Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

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ElTwang
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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby ElTwang » Fri Dec 12, 2008 6:47 am

Yes, Yes and heck Yeah! This info is so great that someone should make a write-up for an unofficial complete story (or will your book, Deke, cover it all?) as we go along with all this info.

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby Strat-o-rama » Fri Dec 12, 2008 8:37 am

This is a fascinating thread. Danny, never knew you had such close contact with Semi back in the old days!
I've always found the Mark One style to be one of the sharpest looking electrics guitars ever, and at Deke's website I read the article on Bakersfield guitar makers when I got more interested and started to look around the web. What a story. Very entertaining and is about as pure 'Americana' as you can get! Also, Deke, I enjoy your articles for Guitar Player. One question: Who owns the Les Paul Custom in your last column? Very cool.
Look forward to the book.

Trent

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby Dennisthe Menace » Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:36 pm

Jason posted:
I ofter wonder how/why it never took hold like Fenders, I guess maybe he was just slightly a few years late getting out of the blocks!!

Actually, in many respects, he was WAY AHEAD of everyone else with certain perfections to the TREM System, the angled Neck P'up to compensate the attack of tone going from the High E to the Low E strings, etc. He came out with his "Speed Frets" before Gibson came out with their "Fretless Wonders" which was basically the same thing..........B...U...T!!!...what TOTALLY Blew me away was the first PIC that Deke had posted....in 1969, AMPEG had introduced a 'New Concept' for a guitar...the Dan Armstrong Plexi. It's New Design which has "features like interchangeable Pickups, and a Plexi type Material (Lucite and Acrylic) to make the notes resonate with longer sustain." "And it is the First Guitar to have a full 2 Octave Neck (24 frets!)."

...OK, by now, everyone's wandering "Where the heck is he going with this!?!?!?"
Deke, with your permission, I re-posted the first Guitar PIC below.....
How many FRETS does everyone count on this Mo'?!?!?!?!?
Image
make the Mos' of it, choose the 'rite stuff.
.........Owner of 9 Mosrites...
.....proud owner and documented:
1963 "the Ventures" Model s/n #0038
http://www.thevintagerockproject.com/

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby Deke Dickerson » Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:52 pm

Hey guys,

Glad my posts have generated some interest! That's great.

First of all the book I'm writing is tentatively called "WEST COAST CUSTOM GUITARS" and is not a book on Mosrite exclusively, but on all the companies from California and the West Coast that made guitars from the 1930's until the 1970's....so there will be extensive chapters on Bigsby, Standel, MOSRITE, Magnatone, Murph, Carvin, you get the picture!

Secondly, to answer a couple other questions. The Les Paul Custom in the latest Guitar Player is mine. it's a great guitar. Just to clarify, Gibson was offering "speed frets" in 1954 on the "Fretless Wonder" Les Paul Black Beauty, so they were actually the first, not Semie.

And as far as Ampeg saying they were the first to offer 24 fret guitars, yes the Mosrite has 24 frets but Danelectro also came out with the 31-fret Guitarlin in 1958, so Ampeg's claim wasn't so accurate. I'm sure there were others, too.

Deke

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby ElTwang » Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:10 pm

Deke Dickerson wrote:Hey guys,

Glad my posts have generated some interest! That's great.

First of all the book I'm writing is tentatively called "WEST COAST CUSTOM GUITARS" and is not a book on Mosrite exclusively, but on all the companies from California and the West Coast that made guitars from the 1930's until the 1970's....so there will be extensive chapters on Bigsby, Standel, MOSRITE, Magnatone, Murph, Carvin, you get the picture!


Excellent! Did you also get to know Semie Mosely, Deke?

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby Deke Dickerson » Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:20 pm

I'm sad to say I never got to meet him! I moved to California in 1991, and Semie was in Arkansas making Mosrites then. He died in 1992.

Of course I'm only 40 years old and I didn't get my first Mosrite guitar until 1992, so I guess I can plead some kind of ignorance.

I am happy to say that I've gotten to know a lot of the California guitar & amp makers that are still around, and pick their brains....Bill Gruggett, Terry McArthur, R.C. Allen, Ed Sanner, etc.

Deke

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby ElTwang » Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:31 pm

Deke Dickerson wrote:I'm sad to say I never got to meet him! I moved to California in 1991, and Semie was in Arkansas making Mosrites then. He died in 1992.

Of course I'm only 40 years old and I didn't get my first Mosrite guitar until 1992, so I guess I can plead some kind of ignorance.

I am happy to say that I've gotten to know a lot of the California guitar & amp makers that are still around, and pick their brains....Bill Gruggett, Terry McArthur, R.C. Allen, Ed Sanner, etc.

Deke


That's what I thought, although I could easily picture the 8-year ol' Dedicated Deke sending Semie fan-mail ;-)

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby Dennisthe Menace » Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:47 pm

Deke Dickerson wrote:Hey guys,

Glad my posts have generated some interest! That's great.

First of all the book I'm writing is tentatively called "WEST COAST CUSTOM GUITARS" and is not a book on Mosrite exclusively, but on all the companies from California and the West Coast that made guitars from the 1930's until the 1970's....so there will be extensive chapters on Bigsby, Standel, MOSRITE, Magnatone, Murph, Carvin, you get the picture!

Secondly, to answer a couple other questions. The Les Paul Custom in the latest Guitar Player is mine. it's a great guitar. Just to clarify, Gibson was offering "speed frets" in 1954 on the "Fretless Wonder" Les Paul Black Beauty, so they were actually the first, not Semie.

And as far as Ampeg saying they were the first to offer 24 fret guitars, yes the Mosrite has 24 frets but Danelectro also came out with the 31-fret Guitarlin in 1958, so Ampeg's claim wasn't so accurate. I'm sure there were others, too.

Deke

Actually, there is 25 Frets on that little guy, that's what caught my attention, there IS an extra fret. LOL. And I always thought that Uncle Semie had started with the 'Speed Frets' back in '53, about 1 1/2 years before he made Joe's guitar.... :?
make the Mos' of it, choose the 'rite stuff.
.........Owner of 9 Mosrites...
.....proud owner and documented:
1963 "the Ventures" Model s/n #0038
http://www.thevintagerockproject.com/

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby Deke Dickerson » Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:00 pm

Re: The "speed frets"

All the guitars that I've seen from the super early period have small frets, fairly low, but not "fretless wonder" type frets. The first ones I see like that are the early Bakersfield guitars circa '59-'61.

And again, Uncle Semie probably claimed he did it first, but this is just from inspecting guitars up close and forming an opinion...

Deke

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Re: Guess I'll start throwing up a few pics...from Deke

Postby Mr. Bill » Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:26 pm

First off Deke; thank you for sharing these photos and the information in this post. It's really great that you are willing to share this with us.

Secondly Dub or Denny, can you take the basic information/timeline with any of the updates or corrections that come in, and make it a permanent information read only post? I think it would make a great source for the history of Mosrite guitars.

Deke, thanks again!


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