April 2023 – Mass Street Staff Picks

Kyle RalstonMilkman Sound – 5W Half Pint – Chocolate
I love little dogs and little amplifiers, especially when they are a little unruly, and think they are bigger than they are. I also have an addiction to chocolate. This Milkman Half Pint literally looks like it should be packaged one of those chocolate bunny boxes you got Easter morning.


The half pint can be dialed from a fraction of a watt up to 5 watts and has killer Reverb and Tremolo (footswitch included). Did I mention it’s loaded with not an 8, not a 10, but a 12″ Celestion Greenback!!! This gave me more headroom and bass response with less breakup so (if you choose to), this little truffle takes pedals pretty well too!!


I really love this amp, but my only confusion is, “do I want to plug into it or take a bite out it!”

Milkman Sound - 5W Half Pint - Chocolate

Check out our current inventory of Boutique Amps!

Jim Baggett – Collings – 002H T – 14-Fret – German Spruce Top
A responsive, lightweight small-body Collings traditional.

Iris Guitars - DE-11 - Dan Erlewine Model

Our Collings inventory is always changing – head on over to view the latest in our Collings Collection!

Matt Pelsma – Tom Anderson Electric Guitars – T Icon Shorty – 3 Color Burst
This guitar has perfect balance in the lap and a beautiful round tone. The short scale still sounds spanky and this guitar is a pure joy to play.

Tom Anderson Electric Guitars - T Icon Shorty - 3 Color Burst

Check out our collection of Boutique Electric Guitars

Brian Soden – Milkman Sound – 15W HT with Jupiter Speaker – Powder Blue
This amp just rules. Period. The grind you get when cranking it up is so satisfying and the harmonic tremolo is totally addictive. Think “Buddy Miller”. Another cool thing about this amp is the tremolo circuit is wired before the reverb. This results in smooth, non-choppy reverb trails. Love it!

Milkman Sound - 15W HT with Jupiter Speaker - Powder Blue

Check out our collection of Milkman Sound Amps!

Mike Horan – Iris Guitars – DE-11 – Dan Erlewine Model
I love the retro Kalamazoo shape of this model. It has an awesome spanky tone in the mid-range, capable of lending a distinctive voice to a variety of acoustic ensemble settings, be it old-time, blues or folk.

Iris Guitars - DE-11 - Dan Erlewine Model

Check out our full Collection of Boutique Acoustic Guitars!

Isaiah Sibi – Martin Acoustic Guitars – HD-28 Ambertone
This guitar is really sweet. Awesome sounding Martin Dreadnought with vintage inspired appointments. Big low end with a wonderful, satisfying rich tone. The guitar feels comfortable, especially with the modified low oval neck.

Martin Acoustic Guitars - HD-28 Ambertone

Check out our collection of Martin Guitars!

Susan Willits – Eastman Mandolins – MDA315 Mandola
Add some fun and variety to your music with an Eastman MDA315! Eastman instruments are consistently reliable, and well built and these mandolas have a wonderful low end. Strum an open chord on this mandola and the sustain rings on and on. Nice!

Eastman Mandolins - MDA315 Mandola

Take a look through our collection of Mandolins at Mass Street Music! 

Matt KappenmanFairbanks Guitars – F-35 12-Fret – Roy Smeck Sunburst
I’ve been a fan of Dale Fairbanks’ guitars since first encountering them back in 2015. This Roy Smeck inspired guitar is a deep body, slope-shoulder build, with loads of warmth and low-end projection. Vintage-inspired to say the least, the sunburst paired with the custom maple binding is a subtle touch that is a nice detail when admired up close. A lifetime guitar.

Pisgah Banjos - 12 Woodchuck

Check out our current collection of Boutique Acoustics over on the website

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