind of like 'em.
but one place you are wrong beyond personal taste is 'overpriced'.. it's
priced well.. not, of course, if you think it's ugly.. but otherwise it's
another good guitar from epi priced well.
Twang!
Dan Stanley
"The Colemans" <twa...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:frCz8.2254$Wd5.2...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
>
> "Count Scrofula" <bre...@asxbestosjuxstice.com> wrote in message
> news:Gvdz8.3105$MH6.10...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com...
> > Ick. That flame kat is the ugliest over-priced piece of shit I've seen
in
> > quite some time, and that's saying a lot from the folks at Gibson/Epi.
> Dice
> > knobs...what crap.
> >
> > Find a used Guild.
> You know..
> two things.
> first off. I thought the big epi logo on these things looked lousy
> too..until I saw one not in a picture.. and again when I saw one in a
> picture but life size.. it looks pretty cool to me, now.
> second, I've see the flameKat in pics and they don't do it justice..
there's
> a beegees concert where one is used, and it looks just like it ought to.
> as for the dice knobs.. I can see your complaint, since they are square
they
> seem to be tilted in relationship to one another.. but I kind of like 'em.
And knobs are cheaply and easily changed. I can't imagine not buying a
guitar I otherwised liked just because I didn't like the knobs. If the flame
paint job bugs you, well....then you might want to look elsewhere.
> but one place you are wrong beyond personal taste is 'overpriced'.. it's
> priced well.. not, of course, if you think it's ugly.. but otherwise it's
> another good guitar from epi priced well.
That's how I see it.
jimmc...@gmail.com
White Spirit
> On Tuesday, April 23, 2002 3:19:49 PM UTC-5, noolives...@yahoo.com
> wrote:
> I took lessons from him back in 83 for almost a full year. Practised
> scales forever and yet never learned a simple song. Bob hasn't
> changed and is an extremely powerful and manipulative character. Look
> elsewhere if you want to have fun and learn to play music.
are he could be dead by now.
rod...@gmail.com
WOW... This brings back memories. As I read noolives' post about
Bob Wolfman, my memories of my experience with him came flooding
back. So let me throw in MY 2 cents worth on the Bob Wolman guitar
teaching method.
I took guitar lessons from Bob WOlfman at his home in Arlington,
Massachusetts between 10 and 15 years ago. I do not remember
specific details about things like his punctuality, but overall,
I was NOT IMPRESSED at all with his professionalism concerning
guitar instruction. As has been said before, he would eat and be
otherwise distracted during lessons. On one occasion he taught
a lesson in his pajamas.
It was expensive, $60 per hour. But I was making good coin at
that time so I figured I would put out this investment in my guitar
training. As with Noolives, I had to pay one month up front and
there were NO REFUNDS for ANY monies paid.
Bob had me buy 2 books on guitar method. In both books, I had to
put my first initial and Last name in the upper left corner of the
inside cover. As I remember it, he was disdainful of students
leaving their books at his home and that was why I had to put my
name in my books. In retrospect, I believe that was a big warning
about Bob Wolfman's attitude toward his students. I also had to
purchase a three subject notebook. In it, my 1st homework notation
refers to a requirement to buy a music stand, a metronome and a
12 stave sheet music notebook; None of which were ever used in
the 3 months that I took lessons - neither in my home nor in his
living room. (Note: quite possibly I did use a music stand in his
living room but I have no recollection of it. I am, however, sure
that neither a metronome nor the 12 stave sheet music notebook were
ever used.)
Yes, he gave homework. Here's an example of one of my earliest
homework assignments: "1) memorize grid method, 2) practice and
memorize minor pentatonic scale patterns, 3) Leavitt p 12 chords
only pps 35-70, 4) Roth p 1-10"
He asked what my goals were concerning his teaching. I told him
that ONE of my goals was to learn to read music. I think I made
a big mistake saying that because over the course of the next 3
months, that's all he did, taught music theory with the guitar as
the instrument. He did nothing else, regardless of anything I may
have said to try to actually learn anything other than music theory.
