Changing up gear for spring has hit the staff like hay fever – everyone  is making some changes and tweaks to their rigs – from repair shop upgrades (installing Fralin P90s, oh yeah)  to new pedals (Little Black Buffer!) and more. Here are a few of the coolest things we’ve been gawking at around the store lately:

John's own Helweg Pedalboard (& pedals!) will be featured in next month's newsletter

John Flynn – Helweg Pedal Board
Impeccable quality and an essential part of my rig. (Note: We’ll be profiling Boss Flynn’s own pedals & board next month!)

Jim's pick is this 'perfect' Collings MT mandolin

Jim Baggett – Collings MT Mandolin )
Beautiful, plays great and you do not want to put this mando down. It’s absolutely perfect.

This beautiful Bourgeois OMS Custom is Tim's favorite

Tim Nelson – Bourgeois OMS Custom
I really like this guitar – it has a smooth, even, and mellow sound. It’s equally at home either strummed or finger-picked. I love the look too – a very cool sunburst set off nicely with a slotted peghead and Waverly tuners with Snakewood buttons. Even has a Fishman pickup.

Matthew still has his 4 year old Mogami cable, which he says is 'worth every penny'

Matthew Khomsi – Mogami Platinum 12′ Right Angle Cable
I must have gotten one of these cables four years ago and I still feel this was a great investment.  Occasionally, I’ll compare it to some cables from one of my band mates and every time this Mogami is drastically better.  These cables are worth every penny.

Alek's pick is a "15 watt monster!"

Alek Nelson – Analog Outfitters The Sarge Amp Head
The Sarge is a 15-watt monster! Unreal tone that will go from rich and warm to throaty and angry. The tubes easily break up at lower volumes, also it’s really touch sensitive. One of the best sounding and looking heads in the store by far.

Ted Kritikos – Analog Outfitters The Sarge Amp Head
I think this is the most exciting new amp we’ve seen here at MSM in awhile.  I love the tone of this amp as it opens up – it’s gritty in a cool, natural way.  I’m not an electrical engineer, but I suspect that the amazing tone has something to do with the HUGE Hammond transformer in there – that’s a serious hunk of iron!  And, best of all, I dig its re-purposed nature and vintage vibe.  This is one all-around amazing head!

We'll have more of these Fuzzulators in soon - dang, Eric bought the last one!

Eric Putnam – Demeter Fuzzulator
This is the best fuzz I’ve heard. I have been searching for a fuzz that sounds great in a full band situation and I found it. I was also surprised to find that it sounds just as good with humbuckers as it does with single coils. It remains very articulate and does not get too muddy. I liked it so much that I bought one.

Horan's pick is the exceptional Ome Bright Angel, "Almost plays itself". That'd be a neat trick, but really cut into the banjo player jokes...

Mike Horan – Repair Shop – Ome Bright Angel Banjo
This Bright Angel is an excellent example of a traditional music machine with all the amenities of a modern artisanal instrument. The lustrous finish is beautifully off-set by the ivoroid-bound rim and moon and stars inlay. This banjo has a clear, crisp tone with excellent mid-range projection, and Ome’s fret work is the best in the business; it almost plays itself.

Runyon's pick, the Harmon Doc Brown T, is a "boutique quality instrument with a production price tag" - sweet!

Mike Runyon – Repair Shop -  Harmon Doc Brown T
Excellent value! Wow. This was assembled and customized by my Repair Shop compadre Matt Harmon. The body and neck are All Parts parts, but the body has a tasty nitrocellulose burst finish and the neck and frets have been expertly dressed (nice job Matt!). The real kicker though is the electronics – the concentric pots ensure you get pure signal paths from the neck humbucker and the bridge single coil for both traditional and unique tones. It’s seriously a boutique quality instrument with a production price tag. Awesome!

"Way cool" Jesse says of his pick, the Fender Blacktop Baritone Tele

Jesse Roberts – Fender Blacktop Baritone Tele
This bari tele is rich. Long scale but still has great playability. With the HSS configuration, you can easily get lost in the spacious rumble, or still dial in some twang if you want. And to top it off, it has a smooth copper finish with just a bit of sparkle. Way cool. Way cool.

