Continuing in our quest to supply new, exciting, and classic brands to our offerings in the electric instrument world, Maple Leaf Music has added the legendary Orange amplifier line. Starting from humble beginnings as Cooper Technical Industries (CTI) in the mid ‘60s swinging London, Cliff Cooper made products like a small transistor headphone amp. In 1968 he branched out and opened Orange Recording Studios, the Orange Shop (selling mainly used amplifiers and other gear), and Orange Records in ’69. The early amps were made by Matt Mathias at his Radio Craft repair business as custom tube amps for the studio. Eventually these were brought out onto the shop floor for sale under the Orange/Matamp brand name. Cooper’s flair for marketing has always been among the most attention-grabbing in the industry, from his orange-colored storefront to his Orange beach buggies rolling around Londontown, to his Orange company crest. “Crests and coats of arms are very British, heraldic and expensive looking, everything I wanted our amps to be.” –Cliff Cooper.

The Orange amplifier name and sound has become synonymous with classic British crunch and gain. The current line covers every conceivable level of volume and budget necessary in the modern world. From the $99 Stereo Micro Crush to the Orange TH30 Combo up through the high-end Rockerverbs and Custom Shop amps there is something for every player. If you’re looking for a new amplifier head to compliment an existing setup, a new combo, or just an eye-catching cabinet; Orange’s offerings are well worth checking out.

First we have an instrument that we’ve dubbed the orange creamsicle. An all mahogany LP-style body with translucent orange finish, pearloid pickguard and headstock veneer, one bridge position Lollar P90 cream soapbar pickup, and Collings wraparound bridge add up to a guitar that we think is going to be REALLY hard to put down… or stop looking at for that matter. This head-turning 290S Custom Collings will undoubtedly be a slice of Americana with tone and simplicity to inspire for a lifetime.

The next guitar that will turn grown men into whining babies is a Collings 290 Custom. Also an all mahogany LP-style guitar, this one will have two Lollar P90 soapbars, a golden doghair finish, black pickguard, ebony headstock veneer, and Tone Pros bridge and tailpiece. Similar to an old Gibson LP Special, this guitar will have lots of dark horse bad attitude.

 Now, how do these instruments sound… well check out Mitch Watkins playing one below:

Beauty built by hand (Whetstone Guitars)

written by Becky Karush of The Brattleboro Reformer*

Have you ever walked into a music shop, say, Maple Leaf Music in Brattleboro, looked at the guitars hanging in long, self-possessed rows, and felt like you’d found heaven?

When you gather your courage and ask to play one of the gleaming instruments, you hold it in your lap first. You turn it over, look at the back, feel the wood’s subtle convex curve, lean close to see the miniscule inlay around the sides. You lightly touch the silver tuning pegs and the ebony bridge pins.  You know you’ve never held any object so beautiful before. Then you close your eyes and play.

At the Whetstone School of Lutherie on Birge Street in Brattleboro, director and teacher Scott Hausmann lifts up a guitar resting on one of the clean, well-lit workshop benches.  It’s a “Small Jumbo” design, patterned after a 1952 Gibson J-185. The heavy-gauge strings look kinetic and alert.  “This one, this is one of my favorites that I’ve made here,” he says. He pulls a pick from his pocket and strums a D chord. The bass string is tuned down to a D note, making the already enormous sound as rich as real hot chocolate.  He plays a few bars of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.”  The run of harmonics is almost too perfect and playful to be believed.  Scott smiles. “I do love this one,” he says. “But it’s headed up to Maple Leaf to be sold.  “He runs his hand down the neck before setting the guitar carefully back in its stand.