Only once did he make a suggestion concerning my physical playing
style.
Yes, of course music theory is fundamental to your instrument. But
there are legions of guitarists who cannot read a note. I finally
got tired of the overriding feeling I had that he did not care a whit
for me as a student, and only saw me as a cash cow; so I decided to
quit. I figured a $20 book had everything that he was charging me
$60 an hour for. I also felt that he was going to stretch it out for
2 years. When I gave notice, I perceived that his attitude towards
me changed to outright disdain. I perceived his new attitude towards
me as one of, "get out of my apartment you worthless scumbag". He
did not teach me ONE MORE THING after I gave my one week notice.
NOTHING! NADA! NICHT! Fortunately for me, I gave notice at the end
of the lesson, not the beginning of it. If I had given notice at the
beginning of the lesson, it is my opinion that he would have stopped
teaching then and there.
During that last class, I perceived his actions as extremely
unprofessional. He even told me that I just leave. I was
uncomfortable staying and my perception was that this was exactly
how he wanted me to feel. I actually had to tell him that I intended
to stay the full hour to get my money's worth of his time. As I
stated, he did not teach at all for that hour. I received absolutely
no value for my instructional fee for that class. I had to suffer
through one hour of listening to him play his guitar. I did not want
to, but since he overtly refused to teach me and I refused to give him
free money, I sat there. When I left I remember saying to myself,
"Well that was a waste of almost a grand"
When you pay that kind of money, you expect a professional. Certainly
not someone who actually refuses to teach you. As far as I'm concerned,
Bob Wolfman OWES ME $60 for taking my money and OVERTLY REFUSING to
provide guitar instruction as contractually stated. At one point, I
actually had seriously considered suing him in small claims court
for my $60.
My perception of Bob Wolfman concerning the time I spent with him as a
student of guitar, is that BOB WOLFMAN IS AN UNPROFESSIONAL GUITAR
TEACHER, AND NOT A VERY GOOD ONE AT THAT. Sure, he may have graduated
from Berkley and he may be a great guitarist, but I found him uncaring
and self absorbed. I made the mistake of equating a good guitarist with
a good teacher and expensive lessons with quality lessons. I was wrong
on both counts.
Lastly, I will say this in his defense. If Bob Wolfman were charging
$15 per hour to teach guitar. I would not be writing this review.
You get what you pay for. At $15 per hour his - in my opinion - poor
and unprofessional teaching style would be somewhat expected.
wol...@wolfmansmusic.com
First off, it's very disappointing that it took you so long to express your feelings about our services (as you mentioned you waited 'awhile' to finally say something), and it's also upsetting to see that you would post something so negative without first allowing us to resolve any frustrations that you may have had. If I recall, you never told me that you had any issues with my lessons and in fact you said that you had a great time learning from me. I would never have charged you that much money for the amount of instruction & price that you previously cited; so I don't appreciate the slander either.
At Wolfman's School of Music, neither I nor any of my other instructors would allow pets in our instruction area, we keep a clean and sanitary learning environment without any foul smells, and we would NEVER eat or perform ANY other distracting tasks while teaching a student. We also allow each and every student their fully allocated lesson-time with us, which means that we do not "short-change" anyone and ensure that everyone gets what they pay for (and often more than what they pay for).
Had you returned to us back then to let us know that you were having problems with your instruction and/or the pricing, we would have been more than happy to work with you towards a solution in order to satisfy you. Unlike you however, we cannot lower our standards and start name calling or insulting you, nor will we attempt to dismiss your thoughts or 'bash' a prior student, as you have every right to your opinion, however we respectfully disagree with you regarding what you have to say here. Our goal is to ensure that all of our students are happy and of course, learn more about music and improve upon their instrument playing skills.
