Winfield Digital Collections

Winfield, Kansas

Stuart Mossman Winfield's Master Guitar Maker by Sue Birney

Title

Stuart Mossman Winfield's Master Guitar Maker by Sue Birney

Subject

S. L. Mossman Co.

Sue Birney

Article

Description

A short biography of Stuarts Mossman life

Creator

Birney, Sue

Source

Winfield Public Library

Publisher

Winfield Public Library, Winfield, Kansas USA

Date

Unknown

Format

text/plain

Language

English

Type

Miscellaneous Documents

Citation
Birney, Sue, “Stuart Mossman Winfield's Master Guitar Maker by Sue Birney,” Winfield Digital Collections, accessed June 24, 2026, https://winfield.digitalsckls.info/item/191.
Text

Stuart Mossman-Winfield’s Master Guitar Maker
By Sue Birney
Most Kansans have experienced the Flint Hills as rolling, prairie grass, covered hills that seem to stretch for miles across the horizon. In Winfield, Kansas, and around the world, guitar enthusiasts have known the Flint Hills as one of the handmade, hand played, dreadnought1 acoustic guitars made by luthier and master craftsman, Stuart Lynn Mossman. Mossman, president and founder of S. L. Mossman Co., Inc., made a huge impact on the acoustic guitar scene in the early seventies. He was able to bring craftsmen together to create more than 5000 hand made guitars with exceptional, old world construction and ornamentation. These guitars were seen around the world in the hands of high profile players such as John Denver, Emmy Lou Harris, Dan Crary, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Hank Snow, Albert Lee, and Cat Stevens. Stu’s approach of quality versus quantity proved he could go head to head with large manufacturing guitar companies like Martin, Gibson, and Guild and in doing so, paved the way for many of the boutique acoustic companies to follow. He did not become a rich man but left a legacy that is continued to be recognized today through his guitars that are played by musicians around the world.
Stu was not only a master guitar maker but an entrepreneur, entertainer, actor, promoter, a family man, and proud father of two girls, Rebecca and Laura, whom he adored. His enthusiasm was contagious to those who were drawn to him. His good friend, Dan Daniel called Stu a Peter Pan figure, a person who actually did what the rest of us only thought about doing. His career took him all over the country, but Stu always embraced Winfield as his home. Friends remember his humor and repeat the stories that like his guitars have only gotten better with age.
Early Years of Stuart Lynn Mossman as remembered by his mother, Betty Lu Lynn Mossman and his sister, Martha Mossman Smither
“Stuart Lynn Mossman was born in Hinsdale, Illinois, at the Hinsdale Sanitarium on May 13, 1942, to Hobart Foster and Betty Lu Lynn Mossman. His parents were both born in Winfield, Kansas. His father’s parents, Frank and Zoa, moved to Sioux City, Iowa, where he served as President of Morningside College until they returned to Winfield where he served as President of Southwestern College.2 His mother’s parents, Charles and Lulu, were also born in Winfield. When he was eighteen, Charles took over the family business, J.B. Lynn and Sons (founded in 1874), from his father who was ailing from asthma. J.B. Lynn served twice as Mayor of Winfield in the late 1800’s. Hobart and Betty were married on May 31, 1936, in Winfield and immediately moved to Hinsdale, Illinois, where Hobart had a job teaching American history.
“Betty, his mother, reports that Stuart was a sweet young child who was very active; he could outrun her in a department store or on the street. So occasionally she put a harness on him to be sure he was safe; her friends chided her for that. One time she fell while running after him; he turned and said, ‘Oh, just get up and dust yourself off! You’ll be all right.’ His favorite toy was a white wooden rocking lamb Bumpas that his grandmother Lulu Lynn had outfitted with a lamb’s
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wool saddle.
“When Stuart was three years old, the young family moved from Illinois to Dallas, Texas where his father served as Head of School for Hockaday School for girls. They lived at 5519 Belmont Avenue, several doors down from the campus. They spent summers swimming at the school’s pool and picnicking at White Rock Lake with school friends.
“When he was five, his sister Martha was born and he was very attentive, saying she was his ‘ticklebox.’ When his mother and he took her to the doctor, he asked the doctor, ‘What do you think of our baby?’ Stuart entered the Mother Goose School at age four and then moved to Country Day School when he was six.
“When he was entering 3 rd grade, his parents bought an upright piano and he was given piano lessons for which he dutifully
practiced, but apparently did not enjoy. His sister loved hearing him practice and had to do everything he did and so she would sit at the piano and replicate what he played -much to his consternation. Unfortunately, he did not stay with it long enough to be comfortable reading music.
“Early on, he was very athletic, taking easily both to soccer and track. There was a large family next door and all the children played cowboys and Indians, which may have been the beginnings of his interest in archery. Over the years, he became an excellent marksman.
“When he was eleven, he graduated from Country Day School and entered St. Mark’s Episcopal School, which was run military style (khaki uniforms and ties). The family moved to a house that backed up to the school’s soccer field; many hours were spent running up and down that field. It was very nearly in the country at the time so Stuart would head off into the fields across from the school and come home with a rabbit or something else unspeakable that he had nabbed with his bow and arrow. At that point, the family would spend part of each summer in Colorado, to escape the heat. He became an adept explorer and enjoyed horseback riding.
“Because Stuart showed an aptitude and interest for drawing, he took art from Arthur Douglas, a new art teacher from England whom he adored. He was also in the school choir and developed a good voice. Each year, the school held a Boar’s Head dinner where the students dressed as residents of Sherwood Forest (Robin Hood style).
“He attended summer camp at Doc Cheatum’s camp in Buena Vista, CO, in 1956. They camped, hiked, and learned about Indian lore. That was the summer they moved to New York.
“After eleven years in Dallas, the family moved to Great Neck, New York. It was a major adjustment for both Stuart and Martha because of the change in location, style of schools and culture. The first summer in New York before school started, Stuart realized that he was a Texas cowboy and could make a lot of yardage with that. He practiced lassoing in the basement and when he became good enough, he charged the neighborhood kids a quarter to get lassoed and they formed a line.
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“In the first few days of school, Stuart was sent to the principal for standing up when he answered a question and calling his teacher ‘Sir.’ Since this was not customary behavior, the teacher thought he was being rude and surly. When he got to the principal’s office, he told the principal that at his previous school he would have been sent to the principal for not standing and addressing the teacher properly.
“Another entrepreneurial endeavor that didn’t quite work out as well as planned was selling Santa’s to the neighbors at Christmas. He had found a pattern to make a Santa Claus out of plywood. A friend’s father cut out 50 Santa’s that were about 3 1/2 feet tall.
Stuart set up shop on the ping pong table and traced the pattern of the features onto the plywood. He then painted them in Santa’s bright colors. After he had completed a dozen or so, he started selling them around the neighborhood. That was when he discovered that most of the people in the area were Jewish. That was somewhat discouraging but he was able to find enough people at their church who were interested and ultimately sold 25. His mother finished the remainder and sent them to relatives all over the United States via friends who were headed to their locales on vacation.
“The family joined the Great Neck Community Church,
which was the only Protestant church in the town. It was a melting pot of cultures since many people in Great Neck were associated with the founding of the United Nations, which originated in one of the villages that made up Great Neck.
“As were most of his church friends, he was enrolled in a dance cotillion at the Women’s Club which he tolerated for a couple of years. He actually enjoyed dancing and made sure Martha knew the basics. At the last dance of the season, he and a bunch of friends had their hair cut in crew cuts and put blond dye on their hair; additionally, they caused the old ladies (in their 40’s) much consternation because they wore white bucks (all the fashion) with their dress outfit - which was a white linen jacket, black formal Bermudas, and white long socks. They all had great fun.