“The amazing thing is, in the entry-level workshop, students build guitars similar to this in 12 days.”  If possible, his quiet smile gets even wider. “I’m proud of this school, and what we’ve been able to do here for our students.”  Since 2010, novice and experienced luthiers have come from across the country – and one from Wales – to the Whetstone School of Lutherie to learn how to build guitars, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles. (“Lutherie,” from the French, means the manufacture of stringed instruments) In groups of three, occasionally four, the students work with Sitka spruce and mahogany, rosewood and herringbone. They learn how to use precision machinery to measure, cut and sand pieces of wood to impossible thinness and curve. They learn how to assemble the delicate yet powerful woods, and how to bind it all together to make an instrument they’re proud to play.  “It’s a real immersion into woodworking,” says Scott.  He sits at his simple desk in the workshop classroom tucked behind the Estey Organ buildings.

It’s a remarkably clean, orderly space. On shelves to his right are stacked bins labeled “Tuners, “Tape,” “Finishing,” “Bulbs,” “Spring Clamps,” and, more mysteriously, “LMI.”  Just beyond the classroom is the equally clean and calm machine room, where a jointer and planer and a mortise machine and a drill press and an oscillating spindle sander, and much more, sit like docile dragons.  “Not only that, guitars are a really archetypal object,” he continues, speaking with the same thoughtfulness, care and expertise revealed in his teaching and in his instruments. “People have a strong connection to what their guitar means about them. And they come with a lot of assumptions, and sometimes doubt, about their ability to do this work.  “During the eight-hour days of the course, Scott guides the students through both the woodworking skills they need to learn and the mental and emotional strengths they need to build up.

“The fact is, every student is going to make mistakes. This is hard work. The pace is intense. I am going to make mistakes as I build a guitar along with them, and I’ve been doing this for more than 35 years,” he says. “You have to learn how to learn from those mistakes, and one of the best ways is to pay attention to the experience, to how you react to the mistake. Eventually you ratchet back your expectations enough to relax and have fun “  He is quiet for a moment, until another smile resonates from his heart. “I have so much admiration for these students. They choose to spend their vacation doing this rewarding and rich and really challenging course – and in the end they get an amazing instrument that they built themselves.”  He shakes his head. “This teaching thing.” He assembles his well-turned thoughts, binds them together. “It’s the hardest and most satisfying work I’ve ever done.”

Scott had taught at various places before the Whetstone School in 2010, including Anderson Ranch Arts Center, The Center For Furniture Craftsmanship and The Putney School Summer Programs. But when he first moved into the Birge Street space in 2006, the idea for a school didn’t even exist.  “I’d been shopless for a couple of years back then,” he remembers.  “I needed a shop. This space came up, a big empty room, and I hired four guys and two trucks and we just moved over all my equipment and put it in a pile on the floor. I had no idea what would happen.  “Over the next couple of years, Scott pondered the possibilities.

He had a wealth of knowledge and experience crafted over decades, beginning with his instrument-building classes at Marlboro College in the early 1970s.  His time at Gurian Guitars, formerly located in Hinsdale, N.H., and Froggy Bottom Guitars in Chelsea, Vt., further honed his skills, as did his furniture-making business and his work as a product engineer.All of these strands come together in teaching students to build high-quality instruments. With the success of the school, Scott has a chance to pass on all that he’s learned about woodworking. He can use his engineering skills in precisely constructing an effective curriculum and workflow for a short timeframe. He helps create more beautiful instruments. He is doing purposeful, valuable work.  Beyond that, Scott has seen the school contribute to the Brattleboro area as a thriving small business.  “It’s gratifying to realize the impact that bringing students to town can have on the economy,” he says. “They come, they pay for lodging and food and entertainment.  The numbers really add up.

“He’s also formed a strong collaboration with Maple Leaf Music.  The two businesses promote each other’s work, and the shop exclusively carries the guitars Scott makes in class, under the Whetstone Guitars label. Maple Leaf owner Christian Glines and Scott even worked together to design a soprano ukulele.  Scott picks up a recently built soprano uke and holds it gently in his arms.  “This school is a great way to finish up my career,” he says.  “I’m delighted.  I am proud.  I’m here to the end.  “He strums a tune on the beautiful little instrument, jaunty and mellow in the way of ukuleles.  The music fills the room.  Eyes closed, he cannot help but grin.  To learn more about the Whetstone School of Lutherie, visit their website or call 802-579-1661.