If you should choose to return to us as a student then we will make sure to satisfy you assuming you can properly communicate your thoughts and needs to us instead of going to an online forum to attempt to publicly discredit us after-the-fact. Unfortunately as with any business (especially business reviews online), you can't satisfy everyone no matter how hard you try, and occasionally a negative review like this pops-up. This previous customer is admitting that they did not properly communicate their issue(s) to us and therefore never allowed us to remedy any issues they had, and the prior-customer is also showing that they are a bit combative; however we will always do our best to teach everyone and overcome any obstacles when we are given the chance.
You can find our many positive reviews online which prove that we keep our students happy, also please feel free to check-out our customer testimonial videos and comments on our website from actual students (www.WolfmansMusic.com). After 35 years of a thriving music-teaching practice, Bob Wolfman and his other instructors have helped literally thousands of individuals achieve and surpass their goals of learning music and improving upon their skills. We wouldn't be in business if it wasn't for all our high-quality teaching expertise and of course, our great customers and their support. In fact many of our former students have become very successful, top name celebrities in the music industry; performers, singer/songwriters, recording engineers/producers, and music teachers. Names such as Dar Williams, Gary Hoey, Andy Bonner (and many more). We hope that this negative post does not impact anyone's decision to learn music through Wolfman's School of Music. Thanks for your interest and have a wonderful day!
Nil
> On Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 1:19:48 PM UTC-7,
> noolives...@yahoo.com wrote:
>> I have to get this off my chest. I took VERY expensive lessons
>> from Bob Wolfman in Arlington, Massachusetts a while back. I was
>> polite when I quit but this has been bugging me forever.
> of your issue; so we would like to take a moment to reply to you.
you will never even see this response, but I have to mention that the
post you refer to is almost 14 FUCKING YEARS OLD. The person who
complained about your lessons is probably dead by now. Will you now
make restitution to his family for hardship and mental anguish endured?
We hope that this negative post does not impact anyone's decisions in
the past decade+. Thanks for your interest and have a wonderful day!
Jesus Christ on a low sodium cracker - where's my eye-rolling emoji??
Space'Vette
Clue: Let dead dogs lie. Now you have exposed his
accusations to a whole new audience. DUH
dnlst...@gmail.com
Nil
another...@gmail.com
> I have to get this off my chest. I took VERY expensive lessons from
> Bob Wolfman in Arlington, Massachusetts a while back. I was polite
> when I quit but this has been bugging me forever. So I'll vent here.
> Bob was ALWAYS running late, although the lessons were IN HIS OWN
> HOUSE (I was ON TIME, EVERY TIME). He taught me NOTHING, except the
> names of a couple of books to buy. He spent most lessons distracted,
> doing something else, eating his lunch, answering the phone, fixing
> his amplifier, and there were a couple lessons where he SAT BEHIND HIS
> COMPUTER AND DID HIS TAXES while pretending to teach. He had nothing
> good to say about ANY of the guitarists I admired, and seemed to be
> jealous of anybody who had ever acheived any fame (because he never
> did). I did learn that he can spend hours on end talking about what a
> great guitarist and teacher he is, but from my perspective it was all
> talk. Over the course of two months I was $480 (that's the price of a
> decent new guitar!!) poorer and had learned JACK SHIT. I couldn't
> wait to get out of there, even though he spent the entire final lesson
> begging me to stay (another 60 minutes wasted). No wonder Bob Wolfman
> makes his students pay every month in advance and sign a "no refunds"
> Bob.
starsinth...@gmail.com
- Molly
tschm...@gmail.com
Bob's comprehensive, straightforward approach to the guitar (and musicianship as a whole) has really helped accelerate my progress. Early in our lessons we formed a solid scaffolding and identified my personal bad habits and I noticed an improvement in as little as a couple of weeks. The progress hasn't slowed overtime either, and by adopting Bob's "view" of the guitar I'm starting to feel "at home" on the fretboard.
