What's in a Guitar Finish | Midwood Guitar StudioA group of butterflies is called a “kaleidoscope”, and given the amount of finishes available, that would be an appropriate term for a group of guitars as well. In a sense, guitarists can be classified based on their chromatic (pun intended) lean …

A Mythology of 12 Tones | Midwood Guitar StudioFrom an architectural standpoint, music is like a spiral staircase. The same intervals repeat, while each floor is a new octave. In the west, we divide each level into 12 separate tones that can be selectively combined to create different scales. Ass …

Three of My Favorite ChordsOn the guitar, all inversions are not created equal. Assuming standard tuning, there are certain groupings of notes that the instrument seems to like best. Some shapes make inspired use of open strings, some are exquisitely symmetrical. Some chords test the limits of ou …

A Love Song to the Piedmont Blues | Midwood Guitar StudioI first learned to “Piedmont” pick from the late, great John Cephas of the Richmond blues duo, Cephas & Wiggins. I had just turned 15, and my fledgling identity was intertwined with music. I gravitated towards anything that struck me as …

Dr. Z Amps - The Boutique Amplifier For all your tubular amplifier needs, Midwood is proud to offer Dr. Z Amps. As the son of a 1950s television repairman, Michael Zaite grew up surrounded by vacuum tubes. As a teen, he was a drummer in garage bands, and performed modifications on his bandm …

In the late 1800s, Kalamazoo, Michigan was a popular destination for wealthy Yankee farmers to send their sons to become leaders of industry. Born a New Yorker, Orville Gibson set up shop in Kalamazoo and acquired his first patent in 1894. Inspired by the subtleties of the violin, he recognized …