How did you fall in love with Mosrite?

[Desert Surfer]

Please share your stories.

I will start with mine...

It all started 50 years ago with this LP album when I was just a teenager in college.



"The Ventures" especially Nokie Edwards had immediately become my guitar heroes. My father would not buy me an electric guitar nor amp, so I ended up with a cheap $2 acoustic guitar. It didn't matter, I put my ears right next to the phonograph listening to this LP again and again and started to imitate the way they played "Apache" on my cheap guitar (Did not even know who were 'The Shadows" at that time)

Then The Ventures came out with this album.



"What the heck are those funny looking guitars? Mosrite?..." Who cared??!! Couldn't afford it anyway.

40 years later, I saw my guitar hero; Nokie Edwards' guitar in a book "Vintage Mosrite" published in Japan. A Mosrite Ventures Model '63 side jack?? It looks so cool and I told myself that I must get one...



Holy cow! This guitar cost $16,000 on eBay!!! No way!!! my wife said....So I've got myself a clone. A Japan made excellent "Excellent" Mosrite copy imported by Kevin in New York. I also found out about his Mazzrite Mosrite forum.



That was my very first Mosrite (clone) guitar. But once I was bitten by the bug, I got the fever..

Pretty soon I wanted the real thing...

[To be continued]

[Greg_L]

"What the heck are those funny looking guitars?

That's EXACTLY how I first encountered Mosrites. My dad had that same album, and I used to look at the cover while I'd listen to it. I was maybe like 10 or 11 and was only familiar with Stratocasters. I used to think "these guys are all playing the same guitar, and they look like backwards stratocasters" and I gravitated to the music. It was nothing like the Journey and Foreigner and hair metal crap that got played on the radio at that time. I had no idea that Ventures album was already 20 years old. It was just different music to me. Around that same time I discovered and fell in love with the Ramones and a little later noticed that Johnny Ramone also played that same backwards guitar I saw before on The Ventures records. That had to mean something. That had to be a sign.

So I've always been interested in Mosrites, but I've never owned one. I am quite happy with my Hallmark 60 Custom though.

[zarfnober]

Ramones first, then Ventures , then anybody that played one at least had some respect( not a lot with Arcade Fire though!).

But mainly Johnny Ramone, just had to have that guitar, and after looking casually for 20 years, I found one less than a mile from my house, yes, you can find needles in a giant field of haystacks. Also have 1 later 65 Ventures, 2 - 66 Ventures, 1 short scale Celebrity bass, 1 Ramones model from Loretta( don't ask, horror story) and one gold Filmore Johnny Ramone Signature model.

Rocco

[stl80]

Yup, The Ventures had the coolest guitars on the planet.
Jim

[Desert Surfer]

Thanks, Greg & Rocco. Great stories. Long time no see.

Yes, we all like to follow our guitar heroes and seek for the guitars they used on stage.

The guitar hero I followed; Nokie Edwards has used so many different guitars on stage in his career. I ended up with too many guitars in my collection. My wife was not happy.

[Desert Surfer]

Yup, The Ventures had the coolest guitars on the planet.
Jim

Yes, they did.

And Don & Bob were from Seattle too. Jim.

[Desert Surfer]

.....So I've got myself a clone. A Japan made excellent "Excellent" Mosrite copy imported by Kevin in New York. I also found out about his Mazzrite Mosrite forum.....

Then I met Danny E. on Mazzite Mosrite forum in 2007 and found out he was trying to sell a 66 vintage Mosrite that he had restored. I grabbed it right away, had to travel more than 2000 miles to get it

So, I've got myself a real vintage Ventures Mosrite guitar (well, almost.. )









[to be continued]

[Sarah93003]

In 1987 I took a vacation and flew from Michigan to California to visit my Uncle in San Francisco. One evening he asked if I wanted to hear some "old geezers" play guitar. I said sure! At that time I was a total Gibson girl. When we got there I was amazed how good these "old geezers" were. Fantastic music! One guitar caught my attention. It had a different sound and did not look like a guitar I had seen before. When I asked the man about it, he told me it was a Mosrite Celebrity. He told me a brief history of the Moseley brothers.

I was on a mission to get a Celebrity. This is way before eBay and Craigslist. I searched in vain for years to come up with a Celebrity. Finally in 2007 I got my first Celebrity. I have been hooked on Celebrities ever since, as you may know.

[Desert Surfer]

Great story! Sarah. Thanks for sharing.

[Desert Surfer]

OK. What's a real thing? One with all original parts, original finish and without any alternation?? Someone told me on the forum.

I started to look for the "real things" at local guitar shops, Craigslist, and eBay. Not an easy task to find the right product at the right price.

Then I found this candy red Mosrite guitar on Craigslist; a 1965 Mosrite Ventures model, Mark II guitar!! It is fairly good condition and the seller said it was with original parts, in original finish...

Guitar was located about 1 1/2 hours away. Without second thoughts, I jumped into my car right away and went for it. Those were the crazy days...







Love to hear your stories too.

[To be continues]