I highly recommend Bob as a teacher. He will give you the tools and the encouragement to practice and become the player you want to be.
Pudentame
And so are all of his sock puppets.
den...@lynchland1.com
Nil
come a Professional Student?
You would have been better off spending your $3400 on punctuation
lessons.
Andy
I would've only charged $3200.
%
Pudentame
den...@lynchland1.com
den...@lynchland1.com
den...@lynchland1.com
den...@lynchland1.com
den...@lynchland1.com
den...@lynchland1.com
den...@lynchland1.com
den...@lynchland1.com
lucus...@gmail.com
> I have to get this off my chest. I took VERY expensive lessons from
> Bob Wolfman in Arlington, Massachusetts a while back. I was polite
> when I quit but this has been bugging me forever. So I'll vent here.
> Bob was ALWAYS running late, although the lessons were IN HIS OWN
> HOUSE (I was ON TIME, EVERY TIME). He taught me NOTHING, except the
> names of a couple of books to buy. He spent most lessons distracted,
> doing something else, eating his lunch, answering the phone, fixing
> his amplifier, and there were a couple lessons where he SAT BEHIND HIS
> COMPUTER AND DID HIS TAXES while pretending to teach. He had nothing
> good to say about ANY of the guitarists I admired, and seemed to be
> jealous of anybody who had ever acheived any fame (because he never
> did). I did learn that he can spend hours on end talking about what a
> great guitarist and teacher he is, but from my perspective it was all
> talk. Over the course of two months I was $480 (that's the price of a
> decent new guitar!!) poorer and had learned JACK SHIT. I couldn't
> wait to get out of there, even though he spent the entire final lesson
> begging me to stay (another 60 minutes wasted). No wonder Bob Wolfman
> makes his students pay every month in advance and sign a "no refunds"
> Bob.
I feel strongly compelled to challenge your completely bogus and malicious attack of Bob Wolfman’s character, integrity, sincerity and professionalism...in a public form as this. I gratefully paid $3,500 for the year in Bob’s program, knowing full well that most instructors charge you a hell of a lot more for a year’s worth of lessons. Bob always give me tons of extra time every week. Bob is extremely dedicated and passionate about my progress and I thoroughly love my lessons. Bob is an accomplished master and he doesn't need to be jealous of any of your favorite guitar players. How dare you attack this man’s integrity…….utterly absurd and unfair. Perhaps you should picked up your guitar once in awhile and actually try and practice what I’m sure he tried to teach you just as well as he’s taught me.
I personally know and have served observed many of Bob’s students, enthusiasm and great relates from their lessons with Bob. If you challenge the legitimacy of my claims in this review/ reply I welcome you to actually call me. Again, how dare you slander Bob’s right to earn a living and his livelihood.
My number: (978)533-0519
tschm...@gmail.com
My name is Tyler Schmitt, and I posted above almost 2 years ago now, and have been a part of Bob's apprenticeship program ever since (just started my 3rd year in the apprenticeship program).
I had been playing guitar for 10 years, taking lessons both with private instructors and in the UMASS Lowell music program. I was hitting a wall because I couldn't figure out how to improve on my own and I was getting bored and frustrated (to the point where I decided to quit the music program to get an engineering degree instead), but Bob was able to encourage me to practice and gave me in-depth lessons about the styles of blues, jazz and fusion. I am getting much better every week with Bob's help. Bob helped me fall back in love with playing again and for me that's been worth all of the time and money. I will be gigging with Bob very soon and I'm thrilled for the opportunity!
I don't understand some of the extensively negative and downright rude comments on this thread. I am very skeptical of others claiming they could have spent a whole year as a student and not having learned a single song (as I've seen someone claim). There's no way that could be the case unless they absolutely never practiced a day outside of their lesson time. I've learned plenty over the course of the last few years. My lessons have focused on music theory (especially harmonic progressions and chord substitutions), my repertoire of jazz and blues standards, improvisation and comping. I've seen other students of his improve at several of his workshops, so I know it's not just me.
