Author: Eric C. Shoaf

Timeless elegance. A jazz icon. The inspirational archtop guitar. These are just a few of the descriptions that fit Gibson’s L-5. Add to those a historical antecedent: the L-5 in various forms has been in constant production since late 1922, longer than any Martin, Gretsch, Epiphone, or National model. But a VG Hall of Fame guitar needs to be more than just popular; it must represent innovation and be influential to both manufacturers and musicians. The Gibson L-5 is all this and more.

Originally conceived by acoustic engineer Lloyd Loar, the L-5 was the first guitar with design principles incorporated from carved instruments of the cello family. It represented a complete break from existing guitar design. Sporting simple appointments such as dot fingerboard inlays and a dark sunburst finish, the guitar was elegantly finished with a pearl “flower pot” inlaid in the headstock below the Gibson logo, and a karat at the end of the fingerboard. The timing of the L-5’s introduction was nearly perfect since the guitar at that time was growing in popularity, but had yet to graduate from being just an instrument of vocal accompaniment to use in ensemble and orchestra settings.

The 16″ wide L-5 provided volume lacking in Gibson’s roundhole archtop guitars, and by the early 1930s the instrument had grown in popularity and sales enough to cause rivals Epiphone and Gretsch to introduce their own carved top/back instruments. In ’34, Gibson upped the ante by introducing “advanced” versions of the L-5, which increased the width of both the upper and lower bouts. While the advanced version was a little fancier, with larger fingerboard inlays and more binding, there was still an elegance to the details that made the instrument stand out. Certainly by the early ’40s the L-5 was a staple in jazz band and orchestral settings. At 17″ across the lower bout, it was a perfectly sized instrument. Loud enough for orchestral use, but not so large and difficult to handle as Gibson’s Super 400 or the Epiphone Emperor, the L-5 was extremely popular among musicians in jazz, country and western, and large orchestras. Demand for the guitar was such that after World War II it was one of the first models rushed back into production, even though some materials were in short supply.

There were other detail changes along the way; a natural-finish option, a cutaway option, fancier tailpiece, and better tuners, but the instrument was otherwise unchanged until the original non-cutaway model was discontinued in 1958, bowing to poor sales. The cutaway model soldiered on until ’82 when it was supplanted by the L-5CES. But the original acoustic L-5 was resurrected in the early ’90s, when the Gibson Custom Shop began reissuing models from the golden age.

Today, the L-5 is one of the most collectible guitars from Gibson’s pre-war period. It is sought not only for its historical importance, but also for sound and playability, for its elegant design, and for its influence on the music of yesterday and today.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s April ’01 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Top-of-the-line. The king. Top banana. The mostest. Top dog. The big daddy. All these descriptions apply to the ES-300, Gibson’s first deluxe electric guitar. For a few short years in the 1940s, the ES-300 stood as the fanciest electric archtop in Gibson’s stellar lineup. Now it is all but forgotten, a minor player in a major league story. But even minor players often have interesting tales to tell.

Gibson’s first electric guitar, the ES-150 of 1936, was essentially an acoustic L-50 set up with a new wire coil and magnetic pickup. So new was the market for amplified instruments that Gibson hedged a bit, as did other manufacturers, waiting to gauge demand. They introduced electronics first on mid and lower-line archtops, rather than the upper-line expensive models, but the instruments caught on with the public and working musicians. When this happened Gibson was ready with upscale models and the ES-250 came to market in 1938. This electric archtop was built on the wider 17″ “Advanced” body, with fancier trim. The ES-250 was short-lived, however, and was discontinued in 1940 with the introduction of the ES-300.

The ES-300 followed Gibson convention, matching retail price with names, and sold for $300. It also introduced a new Gibson pickup which can best be described, if rather inelegantly, as a “big honker.” Stretching from the bridge to the fingerboard, this pickup was the first to have adjustable poles and also featured a tortoise plastic cover. While meant to address tonal deficiencies in the ES-150 (Charlie Christian) pickup, the new model was large enough to impede playing and was not well-received among professionals to whom the instrument was marketed. Gibson quickly changed the design, and within months a new pickup of more manageable size appeared. It retained the adjustable poles and was mounted near the bridge at a slight slant, to improve treble response.

As the top-line electric Gibson archtop, the ES-300 received all the trimmings. It had the 17″ “Advanced” body width and used the finest spruce for tops, and curly maple for backs, sides, and neck. Construction followed standard Gibson methods, meaning the top and back were hand-carved. The bound neck had double parallelogram inlays while the bound headstock had a pearl script logo. The 300 was the first Gibson instrument to receive the crown peghead, though some variant instruments have a modified split- diamond inlay instead. Pickguards were bound, hardware was nickel-plated, and bridges were rosewood. Top and back were triple-bound, and both sunburst and natural finishes were available.

