Mosrite Guitars: A Short History
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- Опубліковано 15 бер 2023
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I need to thank long time friend of five watt, Bill Sanderson for staying on me about making this one. What a cool story! Thanks Bill!
One design feature not mentioned and which differentiates Mosrite from Fender and Gibson was the use of a Zero fret.
I hung around a guitar store in the late 60’s that carried Mosrite. To this day, I remember the odd, fretless feel of the flat frets. I’m curious as to what the point of that feature was.
@@joestarr4392 , by "flat frets" did you mean "bar frets" that are flat on top, not rounded or crowned; or did you mean that the fingerboard was flat, like on a classical guitar, and not curved or radiused?
@@goodun2974 Flat frets, not rounded or crowned but also not as tall as typical frets, seemed fretless is the best way I can describe it. I cut my teeth on the Ventures, I enjoyed Five Watts’ retrospective. I remember seeing the first Fender P-bass in person (when the Ventures initially played Fenders) at a local music store - most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
@@goodun2974 They _are_ "bar frets" and "flat frets," but I took the time to measure those on my 1966 model: 0.022" Inches on the Low E side, tapering to 0.015" on the High E side. They taper nearly to nothing on the edges, since mine has no neck binding.
@@goodun2974 Mosrite guitars had a gentle radius to the fretboard. The bound fretboard edge was shaped with a comfortable "roll" to it. Unlike the backs of some older Fender & older Gibson necks, which could have a "clubby" feel that would fill-out your palm, the back of Mosrite necks were a lot less massive, & a bit flatter, yet comfortably contoured, with a feel very similar to the Swedish Hagstrom electrics. The Mosrite frets were finished with a rather low profile, much like the "Fretless Wonder" standard issue frets on the Gibson Les Paul Custom model. The Mosrite guitar's "Zero" fret, shallower neck back, and low profile frets, were all legitimate attribute options in electric guitar design to achieving a "lower action", "faster playing" guitar model, which electric guitars were more & more becoming known for offering. Which of these attribute choices have been most popular, has varied with personal players' preferences, style of music being played, and even in which geographic region where these instruments have been made or sold.
Nice to see something *not* Fender/Gibson! Please, do more histories of oddball guitar companies!
Hallmark Guitars have done a great job carrying on with a lot of these shapes and sounds.
Amazing guitars!
@@elevenAD I have and have had a couple custom 60's and they rule.
Thanks you Mr. Shade!
Don't forget Larry Collins of the Collins Kids. He was a Joe Maphis protégé who also played a double neck Mosrite. That kid had an amazingly energetic stage presence.
they were great, and Larry was rockin as good as his contemporaries, like Chuck Berry.
This is a great video but the omission of Larry Collins is GLARING!
@@harrypalmer3481 Agreed, I never thought much of these guitars, as far as looks, but Larry made them cooler than anyone else did.
The boy could play too!
I am SO looking forward to this. A dear friend of our family's was a professional musician and knew Semie Moseley personally. Mr. Moseley gave him an all-white, custom Mosrite Gospel which he still has... I covet that guitar.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's Mosrite...especially a Gospel.
@@jltrem Amen - that can cause troubles. And well said, since Semie Moseley was Christian. His first guitar neck he made has a cross inlaid in the headstock, he was funded early on by Reverend Boatright, Semie released at least one Gospel record, and his headstone even says "Jesus is the sweetest name I know." It looks like he thought of Christianity a lot.
@@101Volts Well, I'm a hypocrite. I had a college roommate who had a Mosrite. The only guitar I owned at the time was back at my parent's house. I coveted his Mosrite. Forgive me, Semie, for I have sinned.
@@jltrem , Semie Moseley was also a businessman ---- and the entire purpose of Capitalism is to make you covet stuff.
@@jltrem Not sure how much is un-right coveting if one thinks "I'd like to have that" and immediately thinks "No, I'll not do that, yes, I am controlling myself" and actually does it, then goes and buys a different Mosrite.
Another fun history, Keith. I'm in a "classic" punk cover band that does a set of Ramones and I bought a Japanese Fillmore "Johnny Ramone Forever" tribute model to fill that visual requirement. Very light and resonant, blue sparkle with white pearliod pickguard and gold hardware. Supposedly it was Johnny's last collaboration on a guitar design before he passed in the mid-2000s. A gentle correction: "Spanish Castle Magic" appears on "Axis: Bold as Love" not "Electric Ladyland." Thanks again for all you do putting these histories together!
Dude that is probably a beautiful guitar. Enjoy it, friend.
