Adirondack top, Mahogany back and sides, under $1000. Easily one of the best deals around.

If you’ve been following our blog for a while or checked out our store site, you’re already are hip to the fact that we love Eastman Acoustics for their great value (flattops are under $1,000) and exceptional build quality. It’s not a stretch to say that almost everyone in the store has purchased one. These are seriously good buys, made by folks who know what they’re doing and most of all, they sound fantastic. As John points out, they won’t take the place of a top notch Collings, but they are incredible instruments at unbelievably reasonable prices. We just received a few new ones in the store and thought you might like to know why we personally love and purchase these guitars for ourselves too.  Our staff, on their own Eastmans:

John Flynn on his AC312CE: Well, after owning and playing my Eastman AC312ce for a couple months I have to say (CLICK ‘Continue Reading’ below to read more of our Eastman kudos–>). Continue reading

Fender American Special Strat in classic Candy Apple Red

The Facts Jack

There was a lot of hype when we first heard about the new Fender American Special Strats and Teles – the series sounded good: American made, classic design, Texas Special pickups and less expensive – so what’s the catch? We set our own Jason Jones, Matt Christenot, and Matthew Khomsi to the task of checking these out from stem to stern.  Here’s what they had to say:

Jason: Aesthetically pleasing, the American Special series was a sensible move for Fender. These give you  many pro features with cost effective attributes that, all in all, create a great instrument for a reasonable price.  Borrowing the gloss Urethane finish from the American Standard series, and incorporating Fender’s most popular pickups, the Texas Continue reading

Matt C, Jason, Eric and Matthew K rockin' the special Groshes

Tuesday morning Brent and Yoshi from Don Grosh Guitars stopped by Mass St. Music and brought some very cool one-off guitars and prototypes for show and tell (and some bagels). What a morning…more than anything else it just confirmed why we love these guitars – not only do they have incredible playability and tone but they are some of the coolest looking guitars around. In the photo below, John checks out the 293 – fully hollow. We’ve got a 193 in the store right now, and it’s phenomenal – come check it out while it’s still here.

John checks out the exquisite fully hollow Grosh 293

We also got a chance to check out the very first ElectraJet – Continue reading

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

Our bass guru, Matthew Khomsi, gives an in-hand review of the new Fender Road Worn 60s Jazz Bass:

Fender Road Worn 60s Jazz Bass

On the whole, this bass reigns in all of the most important attributes when deciding on an instrument: tone, playability, comfort and looks. First, the overall tone is extremely flexible – this is the most versatile Jazz bass from Fender I’ve heard or played to date. When I refer to the versatility of this bass, I’m talking about how different the pickups actually sound when you slightly adjust the volume on the neck vs. bridge pickup, how that relates to the master tone knob and how the player’s style, whether with fingers, thumb or a pick, alter the sound. The harmonics are killer. Oh man, was I surprised when I started playing some Jaco and the parts just sang!

When analyzing the playability of this bass, it became obvious very quickly this Road Worn is easy to play. The slightly worn in neck gives it just enough of a “broken-in” feel to understand why “relic’d” instruments are so popular. Your hands fall right into place when you pick this up; it really separates itself from a run of the mill standard Jazz bass.

I can accept that purchasing a beat up instrument may not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, I’d suggest looking at how the instrument is going to be in 5 years, when you start to put your own dings and nicks on it – the relic will absolutely start to feel more your own. Beyond the cosmetics, no one can deny that the relic hastens the comfort one feels when picking up a new axe.

Now I can acknowledge the “Made in Mexico” stamp may deter you when checking out this bass, but let me reassure you, if you’re interested in excellent tone and feel, this is demonstrably a better bass than virtually any other Jazz even close to this price point. – Matthew Khomsi