My 1972 Stereo 350 Model

[Dennisthe Menace]

Nicely done Aaron!

[MWaldorf]

Aaron,

Have you wax-potted all your Mosrite pickups? Those humbuckers are pretty rare. I wonder if you could sell them stock and have someone like Ed Elliot wind you a custom set to your liking?

Mel

[oipunkguy]

hey,

yeah I've waxed all of mosrite pickups now. they just sound better to me that way. I use to fight the squeel so much. but now I wouldn't replace these for anything in the world. I'm in love the tone. all of mine are wound to about the same output. about 5.25k at the bridge, and 5.45k at the neck, give or take a 10th. I'm not quite sure why the neck pickups are hotter then the bridge, but they all follow suit. I keep the bridge pickup higher then the neck so it works out. maybe that's why.
I'm at the point now where I don't even pickup my non-mosrite guitars anymore.
But I'm sure ed could make a copy, heck he makes everything else, lol.

[Sarah93003]

Hi Aaron. I really appreciated reading this thread and I think it's cool that you know how to do all of that. I wouldn't be brave enough to even try messing with the wiring, etc. It looks like you are into solid bodied guitars so I am interested in your thoughts between these models. I've been wanting a solid bodied guitar and thought I'd end up with a Les Paul. But the sound isn't what I'm after. I'm looking for a guitar that has awesome playability and unique tones. I play Rockabilly/Psychobilly/Country when I gig and Southern Rock, 80's & 90's rock when I'm just messing around at home.

How would you compare the Stereo model to the Ventures, and then the different Ventures models that you have?

[oipunkguy]

hey sarah,

I would say the stereo model would work for that 80's/90's hard rock and southern rock tones, but it wouldn't be the best guitar to use for rockabilly. this particular guitar has a mahogany body and neck, which i probably the biggest difference in tone compared to the "ventures" model, which has basswood bodies and maple necks. the stereo model is much thicker sounding and is probably fairly close to sounding like an older Gibson SG.
If you like les pauls, the VOS reissue les pauls are not nearly as heavy sounding as the standard models (this is because of the pickups) and might work for you for southern rock stuff. the down side is the VOS models carry a HUGH price tag....
I think a ventures model would work quite well for the sound you're after. a ventures you can play really anything on, any kind of rock, country, pop, punk, ska, raggae, whatever.
I would suggest trying out some Rickenbackers too. They have a somewhat similar feel to a mosrite (after all that's where Semie use to work) and they can get some great tones.
Also maybe you could try out some flatwound guitar strings for the rockabilly sound. I know Rickenbacker makes good flatwounds.
Of course all of this is a personal perspective, so really the key is try out as many guitars as you can.

[oipunkguy]

btw my "ventures" models aren't real ventures models. these were made after semie lost the deal with the band. I put those decals on myself, which is above the finish so I could remove them if I needed to. I just put them on for aesthetics.

[sleeperNY]

Aaron,

After you potted the pickups did you notice and difference in the tone and if so what was it. I potted some pickups on a Gretsch and didn't notice any difference in the tone. Maybe my ears aren't as good as they use to be but it has been stated that you lose some of the highs.

Jim

[Sarah93003]

hey sarah,

I would say the stereo model would work for that 80's/90's hard rock and southern rock tones, but it wouldn't be the best guitar to use for rockabilly. this particular guitar has a mahogany body and neck, which i probably the biggest difference in tone compared to the "ventures" model, which has basswood bodies and maple necks. the stereo model is much thicker sounding and is probably fairly close to sounding like an older Gibson SG.
If you like les pauls, the VOS reissue les pauls are not nearly as heavy sounding as the standard models (this is because of the pickups) and might work for you for southern rock stuff. the down side is the VOS models carry a HUGH price tag....
I think a ventures model would work quite well for the sound you're after. a ventures you can play really anything on, any kind of rock, country, pop, punk, ska, raggae, whatever.
I would suggest trying out some Rickenbackers too. They have a somewhat similar feel to a mosrite (after all that's where Semie use to work) and they can get some great tones.
Also maybe you could try out some flatwound guitar strings for the rockabilly sound. I know Rickenbacker makes good flatwounds.
Of course all of this is a personal perspective, so really the key is try out as many guitars as you can.

Thank you Aaron. That's very helpful. I'll have to play a few Mosrite solid body's to see if any are what I'm thinking of. I think you're right about getting a Venture's model. I've listened to many clips on Youtube and so far I like their sound the best. I would like to play and hear a Brass Rail model to see how I like them. I'm not in a hurry so I'll keep up the search.

Thanks, Sarah

[oipunkguy]

After you potted the pickups did you notice and difference in the tone and if so what was it. I potted some pickups on a Gretsch and didn't notice any difference in the tone. Maybe my ears aren't as good as they use to be but it has been stated that you lose some of the highs.

Jim

It's hard to say, to my ears I don't hear a lost in the highs, but then again 90% of the time I play I use a marshall amp with the gain set at 10. so for me if there is a lost in the highs, it doesn't much matter.
however when i bought my second V2 model, i did compare the waxed
pickups to the unwaxed ones on a clean amp, and I couldn't tell the difference. maybe I could if I was recording in a studio or something, but if there is a difference, it's ever so slight. plus on my V2 "ventures models" the bypass switches gives me extra highs anyway if I need it.
With distortion to my ears waxing the pickups not only removes the squeal, but also overall noise, so I think it's worth it.
I played some gibson burstbucker pickups, and they aren't waxed either, and I think they sound great if you are looking for that genuine old les paul tone. if I had a set of those I wouldn't wax them, because the way the pickup responds without the wax is very unique.

[oipunkguy]

also i would try out a joe maphis model even though they are a semi-hollow body. it's been a while since I played one, but I think it would work great too. most of them have a spruce top, a walnut back, and a maple neck. fairly unique to a electric guitar. it would stated on this forum that it was kinda like a cross between a ventures and a celebrity model. and I would have to agree from what i remember.