Iris MS00 Acoustic Guitar with European Spruce and Flamed Maple

Case for Iris MS00 Acoustic Guitar with European Spruce and Flamed Maple

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With its honey colored flamed maple, pale spruce top, and bold firestripe pickguard, this Iris MS-00 has a charm that is hard to resist. For anyone drawn to the comfortable proportions and unpretentious beauty of a great small acoustic, it offers plenty to get excited about. Weighing just 3 pounds, 6 ounces, it is the sort of guitar you can easily imagine keeping within reach long after the evening’s practicing is done.

The MS-00 takes its initials from Mark Stutman, founder of Folkway Music and a respected authority on vintage Gibson acoustics. Developed through a close collaboration between Stutman and Iris, the model draws its inspiration from the Gibson L-00 guitars of the 1930s, with Mark’s extensive knowledge of those instruments helping inform the design. The first production example appeared at the 2022 Fretboard Summit. Its compact body, familiar curves, and true 24 3/4 inch scale carry that historical influence into an instrument built with Iris’s own construction approach and practical attention to the needs of today’s players.

This example pairs a European spruce soundboard with torrefied flamed maple back and sides, supported by scalloped Adirondack spruce braces. It is an enticing combination for players seeking a responsive small guitar with clear articulation and good separation between notes. Country blues, ragtime, traditional folk, and alternating bass fingerpicking are especially natural territory for this design. The short scale suits expressive bends and relaxed chord work, while the compact body makes it an appealing companion for songwriters and singers who spend long stretches working through arrangements. Players who move between bare fingers and a flatpick will also appreciate the balance of a relatively narrow nut and comfortable picking space at the bridge.

The wood gives this guitar much of its visual personality. Broad ribbons of flame ripple across the amber toned maple back, contrasting beautifully with the understated natural spruce face. Tortoise binding frames the body, while black, white, and black top purfling and a matching rosette provide crisp, traditional detail. The firestripe pickguard brings a lively sweep of gold and dark brown across the top, and satin nitrocellulose finish on the top, back, and sides gives the whole instrument a soft, inviting sheen.

A mahogany neck with a rounded C profile meets the body at the 14th fret, using a bolt on mortise and tenon joint. The 1 11/16 inch nut width keeps the fretting hand comfortably gathered, while 2 7/32 inch string spacing at the bridge leaves useful room for fingerwork. The Indian rosewood fingerboard features a 16 inch radius, blind fret slots, and small plastic dot markers. Its simple appearance is echoed by the Indian rosewood bar bridge, complete with slanted pin holes, a bone saddle, and off white plastic bridge pins.

At the solid headstock, the Iris flower logo stands out against the dark face, complemented by Golden Age relic brass tuning machines with off white buttons. A bone nut completes the traditional appointments, and a hard shell case is included. Beautifully figured yet refreshingly straightforward, this MS-00 is a compelling choice for the player who wants vintage character, comfortable dimensions, and a guitar that feels at home in the everyday business of making music.

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