Hallmark 60's Custom

[brunob]

Hallo surfing-matze(what does it means Matze in your language?)
as I'm goin' insane about guitars(mean 60's strange looking-sounding.but good),I 'm crazed about that Mosrite looking guitars.
Everybody here is talking about the Custom 60's very well,so as I would like to have a white guitar....I thought about a Jazzmaster ri(but I have a 65 sunburst one...),and after waiting 7 months for a Fillmore Ranger through MusicGround Leeds England, all my desires are not in that direction.
1. it's a great looking guitar
2.do it needs some works?
3.sounding good as it is or not?
4.hands feeling?neck feelings?
I found many Japanese sites of Mosrites but nobody reply at my answers..NOBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OOOO.......ff!!
it's hard to me getting a brand new guitar,from a 65 fiesta red Jaguar m/ headstock&65 sunburst jazzmaster-62 ri fiesta red stratocaster-Dipinto Galaxie 4 sparkling silver Los Str.model-Yamaha sgv 800 sparkling red-65 ri Mosrite sunburst-sounding good-don't stay in tune so much..so how with the custom 60?I saw you playing with Ralph..SURF'S UP!!!!
with "mucho reverbo" Bruno los Wet Tones

[brunob]

I never listen live to a Hallmark or a old one Mosrite.
I listened to my own Ranger.not bad,very 60's to me,but I don't wanna have another similar guitar,,at 900 euro,looking 4 something different.slight different sounding....
Hallmrk?
darn there's a 65 Ventures model in Italy -white -at 4000$$$$$$$$$,mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Bruno

[surfing-matze]

Hello Bruno ,

well "Matze" is kind of a short version or nick for Matthias. I'm playin' with Ralf yes - I joined the Kilaueas about 1 year ago, since Volker has left the band. I know Ralf for quite some years now and always been visiting their concerts and talking with Ralf bout guitars and amps.

as I'm goin' insane about guitars(mean 60's strange looking-sounding.but good),I 'm crazed about that Mosrite looking guitars.

I understand !

Today I'm waiting for the delivery of my last ebay-buy - a 60ies Galanti Grand Prix with 3 PUPs. I'm so excited to try this extremely cool looking guitar and I have heard good thing about.

Ok - I#ll get back to the Custom 60. Mine is a pearl white one - it's a very beautiful guitar, sometimes I wish it also had a matching white headstock, but at the time, I had ordered, Bob didn't have white Customs with white headstocks.

Did it need some work ?

Well it came strung with 9's I guess. I put 11's on it, so I had to do some minor adjustments of course. I sounded very good stock, but was missing the sparkle a little bit. I red about changing the pots to 500K and this helped. AFAIK you can ask Bob to install 500K's when you order or maybe Hallmark switched to 500K's for all Custom 60 - don't know exactly. I really like the Hallmark PUPs - especially in the middle position and neck. Bridge PUP could be a little stronger for my taste, but also very good.

My custom feels and plays great ! I have big hands with long fingers, so a mosrite-dimensioned neck is not my first choice and the Custom neck having a wider fretboard at the nut helps me a lot. Would I buy it again ? for sure !

At the moment I have put in a set of Ed Elliott PUPs. This is not, because, I didn't like the stock PUPs. It's just - I always try out many things with my guitars and try to find out, what I like best - I do this with almost all guitars, which are not vintage. The Elliotts sound great too - I like better the bridge PUP of the Elliott-set. But I don't know for sure if middle and neck beat the stock PUPs as well. I think I need just another Custom 60 - sunburst, candy ink. blue or sunset sparkle also are stunning colours !!!!

All that being said without having a Mosrite to compare.

best Twangs from Stuttgart, Germany
Matze

[Chemo]

should i go with the Hallmark or go with the Ranger?

The only way to get the definite answer to this is to try both of them. But you probably knew this already.

I have a Ranger, and some experience on a Hallmark (a former bandmate had one). They are both great instruments and I would say that either one is worth its price. If you are looking to buy a new guitar that is as close to a Mosrite from the 60's as possible, I would say that the Ranger is closer. But a Hallmark is not a bad choice either.

