Scott Baxendale's legacy of building custom instruments began in 1974, when he arrived in Winfield, Kansas to work for Stuart Mossman, owner and founder of Mossman Guitars. Scott joined Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee, In l978, where he specialized in the restoration of classic vintage instruments. Gruhn Guitars is one of the most well-known dealers in used, vintage and collectable instruments in the world. During this time he repaired or restored guitars for such professionals as Billy Gibbons, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jr., Steve Howe, Elvis Costello, John Hartford, Marty Stuart, Norman Blake, Roy Acuff and many others. While in Tennessee, Scott and the Gruhn Guitar repair staff were responsible for the care and maintenance of Roy Acuff's Grand Ole Opry Museum collection.
Scott fulfilled his dream and purchased Mossman Guitars, in l985, moving the company to Garland, Texas. He manufactured over 250 acoustic guitars, averaging five instruments per month, some of which are owned and played by Carl Perkins, Joe Walsh, Willie Nelson, Donovan, Greg Lake, Jorma Kaukonen, John Mellencamp, Chris Hillman, James Burton, Travis Tritt, Dave Alvin, B.J. Thomas and Ray Wylie Hubbard.
During this time, Scott's reputation for guitar building earned him a contract from the Hard Rock Cafe to construct two guitar bars for their Dallas restaurant. These 34-foot bars were conceived, designed and built by him to scale (a 10:1 ratio) to look like Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul guitars. Scott duplicated the same custom finish that would have been found on an original Strat or Les Paul, both bars being featured in Guitar Player Magazine. At that time Scott also became responsible for the care and restoration of all instruments in the Hard Rock Cafe's extensive collection. Some of the priceless guitars he either refurbished, repaired or maintained included Jimi Hendrix's black Gibson Flying V, Elvis Presley's sunburst Gibson Super 400, Buddy Holly's 57 Strat and Gibson J-45 acoustic, and John Lennon's Rickenbacker.
Scott was commissioned by Danny Davenport, a Warner Brothers executive, in 1988, to build a one-of-a-kind guitar for use in Travis Tritt's debut video for the song "Country Club." This guitar features an elaborate, abalone rose inlay displaying the Warner Brothers logo in the headstock. The vine inlay in the finger board is comprised of more than 120 pieces of abalone and mother-of-pearl, featuring Bugs Bunny in the fifth fret. The top of the instrument has a hand-painted pattern replicating tooled leather, with more Warner Brothers cartoon characters hidden throughout the design. The ivoroid pick guard has a scrimshawed rose and the heel is an elaborate carving with a cap made from a combination of abalone and mother-of-pearl. Also included with the guitar was a custom-made, mink-lined case. It is featured in the book "Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments" by George Gruhn and Walter Carter. The Warner Brothers Mossman Superlataive is currently part of a world-famous instrument collection and on display at The Museum Of Making Music in Carlsbad, Ca.
Scott opened the Colfax Guitar Shop in Denver, Colorado, In 1998, where he continued his long-standing tradition of building world-class, custom guitars and performing expert restorations. He attributes the quality of his instruments to his combination of using the best design features of pre-war Martin and Gibson guitars and his many years of restoration experience, enabling him to create a modern guitar having the sound quality unique to only the finest vintage guitars. To this he has applied his specialized technique in the carving of braces and the use of specific woods to create the tone his guitars are known for.
Scott's client list grew to include: Drive-by Truckers, Dave Barbe, Jason Isbell, Justin Townes Earle, Ryan Bingham, Mick Jones, Butch Walker, Jason Boesel, Browan Lolar, Phil Alvin, Tito and Tarantula, The Vines, Rilo Kiley, Zack Brown Band, Citizan Cope, Cracker, Johnny Depp, The Flobots, Steve Howe, Henry Rollins Band, Tito and Tarantula, Luther Dickenson, Joe Pug, Will Dailey. Tom Polce, Booker T Jones The Vines, Widespread Panic, Of Montreal, as well as many Mossman guitar owners.
Scott collaborated with world famous artist, Wes Freed, to build a one of a kind custom guitar for Mike Cooley, of the Drive-by Truckers. The entire construction of this guitar was filmed and turned into a music video for their song "Perfect Timing" from the album "Brighter Than Creations Dark". This guitar was also featured on Austin City Limits.
Scott sold the Colfax Guitar Shop in 2010. He relocated to Athens Ga. where he constructed a new world class custom guitar shop, Baxendale Guitar, designed to build and display his custom guitars for his ever growing clientele.
