Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Raziel74868
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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby Raziel74868 » Thu Oct 15, 2020 1:43 pm

My local guitar center took it all apart and checked it. They offered me $900.

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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby Raziel74868 » Thu Oct 15, 2020 5:15 pm

I am going to officially offer thos guitar for sale here. Message me if you are interested.

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Greg_L
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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby Greg_L » Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:58 am

Raziel74868 wrote:My local guitar center took it all apart and checked it. They offered me $900.

Run away from there.

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101Volts
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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby 101Volts » Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:38 am

Welcome to the forum, nice find. I can guarantee you this is a 1970s Mosrite, judging by 1: the finish and 2: the (comparatively) giant serial number. These started in 1963 as the Ventures model, in 1967 or 1968 the Ventures contract ended and they just became MK I models, but on Valentine's Day 1969 the company went in bankruptcy. In 1970, Semie Moseley (head of Mosrite) bought the company name back. I don't know of this one's date exactly, though it's probably somewhere from 1970 - 1974.

Also, if you measure the width of the neck at the string guide (not the depth from the back of the maple neck to the front of the rosewood fret board,) it should further confirm that this is a 1970s model; 1970s Mosrites tend to have wider necks than their 1960s siblings. I think this one should be at least 1.700 inches wide (that's read in thousandths of an inch.)

- Austin
1966 Ventures II (German Carved, B670.)
1970s "Not a Blues Bender" Bodies: 2.
1976 Brass Rail Deluxe #10.
2013 Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI.

Raziel74868
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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby Raziel74868 » Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:31 am

Thank you for the great info. So if I was going to list this guitar for sale what model and year should I put on the title? (Mosrite Guitar Mk1 1970~1974)?

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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby Raziel74868 » Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:34 am

I will measure the neck when I get home

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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby Raziel74868 » Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:36 pm

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101Volts
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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby 101Volts » Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:57 pm

The photo of the neck measurement (and come to think of it, the large headstock) further confirms that it's a 1970s model, thanks. You could also check for manufacturing dates in these areas:

Neck Heel
Neck Pocket
Bottoms of Pickups
Potentiometers (Volume & Tone Controls, but on the underside of the pickguard.)

I can only nearly guarantee dates on the potentiometers ,if they're original. If original, they should each read two numbers that indicate when the potentiometers (not the guitar) were manufactured; the first number should be ranging from 71 to 74 (the year,) then a second number from 01 - 52 (the week of the year.)

Other Mosrite models had dates on the neck heel and in the neck pocket, but I don't think that applies to a 1973 (roughly) MK I model. Then again, Mosrite info is a bit sparse, so I don't know if there are dates on some of these (or none of them.) I'm just going by a time when someone else had one of these, and it didn't have dates there.

I have a 1973 Mosrite Humbucker Pickup with a date marked on its bottom, but I'm not sure your Pickups (70s Mosrite Single Coils, not Humbuckers) will have a date.

Referring to Maxkat's Serial # List linked below, yours (V0389) is already on his list. It seems like yours is around 72 - 74, because V0183's potentiometers have a manufacturing date (72-28) of Mid July 1972. V0295 was described as a 1974 model, according to a seller, but I'm not sure if that seller was accurate or not.

https://hang10.de/lists/mosrite-venture ... res70-74v1

And yes, I'd refer to this as a MK I for a sales listing. The "V I" name (appropriate for these 70s models) isn't as well known, though you could list that in the description.

- Austin
1966 Ventures II (German Carved, B670.)
1970s "Not a Blues Bender" Bodies: 2.
1976 Brass Rail Deluxe #10.
2013 Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI.

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Greg_L
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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby Greg_L » Sun Oct 18, 2020 10:38 am

Whether it's a 71 or a 74, or anything in between, I'm not sure it really matters. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not aware of any big value differences in those years. You could just advertise it as an early 70s MkI and be good to go. If the pots are original, then wonderful, you can at least get a rough idea of the vintage. But what if they're leftover pots from the 60s? We know that Mr Semie often just used what he had laying around. That's not a 60s Mosrite. What if they were replaced in 1985? It's not an 80s Mosrite either. I think the mentioned options of removing the neck or a pickup is the best bet for trying to get a truly accurate idea of when the guitar was made. But if you're squeamish about disassembling a vintage guitar, then don't. Just advertise it in it's general year range - early 70s.

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Re: Found free guitar in trash, Need help appraising it.

Postby 101Volts » Tue Oct 20, 2020 9:19 am

Greg_L wrote:Whether it's a 71 or a 74, or anything in between, I'm not sure it really matters. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not aware of any big value differences in those years. You could just advertise it as an early 70s MkI and be good to go. If the pots are original, then wonderful, you can at least get a rough idea of the vintage. But what if they're leftover pots from the 60s? We know that Mr Semie often just used what he had laying around. That's not a 60s Mosrite. What if they were replaced in 1985? It's not an 80s Mosrite either. I think the mentioned options of removing the neck or a pickup is the best bet for trying to get a truly accurate idea of when the guitar was made. But if you're squeamish about disassembling a vintage guitar, then don't. Just advertise it in it's general year range - early 70s.


I'm not aware of these early to mid 70s MK I models going for wildly different prices, either. They're usually selling in the realm of $1,200 - $2,000, aren't they?

Raziel, to increase the likelihood of it selling, you don't have to replace the bridge or vibrato bar, but there are a few cheaper things I'd suggest. I know Guitar Center checked out the guitar for you, but I don't see these in your ad yet:

> Mention the state of the neck. Is it straight and not bowed? Does the neck have moisture damage? I can see the binding (decorative plastic) is coming off.
> Does the Truss Rod work? (This is the long metal rod in the neck, which is adjustable under the plastic truss rod cover on the headstock. The Truss Rod counters String Tension.)
> Have the neck gently cleaned, and the fretboard polished.
> Have the frets polished.

As for the pots, true. The size of the headstock, width of the neck, and finish on the body are all better indicators. This cherry burst finish isn't something I've seen on many (if any) 1960s Mosrite MK I models.

- Austin
1966 Ventures II (German Carved, B670.)
1970s "Not a Blues Bender" Bodies: 2.
1976 Brass Rail Deluxe #10.
2013 Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI.


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