Tsunami Surfers go country

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Desert Surfer
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Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby Desert Surfer » Mon Aug 17, 2015 11:18 pm

On August 9, on the way to Sequoia National Park, my wife and I stopped by Bakersfield, CA to see my old friend Danny and his son Daren whom we haven't seen since 2007.

Their band; Tsunami Surfers performed that Sunday at Old Corral Cafe; a famous historical western restaurant in Bakersfield. Most audience came by cars, many came by motorcycles, some even on horses. We felt that we were back in the old old wild west.

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Here is the video samplers of the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wTKWeGm_vk

Daren is a great singer while Danny played wonderful lead guitar. They played 3 sets in 3 hours. We enjoyed every minute of the show.

As many of you are aware, Danny is the founder of this forum. In addition to be a great musician, Danny also restores and builds guitars & amps.

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MWaldorf
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Re: Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby MWaldorf » Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:46 pm

Thanks for sharing this DS! The Tsunami Surfers are tight, Danny is a tasteful lead player, and Daren's got a great voice. Most impressive for me, they make country music enjoyable to listen to!
Oy vey - it's MESHUGGA BEACH PARTY - The world's premier Jewish Surf Music Band!

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What? Couldn't tell the logo is a link? So click here, what's the hold up? http://www.meshuggabeachparty.com

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Re: Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby Desert Surfer » Thu Aug 20, 2015 8:44 am

Thanks, Mel. It's been a while to see you on forum.

Yeah, I have been away from this forum for quite a long time. Seeing Danny again 10 days ago has brought back a lot good memory.

I met Danny in 2004 or 2005? at a Mosrite guitar forum (ran by a guy called Kevin? in N.Y. area who imported Excellent brand Mosrite copy from Japan) Both of Danny and I were Mosrite enthusiasts and we chatted a lot about Semie Moseley and Mosrite guitars on that forum.

In 2007, my wife and I went to Bakersfield to meet with Danny and purchased a vintage Mosrite guitars he restored. Danny is not only an excellent guitar tech man and also a great host, he took us to nice restaurant, a few museums, showed us places and other sight seeing spots in Bakersfield.

Not too long after, that Mosrite forum in N.Y. was shut down, Danny decided to form this Mosrite forum in 2008. I was still working and couldn't contribute much to the new forum. Can't believe the forum has been 7 years old.

:)

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Re: Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby Desert Surfer » Fri Aug 21, 2015 1:09 pm

[I wrote this article a few months after I visited Danny in Bakersfield, CA in 2007 and purchased the vintage Mosrite he restored. Danny was kind enough to send me photos of this guitar before and after restoration. I might have posted this article in old Mosrite forum but not on this forum. :? ]

Mosrite Restoration
The magic work of Danny Ellison


Danny Ellison is a retired sheriff from Bakersfield, CA, and like myself, a lover of Mosrite guitars. Ellison grew up in Bakersfield during the late 1950s when Semie Moseley first set up a small guitar workshop there. Located just across the street from Ellison's elementary school, Mosrite's workshop was well-frequented by the young Ellison. After school, Ellison would spend his afternoon watching the guitar maker at work. The two soon became friends. In 1965, when Ellison returned from military service, Ellison worked for Semie, learning the craft of painting and finishing guitars.

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In 2007, Ellison discovered a 1966 model Mosrite. The guitar was weathered with age and almost beyond recognition. Ellison subsequently decided to purchase the relic, and restore it to its original condition.

The following images are the results of what I call "the magic work of Danny Ellison."

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Having worked on a few guitar projects before, as well as having firsthand experience in Mosrite workshop, Ellison had become quite handy in the craft of guitar making.

His previous guitar projects included a Fender Jazzmaster and Jazz Bass made from scratch. Ellison, however, still wished to return to his childhood favorite, the Mosrite.

Subsequently, when he found the vintage Mosrite, Ellison was determined to restore the guitar to its original condition. Like a detective, the former Bakersfield sheriff began the task of researching the history of the guitar. Careful study yielded the exact serial number, component parts, and other specifications: the S/N (4xx9), the dating on the neck and pots, all conformed.

Ellison concluded that the guitar was in fact, the 1966 Mosrite guitar as used by the surf group, the Ventures.

