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
The crew at Waterloo Guitars, led by master luthier Bill Collings, continues to build these stripped down, vintage inspired guitars, each one filling another niche in the all but forgotten parlor guitars of the past. Whereas the original Maple backed WL-12 has a bright sparkle to the tone, this all Mahogany 12-Fret model is dark and moody, with a direct, crisp attack followed by a … Continue reading Waterloo WL-12 Mh – First Impressions
NAMM was a whirlwind couple of days catching up with vendors, putting faces to names and scoping out all of the new gear for 2017. This year we sent managers Josh B and Matt K to track down everything from new Academy Series Taylors to Chase Bliss Pedals or new Collings Relics. Below you’ll find a photo gallery of some of our favorite gear. Make sure … Continue reading Mass Street Music NAMM 2017 Roundup
We’re constantly talking about music and gear here at the store. Not only is it our profession, it’s also our passion. Whether it’s a discussion about hide-glue and tongue braces, neck profiles and nut widths, solid-state vs tubes, pickups and wiring, solid vs laminate, analog vs digital…if it has to do with making music it’s on-topic here at the store. While the debates can get … Continue reading Staff Spotlight: Mike & All That Gypsy Jazz
The Repair Shop here at Mass Street is always up for a challenge when it comes to satisfying the requests and mods of our customers. This time around Matt H. was tasked with turning a three pickup Stratocaster into a dual humbucker configured guitar. The easiest way to accomplish this was routing out the entire pickup cavity, and creating what’s known as a swimmming pool … Continue reading Repair Spotlight: Swimming Pool Route
To say there’s been a focus on Collings at the store this past month would be an understatement. It seems like every few days another Traditional model is rolling in, ready to be inspected, photographed, demoed and recorded. We thought it might be a good idea to take a selection of our photos and demos videos, along with some first thoughts from the luthiers up in the Repair Shop and really showcase this new line up of Traditional T Series guitars from Collings. Continue reading First Look: Reviews and Impressions of the Collings Traditional T Series
When most of us think of Jim, the expert luthier who’s made a career of Vintage Guitar restoration comes to mind…but way back before the days of Mass Street Music (or even Michigan Street Music) Jim was building guitars! One such Bagophone, our friendly name for them, was in the shop this past week for a little work. This particular Bagophone, owned by Gary Adams, spends … Continue reading Mass Street Music Pre-History: The Bagophone
We have a pretty awesome relationship with Collings Guitars. Bill and Jim bounce ideas back and forth constantly regarding new models, product updates, custom appointments and the like. However, it’s something special, even for us, when a guitar like this comes in the door.
Being located right off of I-70 has it perks. One of them being whenever our favorite vendors, artists or customers are heading across the country, Lawrence, KS makes for a fantastic mid-prairie-pit stop. We had a great time on Monday hosting our friends from Analog Outfitters as we checked out some of their latest gear, and discussed what we would like to see in some potential future products. … Continue reading Analog Outfitters NAMM Detour
While the Repair Shop is REALLY good at fixing top cracks, we hate to see good wood go dry. During the winter months lack of moisture in the air can not only lead to top cracks, but binding and braces can come loose, frets can pop out of the fingerboard and the lacquer finish on your instrument can even shrink into the grain. Whether you have a … Continue reading 5 Tips for Keeping Your Guitar Humidified
