Author: Matt Merta/Mitch Matthews

Musician and writer (both song and print) for over 30 years. Primarily interested in roots music (Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk). Current contributing writer for Fiddler Magazine, previous work with Metro Times (Detroit), Ann Arbor Paper and Real Detroit Weekly, as well as other various music and military publications. As songwriter, won the 2015 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (Bluegrass Category, "Something About A Train," co-written with Dawn Kenney and David Morris) as well as having work performed on NPR and nominated for numerous Detroit Music Awards.

Categories
News

Charlie Kirk RIP

No bluegrass or other music-related talk today. I am just saddened by news from the last week.

On Wednesday, September 10th, conservative podcaster/speaker Charlie Kirk was assassinated while holding one of his outdoor rallies at a college in Utah. I won’t get into any of the details here, as there is so much of the coverage on news websites. In short, Kirk passed away a few hours after being shot, and two days later, the suspect was captured through turn-in by his father. Evidence is almost overwhelmingly showing that the suspect is guilty, but I am sure that the judicial process will go for months.

Charlie Kirk was an amazing person. He never went to college, but was more well-read than a large majority of college students, even professors. He formed Turning Point USA while in his teens, which became one of the biggest conservative organizations to ever see life. His right-wing stand on the Constitution, freedom of speech, gun rights, and right-to-life topics made him a hero to many, but also a villain to others.

The media, especially left-leaning news programs and podcasts, had no problem calling him a fascist, misogynist, Islamiphobe, and transphobe. This was far from the truth. At his rallies, he usually set aside a large amount of time debating anyone that disagreed with him, even telling them to come to the front of the line. His choice to do this was innovative, as no other speaker, left- or right-leaning, had ever done this before. YouTube videos show these confrontations, and each time, Kirk’s intelligence as well as patience always prevailed.

As his reputation grew, Kirk’s influence with right-wing politicians, including President Trump, became immense. Political analysts agree that Kirks’ influence over getting young voters to consider the Republican ticket is one of the big factors in getting Trump elected. However, the rhetoric of the far-left progressives have gone too far. Yes, last year, Trump was nearly assassinated at an election rally in Pennsylvania. The media toned down the “Hitler” comparisons out of respect, but that was only for a few months. As soon as he was in office, the dangerous name-calling returned. In fact, the rhetoric only increased to include his staff, administration, and celebrities that supported Trump such as Kirk.

There are a lot of insane people out there that are walking the streets, and when you have mainstream media calling anyone that is not fully on the left a fascist, these crazy people will take matters in their own hands. The result is the death of Charlie Kirk. Of course, the left will blame gun laws instead of its rhetoric influence. The media did not pull the trigger, but basically gave the killer his proverbial bullets.

If there is any positive reaction to this tragic event, it is seeing not only other conservative activists such as Ben Shapiro, Benny Johnson, and Dave Rubin stand up and show the courage to continue the fight. Moreover, more liberal leaners are washing their hands of the left and reconsidering what the stand is of the progressive Democratic party as well as leftist activist groups. Kirk’s widow, only three days after the tragedy, has spoken in public that she will continue to fight for what he believed was the Constitutional and moral right of America and its citizens.

I am not married, and have no children, but if I were to ever have had a son, I would have wanted him to be just like Charlie Kirk. Yesterday I came across a YouTube video of a young lady asking AI (something that I am not a fan of at all, but I digress) the question, “What would Charlie say?” It is a moving piece, and brought me to tears.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Home Recording

My Recent Experiences With Demo Recording

Last weekend I was in the process of recording a demo of a song that I recently wrote. I was finishing up on a guitar track when the recorder, a Zoom MRS-4 4-track digital recorder, crapped out on me. It had been my primary songwriting demo tool for probably the past 10 years if not more. The STOP button had dislodged slightly a few months back, but I was still able to use it. Well, this time, it completely broke and I could not stop the recording. I even took it apart to see if I could get in there and re-set the button. No luck! So into the trash it went.