*(c) 2012 Brattleboro Reformer. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup

To see all of the instruments we have in stock, click one of the buttons below:

Whetstone Guitars Whetstone Ukuleles

Maple Leaf Music Supports Vermont Luthiers

Maple Leaf Music takes pride in representing some of the finest stringed instruments to local, national and international players.   In the past six months, we have made great strides to develop and increase our selection of talented luthiers from the Green Mountains.  We now carry handmade acoustic guitars, mandolins and banjos all expertly crafted right here in Vermont by seven luthiers. Some of these names you’ll recognize as being well established and reputed while others are just breaking into the scene with their own line of instruments.  Either way, these instrument builders have been carefully vetted by our high selection standards and each one has something unique to offer.

Ampeg Reverbrocket

Ampeg amps, traditionally speaking are something that bass players talk about.  What is often overlooked is that Ampeg amps were also on the cutting edge of electric guitar amplifier design, introducing some concepts to the amp world that still stick today.  When most people look back on the golden era of amplification (the late 50′s through the 60′s) they immediately think Fender.  What some don’t realize though is that it was the Ampeg company that first introduced reverb to a guitar amplifier.  The early 60′s Reverberocket was the first amp to incorporate reverb and beat Fender by a couple years to the reverb market.

Ampeg amps have long been a staple in rock & roll.  From it humble beginnings in the mid 1940′s with their one product, an amplified peg or “Ampeg” for upright bass, they’ve been know as major innovators.  Their Portaflex bass amp from 1960 still remains a first choice in the studio for bass players.

Ampeg GVT5 – 110

Now fast forward about 50 years through amplifier history.  Past the Marshall driven 70′s, through the overly technical 80′s, the grunge of the 90′s and into the new millennium.  It is at this point that the tube amp world has branched into two basic directions: either the simplicity side or the bells and whistles approach.  Simplicity implies minimal knobs, tubes and switches.  Bells and whistles are just the opposite.  Ampeg remained true to the simplicity approach when they began designing and building their GVT series guitar amplifiers.  The current GVT line of guitar amps reflects years of listening to circuits as well as to what guitarists want.  These amps represent a great, versatile, responsive tone at every volume with a straightforward, modern design.  They feature all tube circuitry, simple and effective EQ sections, generally one, in some cases two channels, and a signature, lush reverb.

At Maple Leaf we’ve ordered both the hand blown crystal slides and the hand cut and shaped bottleneck slides.

Diamond ‘Ultimate’ Crystal Slides – $38

Assorted Jewel Tone Hues and Shapes

Presenting the ‘Ultimate’ – our range of hand-blown lead crystal glass guitar slides. The ‘Ultimate’ slides are loved by those who seek rich tones that come from these individually crafted guitar slides. These slides are totally seamless with perfectly smooth sidewalls and available in a variety of wall thicknesses (4mm up to 7mm) & color options. These beautiful jewel toned guitar slides are all tailored to meet your personal specifications, therefore we are able to offer any internal diameter, slide length & wall thicknesses required.

Diamond Bottleneck Slides

The banjos from Pisgah Banjo Company are handcrafted in Fairview Valley, North Carolina with native Appalachian hardwoods including cherry, walnut and maple pots. The necks are constructed using persimmon wood and are appointed with lovely headstock inlays with contrasting woods. Patrick Heavner, master luthier at Pisgah Banjo Co and a native of North Carolina has been building banjos for six years. He harbors a deep respect for the history and culture of Appalachia and has worked with renowned craftsmen in Boone and Brasstown. Heavner combines a building approach that draws from the traditionalism and innovative spirit of the the mountain culture when constructing these banjos. Folk quilting patterns turn up in his lovely, understated headstock inlays of contrasting woods.

Topher Stephens, another luthier at Pisgah Banjo Company, grew up steeped in the musical cultures born from Appalachia. He’s been attending old-time festivals since two years old and has been a player since a child. His keen understanding of the musics, sound, and picking styles has lead to the creation of an instrument that delivers a true old time sound while also being gorgeous, fun to play, and resonant. Topher reveles in his professional life since his passion is to create instruments that capture the traditions while flourishing in the contemporary culture.