If you have any questions about Bob Wolfman's teaching style and my experience as his student, feel free to send me an email at tschm...@gmail.com. I'd be happy to discuss with you!
-Tyler
lucus...@gmail.com
I feel strongly compelled to challenge your completely bogus and malicious attack of Bob Wolfman’s character, integrity, sincerity and professionalism...in a public form as this. I gratefully paid $3,500 for the year in Bob’s program, knowing full well that most instructors charge you a hell of a lot more for a year’s worth of lessons. Bob always gives me tons of extra time every week. Bob is extremely dedicated and passionate about my progress and I thoroughly love my lessons. Bob is an accomplished master and he doesn't need to be jealous of any of your favorite guitar players. How dare you attack this man’s integrity…….utterly absurd and unfair. Perhaps you should of picked up your guitar once in awhile and actually try and practice. I’m sure he tried to teach you just as well as he’s taught me.
I personally know and have observed many of Bob’s students enthusiasm from each of their lessons with him. If you challenge the legitimacy of my claims in this review, reply I welcome you to actually call me. Again, how dare you slander Bob’s right to earn a living and his livelihood.
My number: (978)533-0519
Nil
alex.v...@gmail.com
hansl...@gmail.com
> This is 100 percent accurate. I had the same EXACT experience way back. I was only 12 so it’s a little harder to call someone out the way you would if you are older. The dude would not actually teach anything and just be on his computer. He should be called out for being a fraud.
I did learn how "great" he is on the guitar and about all the famous people he performed with. He had to go through self accolades for much of each lesson.
I quit after the second month and got the same verbal from him: "I knew you were going to do this to me! I just knew it!"
He then blew off my last prepaid lesson with him. Instruction wise, it's no loss as I find absolutely no value in his lessons. But in principal, he still owes me (and other past students) for that lesson.
My bad for not quitting sooner.
wsmcc...@gmail.com
I only took lessons for a month or two before I quit. He came on so strong and made all these big promises of how great he was gonna make me someday, but all he ever did was slag off every guitar player whose music I asked him to teach me.
I'd bring in a Zeppelin song to learn and he'd say, "Aww, Jimmy Page? He sucks! He's a fudgepacker! (He must've said the word "fudgepacker" about 500 times a day) Then he'd start soloing over the song and say stuff like, "Can Jimmy Page play like this!?
I dont fuckin' think so." Then he'd get up and leave the room to talk on the phone or attend to some other business. I learned nil from him. As far as Im concerned he stole my parents' money and would've continued to do so as long as I fell for his con job.
This thread is right on the money. Bob Wolfman is a jackass!
FirstName LastName
> I have to get this off my chest. I took VERY expensive lessons from
> Bob Wolfman in Arlington, Massachusetts a while back. I was polite
> when I quit but this has been bugging me forever. So I'll vent here.
> Bob was ALWAYS running late, although the lessons were IN HIS OWN
> HOUSE (I was ON TIME, EVERY TIME). He taught me NOTHING, except the
> names of a couple of books to buy. He spent most lessons distracted,
> doing something else, eating his lunch, answering the phone, fixing
> his amplifier, and there were a couple lessons where he SAT BEHIND HIS
> COMPUTER AND DID HIS TAXES while pretending to teach. He had nothing
> good to say about ANY of the guitarists I admired, and seemed to be
> jealous of anybody who had ever acheived any fame (because he never
> did). I did learn that he can spend hours on end talking about what a
> great guitarist and teacher he is, but from my perspective it was all
> talk. Over the course of two months I was $480 (that's the price of a
> decent new guitar!!) poorer and had learned JACK SHIT. I couldn't
> wait to get out of there, even though he spent the entire final lesson
> begging me to stay (another 60 minutes wasted). No wonder Bob Wolfman
> makes his students pay every month in advance and sign a "no refunds"
> Bob.