Mosrite / Nokie Edwards developed his own brand of Mosrite style guitar. You can look it up it's called the HitchHiker guitar. Nokie designed and patented his own style bridge. I was introduced to Nokie around 2006 by a friend of his, Danny Sneed a pedal steel guitar player. I made some knee levers for Danny. Danny absolutely loved them. Danny told Nokie I had a machine shop and I could build anything. Nokie asked if I could build the bridges, I asked if he had the blue prints he said yes but didn't know where they were so I asked for a sample. He brought me one. I reversed engineered it and built 10 for him. He loved them. I built them for about 6 years. in 2013 Nokie was not happy with the people building his guitars and asked if I could build the the guitars. As the owner of a machine shop with CNC machinery I started making the Hitchhiker guitars.
I always delivered the new guitars to Nokie in Yuma AZ. He would always test them before sending them to his customers. I last time I saw Nokie was December 15th 2017, Nokie fell at home on Christmas day. He ended up in the Hospital. Nokie passed on March 12, 2018. I made a few more guitars after his passing. During Covid I put the guitar building on hold. I will begin building them again for his widow Judy Edwards in the next month or so. Nokie's Guitars are still built one at a time. I make everything except the pots, switches, pickups and the tuners. In New River, AZ.
What an incredible story! I still remember my guitar teacher thinking it was kind of cool to wanted to learn 'Walk dont run' instead of the usual 80's and 90's, rock stuff. Nokie is an amazing guitar slinger in my book!
Is this idea of making more 'Hitchhiker' guitars still going to happen?
Yes I am in the process of making a few tribute guitars.@@hoffersmusic815
@@hoffersmusic815 yes
This is probably the brand I know the least about. So happy you did this episode.
The Bakersfield Guitars book and Tymguitars blog are probably the best resources and have great pictures. Mosrite was the best of an ecosystem of intertwined upstart guitar companies like Hallmark and Gruggett that sprung up in Bakersfield to challenge Fender in Corona. The modern Hallmark makes the most accurate and best modern Mosrite designs.
There's a Mosrite Forum with a good backlog of info, and various FB groups.
@@RaymondGinn1978 Yep.
@@RaymondGinn1978 Kay is probably one. They were one of the 3 companies supplying Sears with guitars in the 60s, but they seem to be the most ignored out of the 3 (Danelectro, Harmony, and Kay.) A fair number of their cheaper models from then are still very cheap today, and they're a bit unique sounding, but it might take some time to dial in their unique character to good use.
@@RaymondGinn1978 Because it's relevant to your reply, that's all. I guessed that Kay were one that isn't widely known. EDIT: Raymond seriously doesn't get it, does he? How he managed to blow off my point as though it's nothing, when this is relevant to the discussion, I may never know.
GREAT video!!!!! I live in Bakersfield Ca. My great aunt was married to Bill Gruggett, the chief luthier at Mosrite (he worked for Hallmark as well, later forming his own company.) Semi Mosley was the best man at their wedding. My best friend currently lives in the home that once served as the Mosrite office. The shed where the pickups were hand wound is still in the backyard. The home is now owned by the owner of Front Porch Music. A local vintage guitar shop who also happens to own the worlds largest collection of Mosrites. All on display at the shop. And as the many signs around the shop state, all “NOT for sale”!
I love the look of all these guys Hypes! There are some really beautiful ones🔥🔥🔥
I've always wondered this if you don't mind me asking: why do you call Keith "Hypes"?
We call each other that because we both talked so fast back when we met…1988.
@@fivewattworld Thanks for answering Keith, makes as much sense as the origin of any nickname haha. Keep on rocking in the free world, brother.
Thank you for highlighting Leroy "Sugar foot" Bonner as a prominent Mosright player. I've always felt that he was overlooked by Mosright historians and the company.
Another great history, Keith! I’m so glad to see Ricky Wilson mentioned.
Ricky's something else, with his thick strings and weird tunings and use of unusual guitars. Although he did use Fenders a bit, the first 2 B-52s albums are mostly on either a Mosrite (he had at least 4 of them,) an Epiphone Wilshire, or (1 track) on a Silvertone 1448 made by Danelectro. He's why I got into Mosrites in the first place, with the photo of his 1966 Mark V on the back of the first B-52s album.
@@101Volts I stared at that guitar on the back of that album for hours at a time when I was 11. Got it for my birthday in 1980. The sound was magical. I loved the Ventures at the time, too, but the B-52’s were music for “me.” Enjoy your Mosrite(s)!
The B52's guitar player used a guitar model that sponsored surf rock legends "The Ventures"? Unbelievable!! just kidding, it's obvious if you think about it.
Superb video! Thanks again for letting me be a part of it. I didn’t get to play a real Mosrite guitar until later in life, when I subbed on a Venturesmania gig with Deke Dickerson. He was the one that told me about Bob Shades’s Hallmark Guitars as an affordable , well-made alternative. Later I got to play all the Eastwood models , which are also great. Glad to see other companies like Dunable and Marvin paying homage to the Mosrite vibe.
Also wanted to add Tobias Hoffman is my favorite guitar demo guy on UA-cam- total Bill Frisell vibes on that clip!
