mosriteforum.com

You don't have to convince me. I've been a happy 60 Custom owner for nearly a year, now.

Hey guys! Anyone out there purchased the brand new Brian Setzer LP? John SPAZZ Hatton played a new Hallmark Swept-Wing vintage series bass on some of it. I just got the cd and it is really top quality Setzer. Some hot rockin and some jazzy stuff as well. John loves the bass and has been using it whenever possible. He as you may suppose plays his KING upright bass as his first bass. Good stuff.

Bob

Hey Y'all!

Guys have been asking to see this one of three seperate model prototype guitars we created for Nokie Edwards. So here is one of them!

Nokie really liked this guitar and still owns one of the two of this model we made, we own this one. He was seen playing it at NAMM jamming with Tom Bresch and others. We have two other models we created not as the Hitchiker as well.

One, being identical to the 60 Custom called "The Nokie Edwards Model", and one very much like the 60 Custom with a differrent headstock called " The Nokie Model". Ultimately, although Nokie really liked the guitars, although we never really set out to create a Hitchiker, we were thinking more along the lines of a Hallmark Nokie Edwards model and ultimately the deal was never consumated, so these will always simply be part of the history.

We will post pictures of the others when we are able.

Bob Shade

Wonderful to see Bob, thanks for letting us see it.
Interesting to note that the German Carve on this one is quite deep and pronounced; very similar to the Aria Ventures and Wilson Brothers Guitars.

I'm glad the carve on the Hallmark 60 Custom turned out to be what it is now; significantly more gentle and subtle, which is much more preferable in my opinion and in line with my taste. Looking forward to see the other prototypes

I'm rather intrigued as to who's idea/design it was to let the HitchHiker sport that diamond-shaped metal "scratch plate" for the control knobs and selector switch; I'm sorry to have to say that to me it is very much out of place on a guitar with such beautiful flowing lines and cool curves...one of the first things that caught my eye when I first saw Nokie's HitchHiker.

Long live Mosrite
Long live Hallmark

[edit] I'm also interested to know what neck measurements Nokie preferred; wider than the Mosrite? (or the same narrow neck?)

Hey Bob, just out of curiosity, did Nokie have you guys put the volute on the back of the headstock? Was this a through-body design or a bolt-on?

Gee, Bob--

Those are BEAUTIFUL photos, but what is that checkerboard reflection in one of the tuning keys?

JUST KIDDING! Inside joke, there. Those reflections are from the ceiling lights in my photo studio. OOOPS!

Veenture wrote:
>>who's idea/design it was to let the HitchHiker sport that diamond-shaped metal
>>"scratch plate" for the control knobs and selector switch; I'm sorry to have to say
>>that to me it is very much out of place on a guitar with such beautiful flowing lines
>>and cool curve

Paul, when I took those pics, I have to say that I felt that plate struck a disharmonious note with the rest of the guitar, also. I have a bias against pointy elements in a design, though, so I thought that it was just me. I am so bad about that that I have removed the logos from my Peavey amps and replaced them with a logo I designed that looks like a 1940s Fender logo plate.

The Peavey logo, to me, looks like something a Ninja warrior would throw at a person.

--Jim

This guitar was produced after the first two Hallmark Nokie models. Nokie said the first two looked too much like a Mosrite. I thought thats what his fans would appreciate so originally the 60 Custom was intended to be the Nokie Edwards model........something all Nokie fans would be able to afford that he would play. I don't know how many Hitchikers he has sold at $3500.00 plus but I doubt it has been many.

But, Nokie wanted the Hitchiker headstock, diamond neck plate, our 67 pickups ala Swept-Wing, and Stradette, Strat output jack etc. He also did not want the carve to be like a Mosrite exactly so this is what we came up with on the fly for him just to be a bit different.

He liked it very much, however the buisiness end was never finalized. So, we put the 60 Custom to work instead. I think our customers will agree, the 60 Custom is the guitar for them. It's hard to figure out why Nokie likes his Hitchiker better than the 60 Custom, but to each his own. It is an interesting guitar, but a bit bizzare.

Hey, I am a poet and don't realise it! Oh, for that one question....... the neck dimention and feel is the same as the 60 Custom, 1+58" at the zero fret.

Bob

Bob, Thanks for posting those great and very interesting photos. I agree that at $3500.00, more than likely there hasn't been a rush on the Hitchhiker. It seems Nokie would want to get a guitar into players hands at a price that is realistic. Look at Jimmie Vaughans signiture Guitar, affordable, available and actually used by Him!!!
Anyway I love my 60 Custom in Pearl White and bought it because Nokie played a Pearl White Mosrite in the Classic Ventures Era. Great Guitar that I could afford!!!!

I heard Nokie is selling them for $5,000 now.

So, let me get this straight... the 60 Custom (as built) was originally intended to be called the "Nokie Edwards" model? that's a bit of interesting history, right there.