Ah spring! Incessant rain, purty flowers, hay fever and some cool new gear in the store. Here’s what we’ve been drooling over lately:

John Flynn – Don Grosh Retro Classic S Shape

This is a fantastic instrument and now that Birdseye necks are going to skyrocket in price, this is a great time to get one at the old price. This guitar plays and sounds amazing. Definitely a brighter “Robert Cray” type tone. The neck is super stiff and just has a great vintage feel about it and Don’s new pickups are just as amazing.

This Grosh has been taunting John - he can see it from his office

Isaac Flynn - Don Grosh Retro Classic S Shape

Like father, like son…Isaac had this to say on the RC, “It’s so easy to play, the Grosh pickups are the best I’ve heard, and the guitar just looks awesome!”

Eric Mardis - Ome Sweetgrass Banjo

This banjo is so gorgeous. The fit and finish are second to none, but the real payoff is when you put on some picks and let loose on this thing. Â The tone is bright without being an “icepick in the forehead.” Bright yes, but also full and pleasant at the same time. Â I’m truly impressed with this, our Continue reading

Billions of pedals out there in the naked city – but what do musicians really use? In this new series we’ll take a look at what our own staff uses when gigging. First up, our accessory and guitar expert Matt Christenot:

The innards of Matt C's pedal board

I like a clean pedal board. It took a while to achieve, but with the help of a One Spot chain and custom cut George L cables, I was able to make it happen. I love the combo of the RC Booster and AC Booster – the RC is a perfect clean boost and light overdrive while the AC gives you great moderate to heavy gain – BUT used together, leaving the RC on, the AC sounds really phenomenal. They go together like peas and carrots. For a wah I’m using the Fulltone Clyde Wah that has had an LED light added by Keeley. Fortunately for me, they finished modding it before their workshop burned down. Speaking of Keeley, I also use their great Keeley Compressor – it’s one of the most subtle yet effective compressors – you almost don’t realize how much it’s doing for you til you turn it off.
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Planet Waves Metronome and Tuner

A tuner/metronome is a pretty standard (and dang handy) device, but we just got a new type in today and thought we’d have a throwdown. Today we’re pitting the Boss TU-80 against the Planet Waves Metronome Tuner. For the sake of a fair review I’ve broken it down into four categories: tuner, metronome, physical construction and price. Let’s throw them in the ring and see who comes out on top.

TUNER
The Boss wins in this category. Its needle display is accurate and easy to read. It even beeps to notify you that you’re right on pitch. The decision to use bars rather than a needle makes the Planet Waves somewhat harder to read, but still very accurate. Continue reading

So, your 10 year old son or daughter has been begging you for a new guitar, but you’re not sure how to go about selecting a good starter or upgrade instrument. Here are a couple of suggestions to help get you started.

Fender Squier Mini Guitar (3/4 size)

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One of the great things about living in Lawrence is that between Lawrence and Kansas City there really isn’t any music show you can’t see. Now that we have the brand new Sprint Center, big name acts are coming into town all the time.

Last week I say Coldplay, and it was everything you want a big show like that to be. The production was Continue reading