A division of Circle Strings in Burlington, Vermont, Iris Guitar Company is a small team of highly-skilled and seasoned luthiers who are dedicated to building a modern instrument that captures vintage-inspired tone and aesthetics. Iris guitars are handmade using a combination of state of the art techniques and old-world craftsmanship.
The MS-00 was designed with mid-'30s small-body guitars in mind. It has a 14-fret body with slope shoulders and a short scale (24-3/4"). The MS-00 was developed on the insistence of Mark Stutman of Folkway Music, for whom it’s named. Mark is a talented luthier who is considered an expert on vintage Gibson guitars, which show a clear influence on this model.
This MS-00 (serial #642) was made in 2021, and it features the standard specs—Natural Finish with Tortoise binding and a Tortoise pickguard. It features hand-scalloped Adirondack Braces, a Sitka Spruce Top, and Mahogany back and sides. Although it's just the standard Sitka top, this one shows some bear claw and interesting figure—a testament to the quality of woods Iris uses, even at the standard level. This slope-shoulder axe produces lively, small-body tone with impressive balance. It has a 1-11/16" nut width, and the string spacing is 2-7/32" at the bridge.
This 2021 Iris MS-00 has been played, so it shows some cosmetic signs of and use. There is a small ding on the top along the binding right by the bass edge of the fingerboard, and it shows some general play wear in the picking area. As is typical, the thin satin finish has gotten shiny from touch on the back of the neck and on the lower bout, where your arm rest across. There is a Waverly strap button installed on the neck heel, and it has a K&K Pure Mini pickup under the hood. It includes its original TKL hardshell case.
Dimensions:
- Depth: 3-5/8” - 4-3/4”
- Body Length: 19-3/8”
- Total Length: 40"
- Upper bout: 10-3/16”
- Lower bout: 14-3/4”
- Waist: 10-1/2”
Specs:
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Back & Sides: Mahogany
- Braces: Scalloped Adirondack Spruce
- Neck Joint: Bolt on Tortoise & Tenon
- Nut: Bone, 1-11/16" Spacing
- Saddle: Bone, 2-7/32" Spacing
- Scale Length: 24-3/4"
- Fingerboard & bridge: Indian Rosewood
- Top Binding: Ivoroid w/ Black/White/Black purfling
- Back Binding: Ivoroid
- Pickguard: Ivoroid
- Finish: Natural Nitrocellulose Satin
- Tuning Machines: Golden Age Relic Brass w/ off-white buttons
- Case: Hardshell by TKL