Almost as quickly as production sped up on the new top-banana ES-300 electric archtop, Gibson was forced by the war effort to cease production of all electric instruments. Fallout from the attack on Pearl Harbor meant that by early ’42 the U.S. was fortifying its industrial base to produce goods for war. Gibson contributed, and curtailed production of most instruments. Because the electric instruments used metals vital to the effort, only a few acoustic instruments trickled out of the factory during the war years.

After war’s end, Gibson was ready to meet pent-up demand for musical products. Several instruments were redesigned, including the ES-300. The new version now featured a body constructed entirely of laminated maple. At some point during the war years, those working on guitar development noted that carved tops and backs are not necessary for an instrument that derives its sound from a pickup, and much construction time could be saved by using laminated woods pressed to shape. Thus, the ES-300 was given a maple top – often highly figured – when it was reintroduced in 1946.

Dimensions and trim were mostly the same as the pre-war version, with three exceptions. The pickup was the newly designed P-90 with adjustable polepieces and was mounted near the neck. Tailpieces on early post-war models were fancy flat-plates with f-hole cutouts. These were likely bought by Gibson from a supplier, since metals were still in short supply after the war. A similar tailpiece is seen on some instruments made by Valco and Kay from the same period. And finally, the ES-300 had a neck constructed of mahogany.

Early post-war models were highly transitional. Some examples have P-90 pickups with nonadjustable poles, others with no visible poles at all. Some are constructed with highly figured woods, while other examples are constructed using mahogany for some or all of the body. The modern block “Gibson” logo was phased in during 1947-’48, as was a multi-ply pickguard to replace the bound one. At the same time, they added a Gibson trapeze tailpiece with raised, pointed ends.

The reign of the ES-300 ended in ’47, when a new model superseded it in the lineup. The ES-350, a cutaway version of the 300, became the top electric model. Both received dual P-90s in ’48, but sales of the 300 never recovered. By the time the ES-5 became the new electric archtop king in ’49, the writing was on the wall. Few pros were using non-cutaway electrics and the 300 was discontinued in ’52.

The ES-300 enjoyed a short but versatile stay at the top of the electric archtop line, introducing several Gibson innovations, like the P-90 pickup and laminated archtop body, and other features like the crown peghead inlay. Today, examples are appreciated for their high level of workmanship and their place in Gibson’s history.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s May ’99 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

The parlor guitar. Designed by Mr. Parlor? No. First manufactured by the Parlor, Inc? No. Endorsed by the well-known recording artist, Parlor? Now don’t be silly, of course not! Then why call it a parlor guitar? The answer is more complex than it sounds, but a parlor guitar was played in the parlor.

What?

Let’s start again. The development of the guitar from its fretted and strung antecedents led to an instrument that was rather small and used almost exclusively for vocal accompaniment in rather intimate settings. We’re talking about guitars measuring maybe 10″ to 11″ across the lower bout. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the size of guitar bodies started to increase, and it began to be used more as a solo instrument or in ensemble playing, where the larger size allowed it to be heard more easily. But there was still a range of smaller-bodied guitars used in the traditional manner and strummed for vocal accompaniment.

Most houses around the turn of the century had a parlor, forerunner to today’s “living room,” which served as a place to receive and entertain guests. Small-bodied guitars were generally called parlor guitars because the setting for their use was often entertaining singly or for small groups in the parlor. Today we find nearly any small-bodied guitar is called a parlor guitar.

In the ’90s, most guitars players have a living room and dreadnought guitar as standard equipment. But the resurgence of interest in acoustic instruments, vintage and new, has led to a revival of the parlor-sized guitar. Manufacturers including Tacoma, Larrivee, Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, Collings, and even Cort, have new small-bodied guitars. On the other hand, the vintage enthusiast has a variety of choices, many with no brand markings or label of any sort, and ranging from 80 to 120 years old.

Our feature parlor instrument is a high-quality offering from Bay State. According to Gruhn and Carter’s Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments, Bay State was a brand name of the John C. Haynes Co., of Boston. This company produced (or contracted with others to produce) a variety of fretted instruments including banjos, guitars, and mandolins. The line was particularly successful in the populous Northeast U.S. and no doubt arrangements were made to supply instruments to music teachers and schools.

Distinctive markings on the headstock and fretboard, as well as fancy herringbone trim, make this a rather desirable small instrument. While most manufacturers did include fancy abalone-trimmed models in their offerings, the ones that show up most often now are rather plain. Buyers should be aware of several factors if they are interested in playing them. Many of these guitars are over 100 years old. They may need structural work or crack repair.