Always great to have your musical self as a part of the video RJ.
Damn! Five Watt World, R.J., Eastwood Guitars, Mosrites and Fuzzrites all in the same video.
🤘🏼💥🖤
Nice video! The Mosrite Fuzzrite was used by Danny Weis during his stint in iron butterfly in 1967-68 when he recorded the heavy album with the band. He also had a sunburst Mosrite ventures model but ended up leaving iron butterfly due to personal reasons and the band ended up hiring a 16-year-old kid named Erik Brann who apparently saw the band perform and wanted to join. After Erik joined iron Butterfly Danny ended up selling Erik his stage clothes and his Mosrite ventures guitar, fuzzrite pedal, and a Vox super Beatle solid state 100w head and cab together. Erik would use the Ventures guitar and Fuzzrite pedal which had germanium transistors to record the psychedelic anthem In a Gadda Da vida and him and bassist Lee Dorman had matching Mosrite guitars and basses. Some of them being in sunburst,red,white,blue etc.
3-22-2023 @Joshua Braasch Thanks for that informative and interesting history.
I first saw the E. Brann version in a Van Nuys Community Center dance, circa 1968 or so. A band called The Electric Chair opened for I.B. Also saw I.B. at the Shrine hall open floor seating. Erik walked right passed me heading to the stage. Cool times back then ☺
I recently got a Ventures record and played non stop for a couple weeks. So yes I'm looking forward to this 🙂
Thanks for including the Fuzzrite in the history. The Ventures Mosrite amps were built by a young Howard Alexander Dumble, another Bakersfield native. Also, It's SugarFOOT, not sugarcoat, great guitar player!
I'm surprised that you didn't mention anything about one of the most peculiar features of Mosrites - that being the zero fret/nut. I used to own a 60's ventures model and always thought this feature contributed to the unique sound as much as the fat pickups!
In the 70's I had a cherry red Mosrite Celebrity.
A couple of things:
-The earliest Mosrite guitars used aftermarket pickups, most notably Carvin AP-6’s.
-The Ventures II was eventually rebranded the Mark V after the redesign from a slab body and the change to the Moseley vibrato and addition of pickup rings.
-Mosrite pickups used industrial AlNiCo 5 segmented bar magnets and unusual materials, including frames instead of traditional bobbins. The reason the student model pickups didn’t have pole pieces was because the magnets were arranged as double rails.
-The original Ventures II Slab pickups are thinner than the Mark I’s and have a slightly lower output than the Mark I pickups due to less room for the coil. The later Ventures II and Mark V’s have the same basic pickup design but with the same dimensions as the Mark I, though their output is slightly lower than the slab pickups.
-Gospel was a brand used for instruments sold to religious organizations, not a model. They are mostly standard Mosrites with a few deluxe features. Kurt Cobain’s Gospel was a Mark V with Japanese tuners and no neckplate.
Also, the Slab Ventures II's Pickups are thinner _for the outer casing,_ but they seem to be the same design as the Mark V pickup on the inside (with differing lengths of wire.)
Comparing pictures of the Ventures II Slab Pickups on the inside to my Ventures II Carved / Mark V Pickups, the MK V style really does appear to just be the same exact pickup design as the Slab, just with more empty space in the casing for the MK V style, which was made in the same size as the Ventures pickups.
The Slab era of them also seems to be a mixed bag of output ratings. Some have more wire, some don't, so you're half right about that. It seems like later ones have pups in the 6k to 8k range, but earlier ones are closer to 8k and 11k. I don't have many examples of this, though.
Here's an anomaly, though: I was browing a Mosrite FB Group, and I saw one Slab with an 11k Neck Pickup and a 7k Bridge Pickup. _Maybe_ a previous owner switched the positions mistakenly, but I had the impression that Mosrite would use something like a 10k to 12k bridge pup, and an 8k to 10k neck pup. Maybe my impression's off.
@@101Volts There’s some variability and inconsistency. Also, DCR does not necessarily correlate to output, though pretty much all of the Mosrite single coils are high output. The Mark I’s are generally 12K-14K, though some are over 15K. The slab Ventures II’s are usually around 12K and the standard Ventures II/Mark V pickups are around 10K, including mine. Not sure about the humbuckers in the 70’s Mosrites but I’ve read that they’re unremarkable and comparable to Gibson Mini-Humbuckers.
By empty space, do you just mean the filled area around the coil? There’s not really empty space in those student pickups. They have a rudimentary frame made from two pieces of plastic and a pine shim. Two segmented bar magnets would be glued to the pine, then wrapped in medical tape. The coil would then be wound practically around those two magnets, then after everything was stuffed into the cover, any empty space would be filled with epoxy foam or dental putty or both. It’s basically the same parts as the Mark I’s minus the screws and nuts and in a different configuration. Regardless, that foam or putty does absolutely nothing when it comes to preventing microphonics.