Maple Leaf Music is impressed with attention to detail in the construction of these banjos. For a price point under $1300, these banjos knock it out of the park. Point to point details and immaculate joinery are the foundation for these toneful banjos.

View Pisgah Banjos

Sign Up For the Workshop

Well-known Blues musician and songwriter Scott Ainslie will be at Maple Leaf Music in Brattleboro, VT on Saturday, December 1st presenting a workshop on slides, resonators and the music of Robert Johnson.

“Everybody I know who plays or tries to play slide guitar has a drawer full of old slides that they’ve cast aside as they find one they like better,” Ainslie says. “This workshop will narrow the field of candidates, save you some trouble, time, and money, and equip you with the basic playing and muting techniques necessary to control the slide.”

Ainslie’s been playing slide since 1972, playing resonator guitars since 1979, and brings a wealth of playing and teaching experience to the shop.  Author of “Robert Johnson/At The Crossroads” and the video instructor on Hal Leonard’s “Robert Johnson’s Guitar Techniques” DVD, Ainslie will be demonstrating the slide techniques using Johnson’s music. The workshop will begin at 1:00, have a brief break and then continue till 3:00.

Admission to the workshop is free but space is limited, so make sure to sign up in advance by clicking the button above.

“We’re grateful the Maple Leaf Music is here and this workshop is my way of celebrating the new owners’ investment in our musical community,” Ainslie says. “It’s not a house-warming, exactly, but it’s a ‘business-warming,’ for sure.”

Fall is here and that means you’re just beginning to heat your living environment. Whether you heat with wood, forced hot air, electric, or radiant, the truth is the humidity in the air is dropping.  If you have a solid wood instrument (top or back & sides – mandolin, acoustic/electric guitar, ukulele, etc), then now’s the time to start humidifying.  We always recommend buying a hydrometer since it’s the easiest way keep an eye on the actual humidity levels in any environment.  We do keep the Oasis hydrometers in stock, so if you keep your instrument in the case or out in the open room, it’s easy to monitor your humidity in real time.  They are priced at $32.95. The key with humidity control is keeping the levels as even as possible, ideally at 40-45%. You can damage an instrument with too little or too much humidity which isn’t common knowledge.

For humidifiers, current favorite is the Oasis because it distributes an equal amount of humidity on a daily basis. They are reasonably priced at $19.95 each.  For a high end instrument that is lightly built, we suggest using two, one at the peg head and one in the sound hole.  Keep in mind that many of the warranties are null and void if you don’t practice safe humidifying.  If you’d like to purchase one of these handy little tools, stop into the shop or drop us a line with “Humidifiers” in the subject.

Sign Up For the Workshop

Effects pedals, indispensable to some, downright scary to others have become an addictive aspect of music making for many modern guitar players. The flexibility and constant idea inspiration that pedals are capable of creating can breathe new life into any musician’s creativity. With this in mind Maple Leaf has bought into the trend by stocking some new manufacturers (see links below). Just as the boutique guitar market has luthiers artistically creating new and exciting models to push the envelope of what’s possible; the effects pedal world has really been flooded by creative engineers looking to expand the palette of what we think of as guitar tone.

Longtime Maple Leaf employee, multi-instrumentalist, soundman, teacher and stombox addict Aaron Chesley will be leading a clinic on Saturday, October 27th, 2012 from 1-3pm to explore some possibilities and answer your burning questions about tone, signal chain, and how to get the most from those potentially confusing little boxes. Aaron will have his personal road-tested pedal board on hand to show how he approaches particular real-world musical scenarios. Please bring questions or share them in your signup email as Aaron really wants this content to be player determined by you. If you’ve ever asked yourself “how did so and so get that sound?” this may be a good event for you to attend. Please send an email with the subject “effects clinic” on our contact page to sign up for this free clinic.

Featured Effects Pedals

Zvex                                                      Malekko                                                                 Empress