We’ve got lots of cool gear in the store this month, made it hard to choose just one each….here’s what we’ve been ogling lately:

John Flynn – Grosh ElectraJet

Any of them! Absolutely fantastic guitar – not another ‘me too’ body shape, but not so out there it looks faddish.

The killer Grosh EJ Custom in 'rootbeer' metallic finish. Yowza!

Jason Jones – Yamaha P-155

A wonderful player featuring a number of hyper-sampled, full-bodied piano sounds that, in conjunction with it’s litany of equally usable chromatic instrument sounds, makes for a high quality piano replacement wholly suitable for the pianist and hobbyist alike.

Yamaha P-155

Brian Soden – Grosh Retro Classic Vintage T

This has to be one of the best sounding Tele-style guitars I’ve ever played.  The Alder body provides perfect balance of snap, spank and richness, making the bridge position more than just a one-trick-pony.  Meaning, you aren’t automatically reaching for the tone knob to roll back when taking a lead.  Early 50s Fender mojo is all there, plus the belly cut on the back and the vintage-style locking tuners bring you modern comfort and convenience.  No compromises here.  Have your cake AND eat it too!

The Grosh Retro Classic Vintage T caught Brian's eye

Matthew Khomsi – EP Booster

Xotic has outdone themselves again by providing a simple, killer sounding pedal at an unbelievable price. What a great contribution to pretty much any guitar player’s board.

Just about the whole staff went nuts for this EP Boost!

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Noise. It can be beautiful, and the manipulation of it is part of the essence of what it is to be a musician. However, when you are dealing with extraneous operating noise that can occur with tube amps, noise can become very frustrating. The tube amplifier itself will always have some sort of operating noise, but the severity is hard to denote without having a knowledgeable tech hear it in person. However, if you feel it is excessive, there are some things you can check on your own to reduce extraneous amp noise:

1) Take a pencil with an eraser, and while the amp is on and a guitar is plugged in, ready to play, take the eraser end and tap each of the preamp tubes (the smaller ones). If you hear an audible ping through the speakers, you most likely have a micro-phonic preamp tube. This can contribute to noise both when you are playing and not. Replace the offending tube and you should have less noise (and definitely better tone). We stock a variety of tubes here at Mass St. Music.

2) Make sure your amp is plugged into a power conditioner, or at least a surge protector. The difference is Continue reading

Can’t wait to plug into the Doctor’s lastest mad creation…the Dr. Z Monza Amp! 20 watts of high Gain EL84 Grind! We’ve got it all coming in (Feb!) including a Monza head, a 110 in red, a blonde 112, and a 210 in black with salt and pepper grillcloth. Want to know what it sounds like? Check  out the Monza on youtube…

And here’s the second half of his tearing up the Monza on youtube.

Thanks Doc!

Eric rockin' the banjo

We’re sorry to bid adieu to our great  Mass St. Music compadre Eric Mardis, who worked here for several great years.  The Good? He’s still playing with the exceptional Split Lip Rayfield. The Bad? He’s not working here at the store anymore (though he may make a few guest appearances and get roped into teaching a workshop or two). The Ugly? Have you ever seen him after his favorite lunch of General Tso’s Chicken? It’s not pretty.

The best news though is that this melodic maniac is now giving guitar and banjo lessons in the Arthouse Recording Studio building at 912 Illinois. That’s right…a little Deliverance? Done. Thin Lizzy? Check.  Earl Scruggs? Of course. You can reach him directly at 785-840-8530.  Very best to you Eric!

The great Otis Taylor with Ome's limited 'Otis'

Ome has created a very cool 12 inch rim, open back 5 string banjo with the  multi-talented blues musician Otis Taylor, and named it after him. This banjo honors the great organic, woody tones of the first banjos brought to America from Africa.  Check out Taylor’s distinctive, percussive style in this great clip about his 2008 album “Recapturing the Banjo”. This has a  12 inch wooden pot perfect for more the percussive playing style and gives a really nice, warm tone. Crafted from Maple and comes with a hard case.  None in our store as of yet, but if you’ve any interest, just drop Brian a line.