@audphile1 I saw a similar AI response when I Googled for information on the issue. That's what lead me to some postings on Discogs discussing the problems with the Boss Guitar reissue. As Gemini stated, the consensus seems to be that the 2015 OJC reissue is the better choice. I'm going to pick one up and check it out for myself.
PSA: Skip the Craft reissue of Wes Montgomery's 'Boss Guitar'
I'm a bit late to the party on this one, as this Craft reissue was released in 2025, but maybe this will help someone...
I love Wes Montgomery and own several of his albums, but I didn't own a copy of Boss Guitar. I picked up a new copy of the Craft reissue at my local record shop yesterday (mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed at RTI), cleaned it, and settled in for a listen last night - and boy, was I disappointed.
At first, my disappointment was due to the fact that I thought the power failure at our house the night before had possibly taken out the right channel of my integrated amplifier. I could hear almost no sound from the right channel while listening to the LP. I moved closer to the right speaker and could hear some sound, but it had a muffled quality. I was already picturing boxing up the amplifier and sending it off for repair.
But I put on another LP that I'm familiar with and was quickly relieved to find that my amplifier was just fine. So, was my copy of the LP defective?
I did a Google search and quickly found my answer: lots of comments on Discogs and other websites complained about the soundstage being significantly skewed to the left. It's not clear whether this is how this album was originally recorded or whether it's a rare mastering gaffe by Kevin Gray. Either way, the LP isn't enjoyable to listen to because it sounds as though almost all of the music is coming from the left channel.
Some Discogs commenters said the 2015 OJC reissue is also skewed slightly to the left, but nowhere near as badly as the 2025 Craft reissue. It really is a shame because the music, the performance, and RTI's pressing are all excellent.
I'm planning to return this LP to my local retailer (if they'll accept the return) or directly to Craft. This really is unacceptable for a nearly $40 LP.
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Skip the Craft reissue of Wes Montgomery’s ’Boss Guitar’
Artists, producers and engineers have always had very specific ideas about how they wanted to record and present their art. Artistic expression you could say. It doesn’t surprise me that some listeners have such a "dim" (as in the character in A Clockwork Orange) view. Its akin to putting a letterboxed movie on the TV that was filmed in a 1:33 or 2:35 aspect ratio and hitting the zoom button because it doesn’t fill the screen! |
@faustuss if the master tape is damaged there is nothing you can do. As to picking up a version that’s remixed to better balance the channels, why not…it’s a personal choice. Btw…I suspect Dim is short for Dimitri and it happens to be a smart play of words. Could be my own conspiracy theory though given the use of Russian language throughout the book and the movie. Great movie…but off topic. Lol |
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