@@101Volts The other weird thing is how comparably high output Semie’s pickups are to those early models with the Carvin pickups. I think the AP-6 is usually around 3K.
@@MrDpool1 Yes, I do mean there's a fair bit of space between the end of the coil and the casing on the MK V pups. Or at least, that's the case for my 2012 Ed Elliott Pups in Mosrite Casing. Ed worked at Mosrite in the 1970s, and he still makes guitars much like Mosrite's models.
@@101Volts Huh. If some were made like that, it would explain this thing I read about Johnny Ramone using a Strat and Mark I on the first two Ramones albums because he couldn’t get his Ventures II to stop squealing. Mine were custom made by Bob Shade per the original design with the original magnets. I don’t think I could see inside them without destroying them. The backs are just brackets, putty, and rock hard foam. Bob makes the modern Hallmarks just like the originals except he wax pots the coils and uses standard bar magnets since the segmented ones are now hard to source and have a negligible affect on the tone.
Thanks Keith. Awesome history video once again. I grew up idolizing Nokie Edwards and The Ventures. So much, found an original late 60's Ibanez copy of the Sunburst Mark IV model through the window of a small guitar shop back when I was in High School, in the late 80's, thought I found a diamond in the rough, until I found out it was a Ibanez. Still consider the find a diamond in the rough over all. My Dad played his 1967 Blue Celebrity I model through all his years with local bands. I still own his guitar and cherish it, I refused to let him sell it to anyone that asked. In all, it was great to see a video and a shout out to a very forgotten guitar model and brand. They were always a overlooked Brand in my opinion for way too many years.
This has to be the best guitar history series on UA-cam. I love getting a stylized road trip through American guitardom! Great job Keith!
I knew Nokie Edwards who helped make the Mosrite famous. He was a great guy.
Great video, as always. I’m the original owner of a 1968 sunburst combo Mark I Mosrite. I’ve kept it for 56 years. It’s a fine guitar with a wonderful history. Glen Campbell played one almost identical to mine live on tv. Mine has a white strip around the body. Glen’s was plain. Thanks for your work on this fascinating history.
I bought a 1965 Venture II model when I was in San Diego in the Navy. My twin Brother and I had been playing guitar and took lessons. "Walk Don't Run" was one of the first songs we played. I still have the guitar and it plays incredible. I have many other guitars, including a pedal steel, but the Mosrite has a special place in my heart.
Which Ventures II version? There are a few. Which type of body does it have? One without a German Carve (the earliest type,) or one with a German Carve? (This is the later type that was re-named "The Ventures Mark V model," so you can check that.)
If you have the earlier one, it's a much more valued guitar than the 2nd one.
There should be a Serial number stamped into the fretboard, near the neck pickup. That's another way of figuring it out; if it's over B150 and under B700, it should be the later version.
That's awesome, they're such beautiful guitars, and that sound the Ramones were famous for was the work of Johnny, and his mosrite guitars, such beautiful guitars, and their sound is great. I'm a professional drummer, I play death metal and doom metal, but I like lots of rock, and all types of metal, if I was a guitar player, this is the guitar I'd play, I've always wanted to hear them playing metal, and the Ramones were as close to that as any other band their sound was like a buzzing chainsaw.
@@101Volts I have a Ventures model 2 serial B176. I love it.
Ironically, before I watched your video, I saw a video from 1959 featuring a very young Larry Collins. There is no Mt Everest when discovering music - it's never conquered. I'm 58 years old and never heard of Larry Collins. I was floored. His dance moves were stunning for that time. But the double neck Mosrite with his name in the fretboard - just wow. I remember seeing all kinds of electric guitars in pawn shops in Marietta, GA as a kid in the 70's. There were so many cool guitars back then! Thanks for capturing this vast catalog of guitar history. This look at Mosrite was like all the other videos - spectacular!
Another video that gear heads will be watching forever.
Very cool…I had a red Mosrite electric 12 string; it played and sounded great; I’d put it up against any Rickenbacker; I learned a lot about Mosrite in a great book by Deke Dickerson titled The Strat In The Attic (about guitarcheology 😎) I, too, played guitar at church; I lead 4 or 5 guitars at the early, 9:00 mass back in the early ‘70s; my bass player for that was my Jr high buddy (not middle school) who was in my power trio (chord fueled grunge before it was labeled that) we got severely reprimanded when the priest walked into a rehearsal in church and my buddy was playing 96 Tears on the organ while I sang! Those were the daze
❤ I love his style of picking
Slow and sweet
As a 32 year resident of Bakersfield, I can assure you that your video documentary far surpasses the knowledge level of even the most astute guitar historian in Bakersfield. Nice job! Perhaps you should reach out to the editor of The Bakersfield Californian newspaper. This would make a great article for the residents of Bakersfield who likely don't know about any of this (albeit, this story would be too detailed for a newspaper). Just a suggestion.
beautiful playing from Tobias as always.
