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One for the Freaks - The Mosrite Thread

Three13

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May 7, 2011
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852
I have very little direct experience with these and only handled/played a handful at guitar shows and Sunset Strip vintage shops over the years. They are definitely cool looking and having grown up in Southern Ca, they've always seemed to be around. What other electric guitar do they most sound like?

It depends upon which era you get - the early '60s examples have Semie's hand wound copies of Carvin AP-6s in them, which to my ear have a glassy, hifi quality to them. The later ones are more like p90s with a lot of pop and bite.

I'll try and bring one with me the next time I come to dinner in Studio City - hopefully someone will have a decent amp and you can hear it in person.
 

Foggy72

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Jun 7, 2010
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What other electric guitar do they most sound like?

Erik Braun of Iron Butterfly played one when the band was at it's peak. Oddly their guitarist before him also played one.

You can hear the guitar playing arpeggios in the opening of My Mirage and then go to the chopped minor 7th chords. A cool guitar sound I think.

My Mirage

 
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mingus

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Apr 3, 2006
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It depends upon which era you get - the early '60s examples have Semie's hand wound copies of Carvin AP-6s in them, which to my ear have a glassy, hifi quality to them. The later ones are more like p90s with a lot of pop and bite.

I'll try and bring one with me the next time I come to dinner in Studio City - hopefully someone will have a decent amp and you can hear it in person.

I'm looking forward to it! I want to hear more about the coins too.
 

Three13

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May 7, 2011
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Here are a couple interesting early ones for y'all.

1961-62 Joe Maphis Prototype (this became the Ventures model - 5 known?):

IMG_1367_zps2713984f.jpg


1963 Joe Maphis Doubleneck (3 known?):

IMG_1365_zpsdd6a4a8a.jpg
 

jrgtr42

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Mar 24, 2005
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2,308
I definitely dig the weirdness factor with the Mosrites - but judging from the few examples I've gotten to try over the years, I can't play them.
Necks are too thin for my hands. Like the Ibanez Wizard neck, though a bit rounder, IRC.
(or should I say, the Wizards are like the Mosrite necks.)
 

Three13

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May 7, 2011
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852
I definitely dig the weirdness factor with the Mosrites - but judging from the few examples I've gotten to try over the years, I can't play them.
Necks are too thin for my hands. Like the Ibanez Wizard neck, though a bit rounder, IRC.
(or should I say, the Wizards are like the Mosrite necks.)

They're definitely small - I'm a fan of big necks as well, but I've found that shape is important too, and the ones he built by hand always have a super comfortable shape. It takes a little bit for me to acclimate to them, but after five or ten minutes I'm there.
 

j45

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Jun 14, 2002
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Well, I must be a freak because not only am I queer for Mosrites, the bound body '63 Vibramute to me is THE sexiest, most beautiful guitar ever made. The definitive "top carve". I would consider killing for one...(not really) I've owned only two mid 60's Ventures models, a Maphis I got in a trade in about '73, a 12 String Ventures, and the Ventures smaller model maybe a II? Don't recall but I'm sure there will be a day when I'll have another.
 

j45

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What other electric guitar do they most sound like?

John, of the major companies probably more Gretsch-like although Jazzmaster and Jaguar do a respectable Mosrite tone. Not a blues or rock machine by any stretch, surf music was the main genre but they can be fun when used with imagination to play anything IMO. The middle position was the big drawing card for me. Not a lot of harmonics, sparkle, flutey or spank tones in neck and bridge position and nothing there to compare to a Gibson or Fender. The middle position is how I always used mine. I've never played the earlier pickups but from late 64-65 on, the Mosrite sound was pretty uniform IMO. When people say necks are thin or skinny it's a major understatement. Not too far from playing a yardstick with strings but even though they are well beyond what we consider thin necks, I like the challenge of different ways they force me to play.
 

garywright

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Aug 17, 2002
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Erik Braun of Iron Butterfly played one when the band was at it's peak. Oddly their guitarist before him also played one.

