A museum-quality rarity:
MOSSMAN 1988 Super Custom by Baxendale

Legendary Luthier Stuart Mossman

　American master luthier “Stuart Mossman (1942–1999).” His guitar-making career began in 1961 in a garage in Winfield, Kansas. It is said that, starting with nylon-string guitars, he built 40 to 50 prototypes over the course of several years.
A major turning point came with his encounter with the legendary folk singer “Doc Watson.” Mossman took a guitar to him, received rigorous feedback, and reportedly applied that feedback to his next guitar.
Then, in 1969, he brought another guitar to Watson at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and succeeded in impressing him so much that Watson exclaimed, “This is the second-best guitar I’ve ever played.”

　

　His business also gained momentum, and the list of musicians who have played Mossman guitars includes legends such as John Denver and Eric Clapton. One famous model is the “Great Plane” model, named after the virtuoso “Dan Clarry.”
His astonishing technique and light, airy sound captivated listeners.
In 1985, partly due to health reasons, Mossman sold the brand to Scott Baxendale, who had previously worked at Mossman Guitars.

The Rightful Successor: John “Scott” Baxendale

　In October 1974, Scott Baxendale dropped out of the University of Kansas and began working at Mossman Guitars in Winfield, Kansas. Winfield, Kansas, is home to the “Walnut Valley Festival”—known for the National Flatpicking Championship—and is a region with a thriving music scene.By late 1976, when he left the company, he had been serving as the shop foreman in the finishing, final assembly, and setup department at the Mossman guitar factory. He then moved to Kansas City and began working at Swift Music Repair; after leaving there, he began restoring vintage guitars at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville in 1978.He later described his experience at Gruhn as “wonderful,” having worked on guitars belonging to Elvis Costello, George Harrison, and Billy Gibbons, as well as the herringbone D-28 (now owned by Neil Young) on which Hank Williams recorded his hit songs.He currently runs Baxendale Guitar in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is dedicated to teaching guitar building and remanufacturing.

Experience at Gruhn Guitars

　While working at Gruhn Guitars, Scott Baxendale spent a great deal of time studying the bracing designs of pre-war masterpieces by Martin, Gibson, and the Larson Brothers, and devised his own scalloped bracing design with unique tuning.This bracing design has been incorporated into every guitar he has built since then, and even today, with slight modifications based on this original design, it is used in new custom guitars as well as in “the new remanufactured vintage guitars,” which constitute a significant portion of the Baxendale Guitar business.

Scott Baxendale and Mossman Guitars

　After leaving Gruhn Guitars in 1983, Baxendale returned to Winfield, Kansas, and began working again under Stuart Mossman. When Baxendale showed Mossman his new bracing design, Mossman incorporated it into the final batch of guitars he built just before his retirement in 1985.
In August 1985, with the help of his family, Baxendale acquired Mossman Guitars from Stuart Mossman. He moved the guitar workshop from Winfield, Kansas, to Dallas, Texas, and began building guitars. Over the next five years (1985–1990), he crafted approximately 250 Mossman Guitars.
　The Mossman brand name was later sold to a man named John Kenzie in Texas, but the guitar featured here is one that Baxendale built in 1988 for a man named Danny Davenport.

　Advance Guitars successfully contacted Scott Baxendale himself and was able to hear the story behind the guitar’s creation and the sentiment he poured into it.

Masterpiece: Mossman Custom Superlative WB Guitar

　Shortly after he began building Mossman Guitars in Dallas, Texas, Baxendale was commissioned by the Hard Rock Cafe—an American restaurant chain well-known in Japan—to create two 34-foot (approximately 10-meter) guitar-shaped bar counters.One was a Stratocaster, and the other a Les Paul. Both were ten times their actual size, and all the hardware—including the pickups, knobs, and frets—was machined from solid brass.

 

　Going back a bit to the early 1980s, Danny Davenport, a promotions and A&R executive at Warner Bros.,
met Travis Tritt at a club in Atlanta and produced his first record at his home studio.Danny signed Tritt to a WB contract and later commissioned Baxendale to build the Mossman Custom Superlative WB guitar, which would be used in the music video for “Country Club”—Travis Tritt’s first number-one hit.

The “Superlative,” designed by Baxendale, was a thin-body dreadnought with a cutaway.
The first “Superlative” was a guitar built for Carl Perkins, featuring a black-finished (lacquer) spruce top with rosewood sides and back.

 

　

　This Warner Bros. Custom Model is the second “Superlative” he built in 1988.
Although this guitar combines a spruce top with maple sides and back, it is said that when the commission was first received, the design was intended to be quite different from the final product. From there, Baxendale and Danny spent several months discussing the design and inlays, eventually arriving at the design they envisioned for this guitar.