“Through high school, Stuart continued on with his soccer and eventually earned two Varsity letters. Unfortunately, he took a ball in the ear and suffered a slight loss of hearing. Soon after arriving in New York, his father wanted him to learn an instrument and encouraged him to play the French horn, which is what he had played. Stuart did not enjoy the French horn at all and was lucky when a neighborhood child rolled a marble down the tube, which fortunately was not easily retrievable.
“Through 9th and 10th grade, Stuart continued painting in oils. He’d have several paintings going at once and some were quite good. There was one particular painting of a Mona Lisa look-alike that spent most of one year against the wall in the den -sometimes
with one eye, sometimes with two eyes - but the eyes were never the same level. He probably tossed that one out.
“Sometime in either his sophomore or junior year, he took an interest in folk music, which was beginning to become very popular. He enjoyed The Weavers, followed
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quickly by Pete Seeger and the Kingston Trio. He decided he wanted to learn how to play the guitar and went to the music store to select what he wanted. He asked for a guitar for his birthday, but his father was not enthusiastic since primarily the ‘beatniks’ were the guitar players at the time. But he was finally persuaded - but said he wouldn’t spend too much money (maybe $50) for the guitar. So Stuart coerced his sister into making an ‘investment’ in the guitar - she remembers it was about $25 that he wanted. His grandmother. Lulu Lynn, and his great-aunt Merle Nickel (Baber) from Winfield were visiting and also contributed to the cause, as did his mother (without his father’s knowledge). So Stuart had put together enough money for the guitar he wanted, but knew that his father wouldn’t buy one that expensive (maybe $150). He went to the music store and made a deal with the salesman to sell a Gibson he wanted at the lower price than his father would pay. When they went to the music store together, all was going according to plan, except his father suddenly decided that Stuart should have a better guitar. He picked out another, more ‘expensive’ guitar ($75) - that was actually lower quality than the Gibson. But Stuart insisted he didn’t want the other guitar and eventually he got the Gibson according to the deal.
“Then he taught himself how to make chords and strum. Martha helped show him how to read the guitar chords and progressions. He spent hours learning pieces and singing. His mother remembers that some of his friends formed a small group that may have performed at school events. In his senior year, his sister remembered that he and his friends went into Manhattan to the coffee houses that were newly in fashion.
“At some point, his interest in Indian lore led him to making Indian headdresses and beading at which he became exceptionally adept. His father took him into Manhattan to secure the appropriate feathers, leather, beads, snakeskin, etc. that were needed for the headdresses. His mother remembered that he worked for hours meticulously preparing each feather for the headdress - each took about an hour and had eleven steps that required completion before it was ready to use. Before he gave up interest, Stuart had made thirteen headdresses (one full-length), a full leather Indian outfit, which was eventually borrowed by a Boy Scout going to a jamboree in Greece, and beaded moccasins.
“Stuart was a camp counselor for two summers at Camp Eck-0 outside Conway, New Hampshire, and led the Indian crafts. He became very good at telling Indian stories and enchanted the young campers. His guitar came in handy teaching the campers to sing camp songs. Stuart got Martha in trouble the second summer because he asked her to bring him some fireworks back from Kansas where she and her mother were visiting. Martha dutifully put a box of fireworks together; unfortunately, his parents and Martha went to Canada before making it to the camp. The border officers were not pleased, but allowed the fireworks to cross. Stuart used the Roman candles to portray seven Indians dancing in the sky and all were impressed.
“From the time they moved to Great Neck, his parents took the family into Manhattan to a wide variety of cultural activities. He loved going to plays and loved exploring the Metropolitan Museum and the city generally. At Christmas time, they went to Radio City Music Hall and saw the Rockets program for 99 cents, on a Saturday morning and he and Martha skated on the rink at Rockefeller Plaza while his parents drank coffee inside the restaurant.
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“Stuart had small parts in high school plays and learned to love the stage. He also organized a group of 12 friend male singers who sang a cappella - they called themselves “The Night Watchmen.” They used white adhesive tape to spell out the name on the back of their black song books and sported crewcuts.
“Stuart was quite well-liked among his friends, most of whom called him “Stu.” Several of them urged him to run for President of the General Organization (the student council) in his senior year, running against a fellow who was always the president of something and always got elected. Stuart kept it a secret from his father, who was the school principal, since he thought he would discourage him from running. Finally, several teachers went to his father and told him, that every
student they heard said that the other fellow would be elected, but that they were voting for Stuart. He worked with his father to prepare a splendid campaign. He won by a clear majority to the surprise of many. Stuart worked at the job planning a lot of fun and worthwhile activities for the students that year.
“He graduated from Great Neck North High School in 1960 and went to Albion College in Michigan for a year. He did not do well in college because he became involved in other activities, such as trying to open a coffee house. While at Albion, he met Kendra Frost from
Tecumseh, Michigan, whom he later married. He left after 1 1/2 years to attend Jackson Junior College in Jackson, Michigan.
“When the semester ended, his draft number came up and he
joined the Marine Reserves. He went to Paris Island for boot camp; his mother took the train from New York to South Carolina for his graduation. He served the remainder of his six months of duty at Camp LeJeune, South Carolina. At some point during his service, he was sent to Watts, California, during the riots.
“After Stuart and Kendra were married, they moved to Winfield to be close to his grandmother, thinking that she wouldn’t have many more years. She lived long enough for them to enjoy being in Winfield and deciding to stay.”
TECUMSEH HERALD
DECEMBER 31, 1964 — PAGE 3
Kendra Frost Marries Stuart Mossman
Kendra Frost became the bride of Stuart L. Mossman Dec. 23 at the Sanford Methodist Church in Sanford.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Frost of Macon and the groom is the son of Dr. and Mrs. II. Mossman of Glenn Head. N.Y.
The Rev. Dean Bailey performed the ceremony and Susan Frost, sister of the bride, and Bill Maynard, college friend of the groom, were the attendants.
A reception at the riverside home of Dr. and Mrs. W. A. Maynard was held before the couple left for a wedding trip to New York State.
MRS. STUART MOSSMAN
The bride plans to resume teaching 'at Hillman. Her husband has one remaining month to serve as a marine reserve.
The new Mrs. Mossman is a I960 graduate of Tecumseh High School, attended Albion College and graduated from Michigan State University.
Mr. Mosman attended Albion College and Jackson Junior Col-lege prior to his enlistment in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Among those attending the ceremony were Mr. and. Mrs. Kenneth Frost and Susan, Mrs. Jessie D. Frost, grandmother of the bride, and Mr. and Mrs. E, T. Bugbee, all of Macon.
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S.L. Mossman Guitars
Mossman loved Kansas and settled in Winfield, a town that had been home to his family for generations. He commented on how the relaxed, friendly, atmosphere of the small Kansas town appealed to him, after his upbringing in metropolitan Dallas and Great Neck, New York. It would be the perfect town to raise a family with his wife, Kendra.
