Here is a nice documentary film about Mossman Guitars.

Thanks for posting this. I bought a Mossman Flint Hills dred in about 1977 after my first Gibson
was stolen. I went to Elderly Instruments in East Lansing Mi, just to see what they had on their
shelves. The Mossman was the best sounding instrument in that shop IMHO, so I bought it.

It was a 1975 build. It was in excellent condition and had been owned by a bluegrass guy who
had something bad happen, so he had to sell his guitar. I learned his name but have since forgot.
I think I paid about $600 for the Mossman, which was a lot of money for me at that time.
Doobie's 1979@100.jpg

Here I am playing her in like 1979 at a bar in Flint Mi. I named her Amber because of the color of the top.
(which might have been caused by tobacco smoke, greasy fumes from the kitchens, girl perfume and
all the other contaminants she was exposed to in those days. That Mossman guitar gave great service for
more than 40 years on the road. I never suffered from G.A.S. until about 2008... the Mossman was good
enough for all the places we played. Here we are at a festival in maybe 2016 or so. I played that guitar
at festivals, coffee houses, concert series, house concerts, picnics, gazebos, schools, churches, libraries
we toured in Europe twice with her... she wore out maybe four cases before I got her a Hiscox case to
fly overseas with. Those are impervious to just about anything.
thumbfest@100.jpg
What a great guitar. She suffered damage and extremes of temperature and humidity...
She suffered dings, cracks, worn bridge plate, had to get new frets... I had good luthiers repair
her and keep her in fighting shape. She rewarded me with great tone and dependable action.
I had a Fishman Elipse blend pickup system installed in her, and that served me well also.

Once when we were playing in a bar in Royal Oak, I noticed a guy staring at my guitar. When we took a break
he came over to the stage and asked to see it. I showed it to him, and allowed him to handle it. He handled it
like he was used to instruments, so I relaxed a little. Then he said he used to work for Mossman, and wanted to
see if his initials were on the label. They were. He said, "yep, I worked on that one... it's good to see it in action."

In 2019 my wife of the time was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and I took my dog for a walk to think things over.
When I came back from the walk, I had made up my mind what I was doing. I was retired.
I reluctantly began selling things, to raise money for the fight with the cancer. I sold all my oldest and most valuable
instruments... I sold guns, tools, fishing gear, bikes, instruments, I sold my canoe, I sold my house. Cindy sold jewelry,
artwork, china, silverware, books and recordings, she sold clothing and furniture...

I sold the Mossman, along with my '66 Fender J-bass and my 1936 Martin 0-17. My reward for selling those three
was that I bought me a Gibson J-45 AG just before Gibson went broke. Three out, one in and that one has come with
me through everything. Cindy passed away in 2020. There's good blues inside the Gibbie...
53@100.jpg
 
Col Mustard said:
Thanks for posting this. I bought a Mossman Flint Hills dred in about 1977 after my first Gibson
was stolen. I went to Elderly Instruments in East Lansing Mi, just to see what they had on their
shelves. The Mossman was the best sounding instrument in that shop IMHO, so I bought it.

It was a 1975 build. It was in excellent condition and had been owned by a bluegrass guy who
had something bad happen, so he had to sell his guitar. I learned his name but have since forgot.
I think I paid about $600 for the Mossman, which was a lot of money for me at that time.
View attachment 100271

Here I am playing her in like 1979 at a bar in Flint Mi. I named her Amber because of the color of the top.
(which might have been caused by tobacco smoke, greasy fumes from the kitchens, girl perfume and
all the other contaminants she was exposed to in those days. That Mossman guitar gave great service for
more than 40 years on the road. I never suffered from G.A.S. until about 2008... the Mossman was good
enough for all the places we played. Here we are at a festival in maybe 2016 or so. I played that guitar
at festivals, coffee houses, concert series, house concerts, picnics, gazebos, schools, churches, libraries
we toured in Europe twice with her... she wore out maybe four cases before I got her a Hiscox case to
fly overseas with. Those are impervious to just about anything.
View attachment 100272
What a great guitar. She suffered damage and extremes of temperature and humidity...
She suffered dings, cracks, worn bridge plate, had to get new frets... I had good luthiers repair
her and keep her in fighting shape. She rewarded me with great tone and dependable action.
I had a Fishman Elipse blend pickup system installed in her, and that served me well also.

Once when we were playing in a bar in Royal Oak, I noticed a guy staring at my guitar. When we took a break
he came over to the stage and asked to see it. I showed it to him, and allowed him to handle it. He handled it
like he was used to instruments, so I relaxed a little. Then he said he used to work for Mossman, and wanted to
see if his initials were on the label. They were. He said, "yep, I worked on that one... it's good to see it in action."

In 2019 my wife of the time was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and I took my dog for a walk to think things over.
When I came back from the walk, I had made up my mind what I was doing. I was retired.
I reluctantly began selling things, to raise money for the fight with the cancer. I sold all my oldest and most valuable
instruments... I sold guns, tools, fishing gear, bikes, instruments, I sold my canoe, I sold my house. Cindy sold jewelry,
artwork, china, silverware, books and recordings, she sold clothing and furniture...

I sold the Mossman, along with my '66 Fender J-bass and my 1936 Martin 0-17. My reward for selling those three
was that I bought me a Gibson J-45 AG just before Gibson went broke. Three out, one in and that one has come with
me through everything. Cindy passed away in 2020. There's good blues inside the Gibbie...
View attachment 100275
Click to expand...
Wow! Thank you for sharing that story! Cancer is heartbreaking and I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’ve been dealing with my own cancer for the last 5 years, but I’m good now and I haven’t had to sell off anything yet, although I’m about to start. I have way too many guitars, amps and recording gear for where I’m at now so I’m about to begin thinning down the gear. I have a few Mossman’s too. I have around 70 guitars and only use about 6 of them.

It sounds like you’ve been one of those guys that the Mossman was made for.
 
I felt that way as soon as I played the instrument. I'd heard the name, but didn't know anything about Stuart
or his guitar making. I'd heard that they were excellent hand made instruments. I'd never seen one, but as
soon as I got it in my hands I wanted it.

Amber was a fairly plain instrument compared to some in that film. She was a working girl.
I always liked the inlaid wood decorations... you had to lean in close to see that it wasn't a decal.
So her beauty was subtle and I liked it that way.

The picture shows the guitars I owned in 2019. The old Martin 0-17 was already gone, and I sold two
of the basses and the Mossman (center) as well as a couple of electrics.
 

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Last edited:
Col Mustard said:
I felt that way as soon as I played the instrument. I'd heard the name, but didn't know anything about Stuart
or his guitar making. I'd heard that they were excellent hand made instruments. I'd never seen one, but as
soon as I got it in my hands I wanted it.

Amber was a fairly plain instrument compared to some in that film. She was a working girl.
I always liked the inlaid wood decorations... you had to lean in close to see that it wasn't a decal.
So her beauty was subtle and I liked it that way.

The picture shows the guitars I owned in 2019. The old Martin 0-17 was already gone, and I sold two
of the basses and the Mossman (center) as well as a couple of electrics.
Click to expand...
Nice collection! I was going to the university of Kansas and in Oct of 74 I dropped out and went to work at Mossman for $2.35 per hr. My rent was $85 and a bag of weed was $8. It was the good old days! Eventually I lived in a house with two friends who also worked at Mossman and rent was $33 per month. We made guitars all day and partied and played music the rest of the time. We had a bar band that was called Showboat and we played In memory of Elizabeth reed/ and Low spark of High heeled Boys, standing on Shakey ground, etc…

I met my first wife in Winfield too.
 
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