Most were designed for gut strings and may have suffered from the tension of modern steel strings or from poorly executed repairs. Some are very fragile and need careful handling. On the other hand, they can be enjoyable to play. Easy to hold, and with comfortable necks, the parlor guitar is suitable for soft accompaniment, but works equally well for blues or ragtime fingerpicking. They are numerous in more plain varieties, and their prices generally run less than $700. Fancy ones can cost substantially more, but don’t necessarily play or sound better.

Best of all, you can play a parlor guitar in any room of your house!

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Oct. ’00 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

If you ask anyone what the company Slingerland has done for the history of music the answer most often given is, “Drums.” Indeed, the company has been quite successful through the years as a manufacturer of drum and percussion instruments. But in the 1920s and ’30s, Slingerland produced a variety of instruments, including banjos and guitars, including decent-quality archtops. But it focused mostly at the budget and beginner level, and never developed any following or reputation for its fretted instruments.

The Slingerland Songster model pictured here catered to the Hawaiian music crowd- which at the time was at the height of its popularity – but never really caught on because it was introduced just before the beginning of World War II, and because Slingerland didn’t have nearly the distribution system of the larger companies such as Gibson, Rickenbacker, Gretsch, or Epiphone. But this example, which dates from about 1939, boasts several interesting innovations that hadn’t caught on with any of the other makers.

The Songster features a “neck-through” design with solid wings and a maple veneer glued over the top, back, and sides, to give a one-piece look. The pickup configuration is unusual in that each polepiece is individually wound in opposite directions to create a humbucking effect, and although it appears small, the bulk of the magnet and windings is concealed from view. The sound has a distinctly “woody” tone that’s less pure than the Bakelite-bodied Rickenbackers of the period. But it’s still appealing. The metal pickup overlay sports the Slingerland logo in script.

The square neck features a 24″ scale and simple pearl dot position ornamentation. Fret markers are true inlaid metal frets that have been ground down flush with the rosewood fingerboard. Certainly it would have been cheaper to leave the frets at full height (as on the square neck National metal-bodied guitars) or use painted or plastic inlaid fret markers (like Gibson EH models). The ivoroid nut is tall, and its height has been further raised on this example with a separate Slingerland-made metal overlay. The tailpiece is also a Slingerland product produced in-house, and the bridge is a compensated floating unit. Knobs are made of octagon-shaped Bakelite with smaller pointer arrows.

The headstock features a crushed pearl inlay reminiscent of the covering on the company’s drums, with “Slingerland” on top, “Songster” on the bottom, and a diamond in the middle. The headstock’s shape is very Gibson-like, certainly enough to spawn a copyright lawsuit had this guitar been released in 1995! Tuners are high-quality open-back Grovers with plastic buttons and there is a serial number impressed on the back of the headstock.

The cord from the pickup exits the lower bass-side bout through a nice metal-finished hole (no separate jack here) and sports cloth-covered wiring and a rather large bakelite covered plug. This Songster is complete with its original black alligator grained case with green plush lining, the same found with some of the top-line archtops from Gibson and Epiphone models of the period. It’s a clean, well-kept example and perhaps its most striking feature is the highly flamed maple veneer that covers the top, back, and sides. A “10 top” in today’s parlance and an example of how attractive such a guitar could be made to look. Even the pickup/controls cover is highly figured, and bound, as is the top, back, and neck of the guitar. The finish is a light golden sunburst; this is a model even Sol Hoopi would have liked, if only for its looks!

But Slingerland never aggressively marketed the Songster line, and production ceased at the start of World War II. Few were produced, which is all the more unfortunate since in 1939 Slingerland marketed a less well-known version of the solidbody Songster, an electric Spanish model that featured a round neck, 25″ scale, full frets, and even a pickguard!

Today, both the squareneck and roundneck versions of the Songster are rare, but neither is terribly soughtafter, perhaps because the Slingerland name doesn’t carry the caché of a Gibson or Rickenbacker. But the Songster did boast several firsts in solid wood design and was a well-made, high-quality instrument. It certainly deserves to be better remembered.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s April ’01 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

The Hawaiian guitar style came to the American mainland during the Pan Pacific Exposition of 1915. And while the popularity of Hawaiian music and playing faded in the ’40s, the effects of the movement continued to be felt. Students of the guitar often learned the Hawaiian style first, that is by laying the guitar flat on the lap, tuning the strings to an open chord, and moving a metal bar up and down the strings to make the sliding, flowing, melodic sounds associated with luaus, palm trees, leis, and pineapples – although with students just starting out it wasn’t usually quite so melodic!