I really valued that MRS-4, mainly for its ease in recording simple song demos with minimal instrumentation (all the better for me, who is a hack on most instruments, anyways). It had it’s pros and cons, such as:

Pro
-Again, ease of use. With simple Zero Return and marking of punch-ins/outs
-Built-in metronome that was easy to set and did not bleed into the recording
-Nice amount of mixdown effects such as EQ, multiple reverb settings, compression and chorus
-Portability. Smaller than the old Yamaha and Tascam cassette recorders

Con
-Use of SmartMedia cards, which are pretty much obsolete. Even when you can find them, they are a hefty price. Moreover, the machine limited the card capacity to 256 megabytes, so even if you used a 1- or 2-gigabyte disc, it only allowed 256 mB. That would limit it to about 5 demos per card. I had a SmartMedia-to-XD card adapter that worked for a while, but that somehow got destroyed and trying to find a replacement for that was even more difficult than finding SmartMedia cards
-Trying to set up some of the effects was a hassle. I was still having to refer to the torn-up manual to figure things out, which you could tell was originally written in a foreign language and translated to English

To be honest, though, if I could find a used working one for under $40.00 or so, I would probably grab it, as it was a convenient machine.

So I ended up pulling out the Tascam DP-02CF 8-track digital recorder that I purchased used at the US-12 Longest Yard Sale two years ago. I got it for a measly $25.00, but had to hunt down and purchase a power supply online for $35.00 more. It was a coin toss if it actually worked, and it did when I checked back then. I purchased a gigbag style carrying case for it and stored it away for those two years, never even testing it out.

I uploaded the manual a few months back, and going over it, it had way more technical stuff going than the MRS-4. I figured that I would have to sit down for a week or so to study it before even turning the power button on again. There are actually two versions of this recorder. The DP-02CF uses a Compact Flash memory card, and had a 2 gB card already with it. Again, these are not the easiest to find, but a bit more common that SmartMedia cards. This is designed for someone who will use it as a recorder/mixer, then connecting an outside source for the final mixed recording (stereo tape machine, MP3 recorder, etc.). The DP-02 model, instead of using the CF card, has a built-in CD recorder. This allows for someone to use the recorder as an all-in-one recorder and mixdown machine. This model also has a few other features such as built-in reverb that are not found on my model. Both models feature only two-input recording at a time, MIDI connections, and an effects loop for adding an external effect. More knobs and faders than what I was used to with the MRS-4, but it was not a problem to handle from my experience with analog recording and live PA during my younger days.

I hit the power switch, and the small LED screen had a lot more information than the MRS-4 ever did. I set my mind to what I wanted to do, and then thumbed through the manual to find related information. With no internal metronome (at least, not that I could see, it relies on the MIDI interface for that), I had to connect the metronome app on my phone to Track 1. The mic for the acoustic guitar was then set to Track 2. After adjusting some knobs and checking the meters, I hit the RECORD button. The result was much better than I expected. The sound was just like the MRS-4, but the replay feature made it easier to check out the results.

After laying down the guitar and bass tracks, I looked at my options. With the MRS-4, I would have two tracks left. I could record the lead vocal, then decide what to do with the remaining track, either a second instrument or harmony vocals. I could do some bouncing to lay down the guitar, bass and vocal to one track, but that meant having to really pre-judge the levels of the three recordings to one track. I usually kept the demo then to guitar/bass/lead vocals/harmony vocals.

With the DP-02CF, after guitar and bass (and metronome), I still had five tracks to work with. I laid down the lead vocals and harmony vocals, then laid down a second guitar part on Track 6. On playback, the first half of this second guitar was great, but I screwed up in the second half of the song. So Track 7 received a guitar part that replaced that flubs on Track 6. Track 8 was used for a rhythm mandolin part.

Listening to the results, I am quite pleased. If I wanted to get more creative, I could use Track 1 and record over the metronome with another instrument or second harmony vocal. If I had time to sit down and experiment, I probably could have done some punch-in with the second guitar to clear up another channel. Perhaps as I get used to this 8-track recorder more, I can get some more professional results. For the present, my first work with the DP-02CF has made a much more professional recording than what I was getting with the MRS-4.

