Mossman Guitar Collector

Reviews

Stuff You Want to Know for Happy Picking

How To Buy a Great Sounding Accoustic Guitar
Training and Practice Materials
String Winders Revised 2006-10-20
- The cheap plastic ones are surprisingly fragile. These are a very bad investment. They either split across the peg remover or the handle breaks off. These are sold by many vendors, some with logos added.
- You can get a winder with a built in string cutter, but I don't like these. You are better off not clipping the strings. You are much more likely to suffer a puncture wound the next time you change strings from clipped as opposed to full length strings. Besides, full length strings are much easier to remove. Don't leave the string ends waving in the breeze: roll them up into a little coil, close to the gear peg.
  If God had intended for us to clip the string ends, She would have invented side-cutters.
  (Owner observation: "When you cut a string you cut its' soul.")
- The Dunop Ergonomic is better. This is what I use. This version holds up under repeated use and does not cost a bundle.
  
  I particularly like the double slotted tuning knob socket. You can use this winder on both large and small sized tuner knobs. This is a real improvement over the cheaper versions.
  
  One problem: When removing string pegs, be sure to hold the handle side ways (i.e., flat) and away from the guitar top. Otherwise you may dent the top.
- The Shubb winder is the best I've seen. Seems more durable than most. Also, the handle is less likely to damage your guitar top when removing peges. (Notwithstanding, you have to be careful with all winders used as peg removers.)
StewMac Bridge Saver
This is definitely not a recommendation to go out and buy or use this tool. I am recommending that you allow an experienced luthier use the Bridge Saver to repair a badly damaged bridge reinforcing plate. This is the thin 2 inch x 4 inch hardwood plate glued to the top under the bridge. The string ball ends pass through, rest on, and exert considerable pressure on this plate. Most of the sound quality of your acoustic guitar depends on this plate. If the string holes are enlarged or damaged and if the ball ends are pulling up into the plate, the guitar is likely to suffer serious damage, not to mention reduction in sound quality.

Frank Ford's repair people also recommend this tool.

The hard part of the repair is cutting and fitting the matching plugs, one for each hole. (I suggest operating on all six string holes.) For best quality sound, I recommend using fresh mixed, hot hide glue (from powder) and Brazilian Rosewood plugs. On most instruments, this repair causes some improvement in sound quality. On a few instruments, the improvement is dramatic.

There is no evidence pro or con as to the longevity of this repair. The tool -- and therefore the repair technique -- simply has not been around that long. We may find that plugged bridge plates crack or deform in twenty years. However, the bridge will certainly fail if the reinforcing plate is not repaired. Since removing the plate is hazardous and may not completely solve the problem, plugs are often the best solution.

If performed with care and skill, the Bridge Saver repair is a guitar life saver. Just don't try this at home. You will ruin that prized GP Custom.

A note to you DIY'ers out there: Dan Erlewine's video tape shows him applying super glue to the string holes. Other resources suggest filling enlarged string holes with super glue and saw dust. The Bridge Saver repair using Brazilian Rosewood plugs is much superior to both of these techniques in terms of improved tone quality. I tried the super glue technique, followed by the Bridge Saver repair on the same guitar. The Bridge Saver technique is the clear winner. However, at this point, no one can guarantee how long Bridge Saver repairs will last. I think this is a stable repair, but who can tell what will happen in twenty or so years.
Travel Guitars

I am referring to the 3/4 and 1/2 sized low-priced acoustic guitars which most of the domestic and foreign guitar manufacturers build. The Martin version is all plastic laminates and is made in Mexico. I include all of the odd shaped guitars that look like canoe paddles. If you just want a baseball bat to fight off the chicks at the campfire party on the beach, by all means, spend your hard earned money on one of these things. I my opinion, even the cheapest korean plywood dreadnought is better than a travel guitar.

Gutiars for travel guitars are a silly idea. The implication is that you can carry one of these little beasts on the airplane instead of checking through the luggage system. No can do. No airline will allow a travel guitar in a hard shell case (or a soft case for that matter) as a carry on. At least that is their publicly stated rule. I have asked many times if this is possible at check in counters across the United States. The answer is always no, from coast to coast.