[sleeperNY]

This thread shows the sound differences between my Mosrite Partsright and a first run 60Custom with 500k pots.
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=665
Not exactly what you asked for but close I would think.

Jim

[thunderhead]

I recently took the plunge and got a Hallmark 60 Custom. I own a 1965 Mosrite Ventures Sunburst Vibramute that has tone for days and the best Vibrato in the world. An early 1980's NOS Mosrite Ventures 63 RI Ventures Set-Neck, Side-Jack that was personally built by Semie himself in Jonas Ridge NC and has his intials below the serial number. It is a real gem of a Guitar, sounds very close to my '65. Both of these axes are saved for home, studio and other indoor uses {radio, TV, gigs }. I had a couple of Wilson Brothers Guitars a VM-65 and a VM-110 that I was using for outdoor gigs, which is mainly what we play. They just didn't have the feel of a Mosrite, close in tone but just not enough. I didn't want to spend a fortune modding them to get more of a Mosrite tone when the feel would never be there. I sold them and bought a Hallmark 60 Custom and have been thrilled with it. It is very close in real Mosrite tone and totally has the feel. The refinements to the design are dead on improvements. It is absolutely my number one gigging Guitar with no rivals. I got the Pearl White, Tortoise Guard like a lot of Ventures fans have and it is visually stunning. Check out the live shots of it on our my space page at http://www.myspace.com/thethunderheads Can't wait to get some live audio up there of it. I used it yesterday at an outdoor gig plugged into a 1964 Super reverb, 1965 Fender Bassman Combo 2/10 and 1964 Fender Reverb Unit. Man I wish the gig could have lasted all day and night. Tone, Tone, Tone and no harm done to a vintage Axe!!!! If you are on the fence about a Hallmark all I can tell you is go for it !!! - Billy Crawford

[TimR]

I've been reading this Custom 60 stuff for a few weeks now, and you guys finally convinced me. I took the plunge and ordered a sunburst one last Friday. It came today, and I must say, you guys were right! This guitar nails what Semie Moseley was really trying to do -back in '63.
I've paid thousands of dollars for real Mosrites and as much as $2500.00 for Japanese r.i.'s.
This is as good, if not better, than any of them -for $900.00? I still can't believe it.......

Bob Shade's whammy bar is perfection! --and, I'm not kidding, the guitar -right out of the case was perfectly in tune. I don't just mean with itself -but with my Boss TU-12 digital tuner. The alligator case is really a nice touch, too. It's the best yet at nailing the feel and character of the original Mosrites, while adding the benefits of better playability and modern technology. I haven't played it enough to really explore the nuances of the pickups, electronics, etc. -but so far, I'm impressed.

Hey, if we don't stop all this gushing over Hallmarks, we're going to have to change the name of this forum..................

Tim

[Veenture]

Hey Tim, congrats man, you've done the right thing
I've been gushing too about Hallmark ever since I got mine (Sunburst H60C) at the beginning of the year and Bob Shade suggested I visit the Mosrite Forum and perhaps post my findings there, which I did...and now I'm here regularly and feel like having become part of the family!

True, Hallmark is absolutely fine but let me tell you...if ever I come to visit California and the Bakersfield area, one of the first things I'll definitely have to do is visit
FRONT PORCH MUSIC and try on a Dana-made Mosrite!!!

Perhaps I don't deserve the real deal considering my playing skills but I sure would want to try out it's playability with Artie's permission and if found suitable (for my hands), nabb one real quick and steal the show with it back home!

Yep, Mosrite fever is still latent in my bones...

Paul

[thunderhead]

Timr - Congrats!!!! I'm glad you took the plunge and got you a Hallmark. I am awaiting delivery of a second Hallmark, The Wing-Bat. Not for everyone but I loved The 1966 Batmobile and crossing it with Mosrite style features did it for me. I'll post the lowdown on it when i get it. Billy Crawford, AKA "Thunderhead"

[Dennisthe Menace]

Congrats to you Tim .....