Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Does anyone here know much about Mosrite guitars, and this on in particular?

http://cgi.ebay.com/1970-Mosrite-Ventur ... 7C294%3A50

This guitar has ended up at a guitar store that I know the owner of and he has offered me a pretty good deal on it (although I realize it is still listed here).

When I went to read up on Mosrites the books I looked at said they stopped making these in 1968-69. This one is listed as a 1970. I know there were a lot of re-issues and copies too.

I am a big Ramones fan and Johnny Ramone played one of these, or one very much like it, that was white so I find it this one pretty interesting but I just don't know anything about Mosrite's.

I played it. It plays and sounds great.

What can you tell me?

Thanks!

Hi Dan,

Mosrites are great guitars, kind of like Pre-CBS Fenders, but built by an eccentric (or someone more eccentric than Leo Fender). The necks have a slim profile, narrow string spacing, tiny frets and a re a joy to play. The pickups are super-hot P-90esque monsters and the vibrato unit is silky smooth. The basses are pretty cool as well.

One of the greatest authorities on Mosrites is Tim of Tym's guitars in Brisbane. He has a huge amount of data on his website here: http://www.tymguitars.com.au/mosriteinfo.html

Semie Moseley was not as good at running a business as he was at designing guitars, so he went broke a few times. He lost the Mosrite trade name in '69 but got it back late '70, so the guitar in question could be a genuine '70. In any case the Ebay seller had it massively overpriced. The mark 1 Mosrites drop in value after the end of the Ventures period (in '68). The most valuable are '63 set neck models with body binding and side jack, then the 64 and 65 bolt-ons with truss-rod adjustment at the heel of the neck, then late '65 - '68 with truss rod adjustment at the top of the neck. Like Rickenbacker, Mosrite transition periods can result in certain "older" features popping up on "later" guitars. One issue with early '70s Mosrites is the hardware - I've seen quite a few Mark Is from this period with really cheap-and-nasty-tuners. There can also be some "odd" neck attachment arrangements - things like no neck plate or three neck screws rather than four. The turmoil of the period puts a bit of a question mark around quality control.

An early '70s Mosrite Mark 1 is probably worth around $2000-$2,500. If you are patient you can find a bargain every now and then. The recent resurfacing of the Japanese re-issues seems to have buoyed the market somewhat - Mosrite prices seem higher now than a year ago, unlike many other guitars.

Just remember Johny Ramones main Mosrite was a super-rare mark II Ventures that was only made for a year. The last one I saw on the market went for more than $5k.

That is a pretty damn cool Mosrite, but overpriced IMO. It's a bit past Semie Moseley's heyday (earlier sixties).

I dig on Mosrites, used to have a '65 Mark V but didn't like the short scale or build quality. Biscuti just got a Japanese Mosrite RI and apparently digs it.

From what I understand, the only Mosrites you would want to dig that kind of money into are earlier sixties Mk 1 Ventures models (with the black headstock and "Ventures" decal logo). The sidejack models even more so, but the decal is super important---most of the collectors market for Mosrites is in Japan, where the Ventures are/were as big as Elvis. No Ventures model==not worth it.

Also Mark II Models (Johnny Ramone models), but good luck finding an original, and they usually start at like $7K.

Of course, you shouldn't buy guitars strictly because they are collectible etc, but I wouldn't sink over $1500-$2000 into any Mosrite unless it was one of the more collectible models.....just in case.

collin wrote: Of course, you shouldn't buy guitars strictly because they are collectible etc

Can I quote you on that Collin?
(Out of context of course!!!!!)

BTW I hear the later Mosrites (Jonas Ridge era - 80s to '91 I think) are also excellent. Scary thing is that the top-of-the-range Japanese RIs sell for $1500+ second hand.

I've got an early '65 Ventures Mark 1 and it is a screamer of a guitar - and it set me back a lot less than the '70s item in question. The best value are actually the '68 non-ventures, as they are identical to the '67 (still a great guitar) in every way except for the decal, so they will (or is that should?) cost a whole lot less.

