Mossman Flint Hills Guitar

[hairpuller]

Haven't heard of these, but this CL ad sure has peaked my interest! Anyone have any experience with these?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/msg...460050447.html

Thanks in advance!
Scott

[L20A]

Wonderful guitars.
On par with Martin.
Many will be in need of a neck reset though.

[Wade Hampton]

L20A wrote:

Originally Posted by L20A

Wonderful guitars.
On par with Martin.

Well, they're on a par with 1970's-era Martins.

Hairpuller, my first professional quality guitar was a rosewood Mossman dreadnought. I gigged with that guitar for years. Since then I've owned several, so I think I qualify as being experienced with the brand. I even visited the Mossman factory in Winfield, Kansas while they were still in operation!

They're good quality instruments, particularly given the era when they were built. However, if you go take a look at this guitar, you might be surprised how heavy it is in comparison with guitars being built nowadays. (Most professional quality all-solid wood acoustic guitars from that era are heavier than the same level guitars being built today.)

That robustness of build won't stop it from being loud and projective, however. That's what Mossman guitars were specifically designed to do: project and cut through in bluegrass jam sessions and on stage.

L20A continued:

Originally Posted by L20A

Many will be in need of a neck reset though.

Well, it's been forty years since Mossman closed its doors, and most of their guitars remaining in circulation have either never developed neck problems, or else have long since been corrected.

What happened with Mossman guitars, hairpuller, is that the company used two different neck attachment systems over the course of the instruments' production. Unfortunately, both of those attachment systems proved to be inadequate, and so Mossman guitars earned a well-deserved reputation for having their necks go bad.

I was lucky with mine; when the neck came up my guitar repairman was able to get away with pulling the frets and planing the fingerboard. But many, perhaps most Mossman guitars eventually needed neck resets.

And that's a question you need to ask the seller of this guitar, whether it's ever needed to have the neck reset. It's a legitimate question, and the owner should be prepared to answer it. There are a handful of Mossman guitars that have never needed neck work, but they're not nearly as common as those that have.

Which shouldn't scare you off; if the neck's been reset at some point, that's one less thing to worry about.

Anyway, Mossman guitars can be very nice instruments, and even if you don't end up purchasing this one, it's worth a drive over to the guy's house or selected meeting place to check it out and play it.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[imwjl]

My brother has a neighbor who knew Stuart Mossman from what I think was an earlier in life or maybe childhood connection or maybe growing up in Illinois. His neighbor has a few of them including one that is either a custom or one of the last ones before he stopped making them or sold the company. Sorry if I don't have his neighbor's story spot on but the one guitar is somehow special among Mossmans or this guy.

The two of this guy's guitars I've seen seemed like a more stylized version of a D-28. The sound was nice. Not really like a boomy dreadnought even though that's the shape it had.

[HHP]

And, Stuart Mossman is the only known guitar builder to have a speaking role in a dramatic feature film.

[Guitaurman]

I bought a '77 Great Plains new in '77. I still have it. Mine has a 3 piece Rosewood back like a D 35 Martin. What I noticed from the get go with it was the clear note separation string to string. Not muddy at all. It's loud, the braces are scalloped, it sustains for a looooooong time. The neck has never moved. I adjusted the truss rod years ago more than twenty I'm sure, and it still plays like butter. After 40 years it has aged beautifully. I love it's voice!

Yeah, most acoustic guitars in the seventies weren't at their best sonically. I tried them all back then Martins, Gibsons, Guilds, and even an Alverez Yairi. I thought Guilds were the best until I played this Mossman. My friend offered to trade his 60's Brazilian Martin for it after playing it back in about '78. Personally I think Mossmans are way under valued. The company was resurrected in Texas in later years but the guitar you posted is a genuine S.L. Mossman. There should be a label inside with the initials of all who worked on it, including SLM.

[hairpuller]

Great stuff!! Thanks for all the great feedback. I'll see if I can't plan a short drive to play it. Will inquire about the neck issues.

Best, Scott

[H2O]

I own a 1976 Mossman Flint Hills. Really an incredible guitar.
Mine needs a bit of fretwork i'm told, but the tone is awesome to my ear:

Originally Posted by hairpuller

Great stuff!! Thanks for all the great feedback. I'll see if I can't plan a short drive to play it. Will inquire about the neck issues.

Best, Scott

Looking forward to hearing how it goes!

[hairpuller]

Hey, the tone is awesome to my ear, too! Dig the tune!!
Scott

[jpbat]

Yes, I have one. Since 1975.
Beautiful guitar.
It is kept in the case without tension on the strings since a longtime.
Don't need a neck reset.
I play it 5mn each 3 years just to remember its delicious tone.
I cannot handle dreadnought bodies anymore. A shame, I know.

[GaryH]

I've owned a Tennessee Flattop, a Flint Hills, a Great Plains, a Winter Wheat and a Golden Era. These were all pre-fire except for the Winter Wheat (with a 2 piece back) and the Golden Era. All were great guitars, and none needed neck work. That's not to say that they didn't eventually need resets. The Golden Era had the I-beam braces. All I know about them was that it was a way of lightening the braces without scalloping. None them had 1 3/4" nuts. In my opinion they sound great. I still have one of Stuart's personal guitar cases with stickers all over it. All of these were bought used at festivals or guitar shows except for the Golden Era that I ordered.

[Lake Sagatagan]

I think you might enjoy this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88E-rsG-Olg. It's the fairest A/B I've seen, this comparing an old Mossman with a newer D-28.

[HHP]

The most famous and most recorded Mossman player was Dan Crary who was certainly one of the pioneers in modern flatpicking. The tune he did that really hooked me on Mossman was "Lady's Fancy". Most guitars you would find at that time simply lacked the power and range of Mossman. I met Dan Crary in Nashville after he had switched to Taylor and asked him about his Great Plains. He told me they weren't "sitting around the parlor playing softly" type guitars.

Anyway, here's a pretty good idea what to expect from one.



When I met him, I asked him about how he played those blinding fast triplets in the tune and he told me "They're not so bad once you get past the speed". Gee, thanks Dan, that helps a lot.

[Athens]

Scott Baxendale had a large part in the Mossman story.

The last time I was in his shop he gave me a DVD of the Mossman story. When I get home I'll see if I can find it and tell you the title you might be able to find it online. Very interesting.

[hairpuller]

Originally Posted by Lake Sagatagan

I think you might enjoy this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88E-rsG-Olg. It's the fairest A/B I've seen, this comparing an old Mossman with a newer D-28.

Impressive! I really like the richness of that Mossman. Thanks!