Anne has her eye on this Kala KA-SEM Soprano Uke

Anne Tangeman – Kala KA-SEM Exotic Mahogany Soprano Uke
What a sweet uke! I started playing uke not long ago and I’ve been wanting to get a new one with geared tuners – this beauty fits the bill and more. Looks amazing, sounds great and is priced well – I can’t believe how nice this is for the price. There are a lot of cheap ukes out there and I highly recommend getting a decent one with geared tuners – definitely worth the dough.

Chucho's new favorite earphones are super sleek with really true sound

Chucho – Shure SE215 Earphones
When Chucho’s rocking out to the new Jack White album, he prefers to use these earphones as they’re discrete, super comfortable, and have impeccable sound.

Dan Heavin's 1936 Martin 000-28 after Mike's period correct bridge was installed, before the other extensive work began.

One of our most interesting repairs of the last few months at Mass St Music has been Dan Heavin’s 1936 000-28 Martin, which our Repair Shop manager, Mike Horan worked on. Dan, who is a civilian fire captain working on a US Military base in Afghanistan, received this amazing vintage Martin from his mother in 1996. It was originally purchased by Dan’s grandfather, new, back in 1936. It’s been well-loved and well-played over the years. At some point in the ’50s it had a significant amount of work done to it – most likely by Martin Guitars. They did a refret, replaced the inlay with larger pieces, refinished the instrument, and possibly did a neck reset. They also installed new tuners, which was the definitive clue that the repairs were done in the ’50s.

Note the refinishing done by Martin in the 50s - much darker and flatter, both on the neck and headstock

The back of the neck in particular had an unusual flat, darker opaque finish. The bridge also had been replaced with an oversized one which had been shaved away over the years to compensate for the neck angle, which over time often needs to be reset. Why the new, larger inlays, larger bridge and darker finish?

“You have to keep in mind that back in the 50s, this guitar was maybe just 20 years old and had some real wear and scratches,” Mike explained. “They weren’t envisioning it being a valued vintage piece, they just wanted to make the guitar look and play like new again.”

We emailed this photo to Dan to let him know the guitar arrived just fine & that Mike was about to start the restoration process

As Dan was overseas, he wanted a little reassurance we had received the guitar in once piece (even though we were about to take it apart!). We kept in contact with him, as we were able, throughout the journey of the restoration process. Mike gave Dan a ‘thumbs up’ in the photo above that everything was looking fine so far. We also documented the serial # markings for posterity.

The serial number marking

Mike set about restoring the instrument, removing the neck from the body, and tackling the bridge first. He replaced it with a custom reproduction bridge he crafted in the repair shop himself. He also re-glued 6 back braces.

Mike did a beautiful job creating the new, period correct bridge

Lookin' sharp

Next up in the process was the refinishing of the neck. This was the most time-consuming of all the repairs. Here you can see Mike’s restoration with a more authentic color and a truer, translucent finish that shows the wood beautifully.

The restored neck shows a truer, translucent finish - nice job Mike!

The neck is reattached and ready for some inlay work and the refret

Mike then reattached the neck to the body, then set about first restoring the inlays which were larger from the ’50s repair work. He pulled the inlays, filled them with Ebony, sanded them down and replaced them with smaller inlay correct for a ’36.

The 'before' neck with the larger inlays Martin likely put in when the other work was done in the '50s

Check out the new, period correct inlay work

He then refretted the guitar. (Check out this Bourgeois repair for images of Mike doing a refret). Adding period-correct Waverly tuners was the last major step.

Mike with the restored '36 Martin 000-28. It's ready for a new generation!

All in all, this extensive repair job (balanced with other repairs he was tackling concurrently) took about 8-9 months. We’re happy to report that this ’36 Martin 000-28 was shipped to Dan Heavin’s home last week.

