Jim (left) & buddy Cas (right) with Jim's first guitar creation from 1977

In know I’ve said it before, but it’s true – you just never know what’s going to walk in the door here at Mass St. Music and yesterday was a great example. Cas Loth, former Lawrencian now living in Nashville, came by to say hi to his old buddy Jim Baggett (our esteemed boss) and he happened to bring along a guitar. This guitar was the first one Jim Baggett ever made, back in 1977.  It still sounds really great, has some beautiful finish crazing and a very simple label inside with Jim’s signature. This is one of only 5 that Jim constructed.  Thanks Cas for stopping by with the show and tell!

Cas shows off his "Baggett dread" from '77

Signed label complete with water stains from the sweat of Jim's brow. Kidding.

It’s sweltering outside so we don’t mind staying indoors and ogling the great gear at the store…here’s what we’ve had our eye on lately around the shop….

Voodoo Labs power supplies are new and quite amazing

John Flynn – Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus

A friend of mine turned me onto these when I was having some noise issues with my ever-expanding pedal board.  They are simply incredible.  No wonder they are on almost every pedal board of the pros.

'42 Martin D-18

Jim Baggett – 1942 Martin D-18

This is a very collectible guitar that’s a joy to play.

Wow. We all had a gander at this beauty

Tim Nelson – Collings D1ASB Varnish

Collings has done it again. The varnish finish on this(CLICK ‘Continue Reading’ below to read all Staff Picks –>) Continue reading

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

Every year we pack up a mini version of Mass Street Music and make a second home at Winfield the third week in September. This year the festival is being held September 15-19 and we’ll be there again – look for owners Jim, and John, and sales manager Tim, plus Mass Street luthier Josh and our buddies from Taylor and Martin too. Winfield, also known as the Walnut Valley Festival, will be celebrating it’s 39th anniversary this year and is offering up more than $98,000 in prizes (including guitars, mandos, dulcimers, and banjos!) for those brave enough to compete in the championships. There are lots of cool workshops too and even a kid’s stage performance. As always, half the fun is just jamming with your friends, so don’t forget to bring your instrument.  We’ll have plenty of great instruments there if you’re looking for a new one , but also all the accessories you might need, from strings and capos to cases and even coffee mugs. Woohoo! Come into the store and pick up the Walnut Valley Occasional for all the festival details, or visit www.wvfest.com. Hope to see you there!

We’ve gone pedal crazy at Mass Street this past month, with the addition of Jetter Gear, JHS and Voodoo Lab pedals and power supplies in addition to the already great line-up we’ve got.  They’re all outstanding, and it got us to thinking…how about a pedal workshop?

So, please join us Saturday, July 31 at 9:00 am for a very special FREE workshop with our own Jason Jones. We’re calling it ‘Pedalmania‘…From basic distortion to phasers and wahs and beyond, get a handle on what’s what and see just what these little boxes can do for your sound. We’ll being having demos & hands on. Bring your questions. FREE!