Still, this was an easy way to get into playing the guitar and when found today, these early student instruments often still bear fretboard markings from 1 to 12, either as factory originals or thoughtfully inked into place by a helpful teacher to assist in navigating the strings up to the octave at the 12th fret.

Our featured Gretsch Model 40 Hawaiian is not a student model and represents a departure from the guitar one expects with the Gretsch logo. But as did most manufacturers, Gretsch understood the impact of popular Hawaiian music on instrument sales, and sought to fill a market need. To complement its line of archtops in the late ’30s, the company produced two Hawaiian acoustics similar to competitor’s offerings. The Model 40, which cost $40 in 1930, is a professional model based on a standard guitar-shaped body with round soundhole, big neck, heavier bracing, a straight bridge saddle, and flush frets in the common style.

The body is constructed of mahogany with a spruce top, and measures 16″ across the lower bout. The Gretsch is well-built, with the neck meeting the body at the 12th fret, and the large pickguard seems almost ornamental rather than functional. The rest of the body ornamentation is spartan except for the peghead. Banners carrying the “Gretsch Hawaiian” logos are pearl inlaid into a silver overlay. A matching pearl flower is contrasted with colorful tuner buttons. The package is nicely balanced. But none of the Gretsch acoustic Hawaiian instruments were good sellers and were long since relegated to obsolescence when the Hawaiian music craze was over.

However, the influence of the lapsteel guitar cannot be understated. For thousands of youngsters, a lapsteel was their first exposure to the joys of making music because it was simpler to play than a regular guitar and provided a nice starting point to the world of stringed instruments. Guitar manufacturers were able to profit from the sale of thousands of lapsteels, money that could be reinvested in research and development of new guitar designs.

Lapsteels are popular among collectors today for many reasons, chiefly the “cool factor” associated with any period artifacts. For this Gretsch, add rarity to the mix. The company’s line of acoustic Hawaiians was not terribly successful, and this was the first Gretsch flat-top guitar offered. Gretsch also marketed an interesting electric solidbody Hawaiian in the late ’30s, but that’s another story…

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan. ’00 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

The story of Mossman guitars is one of both tragedy and triumph. Often forgotten in the rejuvenated interest with acoustic guitars of the 1990s, Mossmans are best known for their craftsmanship, high-quality tonewoods, and attention to detail from a period when major manufacturers were rushing to meet the demand for acoustic guitars. While many of those instruments made during the high-production ’70s by volume manufacturers are now reviled by collectors, Mossman guitars from the period are exceptional in design, materials, and construction.

History
Stuart Mossman began making guitars in 1965, his early efforts concentrated on experimentation with bracing of the tops. He spent four years building 40 or 50 prototypes in his garage. By the end of the decade, sensing a niche in the market for high-quality handmade acoustics, he had incorporated S. L. Mossman Guitars in Winfield, Kansas, and moved into facilities at Strother’s Field, outside of town. Mossman noticed what was happening with major acoustic guitar manufacturers at the time; the folk music boom had pushed demand for acoustic instruments to an all-time high, and while Gibson, Martin and Guild were increasing production, imports from the Pacific rim countries were beginning to exploit the lower end of the market.

Mossman was concerned with what he saw as an erosion in materials, design, and craftsmanship in the construction of the traditional flat-top acoustic guitar, particularly among the larger manufacturers as they rushed to meet the strong demand. Using only top-quality woods, a proprietary bracing structure, and old world building techniques, Mossman guitars entered series production in 1970.

“We were the first of the small manufacturers to make it as a larger company,” Stuart Mossman recalls. “We made some fine guitars and I’m pleased so many are still being played and enjoyed.”

Mossman sales literature from the early period made no mistake about lowered quality amongst the large builders and the use of laminated woods:

“We at Mossman are disgusted with what has happened to the quality of goods produced in this country. Quality has been sacrificed for quantity. Mass production has gotten out of hand. Craft has almost been completely eliminated from our society. This vile abomination [of plywood] is currently being perpetuated on the unsuspecting guitar playing public on a grand scale. We at Mossman considered plywood briefly one day and unanimously decided that plywood makes the best cement forms available. We do not now nor will we ever stoop to the level of plywood construction, and we apologize for our contemporaries who have lowered the station of our craft by using laminated backs and sides. Mossman considers itself a happy exception to the current trend. We are relatively small and our able to devote all our energies to quality craftsmanship and the selection of fine aged woods. We love making guitars and are proud of our work.”

Model Lineup
The company specialized in production of dreadnought-sized guitars, likely due to Mossman’s background as a flatpicker, and offered four basic models at the beginning. All featured Sitka spruce top, Grover Rotomatic tuners, 25 3/4-inch scale length, and ebony fingerboard and bridge except where noted. An early catalog from 1972 shows the following models:

Tennessee Flat Top was constructed with mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, dot inlay, and black plastic binding on top and back of body. Suggested retail $350 in 1972.