The '64 on ebay could well go to a mid/high-$3k offer - a way better buy IMHO. Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1964-Mosrit ... 7C294%3A50

BTW - how do you do those funky one-word links? That huge ebay string is so ugly....

I have a bit of a Mosrite collection. I pretty much agree with what's been stated above by Evan and Collin except that early Ventures I models don't necessarily have black headstocks -- they were standard on sunburst models, but not on most custom colors.

Here's a photo of my modest Ventures I collection, most of them acquired back in the day when they could be snagged for considerably less than today's prices:
The two on the top have black headstocks with the white Ventures/Mosrite decal. They all have the Mosely TP v. Vibramute.

I think they are great looking and playing guitars, though the neck/body joint on some can be considerably less solid than that of other premier bolt-on-neck makers (F***de*r).

Just a bit of personal recollection here...the very first Ventures album I ever bought/heard was The Ventures in Outer Space. I bought it for the cover, although more for the scene of the SFV from Mullholland, than the T-bucket rod (which I'd sat in and thought was a very dumb car).

I remember playing it on my friend Gus' parents' stereo back in late Spring '64, as we didn't have anything to play vinyl on back then. I was boggled by the snarly sound of the Mosrite pickups, which looked like P-90s, but were wound hotter. I knew nothing at the time about the earlier Ventures sound, which was Jazzmaster-based.

On the back cover of the album was a blurb for the Ventures fan club, on Highland Ave. in Hollywood, CA. Just below was another note that said something like, "the Ventures play Mosrite guitars exclusively", with an address for Mosrite that was next door to the Ventures Fan Club. I seem to recall that it was 1183/1185 N. Highland, though I could be wrong on this. Must've been a mail drop or something.

There was also a note saying that no tape/studio effects were used on the album--it was all them playing instruments, and I remember trying to figure out just how the heck they got some of those sounds. I still have this album (on CD) in the family car. Cool, Cold War, corny, and atmospheric.

Nice collection, Ron. Congrats!




BTW This thread is bad for my GAS ...

Jeeeeez Ron--Mosrites too!!

....website, man.....tellin ya.

Thanks guys for all of that good information. I'm learning a lot here.

Evan - that link was great, Ron - your collection rocks, and Collin - thanks for the pricing information.

I guess if it sells on eBay, then it sells; but if it doesn't, the dealer that has it in his store said he would sell it to me in the price range that you guys seem to think was more reasonable.

Does it look all original to you? Does it look like one that was made in 1969 - 1970. Is it missing anything. Does in look like a copy or a re-issue. Is the black color with the black matching headstock OK? Is it worth $2200 - $2300 range?

Sorry for all of the questions but that's one of the reasons why it's nice to belong to a group like ours here, to get help from people that know more about some things than you do.

Thanks again.

Black neck/headstock is fine with black body.

My concerns about this one are: serial # is given as begining with "V" (my ventures models don't have a "V" preceding the number) and that the finish looks so clean (in the photos). The serial number is stamped into the fretboard above the last fret by the body. I would ask the seller about a refin. Also beginning late 1965 Mosrites generally had date stamps in neck pocket, both on neck tenon and body pocket. I would want to see what's in the neck pocket before I shelled out money for this one. Also, like Fender custom color guitars after '62 or so, there should be a "paint stick" mark in the neck pocket where the wood shows as bare in the middle and sprayed on the sides.

EDIT: According to the site supplied by Evan, the serial # beginning with "V" would be correct for the post-Ventures split model in 1970.

Dan, if you PM me your regular email address, I can send you some photos of my black 66 Ventures model for comparison. It should have similar exterior features to the one you are looking at, except for the headstock and perhaps pickup and VB logos.

Here's a few pics:

On the pristine finish - my black '70s Mosrite bass has lots of dings but not the slightest bit of checking. The finish seems to be more resilient than that on my Ventures guitar - so it could well be original on the guitar you're looking at. Following Ron's hints would help confirm the originality.