"A museum-quality guitar that was reportedly on display at the Nam Museum for 10 years"

MOSSMAN / 1988 Super Custom by Baxendale

Stuart Mossman

American master craftsman Stuart Mossman (1942-1999). His guitar-making began in 1961 in a garage in Winfield, Kansas. Starting with nylon-string guitars, it is said he crafted 40 to 50 prototypes over several years.
A major turning point came when he met the legendary folk singer Doc Watson. Mosman took his guitar to him, received some tough advice, and applied it to his next guitar build.
Then in 1969, at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, he brought Watson another guitar and succeeded in making him groan, "This is the second-best guitar I've ever played."

　

The business has also gained momentum, with musicians who have used Mossman including legends like John Denver and Eric Clapton. Among the famous models is the "Great Plains" model by master luthier Dan Cleary.
His astonishing technique and light, airy sound greatly captivated the audience.
In 1985, Mosman sold the brand to Scott Baxendale, who had previously been with Mosman Guitars, partly due to health reasons.

John "Scott" Baxendale b)
5-28-1954

Scott Baxendale dropped out of the University of Kansas in October 1974 and began working at Mossman Guitars in Winfield, Kansas. Winfield, Kansas is also a thriving music community, home to the Walnut Valley Festival, known for the National Flatpicking Championship.By late 1976, when he left that job, he was supervising the finishing and final assembly/setup department at Mossman's guitar factory. He then moved to Kansas City and began working at Swift Music Repair. After leaving there, he started working on vintage guitar restoration at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville in 1978.He later described his time at Gruhn as "wonderful," working on guitars for Elvis Costello, George Harrison, and Billy Gibbons, as well as Hank Williams' hit-recording Herringbone D-28 (now owned by Neil Young).He currently operates Baxendale Guitar in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is engaged in guitar making and education about re-manufacturing.

Experience at Gruhn Guitars

While working at Gruhn Guitars, Scott Baxendale devoted considerable time to studying the bracing designs of vintage Martin, Gibson, and Larson Brothers guitars. This research led him to develop his own uniquely tuned scalloped bracing design. This bracing design has been incorporated into every guitar he has built since then, and he continues to use this design to this day.BassWe have incorporated slight modifications into new custom guitars and into "the new remanufactured vintage guitars," which constitute a significant portion of Baxendale Guitar's business.

Scott Baxendale and Mossman Guitars

After leaving Gruhn Guitars in 1983, Baxendale returned to Winfield, Kansas, and began working again under Stuart Mossman. Mossman, who was shown Baxendale's new bracing design, adopted it for the final set of guitars he built just before his retirement in 1985.
In August 1985, Baxendale acquired Mossman Guitars from Stuart Mossman with his family's support. He relocated the guitar factory from Winfield, Kansas, to Dallas, Texas, and began guitar production. Over the next five years (1985 to 1990), he produced approximately 250 Mossman Guitars.
Later, the Mosman brand name was sold to a man named John Kenzie in Texas, but the guitar featured here is one Baksendall made in 1988 for a man named Danny Davenport.

Advance Guitars successfully contacted Scott Baxendale himself and heard about the history leading up to the guitar's creation and the passion poured into it.

Mossman Custom Superlative WB guitar by Scott Baxendale

Shortly after beginning production of Mosman guitars in Dallas, Texas, Baxendale was commissioned by Hard Rock Cafe, a famous American restaurant chain also well-known in Japan, to create two 34-foot (approximately 10-meter) guitar-shaped bar counters.One was a Stratocaster, the other a Les Paul. Both were ten times larger than actual size, with all hardware—pickups, knobs, frets—machined from solid brass.

 

Going back a bit to the early 1980s, Danny Davenport, who was a promotion and A&R man at Warner Bros.,
Danny met Travis Tritt at a club in Atlanta and produced his first record at his home studio. Danny signed Tritt to WB Records and later commissioned Baxendale to build the Mossman Custom Superlative WB guitar used in the music video for "Country Club," which became Travis Tritt's first number one hit.