His interest in building, repairing, and playing guitars followed him to Winfield. Mossman knew that he couldn’t be the greatest guitar player, especially after hearing Doc Watson, who was considered one of the best bluegrass guitarists in the early 60’s, but he could be the best guitar maker. After building many prototypes in his garage, he took a steel string, flat-top guitar to Doc Watson in 1966, and asked for his “brutal opinion”. Watson gave it back to Mossman to improve his design. A newly, designed guitar was brought to Watson at the 1968 Philadelphia Folk Festival and was considered to be the second best guitar that Watson had ever played and was used on stage. He decided to move out of the garage and expand his business to a building at Strother Field in order to capitalize on the market demand he saw for acoustic guitars made with high standards of craftsmanship.
The S. L. Mossman Co. was incorporated on February 10, 1970, producing high quality, handmade, steel-string, flat top, acoustical dreadnought guitars that were best suited for bluegrass, country and western, folk, and blues. The guitar plant was located in a vintage, single level, World War II Army barrack at Strother Field-Airport Industrial Park, midway between Winfield and Arkansas City, Kansas. Mossman concentrated on using old-world techniques, design, and craftsmanship to his guitars. He knew that quality had been sacrificed for quantity. One of his early pieces of sales literature voiced his disgust at the Quality of the guitars being produced;
We at Mossman are disgusted with what has happened to the quality of goods produced in this country. Quality has been sacrificed for quantity. Mass production has gotten out of hand. Craft has almost been completely eliminated from our society. This vile abomination of plywood is currently being perpetuated on the unsuspecting guitar playing public on a grand scale. We at Mossman considered plywood briefly one day and unanimously decided that plywood makes the best cement forms available. We do not now nor will we ever stoop to the level of plywood construction, and we apologize for our contemporaries who have lowered the station of our craft by using laminated backs and sided. Mossman considers itself a happy exception to the current trend. We are relatively small and our able to devote all our energies to quality craftsmanship and the selection of fine aged woods. We love making guitars and are proud of our work.
Quality materials from around the world were used for the construction of his guitars. These included Honduras mahogany, Brazilian and Indian Rosewood, Sitka spruce from Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, ebony from Africa for fingerboards and bridges. Also decorative marquetry from Germany; abalone for the intricate inlay work from France, Germany, and Japan; ivory for the fingerboard nut (the part that holds the strings off the fingerboard) and for the bridge insert and ivoroid3 for the binding that protects the edges of the guitar. All of these materials were all used to meet the specifications for his production series and custom guitars. Once a source of supply was located, Mossman tried to keep a 6-8 month supply on hand at all times. This gave time to find alternate sources if a shortage of imports developed.
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Most of the equipment used in the guitar factory was custom made. Featured equipment included a drill press that drilled all six holes for the tuning machines at once, a saw that cut all 21 fret slots at once, and machined aluminum jigs that shaped parts to an accuracy of .001 of an inch. These jigs were kept so that if a model was discontinued, any replacement part could be produced quickly and accurately. The side bender was a hydraulically operated side bending press that had two electrically heated aluminum dies, which were heated to 300 degree F. After the sides for the guitars were soaked in water for five minutes and thoroughly saturated, they were placed in the bending press. The water in the sides turned to steam immediately and in five minutes they were dry and bent to shape. This side bender was said to be the size of a Volkswagen by those who visited the plant. It featured a machine design used by C.F. Martin Guitar Co. but had been greatly improved by shop foreman Eddy Holick.
According to early sales literature, all Mossman guitars included standard specifications (see addendum). They featured a distinctive shaped tortoise pickguard4 and S.L. Mossman in gold gothic script5 at the top of each headstock, except for the inlayed models where it was located on the back of the headstock (later changed to a modern graphic with a larger rounded S)6. The guitars were joined at the fourteenth fret with adjustable necks. A customer could order any sort of special voicing as “overbalanced bass, overbalanced treble, or balanced bass and treble,7 and careful shaving of the braces8 during construction and assembly, either the top or bottom end could be emphasized. Mossman developed a bright bronze, medium gauge string that was designed to enhance the tonal response of their guitars.
One of the hallmarks for all Mossman guitars was the paper label found inside the guitar9 visible through the sound hole. In 1970 they were with just labeled S. L. Mossman with no model names. Later the model of the guitar was listed with two digits (the year manufactured) and a serial # (the number of guitar produced). The labels also had the initials of all of the workers who worked on that guitar. Mossman’s initials (SLM) were always in the left hand bottom of the labels. Besides its interest as a detail, this fact helped in judging the relative size of the shop at any given time.
Early sales literature from 1972, suggested the following prices on four basic models: Tennessee Flat Top ($350), Flint Hills ($450) and the Flint Hills Custom ($650), Great Plains ($52) and Great Plains Custom ($725), and the Golden Era ($875) and Golden Era Custom ($1400). Cases for the guitars were supplied by the S&S Company of Brooklyn, New York, and were 5-ply wood cases with a black vinyl covering. It took about three months to produce a guitar from start to finish. All guitars were personally inspected by Mossman before they left the shop. If any guitar was found to be structurally unsound, it was cut in half and burned. To order a guitar, a model was selected, and deposit of 25% was required and if a buyer wasn’t happy, they just needed to give the company a call and the guitar would be replaced or money refunded.
Mossman’s employees were talented craftsmen who were trained on the job. All of the employees were under thirty years of age. The factory featured separate working stations with all of the tools needed for each job, giving each employee certain responsibilities in the guitar construction. One of the best perks of the job was hurrying through lunch and staying after work for jam sessions.
By 1974, the company was hitting hits stride producing eight to ten guitars a day. Mossman guitars were seen around the world in the hands of high-profile players like
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John Denver, Emmy Lou Harris, Albert Lee, Hank Snow, Cat Stevens, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Dan Crary and the Carradine brothers. There were increased sales and production had more than doubled in each of the preceding years. Sales Literature showed the same four basic models but all had been refined and upgraded. The Golden Era Custom had been deleted. Scott Baxendale joined the craftsmen at the guitar factory and later purchased Mossman Guitars in 1986.
In the summer of 1974, the 1000th guitar was designed and made by Mossman. The cedar-topped guitar, featured in Playboy as “one of the six guitars you’d give a couple of fingers to own” was displayed at the National Association of Music Merchants in Houston, Texas.
Fire
At 9:40 am on February 1, 1975, a fire was discovered at the factory at Strother Field. Members of the Winfield Fire Department were the first to arrive. The fire department from Arkansas City arrived later to aid in the efforts. The building and production equipment, including everything needed for the actual assembling of guitars, were totally destroyed in less than an hour as later reported by eyewitnesses. Also destroyed was the complete supply of Brazilian Rosewood. However, most of the records were able to be salvaged. The loss was estimated at approximately $100,000.
Strother Field Commissioners met on February 12, 1975, in regards to the fire at Mossman’s factory. Also present at this meeting was Stuart Mossman, president of the company, his father Hobart Mossman, and attorney Warren Andreas. Stu was requested consideration regarding the rebuilding of the facility. Mossman stated that he began his business at Strother Field with $4,000.00 cash and $3,500 in materials. In 1971, he had grossed $9,000, doubled that in 1972, and by January 1975, his sales totaled $233,973 for the past year. He pointed out that his current backlog of orders was five months and if not back in business in sixty days, his backlog would be approximately nine to ten months. It was imperative to have production begin as soon as possible.