I still need to do a mixdown of the results, and will be plugging in a small outboard reverb unit for a better demo. I hope to post the demo on my ReverbNation page in the next few days. I also plan to keep an eye out for a used working MRS-4, as I still value its usefulness, as well as having a lot of demos still on SmartMedia cards.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Guitar Bluegrass Music

Billy Strings & Bryan Sutton “Live at the Legion”

In last week’s blog, I talked about a bluegrass album that I was not too thrilled about. This week, I will be raving about an album that is absolutely fantastic!

Last April, bluegrass flatpickers Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton performed an intimate duet show at Nashville’s American Legion Post 82. They did two sets in one day consisting of bluegrass and old-time standards that have been a part of most parking lot jams over the past few decades. They have each performed some of them at their own shows, and almost all are recognized as being previously recorded by the likes of Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Clarence White and Norman Blake.

A few months back, I got word that the concerts were recorded and would soon be released as a double album by Reprise Records. I immediately put in a pre-order, and finally received the package a few weeks ago, I have been thoroughly enjoying these discs, going through each one at least five times over the past few days, and am just now sitting down to tell you about it.

Strings and Sutton are geniuses on the acoustic guitar. Everyone who reads my blogs know how much I love and appreciate Strings’ work. Sutton has been a go-to bluegrass guitarist for about 30 years, starting with his tenure in Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder, being on the A-list in the Nashville studios, and serving as guitarist in the re-formed Hot Rize, replacing the greatly missed Charles Sawtelle. Both gentlemen kept meeting up with each other at various bluegrass festivals, and would partner in after-hours jams as well as sit in on each other’s performances. Last year, when both of them had a break in touring, they decided to quickly book a venue for a day and do some picking together for a live audience.

Two of my favorite albums of all time, of any genre, have been the two Blake & Rice recordings released by Rounder records several decades ago. The sound of two acoustic guitars in the hands of masters working off of each other is Heaven to my ears. Live at the Legion has been that for me, with the added enjoyment of it being performed in front of a live audience. There is that beautiful intimacy that comes from a live acoustic performance, along with the between-song banter that is most definitely charming. It is the next best thing to being there.

A large majority of the songs are standards with bluegrass musicians, particularly guitarists and fiddlers. There are wonderful interpretations of “Nashville Blues,” “Walk On, Boy,” “Salt Creek/Big Sandy River,” and “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar.” Also included are some folk standards such as “Tom Dooley” and “Darling Corey,” as well as the Bob Dylan classic “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”

Both players give it their best, and never try to outdo each other. There is no need to, as they ave both proven themselves to be the best at their work, and hold each other in high esteem as musicians. Both have always paid musical tribute to the aforementioned greats of bluegrass guitar, and both also have set up their own original expertise. Working off of each other on these discs is something that every guitarist, be they bluegrass or other genre, should listen to and pay attention. While the songs and even presentation have been performed and recorded similarly before, this album is so amazingly fresh to the ear of anyone wanting to hear what true bluegrass musical collaboration can be.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

A Recent CCR Bluegrass Tribute Album: Tepid at Best

A few weeks back, I heard one of the most mediocre tribute albums that I have ever heard, and it is a bluegrass tribute to a rock band.

CMH Records has released tribute albums for years, mostly through its Pickin’ On series. These have mostly been instrumental recordings paying tribute to artists from the Beatles to Metallica. I have never had much interest in these albums, but there must be enough of a paying audience for them to keep the series and the record company going.

Its most recent release takes a departure from the norm, as this latest includes vocals. Pickin’ On Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bluegrass Rising has an established bluegrass band named Iron Horse performing 12 CCR classic rock tunes. The result is hardly earth-shattering, and while some bluegrass fans may take some interest, it seems to be more of a boring jam session with players that are looking to do some songs outside of the parking lot standards.