The residue under the neck joint indicated that the original finish was a sunburst color. The neck, body, and basic construction were in fairly good condition. The fret work was above average. The turners were all original and in good working condition.

The pickups were also original, and in working condition. The bridge was functional. The vibrator base unit was fine, the tremolo bar, however, was missing. Ellison therefore decided to replace the trem arm, creating the arm from scratch.

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After testing the pickups, Ellison found that the sound quality was still exceptional. The final step that remained was the refinishing of the guitar.

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Knowing that the guitar was indeed a 1966 Ventures Mosrite model, Ellison placed the final touches on the guitar: a pair of "Mosrite" and "Ventures" decals, confirming the authenticity of his masterpiece. Even the most experienced collector will have a difficult time discerning the difference.

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Danny also restored the original case. He had to remade the missing handle.

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Danny Ellison with the restored Mosrite
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:)

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Re: Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby Desert Surfer » Fri Aug 21, 2015 7:07 pm

Here is the link of Danny's post about the restoration of this guitar.

http://www.mosriteforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=260

Danny posted this article in the old Mosrite forum in 2007 (which was closed by the owner in early 2008)

The old Mosrite forum was short lived (less than a year or so?). But we had a lot interesting discussion on Mosrite vintage guitars, Semie Moseley, Mosrite Japanese clones, and The Ventures' / Nokie Edwards' involvement with Mosrite etc.

:)

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Re: Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby dubtrub » Fri Aug 21, 2015 9:56 pm

Hi Vincent, thanks for the memories! It was great to see you and your wife again. Also Mel, thanks for the nice compliments.

This current Mosrite forum use to be a hopping place to meet as we had several hundred if not a thousand posts monthly. Everyday there were 25-75 posts and 5 -10 new members joining daily. Then about three years ago activity started dying off and I was on the verge of closing it down when Mel offered to take it over. Fortunately during that time we accumulated a wealth of information making this forum an encyclopedia of everything Mosrite for enthusiast to research for years to come. A special thank you should go out to Mel for keeping this forum running on the internet.

That old forum was the "Mazzrite forum" run by Kevin Mazz, who was also an import dealer for the Excellent Mosrite guitars from Japan. During that time Kurokumo and Fillmore engaged in their lawsuit over the rights to the Mosrite name, Kevin's business folded and he closed down his forum and guitar sales. BTW, that link you posted above is a link to a clone that I scratch built not the restoration of your guitar.
Danny Ellison

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Re: Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby Sarah93003 » Fri Aug 21, 2015 11:34 pm

Thanks for sharing that! The band sounded great. The Gretsch sounded awesome Danny! I am so glad you didn't shut down the forum. We'll have to see what we can do to jump start things.

Mel, thanks so much for picking up the torch and running with it! See ya in a few weeks. ;)
____________________
1965 Mosrite Celebrity Prototype with Vibramute
1972 Mosrite Celebrity-III
1977 Gibson MK-53
1982 Fender Bullet
1994 Gretsch Streamliner G3155 Custom
2005 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
2006 Jude Les Paul 12 String

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Desert Surfer
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Re: Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby Desert Surfer » Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:55 am

Thanks, Danny for updates and corrections. Obviously, your memory is much better than mine.

Yeah, that's right! "Mazzrite" was the name of the old Mosrite forum. At least I've got the name Kevin right. Those were the good old days.

Sorry about the mixed up. Did not remember you had restored another vintage Mosrite. Love the Jazzmaster you built. Wished I had heard you played it at your last show.

Absolute love the sound and the looks of the Jazz Bass you built for Daren. I started to collect and play bass a few years ago. My favorite basses are also JB clones; a JB4 built by Don Grosh in Colorado and a Lakland JB JO model made in Chicago. We will chat more about them in different post.

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:)

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Re: Tsunami Surfers go country

Postby Desert Surfer » Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:04 am

Sarah93003 wrote:Thanks for sharing that! The band sounded great. The Gretsch sounded awesome Danny! I am so glad you didn't shut down the forum. We'll have to see what we can do to jump start things.

Mel, thanks so much for picking up the torch and running with it! See ya in a few weeks. ;)

Hello, Sarah. Good to see you again here.

I remember you as the "Celebrity Queen" :D

After reading many of your "Mosrite Celebrity " articles, I bough a 1965 Celebrity myself.

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Where is Dennis? His jokes always cracked me up. :lol:

:)


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