Flint Hills used East Indian Rosewood back and sides with white plastic binding and herringbone inlay around soundhole, $450 retail. Also available was the Flint Hills Custom, which featured bound neck and peghead, abalone snowflake position markers, abalone inlay around body perimeter and soundhole, and gold Grovers, for $650.

Great Plains was essentially the Flint Hills with Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and herringbone inlay around the body perimeter, $525. The Great Plains Custom offered the addition of bound neck and peghead, gold Grovers, and abalone binding, $725.
Golden Era was Mossman’s top-line instrument and featured select Brazilian rosewood back and sides, German spruce top, abalone inlay around the top, three-piece back with abalone back strip inlay, bound neck and headstock, gold Grovers, and an intricate abalone vine inlay up the length of the fingerboard. Suggested retail was $875. A Golden Era Custom added an advanced Maurer abalone inlay on the neck and headstock.

Mossman offered a variety of options on any model, such as extra-wide neck and 12 strings, and also provided custom inlay and engraving work. In fact, a customer could order any sort of special voicing for a new Mossman (described in the catalog as “overbalanced bass, overbalanced treble, or balanced bass and treble”) and by careful shaving of the braces during construction and assembly, either the top or bottom end could be emphasized.

The guitars were made to take medium-gauge strings, and all had the same distinctively-shaped tortoise pickguard. The neck measures 1 11/16″ at the nut and is rather thin in profile, providing fast fretwork and ease of picking, but does have an adjustable truss rod accessible through the soundhole. Mossman used a radical (for the time) bolt-on neck arrangement with a mortise-and-tenon joint which was bolted and glued to the neck. A cover on the neck block hides the bolt ends. Final neck size and shape was achieved because the man at the factory who carved the necks was a banjo player and he liked the feel and playability of lower-profile necks!

Comparison with the contemporary Martin-built dreadnought is enlightening, since this guitar represents the standard to which others are held. The two were close competitors, price-wise, but Mossman had a slight advantage, averaging about a 10 percent lower retail price than Martin, for comparable models. Both produced fine guitars with top-quality tonewoods, offered lifetime warranties to the original owner, and were considered professional-grade instruments. But by the early ’70s, Martin had increased production to a nearly 20,000 instruments annually, more than 20 times the rate Mossman achieved.

While the Martin factory was simply trying to meet demand for its product, Mossman never wanted to build on such a scale.

“I personally inspected each guitar we made, before shipment,” he said. “Eight to 10 per day is as many as we would ever want to make, because it would be difficult to personally inspect more.”

Still, by 1974, Mossman had expanded his facilities to account for increased sales and production that had more than doubled in each of the preceding years. Sales literature from the period shows the same four basic models, but all had been refined and upgraded. The Tennessee Flat Top now featured a red and amber wood inlay around the perimeter of the body and soundhole. The Flint Hills had a similar brown and white perimeter and soundhole inlay, while the Flint Hills Custom had abalone perimeter inlay and snowflake position markers on the fingerboard. The Great Plains model retained its herringbone binding while the Great Plains Custom had abalone perimeter inlay and a new mother of pearl vine and flower inlay over the entire fingerboard. The Golden Era continued and incorporated most of the features of the Golden Era Custom, which was deleted. The back of the 1974 catalog is a full-page color poster of the Mossman Golden Era in all its splendor.

Fire!
In early 1975, while the Mossman company was producing nearly 100 guitars per month, including a line of six production models and custom order instruments, disaster struck.

A fire in the finishing area destroyed one of the buildings housing the manufacturing area and assembly line. No one was killed and losses to machinery were minimal. Only a few guitars were lost, but the company’s complete supply of Brazilian rosewood, the only wood stock stored in that location, was destroyed.

Production continued and a Small Business Administration loan (acquired for expansion before the fire) of $400,000 was used to build and expand the production facilities. Hoping the worst was behind him, and with an eye toward maintaining his employees and capitalizing on demand for his guitars, Mossman entered into a distribution agreement with the C.G. Conn company to get guitars to dealers across the country and overseas. Mossman had been spending much time in sales, and he employed a group of salespeople who took orders and sold guitars to dealers. But the new arrangement promised to greatly improve delivery of finished instruments. Conn had both the distributorship experience and the network of dealers already built up with lower-line imported guitars and was ready to work at higher price points. It appeared the two could provide complementary resources.

Production was increased to about 150 instruments per month and the line of standard models was increased to seven six-string and two 12-string models, as described in the 1976 product catalog. All models, except the Tennessee Flat Top, with its mahogany body, used Indian rosewood, since the stock of Brazilian burned. Retail prices did not include hardshell case for an extra $100.