The "Superlative" designed by Baxendale is a slim dreadnought with a cutaway.
The first "Superlative" was a guitar made for Carl Perkins, featuring a black lacquer finish on the spruce top and rosewood sides and back.

 

　

And this Warner Bros. custom model is the second "Superlative" he crafted in 1988.
This guitar features a spruce top with maple sides and back. However, when the commission for this guitar was first received, the plan was for it to be significantly different from the actual instrument. From there, Baxendale and Danny spent months discussing the design and inlays, ultimately arriving at this design, which represents their ideal.

 

　

In the mid-1980s, the Texas music scene saw a movement returning to retro styles from the 1950s, alongside trends in fashion and music. One example of this was the revival of rockabilly and blues.
In the 1950s, Elvis Presley favored a Martin D-28 fitted with a leather cover, while Buddy Holly also adorned his beloved 1943 Gibson J-45 with a hand-embossed leather cover. Such guitars represented one of the defining designs of that era.

Baxendale drew inspiration from this, incorporating it into the design of the body top. However, considering the potential for leather to compromise sound quality, they opted to hand-paint the interior of the top lacquer to avoid this. By not using leather, they achieved the authentic resonance of an acoustic guitar while realizing the retro style of the 1950s.

 

Bugs Bunny, Warner Bros.' iconic character depicted within the pattern, has been beloved worldwide for over 80 years. His starring role in the animated short "Knighty Knight Bugs" (1958) even earned an Academy Award. Here, he appears in his familiar style, holding a carrot in one hand, adding a playful touch.Additionally, all carvings, including the roses engraved on the pickguard and headstock, are meticulously hand-carved.

　

The fingerboard inlays were designed by John McGowan. He is a local Dallas artist who was very interested in assisting with the guitar's inlays and graphic design, and joined this project. The cutting and inlay work was then performed by Baxendale. This guitar features approximately 1,000 pearl and abalone inlays.This is what you call truly magnificent. Meanwhile, a "hidden" Bugs Bunny can be spotted on the fingerboard, adding a touch of "chic." It's not just the splendor, but this kind of subtlety that breathes life into the guitar.

 

 

The body thickness is approximately 65mm at the neck, but this guitar also features the bracing design devised by Scott Backesdale, producing a big, rich sound.

 

 

The guitar case was also custom-made specifically for this guitar. An old mink coat purchased from a vintage shop was repurposed, with the case's original lining replaced by the mink fur. The exterior of the case is covered in leather, also finished by hand.

 

 

Over 400 hours were poured into its creation. This handmade guitar, the Mossman Custom Superlative WB guitar, shines with the craftsmanship that embodies the Texas music scene of that era and the spirit of Warner Bros.

 

 

You can actually see this guitar being used in Travis Trit's "Country Club" music video and concerts.

 

　

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

And it also graces the cover of Shinco Music Mook/Acoustic Guitar Book 9.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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

Written by:Inoue (Manager, Advance Guitars)

TCGAKKIHe played electric and acoustic guitars. Later, in 2023, he participated in launching Advance Guitars, a specialty shop for acoustic guitars. As store manager, he gained experience dealing with collectors and musicians both domestically and internationally. He contributed significantly to publishing the world's first SJ reference book, "GIBSON KING OF THE FLAT-TOPS." He also writes numerous columns.

One word: The Kansas legend, Mossman. This instrument, crafted by Scott Baxendale carrying on the legacy of Stuart Mossman, is drama itself—transcending the boundaries of a mere musical instrument. Though the brand has endured a tumultuous fate, the craftsmanship and sound poured into it are undeniably authentic. We invite you to experience the passionate story hidden within the annals of American guitar history.

Qualifications and Experience: 8 years as an instrument appraiser, contributing articles and providing editorial support for Acoustic Guitar Magazine and other publications

▶︎Articles I've written can be found here

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