Meet The Dealer - Seaford Music!

Our dealer network is important to us here at PRS Guitars! After all, they’re the folks taking care of our guitars after we make them and before they get into our customers hands! We started “Meet the Dealer” so you can get an inside peek at some of the shops that sell PRS Guitars. Check out our interview with Seaford Music below!

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Q&A with Dave Herring // Owner of Seaford Music
22876 Sussex Hwy. Seaford, Delaware 19973

How many years have you been in business? Why did you get started in this business?

I’ve been at this full-time now for almost 22 years, but like a lot of other folks, I’ve been obsessed with guitars and music since I was young. My brothers were all guitar players so I was around gigging musicians quite a bit. I seemed to be drawn toward the tech side of musical gear and this fact led me to doing some repairs and tech work which only served to fuel my passion for all things guitar, and what makes them tick. I started my “hobby” in Maryland buying, repairing, and selling guitars and equipment I’d gotten from Pawn Shops, Music Shops, and musicians in need of cash, and some of the first guitars I bought were from a little shop in Annapolis run by a guy named Paul Smith.

After a near death experience in my previous career, I took the plunge and bought Seaford Music from the previous owner who was wanting to retire. The original inventory of the store consisted of about 40 guitars which was all of the musical gear I could muster including 20 some odd guitars from my private stash from my house, which I think my wife enjoyed seeing go. Once I finally got Seaford Music up and running, I set about trying to become an official PRS dealer and thanks to several helpful folks at PRS, that soon became a reality.

Outside of just selling guitars, what else should people know about you? Do you offer lessons, repairs, etc..?

We run a full service music shop where we operate like a small town “Mom and Pop” store but with the depth of inventory that will amaze customers who haven’t visited. We offer a wide variety of new and used guitars, amps, drums, keyboards, pro audio gear, and accessories. We buy gear and take trade-ins so we usually have a very good selection of used gear to choose from. We have a full repair shop doing guitar repair and some electronic repairs and we do quite a bit of custom fabrication of specialty cables and devices, stage boxes, and gigging gear like pedal boards. We stock a huge selection of effects pedals and guitar pickups and can install them pretty quickly right on the premises. We currently have a couple of guitar teachers offering lessons and have a great network of local teachers in the area for referrals for other lessons.

What’s your favorite piece of PRS gear at your store?

That’s a toss up between a tricked out Singlecut Hollowbody Standard and a P245 Semi Hollow with some special options. The SC Hollowbody was painted in the “Metal” style by the one and only Bud Davis who did all those great 80’s Metals for PRS. He did a silver and gold pinstripe on a black guitar and it’s loaded with 57/08’s and two-tone hardware. The P245 was part of the recent ‘a la cart’ Artist Package options PRS offered, so we ordered it in Blood Orange with an incredible Artist figured maple neck and fingerboard. It’s stunning!

If you could make a PRS Private Stock Built-to-Order guitar - what would the specs be?

It would be based on the Signature Limited run with a hollow mahogany body, a figured maple top, and the 408 Electronics with a piezo system. I’d probably do a Snakewood fingerboard and headstock veneer with the “Strad” purflings of the Violin guitar on the fingerboard and headstock. I suspect I’d go for a killer maple burl for the top but if the past repeats itself, I’d end up in the wood library and do a complete 180 when I spot “the one” up on the shelf. To top it off, I’d like to have it done in a custom Blood Red color with the Military EOD badge inlayed on it to honor those troops who keep us safe.

Most heard song when a customer is demoing a guitar?

I used to hear Cherokee Dad by Chowderfoot a lot but I think that guy moved down South. Now it’s actually a nice blend of chickin’ pickin’, blues, and hard rock riffs with no particular song coming to mind.

Favorite customer interaction?

I’ve had so many great ones, but I particularly like when I’m able to get to know customers outside of the store such as hanging out at the PRS Experience events or getting to see their band, their gear, or their gig. I’m a bit of a gear nut so I tend to enjoy going to shows and I’m the guy you see wandering around the venue looking at everything from road cases to mixing consoles. All I need is a call from a musician and that’s an excuse to deliver a pack of strings or a cable and hang out at a show for a while.

Why buy a PRS from Seaford Music?

We are 100% dedicated to customer service and the staff here takes pride in working with customers to help them with their musical needs. We have years of experience working with the folks at PRS and can assist you in making a great selection. I live so close to the factory you can think of me as your “rapid response team” when it comes to PRS but I will advise you we’ll still need an appointment to visit the wood library. We support our customers after the sale, as well as with service and repairs. Sometimes we even deliver! Recently, I had a customer purchase a rather stunning PRS and rather than ship it, we mutually agreed to drive and meet halfway. I got a trip to Morgantown West Virginia out of the deal AND I got to meet my customer in person and spend a little time talking about guitars. That’s a win/win!

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