Dan and his mother with his grandfather's newly restored 1936 000-28 Martin guitar

Dan said his mom loves the guitar and that she told him, “Grandpa would be so proud of it.” He added, “Thank you all once again for doing such a wonderful job on it. The sound on it is amazing. I could not have asked for anything else. It is perfect. I played it and then played my 2010 HD-28V and the ’36 sounds so much better.” He also told us that the guitar will stay in the family and he looks forward to giving it to his own son someday.

Check out more info on our great Repair Shop here & more info on available Vintage Guitars at Mass St Music here.

Tim checks out the 1st guitar Bob Taylor built as a teenager (actually 3rd, but they weren't up to his standards, so Bob ran over the 1st with a motorcycle, and the blew up the 2nd with fireworks!)

Mass St Music’s own Boss Flynn and Tim Nelson recently toured the Taylor Guitar factory in El Cajon, California and it just reaffirmed our pride in carrying these instruments that are not only exceptional players and beautifully made, but are also backed by real innovation and sustainability. Here’s their road report from Taylor Guitars.

A corner of the $750,000 pile of Koa wood at the Taylor factory

Tim Nelson:
It was obvious after visiting their factory how Taylor is able to make some of the most consistent and well-playing guitars on the planet. The amount of thought that goes into research and design at Taylor is truly astounding.

A birds-eye view of the neck department of the Taylor Guitar factory

Bob Taylor describing details of the Taylor neck angle

To build things well – every single time – requires well designed tools, fixtures, and jigs – many of which Taylor designed and built themselves after extensive research. They use these tools to build precise instruments without sacrificing the personality of the guitar. Wood is unforgiving when it comes to shaping and controlling it, not only in form, but also tone. Taylor blends style and artistic design with exacting workmanship, giving the player a great instrument with tons of personality.

This machine is clamping many Taylor guitar tops at one time

Fretting the necks - loaded by hand then pressed with a machine. Because of Bob's perfectly straight NT neck design, the necks do not require any fret dressing! Crazy but true.

I was really impressed with Bob’s drive for building perfectly straight necks – obviously a huge plus if you want low action. Taylor’s three-piece NT neck design is super smart. (Read more about the NT “new technology” design here) . There’s an incredible level of workmanship at Taylor, but also they have a real vision for our industry’s future and environmental stewardship.

Machines are part of the process, but it all starts with picking the right woods. This block is headed to the neck department.

Bob demonstrates how the bodies and necks go together while his #1 fan tries to get a closer look

Bending the wood for the sides of a Taylor acoustic

Bob has been a forerunner in our industry, ensuring the materials that we love as guitar players have a better chance of being around for future generations. I was also impressed by his awareness that just legally importing woods sometimes is not enough, that you can do more. (Read more about Taylor’s sustainability initiatives here).  He’s committed to doing it right by paying a fair price for materials, and takes it even further by actually creating jobs in impoverished areas, where a lot of valued woods grow.

Bob shows off the different bracing for Taylor nylon string guitars

Tim was really impressed with Taylor's innovative & environmentally friendly electrostatic finish process

Even Taylor’s finish process is really remarkable, reducing waste and pollution. They use an electrostatic process where almost all of the finish ends up on the product. This means far less pollution to the environment in the form of vapors escaping. They also create less solid waste from spray booth filters – once clogged with finish these were trash.  Today, the guy working in the spray area does not even need a mask, as it’s a very safe and clean application. Very cool! Employee safety in the finish department really struck a chord with me, having been around solvent based spray applications for years of my life. It’s great to see Taylor’s inroads in this area too.

There is still a great deal of hands-on workmanship at Taylor - here the soundhole rosettes are placed by hand.

Taylor guitars with their bridges recently clamped on the bodies

What's a guitar without strings? Here they put on the Elixir strings and give the new instrument a thorough set up and final check

John Flynn:
Although I expected to be impressed by the whole Taylor ‘campus’, the actual experience was far greater than I could have anticipated. I came away with a new respect for Taylor as a whole. Bob’s vision for guitar building is pretty ingenious, but I was also taken by a truly sincere commitment to do what is right and not just what is convenient. He is doing things I do not think anyone else in our industry is doing at this point, for the environment and for people. He and co-founder Kurt Listug have assembled an impressive team and they definitely convey the attitude of ‘let’s have some fun with this’ while remaining totally professional.