There are other arguments against these little canoe paddles. They sound like a cigar-box guitar. (Yes, Your Friend Sort owns an actual cigar box guitar. We speak authoritatively here.) They are not good for practicing because they are just too small: your right hand position is all wrong when compared to full sized guitar. Therefore, your practice time away from home is wasted.

There is one exception to the sound quality problem: some of the high-end parlor or terz guitars made by Martin have remarkable sound quality. The one Joan Baez used to play comes to mind. Of course, these cost big bucks.

Maybe these things are acceptable for children to learn on. My thinking is that if a standard dreadnought or a 000 size is too large for the child, he or she is too young to learn to play guitar anyway. They won't enjoy learning because their hands are too small and too weak. It a bad move for child instruction.

What about taking your best acoustic traveling so you can practice in the hotel room or at the mother-in-law’s house when the nagging becomes too much? The airlines are much more careful with guitars than they used to be. In four recent airline travel experiences (all different airlines) my experience flying with a guitar was excellent.

How To Fly With A Full Sized Acoustic Guitar

Preparation

Pack your guitar in the best hard shell case you can find. OEM cases are often not adequate. Your case should at least have an arched top. An arched top and bottom are much better. The TKL arch top model is minimal. The Gator GPE-Dread is better, but is too small for Mossman guitars. The Carlton's are probably best, however I have no experience with them. There are other acceptable brands. Make sure you have a hard shell case! (The so called ATA rating merely indicates that the airline likes the case latch and handle design. An ATA rating says nothing about how damage resistant the case is.)

Pack the gear head with bubble sheeting or soft towels. This is so that the gear head cannot whip around if the case and guitar are accidentally dropped.

Once the guitar is packed in the case, cover the case with a water proof covering. I suggest this because the baggage handler usually sets your guitar off to the side so it can be loaded last. Since baggage handling is done outside in the weather, your guitar will be damaged if it is raining. So, the case needs a water proof cover. You must procure a case cover specially made for this purpose. A garbage bag will not work: the baggage handler will almost certainly rip it off the case because it makes the case slick and therefore too easy to drop.

Do not check your guitar through the luggage system. Instead, carry the guitar to the gate. You will proceed through all baggage inspection procedures for carry on baggage. However, this is not a carry on item.

Make sure you acquire and attach all airline identification tags and attach them to the case. This is so you can re-claim the guitar when de-boarding. Tell the boarding agent you want special handling for a valuable instrument and let them attach the tags, etc. When it is time to board, you will carry the guitar to the door of the air plane but not through the airplane door. In most cases, you are boarding via an elevated tunnel from the terminal gate to the airplane door. You will notice a door off to one side of the tunnel immediately beside the airplane door. This door leads to the outside. This is the boarding tunnel exit door. Leave the guitar right beside that door and out of the way of the other boarding passengers. This is where the special handling baggage person will pick up your guitar so I can be placed on top of the luggage pile. (This constitutes "special handling".)

As you board the airplane, make sure you tell the boarding stewardess that you have a guitar for special handling which you have placed beside the boarding tunnel exit door.

The ticket agents, et al, won't tell you any of this because they want to avoid any activity that slows down boarding or loading. However, the service is available on all major airlines, so make use of it.

At baggage pick up time, one of the following will happen (ask the stewardess or a gate attendant): 1) They will hand your guitar to you at the gate on deboarding.2) they will deliver the guitar at a special handling pick up location or office. 3) they will process the case through normal baggage handling procedures. That is to say, the luggage conveyor system.

In my travels across country in the past several years, the above procedure worked very well.
What is the best travel guitar for all purposes?

In my opinion, you can't beat the all black 000CXE by Martin. It is almost a full sized, dreadnought like guitar. It is constructed of 85% laminated plastic. The neck and interior bracing are wood.

Used versions of this guitar are generally reasonably priced. 2006 prices are as low as $400. These are not loud guitars, but actually have excellent. acoustic tonal properties and sound great when played through a quality amplifier. (Practice amps make all guitars sound like crap.) The neck is laminated maple or something. The neck profile is very comfortable. The only draw back is a lack of volume: they don't project well. However, you can play this guitar in high humidity conditions, for example, on a beach. And, if the baggage people break the thing, no big loss.

I have to admit, I am afraid to take my performance Mossman on an airplane. With the 000CXE there is no hesitation. It goes where I go. The 000CXE is well worth the investment for the traveler who wants to keep in shape.