Great interesting video, thanks a lot!
Those Mosrite Ventures models have such a unique and iconic look to them, I just love it.
There's a band I have to add here: Man Or Astroman have used both, Hallmark and Mosrite guitars a lot. Their lead guitarist Star Crunch even has a Hallmark signature model based on their 60s model. Great example of that Mosrite tone closing the gap between 60s garage/surf style and 70s Ramones like Punk Rock. Absolutely one of my alltime favorite bands from the 90s. Their live performances are just incredible, definitely worth checking out.
Being a Ramones fan that’s how I was introduced to the brand I enjoy this series of vids thank you and please keep them coming
Erik Brann who took over for guitar in Iron Butterfly bought Danny Weiss’ Mosrite and lots of other gear from him including clothes so that the band could basically clone Weiss, Brann even imitated Weiss’ playing style. Lee Dorman, original bassist for Iron Butterfly always used the Ventures era Mosrite bass guitar. Catalinbread pedals in conjunction with the Mosely family is making an official FUZZrite fuzz heard on In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida making those great elephant noises. A guy in a local band that played at firehouses in my hometown in the 60’s/70’s had a Ventures era sunburst Mosrite. I always wanted one.
My first introduction to the Mosrite guitar I was about 14 or 15 years old in 1968 near Foots Creek, Oregon west of Medford, OR on Hwy 99. I was visiting a friend there one lovely summer day when I heard the enticing sounds of a guitar echoing from across the Rogue River. I went down to the river's edge to try and locate the sound and I discovered it was coming from a campground across the water along side Interstate 5. My friend and I swam to the other side to get a closer look, and found our way to the sound. Soaking wet, we found a boy about our own age sitting in the doorway of his small camp trailer playing a glorious looking red guitar (one I'd never seen before) through a tiny amplifier. It was a red Mosrite with what he called a "speed neck." It was really cool, and narrow enough I could get my short fingers around. I fell in love immediately and have lusted after one ever since. I've yet to secure one, however due to other life priorities getting in the way. As a side note, I met Nokie Edwards sitting at a table with Mosrites sitting upon it at "Louiefest" the 1000 Guitar event at Chaney Stadium in Tacoma, WA, in 2003. It was an attempt to enter the Guiness Book of Records (sponsored by The Kingsmen and The Fabulous Wailers) by having 1000 guitarists playing "Louie-Louie" which, by the way, was the very first song I learned to play in 1967. It was total pandemonium. We had a ball. See the UA-cam video "Louie Louie Fest 2003 in Tacoma."
I think there was also a Factory Location in Boonville Arkansas... were Mosley , in one of his last efforts to resurect a setup in a factory space that was the first Walmart store that had gone belly up.
A great place were the Dept. of the Interior would give you 2 year's free rent and power ...if you could set up a factory and employ blue collar worker's in that depressed area.
To this day I think there is a treasure -trove of Mosrite Hardware in a mini storage there.
That was the story I got from Booneville City Hall asking me If I had a use for all of It. !
Thank you, Keith and everyone involved in making this film. Entertaining and informative - as always.
Keith’s videos are fantastic. Informative, and well-researched. I really enjoy Keith’s mellow and sensible way of addressing the mic and camera. I’ve put on 5 watt World to manage a panic-attack once or twice.
Can't forget Fred "Sonic" Smith played a Mosrite which inspired Johnny Ramone to play one. Also Spanish Castle Magic was on Axis Bold as Love not Electric Ladyland just saying. Great video history nonetheless.
Good Job Keith!!! I remember the lead guitarist of Iron Butterfly doing Inna- Goda- Davita with a Mosrite guitar. My first quality fuzz pedal was a Mosrite.
Thanks for filling in the gaps of my "knowledge"... I own a 1966 UniVox Custom - the Mosrite-335 lovechild, with a Bigsby style tail piece, with a green/black burst finish. I obtained it from the nephew of the original owner, who played it many years before moving to Seattle, where the guitar sat in a closet for many years. The neck was bowed and wiring corroded, but my mechanic got them both situated. Years later, the wiring went again, and my mechanic refused to "just put new wires in it" and made it sing again. Since I have owned this UniVox, I have searched for a Mosrite orignial, but cannot touch one for anything my marriage could stand. While it sounds like I am singing the praises of the Anti-Mosrite, I am actually glad he made an instrument that pays tribute to the best, with improvements, and someone thought to reproduce it. The history of UniVox might be a good topic, if "Lawsuit" guitars is one of your topics.