Bob plays guitar after the factory tour with his right-hand-man Andy Powers

Hey look! Gorgeous Cocobolo wood with Mass St's name on it! We've got a custom Build to Order GC 12 fret they're building for us with this exact Cocobolo. It'll be topped with Sinker Redwood for the ultimate Taylor fingerstyle guitar.

In words it would be impossible to describe everything that makes Taylor Guitars all that they really are. That is why they brought us to the campus. Fortunately, they do tours daily and it is open to everyone. It takes about 3.5 hours, so be ready, but it will definitely be worth your time. (Read more about how to take a Taylor Factory Tour here.)  We spent two solid days with them and there was not a wasted moment!

Check out Mass St Music’s full selection of Taylor Guitars here and be sure to mark your calendars for Monday, June 18, 2012 when the Taylor Road Show visits Mass Street Music! Click the Taylor poster below for more info.

Vince (left) and Andy of Leftover Salmon played some 'Deep River Blues' while Josh made a quick repair to Vince's guitar.

Last Thursday (April 12) Leftover Salmon guitarist Vince Herman and banjo player Andy Thorn stopped by Mass St Music for a quick repair to Vince’s guitar before their show at Liberty Hall in Lawrence. Vince and Andy played some cool tunes up in the acoustic room while waiting for Josh to finish up Vince’s repair. My favorite? Their sweet rendition of the classic ‘Deep River Blues’.

They were also kind enough to let us snap a few photos!

A vintage burst bonanza graced Jim's office the other day! Vintage 30s acoustics

The arrival at Mass St Music the other day of a pristine sunburst late 30s L-00 Gibson aroused my curiosity about variances in sunburst style and color. There are clear and distinct differences in L-00 guitars from earlier years, but I was just curious as to the differences of color in guitars that were all close to the same age.  I seem to have accumulated quite a few lately and pulled five out for comparison. They  are my children, so of course I like them all, but found the variety interesting and of course a good photo opportunity. The five Gibsons are all late 30s and just for contrast I threw in a 1937 Martin D-18.  – Jim Baggett

Ed. note: though these are not for sale, we often have some spectacular vintage instruments at Mass St Music, easily found here on our vintage page. We also have a variety of newer fine burst acoustics in right now like this used Bourgeois Slope D, this Collings CJ G Maple Custom, this Eastman E10 SS Slope Shoulder, and this Leo Posch DM. Check out all our full selection of acoustic guitars here.

(Game show host voice...) "Yes, this Eastman AC420 guitar CAN be yours!!!! Enter by May 31."

If you’ve been a friend of Mass St Music for a while, you’ve probably noticed that we really love Eastman guitars! Not only because they sound amazing and are beautifully well built, but they offer real value too. From their ACs to their traditional E series, these guitars offer truly fine quality instruments at low prices. We were thrilled when Eastman recently asked us to join them in giving away an AC420 dread acoustic to one of our customers.

It’s really easy to enter – just stop by our store at 14th & Mass. St. in Lawrence, Kansas by May 31, try out ANY Eastman guitar, then go to Eastman’s website and fill out a super short survey. We’ll even give you a card here at the store so you’ll know right where to go online – EastmanGuitars.com.  Once you fill out the survey on their front page (and indicate you tried it out here at Mass St. Music), you’re entered to win – it’s that easy. On JUNE 1st, Eastman will select a winning entry from our store who will receive a brand new Eastman AC420 -  a wonderfully full sounding and well balanced acoustic with a solid Sitka Spruce top and Rosewood back and sides with a gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish, valued at $840 ($1050 full retail) – complete with a hard case too. Of course, we’ll set the guitar up for you as well, for free.  Not a bad way to start the summer!

John's favorite, this Collings 290 S, is easily one of the best of the month, and a brilliant new take on a classic

John Flynn – Collings 290 S
Fantastic sounding guitar and so in tune. Collings did a masterful job on this tailpiece. Plus it just looks so good!