Tennessee Flat Top continued as previously described but now with ebony fingerboard, nut, and bridge. Retail $625. Twelve-string available at $695 retail.
Flint Hills continued as previously described. Retail $725. The Flint Hills Custom was dropped.

Great Plains continued with the addition of a three-piece back. Retail $860. Great Plains Custom was dropped.

Timber Creek was a new model with three-piece back and snowflake position markers. Had distinctive brown, black, and white wood inlay pattern. Retail $1,095.

Winter Wheat, another new model, was the same as the previously offered Flint Hills Custom and had abalone inlay on body perimeter with snowflake fingerboard markers. Retail $1,295. Winter Wheat also offered in 12-string, for $1,345.

South Wind was yet another new model and was essentially the previously-offered Great Plains Custom, featuring abalone inlay around the body and the mother of pearl vine-and-flower inlay on the fingerboard. Retail $1,595.

Golden Era remained the top-line model and now the gold Grovers had buttons engraved with a stylized “M.” Headstock was inlaid with the floral M and the S.L. Mossman decal on the back of the headstock. Retail $2,095.

“Conn”ed
In conjunction with Conn, Mossman took full-page color ads in Guitar Player and other guitar magazines, showing the Golden Era guitar and mentioning a catalog available for $1. The catalog consisted of a color portfolio with individual color sheets on each model, and was drenched in the spirit evoked by the wild prairie and the old west.
Production was accelerated and by 1977, Conn had amassed a stock of 1,200 guitars for distribution. They were stored in a warehouse in Nevada when, alas, tragedy struck again. The storage warehouse used by Conn had minimal controls for heat and humidity and they had experienced no problems with cheaper laminated guitars stored there previously. But it was a different story with carefully-made solid wood Mossman guitars. Baked during the day, then frozen at night, finishes checked badly and/or bodies cracked. For a company that built its reputation on high quality, it was a devastating blow.

A disagreement arose between Mossman and Conn about responsibility for the disaster and compensation for damage. Conn withheld payment for instruments already purchased and refused to take delivery of those already ordered. A lawsuit finally settled the matter, but cash flow problems brought by the disagreement forced Mossman to lay off most of his staff.

By 1979, the company was down to just a few people producing a small number of instruments per month, and the model line was trimmed. The Tennessee Flat Top was dropped first, then the Winter Wheat and South Wind, and the twelve-string models were all dropped, leaving the offerings on the 1979 price list as the Flint Hills for $795, Great Plains for $895, Timber Creek at $1,150, and Golden Era for $1,695, all suggested retail.

Mossman was also selling off two to three-year-old guitars which had been part of the group cosmetically damaged by the Conn incident. These were in essence competing with the new models and they were sold at a considerable savings over original retail prices. Mossman no longer had the extensive retail distribution needed to sustain large-scale production and the sale of weather checked instruments brought in much needed cash. New guitars were being produced at a trickle.

Mossman continued to build guitars at this rate through the early 1980s, never again achieving production levels of the mid ’70s. This was a difficult time for the guitar business in general and the acoustic guitar business in particular, as musicians turned to keyboards and synthesizers. Mossman’s health was being affected by years of breathing sawdust, lacquer fumes, and abalone shell fragments.

He was considering selling the company, when a former employee named Scott Baxendale offered to buy the company name, inventory, and equipment. Mossman sold the company to Baxendale in 1986, but not before a final buildout of some 25 extraordinary guitars. Using the finest woods that had been set aside for years, Mossman crafted a series of superlative guitars, not so much for resale, but because it was a chance to bring together all his experience with the choicest woods. These “final 25” guitars have become the source of popular folklore. A few have occasionally turned up for sale, but Mossman still owns many of them.

A New Beginning
Baxendale’s ownership of the Mossman company was short-lived. In the late 1980s, he moved the company to Dallas and built a series of high-end one-off guitars, including the Mossman Superlative, pictured in Gruhn and Carter’s Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments. This guitar is as superlative as the name implies, with incredibly ornate and detailed inlay work covering much of the body and head. In 1989, Baxendale sold the company to John Kinsey and Bob Casey.

“We bought the company because of the history and reputation Mossman established, and because we felt it was a real opportunity,” Kinsey said.

In 1991, Mossman Guitars was moved to Sulphur Springs, Texas, where it continues to this day. The current catalog lists these models:

Texas Plains is essentially the Great Plains model with herringbone inlay, renamed to reflect the Texas production site. Available in mahogany and rosewood.