Dana Moseley doesn’t make Mosrites anymore unfortunately. HOWEVER! Ed Elliot, who actually was building with Mosrite since the beginning and even moved with Semie to NC actually still builds vintage spec Mosrite guitars under his name, (pickups and hardware are all made in house) all custom made to order! Great guitars! Fantastic build quality and attention to detail!
Wonderful video. I'm surprised you didn't mention Fred "Sonic" Smith of MC5 -- he was the last of the original '60s Mosrite endorsers, and the first MC5 album bore the inscription "MC5 play Mosrite guitars" (notwithstanding the SG shown on the cover!)
Wow! Fascinating story! I had no idea The Ventures played such an enormous part in the Mosrite story - the riff from 'Wipeout' was the first thing I learnt to play when I was a kid in the late 60s. In the early 90s I spotted a weird guitar in a store here in HK and thought it would be fun for my own kid when he was a bit older, still have it: Mosrite (no other identification) half size, all black, white pick-guard, wooden tail-piece, Gotoh tuners, classic shape with HUGE full size pick-ups that seem to take up half the body! I tune it in A and, yeah, it sounds nasty! (PS - the Tobias Hoffman appearance a nice bonus - he's a great player)
"Wipeout" is not actually a Ventures song (they didn't perform the hit version), although they did record a version of it, just like they recorded the lion's share of 60s hits.
@@BessieBopOrBach The Ventures played many instrumental versions of many songs they didn't write. "Telstar" also isn't originally theirs.
I remember playing a Mosrite in a music store way back when. I remember it being light with a somewhat hollow feeling neck. The frets were low and flat and the fretboard radius was high while the action was correspondingly low. Great that you can give a detailed history.
Great video as always Keith. Still waiting for the Hofner 500-1 video. 🙏
Thank you, Keith, for another "Short History" episode. As always, you've created another amazing installment in guitar history that would have otherwise been lost. Take care, and may God bless you and yours.
Shout out to Hallmark Guitars! Their "60 Custom" model is absolutely top notch. The fit and finish, tone and playability is truly amazing.
They also have wider necks than 60s originals, and the frets are taller than 60s originals. Originals also don't taper up in neck thickness, and Hallmarks do. Finally, Hallmarks have potted pickups (originals aren't,) and Hallmarks come with a hard case.
I'm slightly wrong in my last comment: the necks are the same thickness from frets 2 - 12 or 13, but they taper outside that range. They're about 0.860" thick, judging by my 1966 model and 1976 model. They taper up near both the volute and neck end. Also, the volute is *gigantic* compared to other companies' models.
@Austin Lucas - I love the sound of the Hallmark pickups. So much that I may try to get some for a different guitar. I just can't believe the quality. I'm still delighted every time I pick up my 60 Custom. Great color choices, perfectly finished frets and a VERY nice hard case too! There are some great videos of RJ Ronquillo playing a 65 Custom (bolt-on sibling to the 60 Custom). If only I could make mine sound like his! 😀
Still have an 80s sweptwing
Victor S, thanks for mentioning this. I've never heard of them until now. Just looked at their website and they look really nice. Love the sparkle blue 65'!
Spanish Castle Magic was on Axis Bold as Love not to be picky!! Being mostly aware of Johnny Ramone using Mosrite, this was such an educational video!! Thanks again to the guitar historians at 5 Watt World!! I always wanted to try one. That video of Tobias Hoffmann was stunning, such beautiful playing.
I remember spending the night with a classmate in my early teens and attending a church service with his family. At the service was a gentleman who owned a Mosrite. Although I remember this as being a four neck beast, it’s possible it was a triple neck, as my memories from about 55 years ago are somewhat hazy. I do remember they passed the hat to buy new strings as he couldn’t afford to restring it and the strings were badly tarnished. I don’t know what happened to him, or it. This was in north central Arkansas, in the mid 60’s.
Great history lesson! Last year a buddy of mine brought over his completely original 1966 Joe Maphis model and left it with me for a couple weeks. Two things stood out: 1) The overall build quality was sub-par; mostly due to choice of materials, and 2) The pickups were really powerful. I measured 10.2k resistance each - they were very loud and clean and sounded best to me when run through a Vox AC30.
Oh woe, why did I ever get rid of my Mosrites? Back in the late 70s I had a candy apple red 12 string Ventures model with the whammy bar, and that thing stayed in tune bigtime; I also had the corresponding Ventures model 6/12 double-neck... These were superb lightweight guitars, and even though I was gigging as a bassist, the guitar players in my bands always wanted to borrow those Mosrites, and they got plenty of stage play, even though I was stuck night after night on my 63 P bass... ;)
You could take that 12 string out of my car trunk that was literally a deep-freeze, pull it out of the case into a steamy club under hot lights, and it would still be in tune from the night before... Amazing guitar...
Rather than repeat the well-deserved praise this episode (and your entire series) garners, I'll just give you credit for having the best Pokemon of all on your amp.
