Norman Blake's 1936 D-18

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

Repair Spotlight: Vintage Martin Headstock Repair

Repair Spotlight: Vintage Martin Herringbone Headstock Repair – Part III

Check out Part I and Part II of our Repair Spotlight on Byron Berline’s Martin Herringbone D-28 before diving into Part III below. With the headstock break repaired in Part II it was time to move on replacing the fingerboard and preparing it for a PLEK refret. The heat from the Double Stop Fret Shop fire caused the hide glue, which keeps the fingerboard in … Continue reading Repair Spotlight: Vintage Martin Herringbone Headstock Repair – Part III

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

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

Klon KTR Versus Klon Centaur

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

Collings Guitars 1 11/16 Traditional Series Models

Collings Traditional T Series – New 1 11/16″ Nut Width Models

We’re thrilled to once again be a part of the ever expanding line of Collings Traditional models. For the past two years we’ve been big fans of the Traditional T Series of guitars from Collings which feature lightweight bracing, traditional voicing, thin nitro finishes and animal protein glue builds. And now with the introduction of the newly designed 1 11/16th necks, players of any nut width … Continue reading Collings Traditional T Series – New 1 11/16″ Nut Width Models

Fender American Originals Guitars

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

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