November 2014 MSM Staff Gear Picks

All of us at Mass Street Music had a tough time picking just one Staff Pick this month, between the new pedals, a boatload of cool used gear and new acoustics, but for you, we narrowed it down to our top favorites:

Josh BaldridgeCollings OM1A Cutaway
This is surprisingly light and has the low end responsiveness of a larger bodied guitar. It’s comfortable to play too and has really balanced tonality all over the neck.

Collings OM1A Cutaway Acoustic Guitar

Comfortable playability & big sound made Josh take notice of this Collings OM1A Cutaway

Jim BaggettMartin 000-28K Authentic 1921 Koa Acoustic
Just a beautiful sounding and looking instrument – really spectacular on every count.

Martin 000-28 Koa Authentic 1921 Acoustic guitar

Jim favors this 000-28 K Authentic ’21 based on a model at the Martin Museum.

Eric Mardis1977 HIWATT DR504 50 Watt Amp Head
As the owner of a Dave Reeves era Hiwatt DR504, I can state with confidence that this is the sweetest, vibey-est amp in the shop. This thing shouldn’t even be here in Kansas. Beautiful condition and fantastic “endless clean headroom” tone that loves fuzz pedals. This really screams David Gilmour – also Pete Townsend, Martin Barre and Jimmy Page. It’s the real deal.

Hiwatt DR504 Amp Head 1977

This Hiwatt DR505 is the “Sweetest, vibey-est amp in the shop” according to Eric M.

Eric PutnamStrymon Deco Pedal
I love the slap back delay sounds on this, also the tape saturation sounds really great! I could not stop playing rockabilly licks. Pair with a nice Fender Twin and a Tele or Gretsch and you’re in heaven!

Strymon Deco Pedal

Eric P, and frankly the entire staff, loves the new Strymon Deco pedal!

Ted KritikosRode Podcaster Mic
This is just a great mic for doing any sort of podcasts or content on the internet. It sounds truly professional, and the built in headphone jack makes it so you can hear yourself talk in your headphones with zero latency. Very cool.

Rode Podcaster Mic

Ted K’s been geekin’ on the Rode Podcaster Mic.

Mike HoranCollings Tenor 1G Guitar
Perfect for whooping out your favorite Western swing or jazz chords, but also nice for bringing a different texture to your alt-folk music ala Neko Case. Don’t be the last kid on your block to get one!

Collings Tenor 1G Acoustic Guitar

Luthier Mike H. picked the brand new Collings Tenor 1G Guitar (& so would Neko Case if she stopped by!)

Matt HarmonFender 68 Custom Princeton Reverb Amp
Cool, super sleek Princeton Reissue, love the silver front plate. A few tweaks they made to the board make this model better with pedals compared to other reissues. Great amp.

Fender 68 Custom Princeton Reverb Amp

This cool Fender ’68 Custom Princeton Reverb caught Matt H.’s attentions this month.

Susan WillitsChuck Lee Dobson Open Back 11″ Banjo
This Dobson has a wonderful ‘tubby’ low end and clear ringing treble, but not so bright that it takes your head off. Looks great too!

Chuck Lee Dobson 11 Inch Open Back Banjo

Susan has taken to this beautifully crafted Chuck Lee Dobson Open Back Banjo.

Thomas HammGrosh Retro Classic Vintage T in Mary Kay Sonic Blue
This Grosh is incredibly balanced and a killer player. I’ve always loved teles and surf guitar tones, and this one nails it.

Don Grosh Retro Classic Vintage T Guitar MK Sonic Blue

Surf’s up! Thomas’s pick is this sweet Mary Kay Sonic Blue Grosh RCVT!


Anne TangemanJHS Twin Twelve Channel Drive Pedal
Fresh from the mad geniuses at JHS, this Twin Twelve pedal brings the iconic Silvertone 1484 preamp and overdrive growl to you at the push of a button. Really responsive, tweakable and fun. I have a 1484 Silvertone amp and was not only kind of thrilled to see this, but blown away by the tones. JHS did a great job on it. 

JHS Twin Twelve Silvertone Channel Drive Pedal


As a Silvertone amp owner, Anne T. was “kind of thrilled to see this, and blown away by the tones.”

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