A great place to visit to see several Mosrite’s is Front Porch Music in Bakersfield.
I think both Jimmy Collins, especially, and Deke Dickerson deserved a mention in this video.
Ahh yes the Studebaker of the guitar world. Great history as always keith!!
My first electric guitar was a new black with white pickguard 1969 Univox Hi-Flier, P-90 pickups, but still had the raised plastic headstock logo. In the late 60s and early 70s good guitar players were a dime a dozen in Cincinnati, so the sound and look of that guitar helped open doors for me.
The Mosrite Ventures guitars are among my very favorite style of guitars and basses. Stooges bassist Dave Alexander played a blue ‘64 (I believe) Mosrite Ventures bass, as well as a Fender Jazz bass, on The Stooges first two albums.
Thanks Keith! Wonderful as always. Glad to hear the brand continues still.
Thank you for this! I've owned a 66 Celebrity since 1998!
My cousin, a pro, gave me a Bluesbender many years ago when I asked him to help me choose a beginner guitar. I still have it, and will never give it up.
Greatest guitar player of all times Johnny Ramone !
99.99999% sure that photo is from a stage built over the eastern steps into San Francisco City Hall.
Thanks for doing a Mosrite history, Keith! Surf fans rejoice 🎉
I guess i am the lucky one. I always had a Mosrite guitar in my house. My brother had a paper route that he threw on his bicycle after we rolled them. He bought the Aqua blue one as his first guitar. I think he still has it today. My uncle also played and had bands he gave us a red Mosrite caused he preferred Fender back then in the early '70 's. I usually played it while we would work out Ventures tunes on those guitars as kids. Good times in Texas.
I met Semie in 1978 when I was attending the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, in Phoenix, he was a friend of Bob Venn, who was from Bakersfield. Semie asked me and couple others to help him start up a new company, for a $10,000 ($46,000 in 2023 dollars) buy in. He didn’t get any takers. We all were poor students living on PB&J!
Great video. Thanks.
A workmate kindly gave me his old guitar that he had used in his high school band, in what I gather was the late 70s or early 80s. It is a house-brand jobber-made copy of a Mosrite "Combo" guitar, produced for a Montreal music store. Because the store's house brand was "Mansfield", they got away with many of the distinctive aspects of actual Mosrites, including the stylized M profile of the top of the headstock, and the big M decal on it.
I was struck by just how accurately they stuck to the characteristics of the original. The Combo is a fully hollow semi-acoustic, with the Rossmeisl "German carve" around the perimeter of the body. The copy has the same carve, sunburst finish, and large cast-aluminum Bigsby/bridge assembly, with the unusual offset string holes in the movable tailpiece of the Bigsby. I gather these were offset so as to provide roughly equal tension on the wound and unwound strings when operating the vibrato arm. The bridge has roller saddles. Most unusual, at least to me, was the difference between top and back thickness. Tap anywhere on the back, and you'd get the same hollow-sounding resonance one might expect from, say, an Epiphone Casino. Tap on the *top* though, and you'd swear it was a solidbody. The top appears to be roughly double the thickness of the back, if not more. My guess is this was done for two reasons. First, in the absence of a center block it provided the structural rigidity to support the vibrato assembly and its use. Second, it would help to reduce feedback by being less resonant.
It has the zero fret, same thin neck profile, and knobs. Virtually the only thing about this copy that is different from the original Combo model is the use of unspecified humbucker pickups, rather than the single-coils. My workmate had originally bought it and used it because, to his ears, it nailed Beatles sounds. I wouldn't entirely agree, but once in a while I can hear what he heard in them. An unusual copy of an unusual guitar.
I've been waiting for this one for so long thank you for talking about these forgotten gems. To me they're the most beautiful, best sounding guitars ever.
Another great video Keith! Thank you
Thank you for putting this video!
Such a great episode. Great guitar shots and in-depth interesting insight. Narration is calm and perfect for this content.
A great short history of a guitar brand that certainly isn’t known like Gibson or Fender. However, it is a brand that has a great history!
Hi Keith! First let me tell you how much i appreciate your efforts and love you videos. I've been a rock fan eversince i can remember, and a guitar player since i was 15 which makes up to 45 years. Yes i love the Ramones, but Glen Campbell is one of my absolute guitar idols. So I guess it makes me a Mosrite guitar fan. I don't have the kind of money to get me one of the early original copies, but i've got Glen's Original Gentle on my mind record which means a whole world to me! So let the guitars play on till the end of times.
I had a 60's Ventures model, in solid blue, a Fuzzrite, and played thru an Ampeg amp. Fun days for me. Thanx for the info about the history that I never knew. Very interesting. I knew a session musician that used a Mosrite, he loved the light action, especially for playing Jazz chords.😃
The Mosrite not only has an incredibly awesome sound but looks DARN SEXY to boot. To me it has to look right AND sound right too.The Mosrite fits the bill PERFECTLY.