Mossman informed the commission that since the fire, he had been contacted by individuals from Newton, Hutchinson, and Medicine Lodge urging him to relocate the business in their areas. Mossman indicated Winfield has been his family home for generations, the business had established a reputation at Strother Field and he did not wish to consider relocation. He also told the commissioners that he had a favorable offer regarding construction of a new building where the former one had burned, noting that the concrete foundation could be utilized and extended. Mossman also reported the outpouring of Cowley County businesses promising to offer interim employment to his workers and that approximately $23,000 in liabilities were cancelled by a number of individual note holders on the understanding that the company would continue to make fine custom, hand made guitars in Winfield.
The Strother Field Commissioners unanimously voiced support to make every effort to retain the Mossman industry at Strother Field and to take action to let bids with specifications for a 60x 100 foot building to be constructed in 60 days within the acceptance. A special meeting was held February 24 for the opening of the bids and to present a contract to the lowest bidder meeting the specifications. Leasing arrangements would remain uncertain until after a bid was accepted. The board agreed to construct a facility for Mossman utilizing field assets, rather than an industrial revenue bond. Mossman’s rent would be set to cover the cost of constructing and insuring the facility
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for the life of the lease. It would be leased to his company for 20 years and Strother would own the property when the lease expired.
When bids were opened on February 24th, a joint contract was awarded to Coon Construction Co. and D&D Farm Equipment of Winfield to construct the S.L. Mossman Co. building. Field management submitted thirteen bid requests to firms and the joint bid was the lowest of six submitted.10 The Strother Field Manager Fred Tupper told the Courier that the contract had been accepted by the commissioners with a stipulation that it be reviewed by Charles Thoma, an Arkansas City and Strother Field engineer.
Findings from the engineer showed that new bids needed to be let. The building proposed on the present site by Coon Construction Co. met the specifications but contained wood purlins and girts. Mossman contended that his insurance rates would rise considerably more than with an all steel building. The bid that was approved previously was rejected by the commission. Opening new bidding was approved by polling each commissioner by phone. Tupper also indicated that the specifications be altered.
Bids again were taken during the regular scheduled meeting March 12 for a 60 bylOO-ft. structure as well as a small 14x28 foot paint shop, which would be located separately to the northwest of the present building. The new specifications would also require concrete flooring and the removal of the debris left by the fire.
During that meeting, building and electrical bids were also approved for the new manufacturing building. Evans Steel Building Co. of Wichita, low bidder, was granted the bid for constructing the manufacturing and a paint building for the amount of $45,825. It would include a new six inch concrete foundation and would be constructed ten feet farther west from the road than the former building. The low electrical bid was submitted by Bellis Electric of Arkansas City of $7,963.69. Both bids were approved by the Strother Field Commission and were subject to the review by the field engineer, Charles Thoma of Arkansas City. The new bids were approved by the field engineer. A new contract was drawn requiring that the Mossman buildings be substantially completed to the point of move in and be in operation by June 1, with a $250.00 per day penalty if the date was not met. Eddie Holick, shop foreman, would be responsible for redesigning the new expanded facility.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new building were held April 3, 1975, with Winfield Mayor Homer Hetherington; Milton Nida, field commission chairman; and Henrietta Courtright, Arkansas City Mayor present. Others in attendance were Jean Lough, Arkansas City Commissioner; W. E. “Bill” Stone, Arkansas City Commissioner-elect; Bob Viola and Glenn Huffman, Arkansas City Commissioners; Bill Archer, Winfield City commissioner-elect; Mossman and his wife, Kendra, Winfield City commissioner-elect Dan Freeman; and Fred Tupper, Strother Field Manager.
The Courier reported on June 16, that the sounds of machinery and people involved in producing the fine guitars of the Mossman factory were sweet music to the ears of Stuart Mossman, president. The new plant produced 33 sets of fashioned guitar sides. Mossman expects to have 28-29 employees, adding personnel necessary to complete tasks throughout the guitar- making process until the company was in full-scale operation.
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An Agreement with C.G. Conn Distribution
Shortly after the new factory with expanded production facilities was up and running, S.L. Mossman Co. Inc, entered into a contract with C.G. Conn Company for the distribution of Mossman guitars across the country and internationally. Their contract promised that Conn would improve the delivery of finished instruments to dealers. Conn had the distribution experience and already had a network of dealers built. As a result, S. L. Mossman Co., Inc. was featured at the National Association of Music Merchants convention in Chicago, Illinois, where C. G. Conn officials, President Peter Perez and Jerry Spohn, product manager-fretted instruments, introduced Mossman guitars as part of their fine instrument family.
Mossman took out full color ads featuring the Golden Era guitar in Guitar Player and other guitar magazines. The ad stated the craftsmanship of Mossman artists and craftsmen preserved the eloquence of traditional design while perfecting their own methods of construction of the adjustable truss rod built into the guitars. It also stressed that a limited number of guitars from only the highest quality materials and were built and finished by hand, the old way. The ad mentioned they would appreciate a dollar for the postage and handling of their new catalog. The new catalog design featured a large color portfolio evoking the spirit of the wild prairie and old west with individual color sheets of each model. The line of standard Mossman models11 was increased to seven 6-string and two 12-string models: Tennessee Flat Top ($625) and twelve string ($695); Flint Hills ($725); Great Plains ($860); new model Timber Creek ($1,095); new model Winter Wheat (same as the Flint Hills custom) featuring abalone inlay on body perimeter with snowflake fingerboard markers ($1,295) and Winter Wheat twelve string ($1,345); new model South Wind (essentially the Great Plain custom) featuring abalone inlay around the body and the mother of pearl vine and flower inlay on the fingerboard $1,595; and the top-line model Golden Era featuring headstock with the inlaid floral “M” and the S.L. Mossman decal on the back of the headstock $2,095. The Flint Hills and Great Plains Custom models were dropped.
The 1200 guitars, which were ready for distribution, were stored in a warehouse in Ely, Nevada. The outdoor temperatures had such a variance in range from baking in the day and freezing at night that heat and humidity controls were needed in the warehouse for the Mossman guitars. Cheaper laminated guitars that had been stored there previously experienced no problems so Conn had minimal controls for the guitars. However, because Mossman guitars were constructed of solid wood, these warehouse conditions caused the lacquer finish to badly check causing spider like veining on the stored guitars. For S. L. Mossman Co., Inc., who built its reputation on high quality, this was devastating.
Responsibility for this disaster and compensation for the damage caused a major disagreement between Mossman and Conn. A lawsuit occurred when Conn withheld payment for instruments already purchased and would not take delivery for guitars already ordered. The lawsuit was finally settled but cash flow problems forced Mossman to close the company on August 25, 1977.
A statement written by Mossman indicated that his plant had finish problems in about one-quarter of the guitars produced that year causing the need to refinish the guitars. During this time of approximately six months, Mossman had virtually stopped the
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production of new guitars and concentrated on refinishing guitars returned by Conn. As a result, the company shut down due to lack funds.
According to the Winfield Courier, Elmer Davis, Director of the Kansas Employment Security Office in Arkansas City reported 32 claims for unemployment had been filed by Mossman employees. A Mossman Company official called and said Mossman was going to lay off all 50 employees with no definite recall.
