What
is "mosrite" anyway?
What
is "mosrite" anyway?
"mosrite" is electric guitar that Semi
Moseley and Rev. Ray Boatright started to build early '50s.
"The Ventures" model which was a brainchild of Semie's
after his meeting with Nokie Edwards, the King of Electric Guitars,
is at the zenith of "mosrite".
Its first model was the '63 model featuring as a set
neck and celluloid-bound body.
Its jack is on the side and often called "sidejack".
The neck is quite thin and slim and frets are also thin and low.
It has a large "The Ventures"
logo and headstock is painted sunburst. It has "zero"
fret and nut is a half-circle type. The
tremolo unit is of a type called
"Vibramute" and its very early
models had muting mechanism near
bridge as the name resembles. Approximately
200 guitars were built and around 60 of them are believed to still
exist today. The Ventures used this model in their January of
1965 gig.
The jack was moved onto the pickguard in 1964, and this type
is called "topjack".
The binding around the body is gone, and the neck joint is changed
to a detachable type (bolted-on). The neck is directly screwed
to the body. Screw heads are covered by a metal plate and this
type is often called "covered"
type. Very rarely, some '64 models are bound with covered neck
and topjack, as a transitional models from
'63 to '64.
"The Ventures" logo becomes smaller from mid-'64
and the pick-up are beefed up late '64.
In '65, the neck joint is changed from "covered" type
to ordinary "neck plate"
type.
The pick-ups now have "mosrite of California" engraving
on top of them.
This type is the first model that was formally imported to Japan.
And, in late '65, the tremolo unit is changed to Moseley type,
and volume and tone control knobs are
changed to "hat" type.
They now is a two-piece neck, instead of one-piece neck.
"mosrite" specifications vary from one guitar to another
around this time and it seems they build ones of bodie, necks
and other piece parts whatever available in a very complicated
manner.
In '66, the adjustment of truss rod is moved from near the body to far end of the neck, and a plastic cover was added to the headstock to cover the end hole.
"The Ventures model" logo was removed in '67 and this is the end of history of "mosrite" and "The Ventures model" in the '60s.
"mosrite" guitars built up to this point are the vintage if you will. "mosrite" reissue model are still being built by people who pursue Semie's will even after his death in 1992.
"mosrite" guitar catalogues （１） （２）
Do you know "Japan mosrite" anyway? It's a copy of
"mosrite". It's only a copy and is not reissue of "mosrite".
The relationship between, if any, "mosrite" and "Japan
mosrite" is nothing like one bewteen "Fender U.S.A."
and "Fender Japan". They never worked with or learned
from Semie Moseley or had no business association with him either.
Just making copies. Again, "Japan mosrite" has no relationship
with "mosrite".
I hear "Japan mosrite" is built in Nagano prefecture
but somehow it has "mosrite of California" logo on it.
Since when has Nagano been called "California"? It also
has "The Ventures model" logo, too. This is an insult
to The Ventures, don't you agree?