Defiant
> Lets set some things straight here: There's a lot of bullshit going on in this thread, in fact the whole notion of it is pure slander and libel! My name is Zach Gonzalez and I've been a student and friend of Bob Wolfman for the last 5 months. I've gotten very well acquainted with Bob as a teacher and as a man in general and he is anything BUT what you people have described him as. I've had several guitar teachers in the past, only one was good, and Bob is leagues better of an instructor than any of them. His attentiveness, patience, and quality instruction have already in a short time made me a better player. He an extremely generous person as well, seeing as due to my home situation he even lets me practice at his home. Due to this I've witnessed many of his other students lessons firsthand, and have seen none of the atrocities you accuse him of, in fact some of his students are AMAZING musicans who have been with him for years! If you couldn't get off your lazy ass to practice or even go to your lesson, then that's your fucking fault. To hide behind a screen proclaiming you've been wronged so you can stroke your wounded ego is just unforgivable.
> Maybe you didn't like his personality or style, not everyone can like everyone else, but to paint him as a bitter, racist, scam artist because YOU were unhappy and refused to communicate it is cowardly. I challenge you to show me any other instructors who are as qualified or who have had as many successful students as Bob...if you can.
Bob! dat you?!
<poot>
Lord Valve
<snip>
So, if any of you are going to take lessons from Bob
> > Wolfman, save your money and avoid this worthless gasbag. Fuck you
> > Bob.
> Are you sure his name isn't fat willie l-rd valve Whititker?
to call people racists - doing his usual schtick about
Polacks, Germans, "Negras" and the like. Oh, and let's
not forget the occasional diatribes about how superior
Jews are to Gentiles, and how only Jews are fit to rule
the world. Want proof? Just substitute the word "Aryans"
for the word "Jews" in any of his racist rants - they'll
read just like Nazi propaganda.
This is an effect I've encountered before...I took an
Al Sharpton pro-black rant and substituted the word
"white" for every instance of "black" and it read just
like those leaflets handed out by the National Socialist
Liberation Front, or any of the other fucktard Neo-Nazi
outfits. I posted it here and got called a racist. Gosh,
what a surprise!
A word to any noobs who may be reading this fool:
*don't* click on any of his links. He favors scenes
of violent murder from various Mafia movies, Vietnam
era war movies, etc. He also posts many links to
pornographic videos which feature unspeakable acts of
perversion involving hermaphrodites and other freaks
of nature, bestiality, etc. Videos of "medical procedures"
being performed on various areas of the human body.
Pictures of animals' assholes with shit hanging out...
this is a near-endless list of perverted text and still
pictures/videos linked by a diseased mind, someone who is
obviously a substance abuser and a sociopath. Oh, and let's
not forget to mention his obsession with masturbation and
homosexuality; hardly a day passes without him posting about
queers, cock sucking, butt-fucking, beating off and so forth,
as well as (what he considers to be) "poetry" about queers
and queer sex.
He also claims to have been a Marine. If this claim is
true, it does not bode well for the future of the USMC.
Lord Valve, ThD
American/Patriot (fuck you!)
lucus...@coeuml.org
My name is Luke! I am a very close friend / former Apprenticeship student of Bob’s. I find your untruthful claims not only highly pitiful but despicable as well. How dare you rob a man of his honest living. There's a reason why he's worked with all those top named musicians... because he is the best, which you couldn't understand! I paid in full for the annual apprenticeship program, seeing amazing results with my dexterity, speed and understanding of music theory. I accomplished it through hard work and many hours of practice. Something you obviously did not have a handle on at all. You can’t expect great results with guitar playing by half assing everything. That also goes for every other schmuck who has something bad to say about Bob or his lessons on this thread. All you "HATERS” seem to feel very able to express yours, thus I feel compelled to express myself…..but big difference here though…..I’m speaking the truth, and you’re all full of shit. I challenge any of you to meet up with, talk to, or watch any of Bob’s students perform, and then still claim your hate speech and rants are legit.