After the closing of S.L. Mossman Co., Inc., Mossman and Chris Fisher opened a two man shop with the help of Kendra Mossman. The new shop, Mossman Guitars, was located at 2101 E. 9th. They continued the production of these four Mossman Guitar models; the Flint Hills ($795), Timber Creek ($895), Great Plains ($1150), and Golden Era ($1695). A new brace design was featured, producing a sound that was better than the older S.L. Mossman guitars. They planned to make only about 100 guitars a year. Mossman stated that the company had a three month backlog of orders. Not only could a buyer order a guitar to his liking, but could actually help build his own guitar at the Mossman shop. Bobby Carradine had spent time at the new shop helping to make his own guitar. Guitars for David Carradine, Albert Lee, Stacy Keech, Emmy Lou Harris and Eric Clapton were just in the final stages before delivery.
One of Mossman’s early enthusiasts was Dan Crary, who played a Mossman and was featured on the cover of Frets magazine in February 1980, holding his Mossman Great Plains. Mossman was voted #1 Luthier by Frets magazine.
In 1983 Mossman decided to sell the company after suffering from a severe respiratory problem caused by years of inhaling sawdust and lacquer fumes. In a statement to Frets, that with great sadness, he was writing this letter to close a chapter of nearly 20 years in the guitar making business. He said that as a result of carelessness regarding safety precautions in the finish room, in the early years, he developed sensitivity to glues and lacquers and his doctor recommended that he pursue other interests. The release went on to thank everyone for their support, expressing sincere appreciation to the readers of Frets for electing him “Best Luthier” once and “Runner Up” several times. Working for awards is not why one strives for higher achievement but a delightful acknowledgement. Special thanks were given to Dan Crary and John Denver for their use of the Mossman guitars and their special interest, a kindness that could not be replaced. And last and most important, a thank you was given to all of the owners of Mossman guitars everywhere. He felt that without them, he never would have turned his dream into a reality. It was his hope that all of the guitars would give years of joy.
Before selling his company to former employee Scott Baxendale in 1986, in a “swan song”, Mossman and Chris Fisher manufactured a final 25 guitars from extremely fine pieces of wood, putting every ounce of skill into these guitars. Each guitar was given a name, not a model number. A few have surfaced over the years, but most of them haven’t been seen by the general public.
Scott Baxendale moved the company to Dallas, Texas, where he built a series of high end one-of-a-kind guitars, which featured a white paper label with “Baxendale Enterprises” in blue lettering. Baxendale continued the numbering system of dates and guitars produced as well as signed label tradition of early Mossman guitars.
In the late 1980’s, Baxendale sold the company to John Casey and John Kinsey who wanted to buy the company because of the history and reputation that Mossman had established. In 1991, Kinsey and Casey moved Mossman Guitars to Sulfur Springs,
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Texas, where they developed a new bracing system based on their years of experience in guitar repair and construction. To date, they are still making guitars to order.
After selling his guitar shop, Stuart traveled as “Grandpa Guitar” sponsored through KFDI (radio), performing for schools, clubs, coffee houses as a singer, guitarist, and humorist right up to his death. Stuart Mossman died at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis in Wichita on Tuesday, March 2, 1999. A celebration of his life was held at the First Presbyterian Church on March 6, 1999. The memorial folder featured a large outlined guitar and a few bars from the song “May the Circle Be Unbroken” by A.P. Carter. Following the funeral, Mossman was interred at the Highland Cemetery in Winfield.
Festivals & the National Flat Picking Championship
It was 1967 and folk festivals were happening all around the country from Philadelphia; Newport, Rhode Island, to Mountain View, Arkansas. In Winfield, the First Southwestern Folk Festival was held April, 28-30, 1967. Stewart Field House and the 77 steps was the perfect setting for pickers and singers who played to an attendance of approximately 1,000.
Stuart Mossman and Sam Ontjes conceived the idea for this festival while driving home from a festival in Mountain View, Arkansas. They wanted a festival that had components of Mountain View and the Newport Folk Festival. Stuart was the promoter and group enthusiast. Sam Ontjes was the Festival director. Many nights were spent at the “Black Eye”12 local coffee house, with fellow students to bring the festival to life. Job descriptions went to Roger Fenton, public relations; Brent Pierce and Stuart publicity; Alan Menne, sound and stage; Frances Timmons, tickets; Beth Gore, concessions; Bill Stephens, photography; Rick Johnson, physical preparation; and Dr. Douglas Moore, faculty consultant
Southwestern’s Cultural Arts Board agreed to sponsor the event by promising Ontjes $1400.00. Mossman was able to raise another $1400.00 from people downtown. Thirty-five festival patrons were listed on the playbill, with major contributions from Barbour-Collinson Lumber Co., Calvert’s, Cunningham Music Co., A.B.Everly Lumber Co., First National Bank, Manny Hardware, Lt. William J. Olmstead, and Dr. R.B. White. Sam Ontjes had written a note on the end of the schedule of events flyer stating: “Dear Compatriate, if you are not convinced by reading this lineup, you should have your head examined. Most of the festival will be outdoors, weather permitting, and a campground provided for those who come for the entire weekend. Dare anyone think of a reason why not to come! Any reason for coming is a good reason. So pack your saddle bags and plan now.”
The main concerts were to be held on Friday and Saturday night in Stewart Field House at 8:00pm. The newly-formed festival committee agreed that they wanted Doc Watson on the festival’s line-up. Luckily, Stuart had connections from meeting him in 1962 and arranged for Doc Watson and his 17 yr-old son, Merle, to be added to the entertainment main concert program.
The Folk Festival final concert line-up included Doc Watson and his son Merle, Jimmy Driftwood and his homemade guitar; Art Eskeridge, a Santa Fe worker who specialized in railroad and cowboy songs; Glenda Bickell, ballad singer from Wichita; Mance Lipscomb,70, a versatile songster and son of a one-time slave. Also Johnny Vandiver and Jo Wright, Harry Weldon, Poor Bill Miller, Charles Cloud, circuit
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Chautauqua story teller; the Shannon Singers from Colorado; Vern and Ray with Herb Pedersen on banjo, a bluegrass trio from Nashville, Tennessee; Pat and Victoria Garvey from Colorado; and the Revelators, a Wichita gospel group shared the concert line-up.
Professor William Koch of Kansas State University presented a lecture on “The Folkmusic Breakthrough” Friday, April 28th at 10:00am. Saturday featured a guitar workshop at 11:00am, a blues workshop at 2:00, guitar style workshop at 3:00pm, and an open concert for visitors at 4:30pm. On Sunday at 9:00am, an old time gospel music program was led by Doc Watson, Jimmy Driftwood, Art Eskridge, and the Revelators. Tickets for the entire festival were $5.00; individual tickets for the evening concerts were $2.00 and admission for the workshops was $1.50. No recordings were made during this festival; it was said that they did not have a long enough extension cord for their sound system.
The Courier printed an article following the first festival stating that Southwestern College may be participating in the quiet after the storm as it recuperates from the Folk Festival with the college’s student holiday. Folk groups from all over Kansas and from several other states attended but did not associate folk singers with long hair and unorthodox dress. They wore conventional dress and the only distinction between singer and listener were the guitars and instruments the singers had tucked under their arms.
The next festival did not happen on the Southwestern Campus until October of 1971. The name was changed to the Walnut Valley Folk Festival. The 1972 “Moundbuilder” credits Mike Totty, David McMullen, and Ruth Huber as being planners and organizers. Stuart, who was asked to book the talent, wanted to get two flat pickers playing on the stage together. At the George Washington Motel in Philadelphia, he had heard David Bromberg, Doc Watson, and Norman Blake. Although he was unable to get Doc Watson and Norman Blake, David Bromberg agreed to come. Dan Crary was asked to join the mix after he was heard at another venue.