Lone Star is a mahogany bodied guitar which features an aged mahogany back, sides, and neck using which was salvaged from the Lone Star Steel Company in Texas. It has a star inlay in the first fret and white plastic binding.

Winter Wheat continues as before with abalone inlay around the body.

South Wind continues as before with the mother of pearl vine and flower inlay on fretboard at.

Golden Era, the Mossman guitar, also continues as before with top-line features including intricate abalone inlay on top and fingerboard.

Kinsey and Casey brought years of guitar repair and construction experience to the enterprise and have developed a new suspension bracing system for their Mossman guitars. In this system, a traditional X-bracing (with two tone bars) is used, but instead of scalloping the braces, each has a series of elongated holes cut into them, which reduces the mass of the brace, but maintains the strength. The suspension bracing system “…gives you all of the punch at the bottom end, without the boom,” says Kinsey. These new Mossman guitars are made to order with a two to three-month waiting time and sound as good as any Mossman.

A Fine Flatpicker
Mossman guitars have always been highly respected by players. While it would be inaccurate to call these Martin copies, they were traditional dreadnought-shaped acoustics with solid spruce tops and either mahogany or rosewood backs and sides. A key feature of the Mossman guitar was handcrafting, which is evident in all components of the instrument, from bracing and inlay to final finishing. The commitment to craftsmanship and individual taste in guitar building set the Mossman apart from other large-scale manufacturers of the period and gave the instruments a unique sound. For example, one of the hallmarks of the top-line Golden Era guitar was its intricate inlay. Of particular interest is the vine inlay on the fingerboard, which recalls similar inlays on classic instruments by Washburn and Maurer.

While the influence is clear, the Mossman design is unique. Stu Mossman spent countless hours perfecting this vine inlay for the longer fretboard of the dreadnought body and its 25 3/4″ scale length. Early Maurers and Washburns were parlor guitars roughly “0” size with shorter scale lengths and fingerboards, so proper inlay patterns were developed specifically for the Golden Era guitar. At the time, no one offered this level of ornateness.

One of the better-known early Mossman enthusiasts is flatpicker Dan Crary, now a Taylor endorser with his own signature model. Crary played a Mossman for years, and was featured on the cover of Frets Magazine in February, 1980, holding his Mossman Great Plains. In the interview, Crary was asked specifically about his Mossman.

“The current Mossman Great Plains Model I play exceeds my ’56 (Martin) D-28, which I think very highly of,” he said. “But in the case of the Mossman I own now, I have never owned a guitar that is equal to it, and it’s less than two years old.”

Other high-profile Mossman users – there were never any paid endorsements – included John Denver, Emmylou Harris, Hank Snow, Cat Stevens, and Merle Travis. Mossman also sold several guitars to his Hollywood friends Keith and Bobby Carradine and other well-known actors. New Mossman guitars have also been well-received by country and bluegrass performers. Texas cowboy musician Red Steegal plays a new one, as does country/western guitarist Clay Walker.
Serial Numbers and Identification
Early Mossman guitars feature the S.L. Mossman name at the top of the headstock in gold gothic script on a decal, except for the inlayed models, where it is usually found on the back of the headstock. In 1978, Mossman changed the logo to a modern graphic with a larger, rounded S in order to differentiate them from the models made for Conn and subsequently damaged. More recently, Mossman guitars have an outline of the state of Texas in the larger loop of the S.

In addition, the model designations given to early Mossmans were not reflected on the labels inside the soundhole, so it is often necessary to compare them to the catalog descriptions. Model names began showing up on labels about 1974. These early labels were either white or brown and bear the legend “S.L. Mossman Handmade Guitars.”

In 1970, a plain white paper label with black gothic printing reading “S.L. Mossman, Winfield KS” was standardized. The label changed again in 1986, to reflect the change of ownership. The label was still white, but had blue printing and at the bottom reads “Baxendale Enterprises.” The outline of the state of Texas was added to the larger loop of the S on the label during this time.

Current Mossman guitars built in Sulphur Springs have a white label on the coverplate of the neckblock (inside the soundhole) which lists model name, serial number and date of manufacture. Guitars built prior to 1970 have a letter denoting body style (most were D, for dreadnought) and are numbered sequentially.
“Somewhere out there is a Mossman D-28,” Stuart Mossman laughs.

About 250 guitars were made between 1965 and 1970. In ’70, the letter prefix was dropped and two digits were added in front of the serial number denoting the year of manufacture. 73-957 would have been produced in 1973 and would be the 957th guitar produced overall. Baxendale continued this numbering system, but it was replaced by Kinsey and Casey with a new code. For newly-produced Mossman guitars, the serial number code is year and month of manufacture followed by the instrument’s position in that month. For example, 97034 would be the fourth guitar built in March of 1997.