You can hear the guitar playing arpeggios in the opening of My Mirage and then go to the chopped minor 7th chords. A cool guitar sound I think.

My Mirage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52VzGPojHZM

thanks, that song brought back some sweet memories :salude ...as a boy in the 60s I loved The Ventures and longed for a Mosrite ...never did own one but did play one unamplified and like Kerry mentioned it had a very skinny neck ...the tone on the My Mirage clip sounded great.
 

Hydra19

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Jan 7, 2015
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I just registered to let you know you're not the only one, I am a Ventures/ Mosrite freak and I have never heard of either of them 3 years ago.

I had a Fender Jaguar, Hallmark C60 and last christmas I decided to bite the bullet and got an original 1966 Mark-1. That thing sounds out of this world!

I bought 3 other Mosrites, the reissues and they're great too. I agree the top carve on the early models it the best body carve ever. I also love their sound and can almost pick it out on other people's songs. I think when I first heard the Ventures Live in Japan 1965 I loved it because it was the best guitar sound I had ever heard and I still feel like that. I'm not sure if I like the Ventures because they used Mosrites for a while or vice-versa but it is a match made in heaven! I have some Les Pauls but nothing compares to that 1966 Mk-1. It sounds just like magic coming out of the amp!

This thead is useless without pics? Ok, here they are:

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Hydra19

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I think they sound great for rock, not metal but put a distortion pedal on one, put the Ramones It's Alive and enjoy some dirty rock n roll! I love their sound, if you need it to sound cleaner and more like a Fender, simply turn the volume down until it cleans up. When you want that light fuzz, turn it back up!
 

SASouth

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Jul 24, 2001
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This thread is driving my massive GAS for a Mosrite Ventures Model right to the point of being almost unbearable. :##
 

Dave P

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Oct 13, 2001
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My bro and I have owned a couple, Steve found one recently at a pawnshop in Wyoming that someone did unspeakable things to. Someday I'll have to make a new body for it, all the german carve was sanded away.
 

Hydra19

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Jan 7, 2015
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That sounds terrible, the german carve is so beautiful. I also used to have GAS for Mosrites and eventually gave in. I must say it took me a while to get used to the frets, I think mine are fairy worn. I bought some frets to replace them but didn't want to lose the vintage vibe so I got the reissues which have slightly fuller necks and higher frets.

I tried everything to get the vintage one to feel better and last time I took out some more relief in the neck and raised the bridge height and it's playing great!

They're deceptive as you think your action is higher just because the frets are so much lower so if you measure with a ruler, my action is about 2mm on both sides, but I have no playability issues at all, even with bending, and I play a lot the Ventures on it. Sounds spot on!
 

SASouth

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Jul 24, 2001
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My limiting factor is the cost. The 60's originals are getting pretty expensive.
 

Hydra19

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that's true, I've seen them go anywhere from $2,500 to $6000 but I got lucky and got mine for a affordable price to me. It was worth it to me personally because I am a big Ventures fan and this was a piece of rock n roll history to me and will appreciate even more.

The reissues were a bit more than half of the vintage, and i have thought about selling them to get another vintage if I can find one at the same price but it's difficult.

Although the reissues and the vintage are different, when I plug in either of the reissues, the tone is Mosrite all the way - I have compared them, I guess the vintage sounds more vintage-y but I distinctly remember plugging in the both of the reissues for the first time to test it out and my ears told me: yep, it's a Mosrite.
 

Hydra19

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There 2 companies making reissues. One if Fillmore which is sort of more official and the other is Kurokumo. They sued each other in Japan and none have the rights to sell them outside of Japan as they cannot own the brand name internationally. It's a messy process that could still be ongoing. I have had both and both are Mosrite feeling and sounding, though slightly different from each other.
There are no dealers internationally so you can only get them from Japan, I have found mine used on Japanese websites like j-guitar. Good luck!
 

SASouth

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Jul 24, 2001
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Which ones are the ones that being sold by Ed Roman Guitars? Supposedly, there is a reissue that Dana Moseley is involved with somehow. Which is that one?
 
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