The festival opened Friday, October 21, with a performance by 19-year old native Chicago songwriter, Virginia Klemens, at the Black Eye coffee house near the campus. Klemens mostly played coffee houses and also performed at the Quiet Night in Chicago. An all day fair for artists and craftsmen to sell their works was held Saturday on the campus. This event was sponsored by the SC Cultural Arts Board and by the Student Activities Association. A concert workshop was held from 1:00 to 5:30pm on the front lawn of the campus.
Featured performers appeared in concert Saturday night at 7:30 in the Stewart Field House. The line-up included Dan Crary, flat-pick guitarist; Dave Bromberg playing contemporary and traditional folk music on guitar; Blues Grass Country Boys from Belle Plaines; Arkansawyers, a band from Mountain View, Arkansas; Virginia Klemens, the Simmons Family, genuine Ozark mountain music on dulcimer, autoharp, and guitar: Pat and Victoria Garvey, Charlie Cloud, story-teller from the Circuit Chautauqua; and Art Eskridge, blues guitar and railroad songster.
The highlight of the night was the moment both flat- pickers, Crary and Bromberg, were asked to get together on stage and demonstrate the type of jamming that audiences hadn’t heard. Crary and Bromberg each played alone and then they played together, each trying to out flat-pick each other. The crowd that had been sitting in the Stewart Field House for five hours went wild. At that moment, Mossman knew this concert should be a competition and the idea for a flat-picking competition and bluegrass festival was born.
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The weekend ended with tours on Sunday of the S.L. Mossman Co., Inc. at Strother Field. Visitors were urged to bring their guitars.
All events were free except the cover charge at the Black Eye and admission at the Saturday night concert. Approximately 1000 folk and bluegrass music enthusiasts from Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Midwest participated over the weekend at the Walnut Valley Folk Festival.
Each time Stuart and some of his employees would travel to bluegrass festivals around the United States to promote and sell guitars, the conversation went on for days that Winfield should have its own large festival. The talk finally stopped and planning for a first rate festival went into motion.
Stuart and Joe Muret, a worker at the S.L. Mossman Co., Inc. knew to put a festival together, it would take about $10,000. They were sure that they could get ten people willing to invest $1,000 necessary to take on the project. Muret said that he could raise that amount by asking friends in the Jaycees and other civic clubs. The first person that he approached was Bob Redford, who agreed to finance the festival. With so many festivals being promoted, they felt something new needed to be offered to the public if they were going to meet any degree of success. There was not a “National Bluegrass” anywhere and at that time only the National Fiddle contest was held in Weiser, Idaho. They entered an agreement to form the Walnut Valley Association for the purpose of putting on the first Walnut Valley Festival and National Flat-Pick Championship. Stuart would be responsible for the entertainment line-up. The guitar factory was already in town. Musicians stopped by as they came through the Midwest to purchase a guitar or just stop in and pick. It opened the doors for these artists to be asked back to perform and be part of the festival. Muret would do grounds management, stage, and ticket sales. Redford would finance the festival. The first Walnut Valley Festival and National Flat-Pick Championship were held September 29, 30 and October 1, 1972. The location for this festival was the Winfield Fairgrounds.
Two other people shared in the growth of the association, Art Coates, who became a member of the association in 1973 and Sam Ontjes who conceived the three-guitar jam session-a highlight of the festival. The weather for the first festival had record cold temperatures, snow and wind that just blew and blew. The second 1973 festival had the fairgrounds under four feet of water but had a 50% increase in attendance. Stu had told the association that bluegrassers were a hearty bunch who would endure almost anything if the music was good. The 1974 festival was a great year with perfect weather and attendance was up 96% over 1973. Stu left the association due to production schedule at his factory and served as a consultant after 1973. Mossman Guitars were given as prizes for the National Flat Pick Guitar Championship and the National Finger Style Guitar Championship from 1972-1984.13
Bob and Kendra Redford and the Walnut Valley Association have without a doubt, the best-run, well organized festival in the country. Just like the first years, many of the festivals have experienced unusual weather, but every year on the third weekend in September, more than 10,000 to 15,000 people, from all over the world, come back home to Winfield.
Actors, Movies, & Guitars
Stuart loved to be in front of an audience. Whether he was leading a tour through his guitar factory, portraying Mark Twain on stage, or appearing in cameo roles for the silver
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screen, he had the talent for entertaining. His personality and ability as a natural performer seemed to attract people and draw them in.
Winfield remembers his appearance at the Winfield Community Theater’s production, of “Mark Twain” directed by Helen Graham Scott, on January 17-18, 1969. The Barn lent to an intimate setting with a simple small stage and lighting to showcase a program based on the writings and speeches of Mark Twain, which blended nostalgia with sharp observations on the unchanging human nature. As the lights came up and Mark Twain shuffled on stage, it was a shock to the audience to see him transformed into an old man. His performance was professional, with perfect timing, mannerisms and voice well pitched with technical skills. The program brought a blend of smiles, tears, and guffaws that were intelligently spaced. It was said that the Barn might have needed a new roof with all of the laughter from the audience. The audience was amazed looking at Twain and knowing it was really Mossman.
Mossman was part of the K. Frost productions “Mark Twain on Tour”, which was booked for clubs, community theaters, conventions, and festivals through out the Midwest. He played on steamboats and at the Ice House Theater in Hannibal, Missouri, as well as festivities in Caliveras County, California.
The S.L. Mossman Co., Inc. was featured in a movie short, Lunch Time, by filmmakers “Kansas Flyer-Share the Glory” in June of 1973. The film crew was originally in Drury, Kansas, completing David Carradine’s movie, Americana, before heading to Strother Field in Winfield. Lunch Time featured a young man (Greg Walker, stuntman and stand-in for David Carradine) who came to Mossman to buy a guitar. The storyline picked up at the guitar factory at lunchtime when Mossman, with the help of Dan Crary, one of the top flat-picking guitarists, demonstrated how guitars were made. Billy Record, director of the short film, provided a script and rigid shooting schedule for Mossman and his employees. The outside of the factory sported a new paint job design, which was finished just in time for the filming.
Stuart appeared in two films with the Carradine brothers. His first appearance was with David Carradine in Cloud Dancer, directed by Barry Brown in 1980. Carradine arranged with Brown to give Mossman a cameo part as a mechanic in the film. Brown, having three great musicians, Carradine, Hoyt Axton, and Mossman on set, knew something needed to be written in the scene script to showcase their musical talent. One day Brown heard Carradine playing his Mossman and singing the song “Man”. At that moment, Brown knew the song and playing of guitars by these musicians should be written into the movie. The results got Mossman guitars on screen. By the end of filming, the whole cast and even the director had purchased a Mossman guitar.
Long Riders, which featured Carradine brothers, David, Keith, and Robert, was directed by Walter Hill and released in 1980. Stuart appeared on the set with his Screen Actors Guild and Hollywood Stuntmans card and was given the train engineer part. All of the Long Riders ended up purchasing a Mossman guitar at the end of the shooting.
David Carradine was one of Mossman’s biggest promoters. He loved Stu and his guitars and even was one of his investors in the S.L. Mossman Co., Inc. In the movie, Bound for Glory, Carradine played Woody Guthrie, and was seen with a Mossman guitar in different scenes throughout the film.
Keith Carradine wrote and performed his Oscar Award winning song “I’m Easy” on his custom Mossman guitar in Robert Altman’s film Nashville (1975). At the Oscars,
