Category: Features

Norman Blake's 1936 D-18
Features

The 1936 D-18 from Norman Blake’s Whiskey Before Breakfast Album Cover

We recently had the privilege of spending some time with a guitar owned by the great Norman Blake. This 1936 D-18 was featured on the cover of Blake’s iconic album, Whiskey Before Breakfast, and after a time was sold by Blake. Brent Hawley, a friend of store owner Jim Baggett’s, has been the caretaker of this guitar for almost 50 years and recently brought it … Continue reading The 1936 D-18 from Norman Blake’s Whiskey Before Breakfast Album Cover

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Features, Repair Spotlight

Repair Spotlight: Vintage Martin Herringbone Headstock Repair – Part II

Check out Part I of our Repair Spotlight on Byron Berline’s Herringbone D-28 before diving into Part II below. When we left off with the repair of our friend Byron Berline’s herringbone D-28 Jim had come up with a plan for removing the veneer and cleaning up the headstock break. This was necessary in order to make a good surface for gluing things up, and … Continue reading Repair Spotlight: Vintage Martin Herringbone Headstock Repair – Part II

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Features, Repair Spotlight, Social

Repair Spotlight: Vintage Martin Herringbone Headstock Repair – Byron Berline – Part I

Jim’s been working on the great Byron Berline’s guitars for years. As many of you know Byron’s shop, Double Stop Fret Shop, suffered a devastating fire last year, with many of the instruments destroyed or suffering damage beyond repair. Thankfully this herringbone survived, but did not make it out unscathed. This late ’30s Martin D-28 had previously suffered a break in the headstock which had … Continue reading Repair Spotlight: Vintage Martin Herringbone Headstock Repair – Byron Berline – Part I

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Meet the Plek Machine at Mass Street Music
Features, News, Repair Spotlight

Meet the Plek Machine

If you’ve been up to the shop in the past few months you’ve probably noticed the latest addition in our lutherie toolbox, the Plek Machine. What is a Plek you may ask? For starters, it’s a tool, an extremely accurate tool. Like an MRI or CT Scan of your guitar, the Plek machine scans an instrument’s frets and fingerboard, and presents that data to our trained crew … Continue reading Meet the Plek Machine

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Klon KTR Versus Klon Centaur
Features, Videos

Klon Shootout – Centaur vs KTR Demo

Have you ever wanted to A/B a legendary pedal with its modern counterpart? Well do we have the demo for you. Recently we had our very own Eric P demo the classic Klon Centaur with the newer Klon KTR. Demo’d as a boost as well as an overdrive, we ran these pedals through both single-coils and humbuckers to give you a range of tonal variations. … Continue reading Klon Shootout – Centaur vs KTR Demo

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An Evening with Collings Guitars at Mass Street Music
Events, Features, Videos

An Evening with Collings Guitars – Event and Livestream Info

The shop has been abuzz with the latest additions to the expanding Collings Traditional Series, so much so we wanted to have an evening to show them off. Come on down to the store Tuesday, June 5th at 7pm for a night of Collings Guitars – Mass Street style. Check out the all new models including 01, 02H, Parlors and of course the elusive Julian … Continue reading An Evening with Collings Guitars – Event and Livestream Info

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Fender American Originals Guitars
Features, Videos

An American Original: Fender’s New Vintage-Inspired Lineup

We’ve been in countdown mode ever since the folks at Fender announced the all new American Original series. These “Best of the Decade’ guitars deliver vintage tone, style and appointments with some modern playability. With era-appropriate materials, build and construction techniques these solid-body electrics have set themselves apart at this price point. Here are just three of our favorite features across the line. Vintage Voicing … Continue reading An American Original: Fender’s New Vintage-Inspired Lineup

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MSM Holiday Gift Guide
Announcements, Features

Best Guitar Accessories – Holiday Gift Guide

Guitar/Banjo/Mandolin Straps Lakota Leathers A high quality leather strap is the sort of accessory that every player needs. Whether it’s your banjo killing dreadnought or your prized gold top, you can’t go wrong with these straps. Original Fuzz Okay, so maybe leather isn’t everyone’s thing – it might not vibe with your shell pink mustang. Fear not, our friends at Original Fuzz have you covered … Continue reading Best Guitar Accessories – Holiday Gift Guide

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Features, Staff Picks

July 2017 Staff Picks – Collings Edition

This past month Master Luthier, and close friend of the store, Bill Collings passed away after a battle with cancer. We thought we’d take this month’s staff picks and turn it into a tribute, showcasing some of the fine instruments Bill and his team have crafted over the years. Feel free to share any of your favorite Collings instruments or stories in the comments below. Josh Baldridge … Continue reading July 2017 Staff Picks – Collings Edition

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