Jim might end up with this Collings D1 VN SB himself if he doesn't stop looking at it...

Jim Baggett – Collings D1 VN SB
We ordered this with the dark, almost Gibson-style shading. Everyone that sees it, including me, is drawn to it. We also did the Vintage Neck on this one, which is so close to the 1935-1939 necks that I am automatically at home. This is one of the Sitka custom models with the Adirondack bracing that we’ve been ordering lately and the sound does not disappoint. I notice this one every day and have grown to like it even more, if that is possible.

Tim likes this Eastman E10 OM so much he ordered one for himself!

Tim Nelson – Eastman E10 OM
I like these so much I have one on order for myself. I find the E10 OM is a great balance between performance and price. I have never heard a better $1000 guitar, and the  short scale is incredibly fun to play.

Matthew says, "Plain and simple, this is an amazing amp."

Matthew Khomsi – Egnater Rebel 30 112
Plain and simple, this is an amazing amp. The depth you hear out of this amp puts it in a class above any other in this price. It has a direct, XLR, output which also incorporates the tone of the power tubes so guitarists can now enjoy blending a microphone on the speaker and a DI signal like bassists have been doing for years. Behind this great feature is a silent mode for doing late night recording with the DI output on your computer. Overall, I have been very pleased with the Egnater line, but this amp in particular impressed me the most.

Alek likes the 'smart design' of this Fender Passport 500 portable PA

Alek Nelson – Fender Passport 500
This Passport 500 is a really smart design – the three piece system packs up easily into one PA system that’s truly portable but has enough power for the built-in 8-channel mixer that’s made to handle everything from vocals to instruments to music players.

Eric chose this Squier Vintage Modified Tele Custom II in part because it's 'unreal for the price'.

Eric Putnam – Squier Vintage Modified Tele Custom 2
Squire just keeps making guitars that seem unreal for the price. This Tele is no exception if you are looking for an affordable guitar with p90s that plays great. This is the one.

Ted concurs on Flynn's pick of the month, the Collings 290 S!

Ted Kritikos – Collings 290 S
I’m borderline obsessed with this guitar. The upgraded Collings wraparound bridge adds a great deal of sustain to the instrument, and it’s compensated to boot, so the intonation stays correct up and down the neck. I think this guitar would be perfect for the discriminating alt-rocker looking for a simple and versatile instrument.

Josh loves how this Grosh ElectraJet, "captures the offset 'melted' body asthetic of a Jazzmaster, but its size makes it as comfortable as a Strat."

Josh Baldridge – Repair Shop – Grosh ElectraJet Custom
I have been looking forward to hearing this guitar ever since Grosh told us of the new pickup they were designing. The Electrosonic pickups are great…they have the rich tone of an overwound single coil pickup (i.e. p-90 or Jazzmaster) but with so much more clarity than most. I love how the ElectraJet captures the offset “melted” body aesthetic of a Jazzmaster, but its size makes it as comfortable as a Strat.

Matt's loving the entire Squier Vintage Modified series, but this VM Surf Strat in particular.

Matt Harmon – Repair Shop – Squier Vintage Modified Surf Strat
I’m really impressed with all the new Squier Vintage Modified series guitars. The last 5 guitars that have gone through the shop for free set ups have all been incredible guitars. Somebody at Fender made the right choice here, a inexpensive guitar with great playability and good looks. Finally a win from Squier.

Jesse's pick, the Gold Tone CC50RP Banjo, gives you a lot of banjo at a low price

Jesse Roberts – CC-50RP Cripple Creek Resonator Banjo
This CC-50 gives you a lot of bang for the buck – nicely made and great sound.

Anne picked the Squier Mini Strat & would have had one when she was 12 if she could turn back time.

Anne Tangeman – Squier Mini Strat
Ah, if I could have had one of these back when I first tried to learn to play guitar! Instead I toiled with a too-large-for-me acoustic and gave it up til my 20s. This is really great for beginners with smaller hands plus it’s just fun to have around even for an adult. ¾ size classic strat-ness! Comes in other colors too, but how cool is this bubblegum pink?!!