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Carradine performed that song with the same custom Mossman before accepting his Oscar.
Mossman presented a live television performance in 1991, as the featured attraction, on the “01 Mike and Mogie Show” on KAKE-TV Channel 10. His program had cowboy tunes from the 1850’s to the turn of the century, cowboy poetry, and folk music featuring one of his custom guitars. In cooperation with KFDI radio in Wichita, Stuart performed as “Grandpa Guitar”, to over 150,000 students in public and private schools throughout the Midwest and Southwest.
Stuart Mossman: A Modern Strativari, a documentary14 directed by Barry Brown, was premiered at the 25th Santa Barbara International film Festival, in February, 2010, and The Tailgrass Film Festival in Wichita, Kansas, in October, 2010. It chronicles Mossman’s life through testimonials from Mossman’s employees, fans, family, and friends who recounted his work, influence, their time and life shared with the luthier. The film features the Carradine brothers, David, Robert, and Keith performing on their custom built Mossman guitars, telling stories of how they became supporters of Mossman and his art. One scene in the film, showcases the largest collective of Mossman guitar players gathered at Baden Square in Winfield. This was an event that was part of the Winfield Public Library’s companion exhibit to the Smithsonian’s exhibit, New Harmonies: American Roots Music.
Conclusion
This writer is reminded of a passage from The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck:
And perhaps a man brought out his guitar to the front of his tent. And he sat on a box to play, and everyone in the camp moved slowly in toward him, drawn in toward him. Many men can chord a guitar, but perhaps this man is a picker. There you have something- the deep chords beating, beating while the melody runs thru the strings like little footsteps. Heavy hard fingers marching on the frets. The man played and the people moved slowly in on him until the circle was closed and tight, and then he sang, “Ten-Cent Cotton and Forty-Cent Meat.” And the circle sang softly with him. And he sang, “Why Do You Cut Your Hair, Girls?” And the circle sang. He wailed the song, “I’m Leaving Old Texas,” that eerie song that was sung before the Spaniards came, only words were Indian then.
And now the group was welded to one thing, one unit, so that in the dark the eyes of the people were inward, and their minds played in other times, and their sadness was like rest, like sleep. He sang the “McAlester Blues” and then to make up for it to the older people, he sang “Jesus Calls Me to His Side.” The children drowsed with the music and went into the tents to sleep, and the singing came into their dreams.
And after a while the man with the guitar stood up and yawned. Good night, folks, he said.
And they murmured, Good night to you.
And each wished he could pick a guitar, because it is a gracious thing.
Thanks, Stu, for your passion for forming wood, wire and lacquer into a thing of beauty and song that is experienced and treasured every time one of your guitar cases is opened.
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Notes
This writer would like to acknowledge and express a special thank you to Stu’s mother, Betty Lu Lynn Mossman and his sister, Martha Mossman Smither, for enlightening the readers of Stu’s early years found on pages one through five.
ADDENDUM
MOSSMAN GUITARS FEATURED SPECIFICATIONS
All Mossman guitars included the following features:
Light weight spruce struts and braces Adjustable steel truss rod in neck Rotomatic tuning pegs (12:1 ratio) Rosewood or ebony wedge butt inlay Ivoroid position dot markers on edge of fingerboard;
(Ebony dots on models with ivoroid bound fingerboard)
Nickel-silver frets
Satin lacquer finish, hand rubbed to a deep gloss
Ivoroid binding around the box
Ivory nut and saddle Tender loving care
Variations and special models such as left-handed and 12-string guitars, custom inlay, and engraving are made on special order only. Prices on request. Herringbone inlay available around the sound hole and face of the guitar.
Herringbone back center inlay on Tennessee Flat Top.
Marquis herringbone back center inlay on Flint Hills model. Abalone back inlay strip on Golden Era.
End Notes
1. The dreadnought is a style of acoustic guitar developed in 1916 in collaboration between the guitar manufacturer, the C.F. Martin Co. and the Oliver Ditson Co., a retailer. In 1916 the word “dreadnought” referred to a large, modern super battleship of the type inaugurated by HMS Dreadnought in 1906. The dreadnought guitar body is deeper and larger than most other guitars that existed at the time of its creation, and thus results in a bolder and often louder tone. The distinctive marks of a dreadnought guitar are square shoulders and bottom. The popularity of and demand for Martin Dreadnought guitars were increased by their use, almost exclusively, by folk musicians of the mid-20th century, including most bluegrass guitarists. Today they are considered the standard guitar of bluegrass music used by many bluegrass musicians to produce the signature sound of that genre. Most bluegrass and flat-picking guitarists play dreadnought guitars because of their strong bass response, which makes them an ideal guitar for playing rhythm behind a string band and they are loud because bluegrass/flat-picking guitarists have to compete with loud instruments like banjos and fiddles.
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2. Frank E. Mossman was President of Southwestern College from August 8, 1905, to October 6, 1918, and from June 1, 1931 to May 27, 1942. Mossman Memorial Hall of Science was dedicated in his name. The cornerstone of Mossman Hall was laid November 21, 1950.
3. Ivoroid was produced as a replacement for Ivory. A notable characteristic of Ivoroid is the grain lines molded into the plastic to replicate the grain lines of real ivory.
6. Mossman started making guitars again under the name Mossman Guitars at 2102 E. 9th in early 1980. Bob Lamb designed this new logo.
2101 East Ninth Street; Winfield Kansas 67156
7. Mossman Guitar Voicing From an Early Mossman Catalog
Each Mossman guitar is individually voiced for maximum response and sonority by master craftsmen during the final stages of assembly. We recognize the fact that different styles of music may require slightly different voicing. The Bluegrass musician will undoubtedly want an overbalanced bass, where the blues musician may want a more delicate treble response. We assume that anyone who needs an instrument of Mossman’s quality is not an average guitarist, but one with specific ideas in regard to the tone balance that he desires for his own individual style. If he wishes to fulfill these wants, he must usually take his instrument to a competent-repairman, who will remove the back and revoice the instrument to the owner’s specific needs. We think that this is ridiculous. As a special service, Mossman voices all models according to the needs of the individual guitar stylist. The following types of voicing are available:
1. Overbalanced bass: Recommended for country rhythm and bluegrass. This is for the guitarist who plays in string bands and who desires an extra strong bass for runs and a ringing treble for rhythm.
2. Overbalanced treble: Recommended for the blues, folk, and country finger picker. This is characterized by an extremely sensitive and delicate response on the treble strings.
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3. Balanced and treble: Recommended for the eclectic guitar stylist. If you play a little of everything, this is the one for you. Bass and treble are equally sustained and equally impressive. A balanced guitar is often ideal for the solo musician.
Whatever you are looking for, Mossman has a guitar voiced especially for your individual needs. Simply specify on your order which voicing you prefer. It’s all part of our plan to give you the instrument you want.
8. Article XI written by S. L. Mossman for sales literature and magazine articles
In making anything well, there are three things that are essential, and they have equal and interdependent importance. Design, materials, and workmanship are the basic elements. The best of each achieves the superior result. Playability and good tone quality are the end results of a well constructed guitar.
The top bracing in an acoustic flat top guitar should be as lightweight as possible, yet strong enough to insure long term strength, durability, and consistent tonal quality of the instrument. We attempt to achieve these goals by using high, thin braces in an interlocking bracing system.
All of our braces are made of spruce, which we receive milled into mouldings 1/4in. by 3/4 in. They are cut to the following lengths:
1. “X” braces are 18-7/8in
2. The two sound hole braces are 3-3/8in.
3. The four side and two top braces are 5-l/2in. and 4-l/2in. respectively
4. The two tone bars are 12 In. and 12-l/2in.