Nice video! I always loved the look of the Mosrites due to Johnny Ramone. His Mark 2 was about the coolest looking guitar I had ever seen. My affection for the brand was later augmented by Starcrunch wielding a Ventures model for a good chunk of his time in Man or Astroman? which makes perfect sense considering they’re either a punky surf band or a surfy punk band. He plays a signature Hallmark now for the current MOAM? stuff, surprised you mentioned Eastwood ahead of Hallmark when mentioning modern day Mosrite inspired offerings. Hallmark is much more accurate to the Mosrite legacy. But again, cool video!
Enjoying the content. Probably not the only one to mention this; does it make sense to keep the “…from the least gear” statement as the mission for the channel? At this pace, Keith will cover all the gear there’s ever been ; )
I would love to see you do a story on "Kiesel", and how they started out making pickups for "Mosrite" guitars, as well as amplifiers and various electric string instruments, long before they became "Carvin", and then "Kiesel" once again. They started in 1946, and have been a family-run business since their start, and still are today.
Your documentaries are outrageously good. They rate at excellent or above. Thank you for keeping this history alive in the best possible way.
Wow so many hometown places spoken of. I’m getting homesick.
Looks so unique, great history behind all of these guitars ❤
Another good one. In the early 70s we had a new pastor roll in from Muskogee Oklahoma and had matching 6 string and bass semi hollow bodies. I played his bass each Sunday and he played the lead. They were awesome guitars.
I love these guitars. I have a 66. It’s nice to hear demo that’s not an old surf song too
Thanks Keith for another great history lesson!
One big omission is Fred sonic smith of the mc5. Who used a ventures model during kick out the jams. I used to have a 66 purple combo and 67 dobro electric which was the semi hollow body 335ish style with resonator and 2 dearmond pickups which was my favorite. Glen Cambell is pictured playing a red one on one of his albums. Still love these things!
When I first laid eyes on the Ventures Mosrite guitar it was love at first sight. When I played one for the first time not only did it have an incredibly awesome sound but looked darn sexy to boot. All in all it was my ideal of what a guitar should be. I have since acquired a similar model made by Eastwood and have been playing the HECK out of it from day one. I have six others but that is my GO TO one
Another relatively famous user of Mosrites is the great and powerful Kevn Kinney of drivin n cryin. Had a little MTV success in the 90's but they're sadly still sort of unknown outside the southeast. I highly recommend you check them out if you haven't heard of them.
Great as always! Looking good !
Saw my first Mosrite electric guitar back in 1967, hanging behind the front window of a pawn shop in Santa Monica, California. It was red & VERY 'cool.' Heady Times, indeed......
Just wanted to say that your content is insanely good Keith always so concise I have learned more about guitars watching your channel than I did in years researching on my own well done
Thanks Daniel
Another great deep dive into an iconic brand! Great job!
Another beautifully crafted show,thank you.
Thanks Keith! Very well done!
I have a stunning Hallmark Custom 60, i had been thinking about dropping in a set of PAFs but after watching this im having second thoughts, this was great!
Such a great production! Thank you for making this series. You are leaving something educational and valuable for musicians. 😊✌️
I absolutely love this series. I’ve learned so much from these videos. The research is fantastic.
When I first laid eyes on the Mosrite it was love at first sight. When I played one for the first time not only did it have an incredibly awesome sound but looked darn sexy to boot. All in all it was my ideal of what a guitar should be.
Great video as always. One correction I'd like to point out is the guitar played at 5:40 by JD Simo is actually a 71-72 Mark 1 and not a 60's model. You can tell by the logo on the headstock and the Japanese tuners that were only used during that period.
Yes, but that's an error in the original video, too. The Red Mosrite Combo is also likely a parts-rite from the early 70s, and that's also an error from the original video. I commented on the video of the Combo months ago about this.
I remember my candy apple red Ventures model. That guitar had a very unique sound. I still have a stand up advert. " Built in soul" was boldy printed on that ad.
I miss that guitar...
Awesome video to watch on the bus home from work. been hoping for a Mosrite video from you!
Thanks so much for this glimpse into Mosrite. Great sample platter.
im a simple man. I see Five Watt World - History of Mosrite guitars, i click.
When I first laid eyes on the Ventures Mosrite guitar it was love at first sight. When I played one for the first time not only did it have an incredibly awesome sound but looked darn sexy to boot. All in all it was my ideal of the perfect guitar.
Excellent video...happy to subscribe! I own a 89' sunburst Ventures model made in Jonas Ridge, NC. It's really beautiful, the vibrato is so sensitive. I use it often on my channel. Being born in '55 the Ventures were a major influence along with Chet Atkins, etc. So I'm fortunate to have my Mosrite...I'm glad Semi signed the back of the headstock during those years.