The biggest disappointment with this album is the vocals. As a long-time fan of CCR, one of the charms of the band was John Fogerty’s voice. It was gritty without being obnoxious. It fit the songs, which had that Southern Rock feel (even though the band was from California). The singer for Iron Horse attacks (?) the lyrics with the energy of a 9-volt battery that has used up 8.5 volts. There is nothing motivating in the singing, and it is more disheartening when the instrument backing is halfway decent.

Other than “Looking Out My Backdoor,” which has a 2/4 time bounce common with bluegrass songs, most of the CCR original songs were in straight 4/4 time. These types of songs are hard to make into strong bluegrass numbers, unless an artist is purposely keeping the 4/4 signature like what Alison Krauss and Dale Ann Bradley. These then become simply acoustic pop songs, but are enjoyed by bluegrass fans because of the artist. However, Iron Horse does not have the clout to pull a whole album of these arrangements.

I don’t want to gloat on this too much. I was just very disappointed hearing this album when it was played on a local bluegrass radio program in its entirety. If you go to the CMH website (https://www.cmhrecords.com/products/pickin-on-ccr-cd-mp3), you can decide for yourself.

Chew on it and comment

Categories
Acoustic Guitars

My Cirrus Guitar is Here!

Well, here she is! My new Cirrus guitar, and she is ALL MINE! It is the model CD Dreadnought, basically standard features except that I ordered it to have a slightly shorter 24.9-inch scale fretboard.

She sounds great to be sure, a heavy lower midrange that will cut through as a rhythm guitar during a bluegrass jam without being too boomy. The shorter scale seems to fit perfectly with my smaller hands, as I was playing “Wildwood Flower” without any fretting difficulty. The finish is the way that I like it – semi-gloss, so it’s not too shiny but not dull matte looking either.

It was so worth the 3+ month wait for it, as I know that it is truly my personal guitar, not one that I bought either used or off the rack at a store. I cannot wait to start taking her out for jams. I already have three people at my workplace asking me to bring it in so that they can try it out.

Mike Franks, the owner of Cirrus Guitars, has his shop here in suburban Detroit, so it was great that I could go directly and pick it up instead of waiting for shipment. I have talked about his shop in a previous blog (https://luegra.design.blog/2025/03/29/i-ordered-a-cirrus-guitar/), and he is a big bluegrass fan. He’s made guitars for the Grascals, the Rhonda Vincent Band, and a few other acts. He is also contracting with Gallagher Guitars in making some of their fretboards.

It is great to see a fantastic luthier here in my backyard, so to speak. I will definitely be promoting his work whenever and wherever I can. I plan on taking this guitar to the SPBGMA conference in January. Hopefully I can get some of the artists there to try it out and take an interest.

I’m keeping this one short, as I want to get back to playing my new love. Now I just need to give her a name (all of my other regularly played acoustics have names, all women that have meant a lot to me). I highly recommend you check out Cirrus Guitars at http://www.cirrusguitars.com/ .

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Musical Instruments

US-12 Yard Sale 2025/SEMBMA Picnic 2025/Misc.

This weekend was the US-12 Heritage Longest Yard Sale, so I took Friday off from work and did the drive. This year, I started driving west from Dearborn, but as expected, the set-ups really weren’t available until I reached Saline. I went as far as Allen, Michigan and turned around. Of course, I had to hit Randy’s BBQ in Brooklyn, MI for the famous Godzilla Sandwich (Google it!).

I didn’t get many bargains, as there was not a lot offered as far a music-related stuff. I got a gig bag and an empty Gibson hardshell acoustic guitar case, but the only real bargain (maybe) was a Dean electric bass.

I purchased it on the way back home and didn’t really look at it closely. For what I paid ($60.00), just about any cheap bass would be a decent buy. Once I got it home, I took a better look. The neck, body, and hardware are definitely a Dean model, but it looks like the pickguard and pickup were replaced with a generic setup, which doesn’t properly fit the body. I’ll most likely patch it up in places (like removing some stickers on the back of the body) and sell it off.

The Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association had its annual picnic and Hall of Honor ceremony Saturday. Not much to talk about here, only that we are still in need of young pickers to receive scholarships. Two current recipients showed up for the afternoon jam session, along with a few older members. I have never been much of a jamming enthusiast for myself, but I know how others enjoy it.

I received a nice email from my friend Sister Clare Marie of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word convent in Alabama (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/08/07/nuns-performing-bluegrass-and-diversity/). It seems that they are in need of some more material. Looks like I need to get finished with some of my incomplete bluegrass gospel songs.

This morning I got the new Billy Strings/Bryan Sutton live CD. I cannot wait to throw it on the player and give a review, which will come probably next week. Also, I got the call that my Cirrus guitar is finished, so I’ll be picking it up next weekend.

Short and sweet for this week, Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music Country Music

Flaco Jimenez/Jeannie Seely RIP

Two musical dignitaries from different genres passed away this wee. It is sad that we are losing those that kept roots music alive during the past decades.

Flaco Jimenez, who passed away on July 31 at the age of 86, was the ultimate in Tex-Mex accordion playing. He could adapt his sound to just about any form of roots music, be it country, alt-country, or even the blues. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he learned button accordion from his father, who learned it from his father, who learned it from German immigrants. He played in a number of local Tex-Mex bands during his teens and 20s, soon being noticed for his style by performers Ry Cooder and Doug Sahm. By the 1980s, he would become an in-demand session musician, recording with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Dwight Yoakam, and the Mavericks.

He would play with a number of Tex-Mex bands, his most famous being Los Super Seven with Sahm, Joe Ely and Freddy Fender. With Sahm and Fender he also formed the Texas Tornados. He won a total of six Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He also received the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

While I never got to see him perform, hearing his amazing accordion work on so many recordings that I hold dear, I can honestly say that his presence will truly be missed.

Jeannie Seely passed away August 1 in Hermitage, Tennessee at the age of 85. Her career as far as hit recordings spanned from the mid 1960s to about 1980, but she is best known for her reign as having the most appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. She was much more than a regular member on the show (her membership lasted 57 years) – she was a true matron, especially after the death of Minnie Pearl.

Born and raised in Titusville, Pennsylvania, she took a strong interest in country music at an early age, appearing on local radio and television in her teens. Once she graduated from high school, she work in a band briefly before moving to California to work as a secretary at Liberty Records. There she started writing songs for other artists. She soon moved to Nashville, signed to Monument Records, and had a hit with “Don’t Touch Me” in 1966.

After a number of solo hits, Seely teamed up with Jack Greene to record some hit duets, including “Wish I Didn’t Have to Miss You” from 1969 and “Lucky Ladies” from 1974. After a hiatus an automobile accident in 1977, she returned to performing, including an appearance in the Willie Nelson film Honeysuckle Rose. She also become the first female to host the Grand Ole Opry.

Seely’s recording schedule declined by the 1990s, with her last release coming in 2020 entitled American Classic. She would often host programs on the SiriusXM channel Willie’s Roadhouse. During her time at the Opry, she challenged many of the conservative standards by wearing contemporary clothing such as go-go boots and miniskirts. Her demeanor as wella s her music influenced many budding female artists such as Barbara Mandrell and Lorrie Morgan. She was married to country singer/songwriter Hank Cochran for 10 years, divorcing in 1979. During the Nashville flood of 2010, her home was destroyed along with almost all of her possessions. She soldiered on, and gained the moniker Miss Country Soul.

Again, a performer that I never saw live, but would listen to her on the Opry every Saturday night that I had a chance. She loved to motivate the audiences, and was singing from the heart until the end.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Jazz Music Rock Music

Ozzy/Hulkster/Chuck Mangione RIP

I will keep the first two brief, as the press and internet have been covering them abundantly, and I wanted to spend a little time on the third.

First, Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22 at the age of 76. He died just a few days after his final show with a reunion of Black Sabbath in Manchester UK. He had been battling Parkinson’s Disease, as well as having suffered a number of other ailments over the years. He was eccentric to say the least. He lived up to his nickname “Prince of Darkness” throughout his professional career. He was pretty much the ambassador of the heavy metal genre, and became a visual representation of the music when MTV was launched in the 1980s. His wife/manager Sharon help elevate his career even more through television appearances and working with his family on a reality show, The Osbournes. Add to that starting up the Ozzfest concert series, along with tons of other productions, Ozzy had his moniker on just about everything imaginable.

His passing will continue to have some controversy, as his death was not in either the US or UK, but in Sweden. All that I know is that “Paranoid” is still one of the greatest rock songs I have ever heard, and one of my go-to riffs when I pick up an electric guitar is the opening to “Crazy Train.”

Second, Hulk Hogan (born Terry Gene Bollea) passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. He was a larger than life character, bringing the world of professional wrestling entertainment to a level never before seen. Just seeing his massive muscular physique made one know that you should never mess with him. His extroverted image was just that, as he was a cordial and respectful gent when not showboating. He was a hero to so many kids in the 1980s and 90s, and could still draw a gigantic crowd of fans up until his passing just by showing up somewhere. The constant theatrical abuse throughout the years in the ring gave him tons of health issues, especially with his back and spine, which after a number of surgeries shortened his overall height by about four inches. His last major appearance was at the Republican National Convention in 2024, where he helped to nominate Donald Trump to the ticket, and motived the conventioneers with his performance just he had done with fans at the wresting arenas.

My wresting fan experience was from a generation before. My heroes were Bobo Brazil, The Mighty Igor, The Sheik, Pompero Firpo, and Dick the Bruiser. By the time the WWF/WWE/WCW came to own the cable television airwaves, I had lost much interest in the stuff. However, there was no denying that The Hulkster, along with his cohorts like Andre the Giant, Jake the Snake, and Randy “Macho Man” Savage brought professional wrestling to a level never seen before. Hulk Hogan was at the helm, and with his appearances in other television and movies, he was the reigning king of the sport.

Now, I wanted to talk about jazz musician Chuck Mangione, who passed away on July 22 at the age of 84. He was best known for his flugelhorn-laced crossover hit “Feels So Good” in 1978. His parents were jazz fanatics while he was growing up, taking him to jazz concerts and inviting many big players of the 1950s back to their house for an Italian dinner. From his experiences, he soon learned the trumpet and piano, along with his brother Gap, and they formed a jazz band in high school.

In the 1960s, he played with Art Blakey’s band, and with his own sextet. During that time, he began writing music, which caught the ear of Cannonball Adderley. He attended the Eastman School of Music, where he took an interest in the flugelhorn. He recorded a number of album during the 1960s and 70s (30 in all of his career), and won his first Grammy in 1977 for Best Instrumental Composition with “Bellavia.”

By 1978, his song “Feels So Good” gained giant recognition, reaching Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. His song “Give It All You Got” became the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, performing it live at the closing ceremonies. He also composed the soundtrack for the film The Children of Sanchez starring Anthony Quinn, which won him his second Grammy. He worked for many charities, including raising over $50,000 for the St. John’s Nursing Home in his hometown of Rochester, NY from his 60th birthday concert.

He also made a number of appearances on television, including Magnum P.I., and was not afraid to laugh at himself by appearing on the cartoon King of the Hill as a spokesperson for the Mega Lo Mart store. From that work, he wrote a song in 2000 entitled “Peggy Hill” for his Everything For Love album. He pretty much retired from the music business in 2015, around the time of the passing of his wife Rosemarie. He sold his music copyrights in 2024.

When I heard “Feels So Good” for the first time in my junior high school days, I was floored. Jazz to me was either the elementary stuff they forced on school bands, or the crazy compositions that had no continuity. It was cool, something that made you slowly rock your head back and forth. I am sure high schoolers and young adults found it to be a great make-out song (I was a bit too young for that at the time). But the song carried on in my heart for a long while. I bought a number of Mangione cassettes during my younger days (which have long since died), appreciating the music even though my musical expertise and performing interests were more rock and alternative. You knew that you could throw on a Mangione album for a relaxing few minutes. Even today, hearing “Feels So Good” puts me in a very good mood, and makes me reflect back to a time when my life was a lot more innocent.

