Hallmark 60's Custom

[dorkrockrecords]

Just found these photos on the Internets...

[Dennisthe Menace]

That's obviously gorgeous, BUT why didn't they do the Orinal Red, White, Blue format??!?!?

[surfing-matze]

Hello to all,

i think it had been 1-2 months and "one showman later", when I finally placed my order to get one Custom 60. Now I'm sooo looking forward to the day it will arrive . I will report ...

cheers
Matze

[MWaldorf]

This is from MosriteForever!!'s introduction thread, but since it's so relevant here, I thought I'd paste it in. He wrote this in response to my question if Hallmark customizes guitars.

Hey Mel. Yes, there are customizations on the Hallmarks. Check the art series on the website. They are painted by a custom painter Semie employed for the wild custom jobs. You can see his work on the Mosrite Factory tour video as well as the Semie memorial video. People often ask about the origin of the new Hallmark production models. We call them a hybrid of American/Korean manufacture. What this means is we make many of the parts in the good ole' USA. Then, we ship them to the fabricator, who makes the bodies and necks, assembles them with the parts we supply, and sends them back here where we do the finishing touches as well as setting them up the way they should be. We do offer 100% American made guitars in our custom shop, but the price would be about 3 times higher than the production models. We know of no other way to preserve the integrity and quality of the guitars, as well as a fair price any other way. Bob Shade has spent years designing and improving on these guitars and it has taken many prototypes and samples before the final product was achieved. We just finished another prototype model today and more are on the way, but it does take time to get them produced the way they should be. We enjoy the invaluable help and participation of such luminaries as Bill Gruggett, Joe Hall, and Andy Moseley. Bob could never have done it without their continued support and participation. I consider myself priviledged to be able to work with such people and learn from the best.
Mosriteforever!!

To which I'll comment:
I think it's great that Hallmark makes many parts in the USA. Which in parts are made here - the pickups, the vibrato, the roller bridge, the potentiometers, the string guides, the tuners? I think these guitars are a great value for the money, and if your USA made guitars are in the $2000-$2500 range, that's pretty much on par with other builders.

Things I would love to see from Hallmark:
A bass version of the Custom 60.
A semi-solid Combo style model.
A three pickup version of the Custom 60 with VIII style switching.
Heck, if those could be made (and the bass was a lefty) I could outfit the whole Meshugga Beach Party band! We could get them in blue sparkle with white pickguards and stars of david on the vol and tone knobs! Just think, all the Jewish Surf Music bands around the world would be clamoring for their own!

Seriously, I look forward to hearing about the new models!

Mel

[ElTwang]

. You can see his work on the Mosrite Factory tour video as well as the Semie memorial video.

Where do I find this?

[mosriteforever]

Hi all and thanks for the warm welcome. I will let the website get updated regarding new models. There are no plans for a 60 custom bass at this time. The Swept Wing is so far, the only bass model. The closest to the combo style hollow body is the Deke Dickerson model. Bob and I have talked about the 3 pickup model, but nothing serious. It takes time to build the prototypes and get production models out. We are working on some custom guitars for the Collins Kids at the moment. As for the Semie Memorial video and the Mosrite Factory tour, those were filmed by some gentlemen from Japan and float around amongst collectors. I have them somewhere in my mess.

Mosriteforever!!

[ElTwang]

As for the Semie Memorial video and the Mosrite Factory tour, those were filmed by some gentlemen from Japan and float around amongst collectors. I have them somewhere in my mess.

That'd be some cool footage to see. Any chance or plans on a you tube'ish upload?

[Strat-o-rama]

To add to Mel's list, it would be nice to see a Hallmark 60 Custom Sidejack.
I must admit to not having played the narrow 39mm wide nut necks like the original (and Japanese clones) Mosrites, but I feel very comfortable with my Hallmark's more traditional "Fendery" fretboard width (One and five eigths inches at the nut).
Mosriteforever, when could we expect to see "new" things on the Hallmark website?

[PhilTIki]

Can someone tell me how the thickness on the Custom 60's necks are? Does it feel thin like a Mosrite neck or is it fatter? I know the fretboard is a bit wider but what about front to back?

I'm starting to get very curious about these.


Thanks
Tiki

[mosriteforever]

Hi all, The Hallmark website now has some new news up. It has been a busy year and more updates are following. There is so much new stuff, our webmaster is a little overcome. Our fault, but we are working hard and fast. We are planning on a sidejack, but we want to do it like the original, But our Mosrite originals have the problem that all Mosrite sidejacks had. The original plastic sidejack material was not thick or strong enough to withstand plugging and unplugging your cord without cracking or failing. This must be fixed without sacrificing the original look. Not all the links on the website are up, but keep checking, it is going to be an exciting year!!

Mosriteforever