One of the hallmarks of the Mossman guitar is the paper label bearing the number and model was always signed or initialed by the craftsmen. Besides its interest as a detail, this fact helps in judging the relative size of the shop at any given time. For example, a 1973 model shows five names on the label, a 1976 model has 22 sets of initials, a 1979 model has only two names, and a 1985 model three names. Comparing a guitar made in ’73 with serial number 73-342 and a 1976 model with the number 76-4613 shows just how fast the company grew and increased production during those years. The signed label tradition was dropped for a period after Kinsey and Casey bought the company, but as of January 1997, it was reinstituted. The three signatures are those of builders John Kinsey, Bob Casey, and Marie Casey, who handles all the delicate inlay work.

Collectible?
The original Mossman company produced about 7,500 guitars. Of these, Stu Mossman says the rarest is the South Wind model, produced from 1976 to ’78. Any of the 12-strings are also comparatively rare, and there are also numerous custom-ordered or one-of-a-kind guitars such as the maple-bodied sunburst finish instrument featured in the December 1996 issue of VG Classics. A full 10 percent of production (about 750 guitars) was the popular and fancy Golden Era model. Cases for the original Mossmans were supplied by the S&S Company of Brooklyn, New York, and are good quality five-ply wood cases with a black vinyl covering.

Baxendale-produced instruments are comparatively rare, only 100 or so were built, and recent Mossman guitars made in Sulphur Springs, Texas, are produced at a rate of only 50 instruments per year. Collectors and guitar show attendees will most commonly encounter instruments made from 1974-’76, when production was at its peak, and a good percentage of these will show the cold weather checking pattern associated with the Conn debacle. Be aware that in most cases, this is an aesthetic concern only and does not imply structural damage. These guitars generally play and sound as good as any Mossmans. Nearly any properly set up Mossman dreadnought sounds fine, with crisp highs, deep bass, and good balance across the strings. True collectors will want to look for early high-end models with Brazilian rosewood construction and intricate inlay, but these can be hard to find. Rarely do the fancy custom models come up for sale and they are generally snapped up by knowledgeable buyers.

Mossman dreadnoughts have no real quirks. Construction is solid and with proper care, necks don’t warp and tops don’t belly. Some might say they are overbraced, but they were made for medium-gauge strings and a hard flatpicking style. Thus, many players have related that Mossmans are very responsive to fingerpicking. It is not uncommon to find a nice Mossman dreadnought in excellent condition. Pricing for vintage models varies depending on wood choice, condition, and ornamentation. A serviceable lower-end model can be had for as little as $600. Instruments with body or neck inlay will be around $1,500 for examples in excellent condition. The Golden Era seems frozen in time with a typical asking price of $2,500. Note that Brazilian rosewood on any model will add to the price and, of course, mint condition means a higher price. Values can, of course, vary depending on the dealer. But by any measure, a used Mossman at these prices offers excellent value for the money in a used, handmade guitar.

I Coulda’ Been a Contender
The 1990s emphasis on quality of product extolled by Martin, Gibson, Taylor and other manufacturers is the same as the Mossman philosophy of the ’70s: each guitar built of premium materials to exacting specifications. It appears that in many ways, the original Mossman company was 20 years ahead of its time, and but for unavoidable tragedy, the company might today be a large, prosperous organization.

It is ironic that much of the attraction of certain model guitars in the late 1990s are elements of the original Mossman design. Taylor guitars are known for their thin, fast necks and revolutionary bolt-on neck attachment. But Mossman offered a similar-feeling neck beginning in the early ’70s, and has always used a bolt-on neck system. The recent surge in popularity of Larrivee guitars is in part due to their excellent sound, elaborate inlay and eye appeal. Ironically, Mossman inlay work was also high-quality and quite beautiful, at a time when no other volume builders were taking the time to decorate their bodies and fretboards in the traditional style.

The brilliant sparkle of abalone around the perimeter of the Mossman Golden Era is as fine as any Martin and the intricate inlay pattern on the fingerboard was accomplished long before computer-controlled milling machines. All Mossman inlay was done by hand and provides a state of grace not normally found in today’s offerings. The Mossman name lives on, as previously mentioned, at a small but dedicated factory in Texas, still offering a unique blend of old world craftsmanship with modern construction and materials. The original Mossman guitars should be remembered for a special attention to detail, for quality unavailable from the larger producers of the time, and for a sound and playability which today remains in the nicely-aged examples available on the used and collectible market.

Special thanks to Stuart Mossman, John Southern, Steve Peck, John Kinsey, Stephen and Gus at Guitar Shop, and Randy Axelson. New Mossman guitars can be ordered at (903) 885-4992.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sept. ’97 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.