Chuck, I hope that you are in Heaven playing your music on the trumpet that Gabriel has lent you.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Acoustic Guitars Musical Instruments

Signature Series Guitars: Are They Worth It?

Earlier this year, Martin Guitars released not one but TWO Billy Strings Signature Dreadnaught guitars, a D-28 and D-X2E. Both have the designs from and backing of Strings himself, and have many similar features while obviously differing in others.

Both guitars have a slightly shorter 25-inch scale, which Strings wanted instead of the 25.4 inch scale, basing it on Tony Rice’s Santa Cruz guitar, along with a 1.72-inch nut. The remaining features on the D-28 are based on Strings’ 1940 model that is his main instrument. This includes the rosewood back/sides, herringbone trim and bone nut/saddle. The D-X2E features a built-in pickup, soundhole string tuner, and high-pressure laminate back/sides. As expected, the prices are drastically different, with the D-28 going for about $3,799.00 and the D-X2E at about $899.00.

Signature series guitars have been around for decades, and Martin is not the only manufacturer to participate. Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, and others have produced numerous signature models. Martin has put out models name plated with artists such as Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Ed Sheeran, and Judy Collins among others. These are usually in limited edition amounts, and in many cases, become more valuable as the years go by.

However, are they worth it, just because they have a famous guitarist’s name on the label? That is highly debatable. In most cases, the features consist mostly of cosmetic differences. It seems to be a decision for purchase between a player (who will be sweating, picking, and grinding into the fretboard every day) and the collector (who will most likely never play it and just store it for investment purposes). But I highly doubt that getting one will make you play exactly like the artist.

In the case of the D-X2E model, the standard model goes for about $699.00 at various outlets, and an internet search shows them going for as little as $449.00 used. The $200.00 extra for the new Billy Strings model will include the shorter scale and the built-in tuner. Looking at prices for various used Martin X models, they tend to stay the same over the years, if not lowering a bit. I was fortunate enough years ago to sell my DXM model for the same price that I paid. Actually, I see that the DXM is going for more than I paid nowadays, but this could be that the model was still being made at the Nazareth, PA factory. Today’s X models are mostly being produced in Mexico. With Strings’ name on it, we can only wait to see if there will be any collector value on it. However, both Martin and Strings have stated that this is meant as a roadworthy guitar that will see a lot of picking.

As for the D-28, just about all models through the years have gained value, as long as they are well maintained. Prewar models can easily go for over $100,000.00, even if not in tip-top shape. A new model will go for about $3,000.00, give or take a few hundred dollars. The few features on the Strings’ model may not justify the nearly $3,800.00 price tag, but again, while a few players with money to burn may consider buying it, the majority of purchasers will be the collectors.

There’s no doubt that Strings has had an amazing impact on the guitar world, especially in the bluegrass field. I am sure that he has inspired hundreds of young people to pick up a guitar and start forming chords. I do see the D-X2E being a decent seller for Martin, and even the D-28 selling some to collectors. As much as I love and respect Strings, would I consider purchasing one of these models? Highly unlikely, unless I got an unbelievable bargain on one. My acoustic guitar arsenal is already packed. I have my treasured 1991 Martin D-28, the Sevillana 2208, and the Blueridge BR-OS that serve as my most-played models, along with a Blueridge BR-OM that has a pickup installed in case I do any solo performances. Add to that a few Yamaha and Jasmine acoustic guitars that I have gotten at garage sales and have fixed up to sell off. I also have the Cirrus dreadnaught that I am having specially built for me with a shorter scale, similar to these Strings models. So another acoustic guitar in the house is right now out of the question. But I won’t say no to anyone wanting to gift me one!

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Musical Instruments

The Music Link Closure: Are Tariffs to Blame?

The big news in the bluegrass instrument field this past week is the closing down of The Music Link Company (https://themusiclink.com/), producers of Recording King guitars and banjos along with Loar mandolins. While this news has not been covered in regular news, and not even much in the music industry news, it has been widely discussed on bluegrass-related chat groups and podcasts.