Anyway, I’ll make my final point. There was a reason why Bob canned you Hans and for good reason. It’s not because you’re Asian, cause Bob is certainly not a racist, how dare you use that card! It’s because YOU didn’t get your lesson books, materials, you didn’t practice, and because you missed almost half of your lessons, and not even having the decency, maturity or integrity to notify Bob that you weren’t gonna show up. Bob only teaches students who have integrity and are serious about learning to play well. Again, take some responsibility for your own actions and behavior…..all you "HATERS” on this page are all the same…..you rant and rave, and attack, and lash out of your own lack of effort, honesty and integrity…..What can I say?!?!
Bob can’t teach, he can’t play, he doesn’t get good results with his students? Reeeeeeally?!? BULLSHIT!!! I’ve seen his students perform at his guitar clinics, parties and lessons too. I’ve met, hung out with and jammed with several of Bob’s students. Some have been studying with him for years, and they’re still with him now…..and they all are smoking’ players!!
If you challenge the validity of my message here, or if you doubt I am a legit person writing this, I welcome you to contact me;
lucus...@gmail.com
(978) 533-0519
tschm...@gmail.com
I want to take this time to write about my experience with Bob Wolfman as a guitar teacher, which has definitely contributed to my growth as a guitarist. I've posted on this thread before a while back and wanted to give an update.
I've been studying with Bob for almost 5 years now. I went in to these lessons in a slump, having plateaued in my guitar playing throughout college. Bob helped me identify the areas I was struggling in and we got to work addressing those. We worked our way through the blues until we identified my interest lied in jazz, and have been focusing on jazz theory, improvisation, comping ever since.
Outside of the lessons themselves, Bob has encouraged me to play with other musicians and attend jams with professionals. While I still have a ways to go, I'm at least able to keep up for the most part, which is something I couldn't honestly say I could do before my lessons. I have a newfound confidence in my guitar playing now, and this is helping me to explore new avenues and try new things in the world of music.
Thank you for reading and I wish you all the best of luck in your guitar endeavors!
joshua...@gmail.com
For the people who "learned nothing," did you practice? Did you listen to music? Did you show up for your lessons? Did you do your homework? Did you think you would become Hendrix or Clapton without obsessively working at it? You set yourself up for failure.
I worked many years at a major guitar company, yet was not a player. But I KNOW what good guitar sounds like and I knew many incredible guitarists at that time. I've always wanted to play, but could never get off the ground. I play other instruments and sing in several bands. I've tried guitar lessons countless times, but I had NEVER met a teacher I could connect with until I came across Bob.
I've now studied slide guitar with Bob for almost a year, and I'm surprised how much I've learned. I can do things on a guitar that I never expected to be able to do. I'm no Duane Allman, and I have no illusions about becoming a guitar hero. But I can make music, play with other people, play live, and figure out songs ON MY OWN now. You want it all delivered on a silver platter? Not gonna happen.
Now for the OK Boomer moment (though truthfully I'm Gen X): learning guitar today is no different than it was 50 years ago. You have to work at it. No one picks it up and is able to play right away. I think that our Amazon Prime and Instacart culture has rendered us too impatient to do the work, and although I hate to say it, people are 1) generally lazy and 2) ready to blame anyone but themselves for their own failure.
Guess what? Bob may not be the teacher for you. I know I was not the teacher for some of my former students, but many have become very successful practitioners and teachers. If you didn't connect it's not Bob's fault and it's not your fault. Take responsibility. Find another teacher. Do the work and stop whining.
I'm more than happy to discuss my experiences personally with anyone who is willing. Bob is a good guy and has a heart as big as a whale. He wants to see his students succeed and he has become a friend. I don't like seeing my friends treated unfairly.