June 2023 – Mass Street Staff Picks

Kyle RalstonVemuram Pedals – Shanks ODS-1 – Overdrive
My pedal’s from To-ky-o!!! One of the best overdrives I’ve had the pleasure to use. I couldn’t get a bad sound out of any amplifier or pickup configuration. Extremely dynamic and stacks well with others. The bang is definitely worth the extra buck on this one!

Vemuram Pedals - Shanks ODS-1 - Overdrive

Check out our current inventory of Pedals!

Jim Baggett – Gibson Guitars – 1934 L-7 Archtop
Great example of an early ’34 16″ L-7.

Gibson Guitars - 1934 L-7 Archtop

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

Matt Pelsma – Tom Anderson Guitars – Icon Classic – Black over Olympic White – In-Distress Lv3
Classic looks with a one-of-a-kind paint job from the brilliant builders. This has been one of my favorite guitars in years.

Tom Anderson Guitars - Icon Classic - Black over Olympic White - In-Distress Lv3

Check out our collection of Boutique Electrics

Brian Soden – Benson Amps – Benmaster 5E7 3X10 Combo – Blonde
This amp has been all the talk of the sales floor ever since it came in last week. The 5E7 tweed circuit in this Benmaster is just pure roots rock / classic rock joy. I absolutely love how it sounds cranked up with a Tele. With humbuckers, it stays tight on the low end and really barks. The build quality is second to none and is worth every penny compared to vintage Fender 5E7 amps that sell for $10,000 and up. Jump on this one before I scheme to buy it for myself!

Benson Amps - Benmaster 5E7 3X10 Combo - Blonde

Check out our collection of Boutique Amps!

Mike Horan – Martin Acoustic Guitars – D-18 – Natural
Their iconic model, the Swiss Army knife of guitars. Well-suited to fingerpicking, vocal accompaniment, flatpicking, bold strumming, you name it. Several years back, Martin redesigned this guitar to feature many of the vintage appointments that had been on the more expensive versions. It has been a store favorite ever since.

Martin Acoustic Guitars - D-18 - Natural

Check out our full Collection of Martin Guitars!

Matt Harmon – Xotic Effect Pedals – RC Booster Classic – Limited
I’m sure if you keep tabs on my picks everybody knows I’m a fuzz junkie. I’ve tried a bunch of different types of pedals to stack with fuzz and was never really happy until I found the RC Booster. The EQ is great, the boost works great with just about any pedal combo I’ve found and I prefer this new reissue over the V2 with a second gain stage. Those buttons are too darn close together, and I never use the added feature on the V2. Try this one new one out, get it while you can. Who knows how limited it really is.

Xotic Effect Pedals - RC Booster Classic - Limited

Check out our collection of Pedals!

Isaiah Sibi – Taylor Acoustic Guitars – BT1 Baby Taylor
The BT1 is a great choice for a first guitar for all ages or even a practice guitar around the house for all player levels. The smaller size of the neck and body makes it perfect for smaller hands and easy play as well as a wonderful travel companion, all while maintaining good volume and tonal qualities. These Baby Taylors are very reasonably priced and come with a gig bag as well options for built in electronics.

Taylor Acoustic Guitars - BT1 Baby Taylor

Check out our collection of Taylor Guitars!

Susan Willits – Pisgah Banjos – 12” Tubaphone – Short Scale
The Pisgah 12″ Tubaphone has a delightfully tubby sound; it’s so nice and mellow. This one is a short scale, which feels really comfortable. I especially like the understated beauty of this Tubaphone. Just look at the S-style frailing scoop, the nice shape of the headstock and the aged brass hardware. Plus it has the cool Pisgah Hawktail tailpiece! Sweet!

Pisgah Banjos - 12” Tubaphone - Short Scale

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

Matt KappenmanIris Guitars – OG – Black – Ivoroid with Firestripe Guard
I keep seeing LG-style guitars more and more often in old-time jams and with country performers/singer-songwriters. We recently had a vintage LG in the shop for some work, and A/Bing it against this Iris OG, the Iris holds its own and then some! Great sounding American-made guitar. I had a chance to record a demo of this particular guitar and really came away loving it. It’s available on our Youtube channel or over on the website.

Iris Guitars - OG - Black - Ivoroid with Firestripe Guard

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

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