Y2K /2000 Japanese Mosrites

[Nokie]

You should not need to use 9's or use a certain spring tension to keep the guitar in tune. You should be able to use whatever string guage you wish, and spring tension you like as well. It may be only the Fillmore models that do not have the proper bearings. Those are the only ones I have fixed in the past. So if it is another brand, I would need to see it, that is why I asked for a photo. On the Fillmore guitars, they simply used a cheap metal sleeve (no bearing), with the metal pin rubbing on the metal sleeve itself. There is no way that will be able to consistently return to pitch. So if you are having tuning issues on a Fillmore guitar the spring tension or string guage is not the problem.

Hope this helps, Bob

The Excellent is a Kurikomo (sp?) as opposed to a Fillmore.

I can second at least part of what you say here, Bob. To keep the guitar in tune, 9's should not be necessary. You are indeed the expert here but I'm not clear on your note about using any spring tension you like. Is this to say that if I slap on 13's on a Mosrite, I should be able to use any spring tension? In my experience, if you go with 13's, as I have in the past, you'll need a heavier tension on the spring in order to get the whammy bar at a reasonable level. -Marty

[Lo-Fi]

Hi all. This is my first post - I was redirected here from the Offset Guitars forum - so apologies if this is bad form!

I have a late '90s/early '00s Mosrite "The Ventures" Super Custom '65 Reissue. I think it's a Super Custom '65 but can't be fully sure. It's definitely a "The Ventures" model though. It has a Vibramute tremolo stamped Vibramute rather than Excellent (apparently this means something?).

Anyway, as much as I love this guitar I simply can't get on with the neck. My unMosrite-shaped fingers are thwarting any hope of not being a hamfisted mess whenever I play this guy, so it needs to go to fund something else. Thing is, I've no idea what it's worth...

I would be grateful though if someone could point me in the right direction of a ballpark value so that I can list it on Gumtree. There's not much in the way of Mosrite sales history online which I can go by.

Thanks for your help!

(I have a bunch more pictures if that helps...)

[Nokie]

Hi all. This is my first post - I was redirected here from the Offset Guitars forum - so apologies if this is bad form!

I have a late '90s/early '00s Mosrite "The Ventures" Super Custom '65 Reissue. I think it's a Super Custom '65 but can't be fully sure. It's definitely a "The Ventures" model though. It has a Vibramute tremolo stamped Vibramute rather than Excellent (apparently this means something?).

Anyway, as much as I love this guitar I simply can't get on with the neck. My unMosrite-shaped fingers are thwarting any hope of not being a hamfisted mess whenever I play this guy, so it needs to go to fund something else. Thing is, I've no idea what it's worth...

I would be grateful though if someone could point me in the right direction of a ballpark value so that I can list it on Gumtree. There's not much in the way of Mosrite sales history online which I can go by.

Thanks for your help!

(I have a bunch more pictures if that helps...)

I'd put the value of your guitar between $1200 - $1400. A similar guitar sold for $1297 recently on Ebay but it had the Mosely tail piece. The Vibromute is more desirable and should put you on the higher end of the range if the guitar is in excellent condition. -Marty

[Lo-Fi]

Hi Marty - thanks for your reply. That's kinda where I was aiming. Perfect - thanks!

[Vance Directive]

Having installed a heftier spring, and having coned the top of it with a Dremel grinder, I still have problems with the return to pitch. Also, the top of the spring seems to be a poor fit with the nut holding the arm in place, and it seats badly, making clicking sounds under torsion. I won't be able to gig with this guitar or even practice unless I can fix this issue. Any thoughts about proper fit of the top of the spring? I'll post some pictures of the sides of the bearings form my desktop computer later.

[Vance Directive]

I am thinking the bridge, and more crucially, the tailpiece of my Kurokumo "Excellent" is basically problematic and my little fixes will ever achieve 100% satisfaction. In an otherwise actually "Excellent" guitar, this is issue of a poorly made bridge/tailpiece is harshing my buzz.

If I want to "upgrade" to a bridge/tailpiece that is more perfect, what can I do to keep the guitar cosmetically perfect. It appears current Shade tails have a different footprint that would show marring on the guitar face.

[Claes van Oldenphatt]

Thanks belatedly to Bob and Marty for informed responses. I did the bearing burnish on this axe and it’s been smooth whamming since! Sorry I totally forgot to get back here to thank you then.
I am rocking this axe with light gauge strings and wondering if heavier strings and higher tension might suit me better for tremolo picking. I don’t want to get the neck bowing so much that I have to adjust the truss rod as the action is sweet as it’s currently set up. But I have difficulty with fast picking when the strings have so little tension.
These days I’m listening to a lot of Garrett’s playing with the Ghastly Ones and would love to know what his pick and string gauges were or are.