If you could just see Chucho jamming with his headphones...

Chucho – Stanton DJ Pro 1000 MKII Headphones
Sleek, lightweight, powerful and best of all balanced with full bass. Chucho’s been rocking around the repair shop with these on lately but alas, he’s too quick for a photo.

Jim's latest fixer upper is this well-loved J-35 from the '40s

This Gibson J-35 is from the 1940s. Mass St. Music co-owner and luthier Jim Baggett below discusses what he called the ‘Ugly Duckling’ and how he’s breathed new life into it. Check out all of our ‘On The Bench’ instruments here.

From Jim:

About six months ago, this not so pretty 1940s Gibson J-35 showed up at Mass St. Music. Frets were worn to the nubs and the top finish had been botched up with some pretty crude finish work and repairs.  I didn’t pay much attention to the guitar at first, but being a J-35 fan, I finally picked it up.  I was pleasantly surprised with the tone and realized that in spite of the cosmetics, the guitar was in pretty decent shape.

The toothy saddle here won't win any beauty contests...

New saddle in place, lookin' good.

The original owner must have appreciated the tonal characteristic, as the play wear was all the way up the neck. I just recently refretted the guitar and replaced the deeply worn, but original saddle. The guitar has completely jumped back to life. I have decided to do nothing about the cosmetic appearance of the top. I may fill the open control knob hole in the top, but realizing that it has no effect on the tone, my current thought is to stick to my original objective of dealing only with the the guitar’s strengths, which are tone and playability. It has become like a comfortable pair of shoes.

The Ugly Duckling 1940s Gibson J-35 'before' photo - new frets are in but saddle yet to be replaced.

Jim at his bench working on the J-35

The homely headstock

Formerly housed control knob, now just a hole.

The J-35 with some spanky new frets

Unmatchable tone and now great playability is restored.

This Hardwood guitar is a customer's, currently in for repairs, but we had to share an image of it with you.

Mike H. in the Repair Shop just shared with me that we happened to have three Harwood instruments from two different customers in for repairs right now. The history of these turn of the 20th century instruments was recently featured in Fretboard Journal. One guitar had the neck off for repairs, but here are photos of the other guitar and one mando – just beautiful and so well made.

Really nice soundhole inlay on this Harwood

One of these belongs to a good friend of the store, who incidentally is related to the folks who ran Jenkins Music in Kansas City, which sold Harwood instruments. These were made in the late 1800s – early 1900s and look like they will stand the test of time after a little TLC from our repair shop.  Fretboard Journal’s fantastic article on the history of Harwood can be found in their Issue 23 which had Gillian Welch on the cover.

This Harwood mandolin is a real beauty.

A closeup of the Harwood mando's decorative pickguard

Squier? Yeah, it's a Squier, and it rocks. And twangs, and swings...

Long thought of as guitars or basses for beginners only, or Fender’s ‘budget’ line, Squier has really upped their game in the past few years, particularly with the Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified lines. We just received several new models and are really impressed. Seriously. From the great pickups to the attention to the frets to the cool homages to classic Fender models, we love Squier plain and simple. It’s not a Grosh or Anderson, but it’s built well, sounds great and there are some really cool models like the Squier Tele Thinline available. We’ve found more pro gigging customers that have been picking these up as second guitars, as replacements, or as subs for higher end gear they simply don’t want to expose to the ravages of the road. The CV and VM lines are levels above the Affinity line in terms of construction, materials and finish details. You’ll find smooth, super playable necks, 3 ply pickguards instead of 1 ply, cool pickups and great finishes.

Cowabunga! This Squier VM Surf Strat is loaded with lipstick tube style pickups!

The CV line gives you killer classic models like the CV 60s Strat while the Vintage Modified line tweaks the classics with some crazy cool pickup configurations and change ups like the VM Surf Strat with lipstick tube style pickups and the VM Tele Custom II with P90s. Have I mentioned the VM Jazzmaster? Sigh. The prices have gone up a bit on Squiers (like everything else these days), and none come with cases or gig bags, but they still remain, hands down, one of the best bang for the buck guitars out there today.