TWO UNUSUAL MOSRITE"S FOR JOE AND ROSE LEE MAPHIS

[EF@MosriteRecords]

WHILE GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE RAN THESE PICTURES IN 1997. I HAVE ALWAYS
HAD GREAT RESPECT FOR IT'S AUTHOR TOM WHEELER. I WAS SORRY MANY YEARS AGO TO SEE HIM LEAVE GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE. HE WAS ONE THAT
CAME TO SEMIE AND I WHEN THE BIG GUITAR WAS RECREATED.
I FIRST SAW AND HANDLED THESE GUITARS VERY EARLY WHEN I MOVED TO
NASHVILLE. THEY WERE ON LOAN TO THE BARBARA MANDRELL MUSEUM UP ON MUSIC ROW. WHEN THE MUSEUM CLOSED MANY YEARS AGO THEY WERE
BROUGHT TO GRUHN GUITARS AND SOLD TO A COLLECTOR. I HAD ANOTHER
LAST CHANCE TO VISIT THEM BEFORE THEY WERE OBTAINED BY A NEW OWNER.
THEY WERE HEAVY AND HAD VERY FAST NECKS ON THEM. VERY SELDOM SEEN.
SEMIE'S WORKMANSHIP HERE IS REALLY COOL. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

EF

[thunderhead]

WOW!!! Now that's unusual for sure. Love those Headstocks, the Pickups also. Thanks Elaine!!!

[EF@MosriteRecords]

Thanks Thunderheads: TOM WHEELER ALWAYS DID A FIRST RATE ARTICLE. I WAS
GLAD TO SEE HIM DO THE ARTICLE ON THESE GUITARS. IF TOM WROTE IT
YOU COULD TAKE IT TO THE BANK IT WAS ACCURATE.

EF

[Veenture]

Pieces of art!

Indeed unusual...just look at that trem arm on the one...
Everything is probably unique on these two, except for the 'standard' Mosrite bridges, some of the knobs and tuners perhaps.

Elaine, on the JM instrument on the right I notice a "black hole" between the two pickups; would that be a resonating opening in a semi-hollow body...or room for a third pickup? Please excuse my ignorance.

(I still need to get me that book Dennisthe Menace pointed out to me: Tom Wheeler on "American Guitars")

Paul

[Veenture]

Sorry Elaine, I wasn’t in time to be able to edit my post so I’ll just answer my own question in this way. I did some detecting by blowing up the picture so that the enlarged text could now clearly reveal the following:
As you can see, Joe had the middle pickup on his guitar removed and replaced with a funky-looking plate. Gruhn says, “Both came with the same hand made, crude vibrato, nothing like the Vibramute on later Mosrites. The guitars are pretty crude, but historic.”

The article also states: According to Rose Lee, she and Joe received them in about 1961, before Semie set up a real factory.

Thanks,
Paul

[gplayer]

It may just be the angle, but the tremolo appears to only go sharp.

[Dennisthe Menace]

NICE!!! When did Rose replace the original knobs on her guitar? The only reason I'm asking is, those are the Jewel Knobs (lathed) that were used on the
very early '63-'65 Models, and even the first dozen or so '63s had the Guild knobs with the Guild Logo rubbed off the chrome insert of the knob. So I'm
guessing she wanted them changed? If so, I like her decision........

[Veenture]

It may just be the angle, but the tremolo appears to only go sharp.

Indeed yes. Perhaps the strings are very slack and not tuned to pitch or perhaps a spring (coil?) of sorts is missing...

[edit] On closer inspection the trem arm appears to be bent at the tip and thus now hindering the intended movement of the arm...

[EF@MosriteRecords]

BOY ARE YOU GUYS SHARP. IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I SAW THESE. HOWEVER
I BELIEVE LIKE YOU THAT THE CENTER PICKUP WAS REMOVED. AT FIRST
WHEN I REVISTED THIS PHOTO I THOUGHT, OH IT HAS A GOOF PLATE (I HAVE SEEN MY SHARE OF THOSE.) IT WAS PROBABLY NOT USED FOR ACOUSTICS.
THE PICKGUARD IS TRIMMED LIKE FOR A THIRD PICKUP. THAT BENT BAR I HAVE NOT A CLUE ITS TOTALY USELESS THE WAY IT IS. YOU WOULD HAVE TO SWING IT PAST THE OUTER RIM OF THE GUITAR TO USE IT. IF VEETURE IS RIGHT THAT WOULD EXPLAINE WAY THE BAR APPEARS LOW. I NEVER SAW JOE BURY A TREMOLO ARM, ALWAYS A TASTEFULL SLUR. SO THE ARM DOES NOT HAVE TO BE MORE THAN INCH ABOVE. I HAVE MINE THAT WAY. IT'S ALL YOU NEED FOR TASTEFULL EFFECT. I HAVE MY ARMS A LITTLE HIGHER ON MY GRETSCH'S TO
GET A DEEPER BEND CLOSE TO A "D". THE DEBATE MAY HINGE ON THE FACT, I DON'T THINK JOE OR ROSIE EVER PLAYED THEM. I WILL CALL AND ASK HER. LET'S PUT OUT A "ALL POINTS BULLETIN" TO ALL FORUM MEMBERS AND SEE IF WE CAN FIND A PICTURE OF THEM ON A STAGE PLAYING THEM AND NOT JUST PICTURED WITH THEM, WHICH I HAVE NEVER SEEN. GOOD LUCK MY FRIENDS

ELAINE

[jfine]

Just my two cents--I think Joe's guitar was designed for a third pickup, since there are three slide switches on the pickguard--probably on-off for each pickup. I don't blame Joe for having the middle pickup removed--it doesn't look like there's any space to pick between the pickups. I suppose we can consider those prototypes for the spruce-top-walnut-back Maphis models that were produced in the '60's?