 

　

In the mid-1980s, the Texas music scene was experiencing a movement that saw a return to the retro styles of the 1950s, in tandem with trends in fashion and music. One example of this was the revival of rockabilly and blues.
Back in the 1950s, Elvis Presley favored a Martin D-28 fitted with a leather cover, and Buddy Holly also used a hand-embossed leather cover on his beloved 1943 Gibson J-45. Such guitars were among the iconic designs of that era.

　Drawing inspiration from this, the team at Baxendale incorporated the design into the guitar’s top. However, considering the possibility that leather might impair sound quality, they decided to hand-paint the design beneath a top lacquer finish to avoid this issue. By omitting the use of leather, they’ve achieved the retro style of the 1950s while preserving the acoustic guitar’s natural resonance.

 

　“Bugs Bunny,” Warner Bros.’ iconic character depicted within the pattern, has been loved around the world for over 80 years, and the animated short film in which he starred, “Knighty Knight Bugs” (1958), won an Academy Award. On this instrument, he is depicted in his familiar pose—holding a carrot in one hand—adding a touch of whimsy.In addition, all of the carvings—including the rose engraved on the pickguard and headstock—are done entirely by hand.

　

　The fingerboard inlays were designed by John McGowan. A local artist from Dallas, he joined this project out of a keen interest in assisting with guitar inlays and graphic design. The cutting and inlay work were then carried out by Buxendale. This guitar features approximately 1,000 pearl and abalone inlays.This is the very definition of opulent splendor. Meanwhile, a “hidden” Bugs Bunny can be spotted on the fingerboard—a truly “chic” touch. It is not just the grandeur but also this kind of delicate detail that breathes life into the guitar.

 

 

The body is approximately 65 mm thick at the neck, and the bracing design devised by Scott Backsendell has been incorporated into this guitar as well, producing a rich, full-bodied sound.

 

 

The guitar case was also custom-made specifically for this instrument. An old mink coat purchased at a thrift store was repurposed, and the case’s original lining was replaced with mink fur. The exterior of the case is covered in leather and was also finished by hand.

 

 

The time spent on its creation totaled over 400 hours. The Mossman Custom Superlative WB guitar is a handmade instrument that shines with craftsmanship in every detail, embodying the spirit of the Texas music scene of that era and the vision of Warner Bros.

 

 

You can actually see this guitar being used in Travis Tritt’s music video for “Country Club” and at his concerts.

 

　

　Given its historical significance, it was once on display at The Museum of Making Music in California. As this museum is a division of NAMM—and is therefore also known as the NAMM Museum—it is a veritable mecca for musical instruments, housing over 450 vintage instruments and artifacts related to the history of American popular music. This instrument can truly be called a masterpiece that transcends the realm of the guitar.

It also graces the cover of Shinco Music Mook’s *Acoustic Guitar Book 9*.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Scott Baxendale,
I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your generous contribution of information and resources regarding guitar making for this project. I am especially thankful for the extraordinary craftsmanship you have demonstrated throughout your career, which has resulted in the creation and preservation of truly remarkable instruments. Your legacy continues to inspire and enrich the world of luthiery.

-Yosuke Inoue

A Few Words: “The legend of Kansas, Mosman. Crafted by Scott Baxendale, who carries on the legacy of Stuart Mosman, this instrument is a drama in itself that transcends the boundaries of a mere musical instrument. Though the brand has had a tumultuous history, the artisanal spirit and sound embodied in it are undeniably authentic. I hope you’ll experience the passionate story hidden behind the history of American guitars.”

Author: Inoue, Store Manager at Advance Guitars – Vintage Guitar Expert

An expert who has been involved with musical instruments since childhood and has appraised and sold over several thousand vintage guitars. He maintains strong connections with collectors and dealers overseas. Guided by the belief that “the history of a guitar can change with a single color or stamp,” he strives to provide detailed and passionate commentary.

Qualifications and Achievements: 8 years as a musical instrument appraiser; contributor and supervising editor for Guitar Magazine and other publications

▶︎Click here for articles
Ren Ferguson Montana Rivers Masterpieces #3
Ren Ferguson Co. × Advance Guitars Signature Lineup
Shin-Okubo: The Forest of Martin D-45s
Terry Nakamoto’s Legend: Yamaha’s Four Heavenly Kings
Art Born in the 1800s: The Allure of Antique Guitars
A Trusted Companion: Gibson J-50
Gibson’s Former Master Luthier, Ren Ferguson

Peter Fonda’s 1944 Martin D-18
The Great Train Robbery Special: Martin D-28 TRAIN
MOSSMAN SUPER CUSTOM by Baxendale, Carrying the Spirit of Warner Bros.

The History of the Ultra-Rare Gibson Hummingbird

If you found this article helpful, please show your support!