The company employees were handed their termination papers on July 7, with only a few office staff remaining to clean things up. One of those employees, Greg Rich, helped establish The Music Link in the US while working with instruments coming out of China through the AXL factory. He currently owns the trademark names of Recording King and Loar, and at this time, there is no word on if these brands will continue to be produced.

Recording King and Loar had proved to be quality instruments at generally affordable prices, especially for bluegrass jammers looking for something that can hold up better than beginner acoustic guitars, banjos, and mandolins. I have a Loar Honey Creek F-style mandolin I purchased about a year or so back (https://luegra.design.blog/2024/01/20/so-why-did-i-buy-another-mandolin/) that I totally love because of its warm bite when playing chords. I have played Recording King acoustic guitars and have been impressed for the price going, especially the Dirty 30s line. Basically, these brands were in direct competition with the Blueridge/Bristol guitars and Kentucky mandolins marketed in the US by Saga Music.

While the current tariff war going on between the US and other countries, particularly China, may seem like the main reason for this closing, Rich has stated that it was only the final straw, as poor management through the past decade is mostly to blame. And while tariffs can be to blame for the rising cost of guitars in recent times, it is hardly the main reason, as prices have been rising over the past few years and tariff laws have not fully gone into effect, if at all.

Over the past few years, plenty of brick-and-mortar music stores have closed down for good. Sam Ash is probably the most well-known of this dilemma, with hundreds of mom-and-pop independent stores also closing across the US. There are a lot of factors. During the COVID shutdown earlier in the decade, stores were forced to shutter by local health ordinances, while people being shut in their houses were looking for something to do. Thus, they ordered instruments from the internet, and companies like Wal-Mart and Amazon, as well as music-specific online companies like Sweetwater, flourished. Fender and Gibson soon got into the online-order business (that is how I purchased by Fender Meteora a few months back [https://luegra.design.blog/2025/06/07/the-fender-meteora-has-arrived/]) and have continued this sales process with success, even with the pandemic scare long over. Adding to that, a lot of those sales during COVID are probably being sold on Craigslist or at garage sales because now people are back outside and have lost interest in learning to play a guitar, so the used market is a bit saturated.

Bigger music stores like Guitar Center have had to revamp their sales strategies (https://luegra.design.blog/2025/03/16/guitar-center-times-they-are-a-changin/), and the only smaller music stores to continue tend to be ones that have a great reputation with customer service and repair history. Online companies like Glarry have risen their prices gradually even before the COVID pandemic. When I purchased the GT502 acoustic guitar about five years ago, it was $45.00. Today, the guitar sells for $90.00. All of the company’s products have gone up drastically over the past few years. When I purchased the guitar, the internet was filled with positive reviews of the Glarry products for the price. Now, I rarely see any mention of Glarry in any musical instrument chat groups.

So far, products from Saga Music have not seen too much of a rise in price since the end of the pandemic. That is not to say that they have not become more expensive. I have seen the price of Blueridge acoustic guitars nearly double in the past decade. For example, I purchased a Blueridge BR40 about eight years back new for around $225.00. Today I did a search online, and the cheapest price I could find was $399.00. The more expensive models have seen a similar jump in price. This is most likely why Saga brought in the Bristol brand to try and get the beginner customers.

As for the DIY kits that I have taken an interest in recently, there has been little change in price, although there have been a very slight increase. Moreover, I do not see the big discounts in brands like Glarry and Ktaxon instruments on Amazon that I saw about a year ago. Also, a recent search on Wish.com for “electric bass guitar” produced about one-fourth the results that were there a year ago, and prices jumped about 25%.

So will the tariffs have a big impact in the near future on foreign-made instruments in the near future? Only time will tell. I believe that there will For a feature interview with Rich, go to https://bluegrasstoday.com/greg-rich-talks-banjos-and-the-demise-of-the-music-link/.

Chew on it and comment.

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