5. The fingerboard brace is 12in.
Each guitar has 16-1/2 feet of bracing. The “X” braces are notched with a specially designed jig. A curve is then put on the top of the braces using an inverted router with a l/4in. carbide radius cutter. The braces are glued to the top with Titebond glue and shaved by hand with a chisel. The dimensions of the “X” braces are 3/4in wide by 1/4 inch high. The sound hole, side, and top braces are 1/4 inch wide by l/2in. high. A scallop is machined into one end in order that the brace will lock into the notch on the “X” brace. They are then shaved by hand to the proper dimension. The tone bars (3/4in by l/4in. high) are glued to the top in a straight stick form and are then shaved by hand with a chisel. The fingerboard brace (7/8in. wide by 3/6in. high) is scalloped before being glued. This brace is placed l/4in. above the sound hole to provide more support to the sound hole area. All braces are positioned with a template which fits into and locates from positioning holes which are drilled into the top and bottom of the guitar top in the early stages of production.
The bracing formation around the sound hole provides this vulnerable area of the guitar with maximum support. The interlocking bracing system helps insure a consistency in the tonal quality of each guitar. The dimensions of the braces give the top rigidity and strength necessary to diminish the likelihood of the tops pulling up.
The braces we use are placed in what is now commonly called an “X” pattern that is currently the standard in flat top design. No article could honestly be written without giving the early Martin credit for a radical though logical style of bracing. Mr. Martin certainly understood the value of triangulation in construction and dividing his tops after that fashion devised an economical use of brace material with adequate strength. A necessary achievement for the further development of the steel string acoustic guitar.
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9. This is not the complete list of workers initials.
10. A total of six bids were submitted and reviewed: Coon Construction, with concrete flooring, $30,473; H.F.C. Construction of Wichita, for $31,000 without concrete flooring; Morton Buildings of Strother Field, without cement flooring, $32,012; Evans Steel Building Co. of Wichita without concrete flooring, $32,950; Hensley Sheet Metal of Arkansas City, with concrete, $33,232; and D&D Farm Equipment Co. of Winfield with concrete floor, $35,766.
11. The sales literature explained the reason for the name of each guitar; “Tennessee Flat Top-For all that Tennessee gave music....the Bluegrass band, the flat pickers, the front porch sound...for all the inspiration they give us, we give back in their name, the Tennessee Flat Top. Flint Hills-Whenever we look out our windows to the east, we see the barren, but beautiful, rolling Flint Hills dividing the earth and sky. While they run all the way from Oklahoma to Nebraska, for just a moment they’re ours only. For that simple pleasure we named this guitar the Flint Hills. Great Plains-On the vast expanse of land called the Great Plains, midway between here and there, the land seems to start where the sun comes up and ends where it goes down. Somewhere between the morning breeze and the last coyote’s call, we live the joys of the Great Plains. For these joys we name this guitar. Timber Creek-Homecomings have always been special. For us, the road to Winfield usually begins in Wichita with an overland ride that often seems longer that it really is. Timber Creek comes from the north, flows by our front door, and heads south into the Walnut River. It’s a special landmark because when we cross Timber Creek, We’re home. For this joy, we named the guitar Timber Creek. Winter Wheat- At the Turn of the century, the Russian immigrants who made their home in Kansas brought with them a hearty new wheat. Sown in the fall, cattle fed on the tops in winter, and it was harvested in spring. For the memory of the wheat that brought life to winter on the plains, we called the guitar Winter Wheat. South Wind- Winters aren’t easy on the flatlands. There’s little natural shelter from a bitter wind that can make being alone on the prairie seem lonelier than ever. We celebrate the return of the south wind, a wind that announces the first warm breath of spring, in the name of
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this guitar, South Wind. Golden Era- In the early thirties, a few fine guitar companies labored to produce limited quantities of the finest guitars the world had seen. They were elegant in appearance, superb in sound. Handmade works of art that became collectors’ items. For those reasons, it was called the Golden Era of guitar making. In that tradition, the finest Mossman guitar bears the name, Golden Era.”
12. The "Black Eye” coffee house became a popular hangout in the 1966 fall semester. Opening on Halloween night, it was a retreat for college students from Southwestern College. Grace Methodist Church sponsored the coffee house but it was totally run by the student body. Music filtered from the small building, across the street from the college, by aspiring singers and musicians both local and from as far as Wichita to Oklahoma City. Students could enjoy a great cup of coffee or write their thoughts-poetry on the black board wall.
13. Mossman Guitars were given as prizes for the National Flat Pick Guitar Championship and the National Finger Style Guitar Championship from 1972-1984.
* This guitar that was won by Mark O’Connor in the 1977 National Flat Pick Guitar Championship is held at The National Music Museum located on the campus of the University of South Dakota, in Vermillion, South Dakota. The accession number is NMM10862 and the S.L.Mossman label indicates it was a Golden Era, serial #4662. The museum has this guitar held in the 2005, Family Trust of Tony and Bonnie Vinatieri.
14. The DVD, Stuart Mossman: A Modern Stradivari, is now available for purchase from www.filmbaby.com.
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Bibliography
Newspapers
Arkansas City Traveler, “Actor rests during Kansas Visit”, Feb. 6, 1980
“Mossman Guitar is Burned to Ground”, Feb. 1, 1975 “Mossman to Rebuild at Strother”, Feb. 3, 1975 “21 Ordinance Changes Okayed”, Feb. 4, 1975 “In Celebration of love and need”, Feb. 14, 1975 Kansas City Star, “His Guitars are Finger Pickin’ Good, Sept. 22, 1974 Winfield Daily Courier, "Cornerstone of Mossman Hall of Science", Nov. 2, 1950
“1000 Attend Folk Music Concert”, Apr. 29, 1967 “Mark Twain Tonight”, Jan. 13, 1969
“Mark Twain Lives Again at Winfield Bam”, Jan. 17, 1969 “Walnut Valley Festival Opens Tonight at SC”, Oct. 21, 1971
Winfield Daily Courier 72 Achievement Edition, "The Creation of a Guitar",
“Mossman Guitar Making Featured Movie Short”, June 22, 1973
“Building Burns”, Feb. 1, 1975
“Mossman Plans to Rebuild Factory” Feb. 3, 1975 “A Solid Yes for Guitar Factory”, Feb. 13, 1975 “Coon Gets Strother Contract”, Feb. 25, 1975 “Strother Building Bid Rejected By Engineer”, Feb. 26, 1975 “Guitar Factory Bids Approved”, Mar. 13, 1975
“Mossman Intends to Rebuild his Strother Field Business”, Mar. 13, 1975
“Groundbreaking Ceremonies”, Apr. 3, 1975
Winfield Daily Courier 75 Achievement Edition, “Mossman Plans to Rebuild, Expand”, “Strother Commission Reorganized at Meeting”, Apr. 17, 1975 “Construction at Strother Field”, Apr. 25, 1975
“When I Grow Up”, June 3, 1975
“Commission Sets Night Meeting”, June 16, 1975 “Making Guitars Again”, June 20, 1975
“Mossman Closes-50 Lose Jobs”, Aug. 26, 1977
“Pickin' Time”, June 21, 1982
“Walnut Valley Festival's Roots Run Deep in Winfield, Part 1”, Sept. 14, 1995
“Festival's Roots Date Back to Southwestern”, Sept. 15, 1995 “Another year, another festival for Redfords”, Sept. 16, 1995 “Mossman Remembered”, Mar. 4, 1999
“Dan Daniel Chose to Commit to SC”, Dec. 16, 2009
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Books
Achard, Ken. The History and Development of the American Guitar. Bold Strummer Ltd., 1990. 148-149 pp.
Shaw, Robert. Hand made, Hand played: The Art & Craft of Contemporary Guitars. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 2008. 9,148 pp.
Other
Brown, B. (Director). (2010). Stuart Mossman-A Modern Stradivari [documentary]. United States: Barry K. Brown, David Carradine
Sales brochures from S.L. Mossman Co., Inc. and Mossman Guitars
Brochure from K. Frost Productions-Stu Mossman as Mark Twain on Tour
The office of Kansas Secretary of State, Chris Biggs, Topeka, Ks
Playbill from the 1967 Southwestern Folk Festival
Walnut Valley Association, Mossman Guitar Winners from 1972 thru 1984 Yearbook from Southwestern College-1972 Moundbuilders
Archives of Cowley County Historical Society and Strother Field
Interviews
Wayne Steadham
Willis Pracht
Barry Brown
Jeff Priest
Rex Flottman
Bob Lamb Tom James
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