Bob Regan's Mosrite Special doubleneck has surfaced.

[Strat-o-rama]

While we are on this subject, maybe you experts can answer this: On the TNM website there are pictures of Brian Lonbeck's double neck getting a new pair of necks made and installed. His guitar seems different from most--not as deep as the 50's, yet thicker or semi hollow, compared to the "solid body" design of the 6/12 string double necks. What's the story? Are there three basic double neck body styles?

[Deke Dickerson]

Brian's doubleneck that he is playing now is one of the "JM65" doubles that Semie made in the 80's. It has a bigger body than the solidbody doublenecks, but not as big as the original 50's ones.

The new necks are ones that Terry McArthur made for Brians guitar (they were bolt-ons).

If you go back and look at some of my other posts, or at Terry's TNM Custom website, you'll see that the original 50's doublenecks were all really large hollowbody instruments. He made I'm guessing 10 or 15 double-necks and triplenecks from this era, all hand built, for well known country stars like Joe Maphis & Larry Collins, and preachers you never heard of including Rev. Charles Jessup and Rev. Doyle Hart.

Around the time of the move to Bakersfield, he started making a streamlined version of the doubleneck, still hollow but simpler. There are at least a few of these around, including one that belongs to a CHP officer up in Bakersfield named Doug Brewer.

Then around '62-'63 he introduced the solidbody "Joe Maphis" model doubleneck, which were made on a super limited basis. I've seen probably 20 of these, mostly with the octave neck, but some with the 12-string upper neck. All of them are subtly different. I had serial #103, which was the 3rd solidbody doubleneck (his numbering system was 00X for the singlenecks, 10X for the doublenecks, and 500X for the basses), but I sold it.

Then around '66 or so the "production model" solidbody doubleneck came out, which only had the 12-string neck on the top neck, although there were weird one-off variations on this too, I've seen at least one legit '66 era doubleneck with a bass on the top neck.

After that everything was a parts guitar until he did the JM65 guitars in the 80's, which was his attempt at the big-bodied Joe Maphis style guitars of the 50's. They were sort of halfway there, but good sounding and playing guitars.

Another exhaustive email that hopefully didnt put anybody to sleep.

Deke

[TerryTNM]

Hey Deke,

You could be right. I base my thoughts on the necks. I never saw a scooped headstock on any guitars made up to 1959 when he moved. This would be something very difficult or impossible to retrofit to a standard earlier neck. Joe's original in line six heads were re-blocked and made into the famous 3x3 heads but the early 60's remodel required new necks and were the scooped variety. It's certainly possible that the same thing happened to Bob's guitar as well. It appears to have a Vibramute screw pattern but I don't think we can assume anything from that. We just need more info. Someone must have some pictures somewhere.

[Strat-o-rama]

Not boring at all, Deke. Thanks for the explanation.

[TerryTNM]

Hey Deke,

I'm going to have to throw in with you on the dating. Looking at another photo of the body, you can see 3 filled areas where one of Semie's early attempts at a tremolo was installed. Probably using the surplus aircraft bearings that were set deep in the body face along with the spring relief. Being an early body I would say that the necks have been replaced. Looking at the fingerboard at the neck pickup position, a 50's guitar would have certainly had the the roll-over binding design not the angle cut-off un-bound type like on much later instruments.

Terry

[Deke Dickerson]

Hey Terry--

Actually, this guitar is very much like Larry Collins' "original" 50's doubleneck. It has the original 50's bodies but the necks were replaced along with new pickguards, new hardware, etc. Again, I wish we had pictures or could ask Bob Regan or Semie, but that's sure what it appears to be.

Deke

[dubtrub]

I don't have any knowledge to contribute to the subject in question, but, Terry, what type of glue is used where the necks and fretboards are removable? I normally use Tite Bond and would hate like heck to have to remove one of them.

[oipunkguy]

I had a question to terry. a little bit off topic. can you remove titebond using a hot glue knife? just wondering.
by the way awesome pics and posting terry. I love these early mosrites. thank you.

[TerryTNM]

I don't have any knowledge to contribute to the subject in question, but, Terry, what type of glue is used where the necks and fretboards are removable? I normally use Tite Bond and would hate like heck to have to remove one of them.

I have seen potted hide glue used for fretboard applications. This glue is reactivated with heat so with the proper tools you can remove the fretboard. Hide glue is granular mixed with water so therefore would have a tendency to expand the grain. Expanding the grain at the fretboard glue line would cause the neck to bow back. This condition would gradually decrease as the water dried out of the wood. I would probably use hide glue for this application if I could get a coat on before the heat went out of it and it starts to set.

I have used Tite Bond, Stewart-McDonald instrument glue and epoxy cement. None of these would lend them self to removal.

For a while now I have stayed away from water based glues as they have a tendency to convex the neck while curing. It often takes a month or more for the neck to dry out and return to position. I find that with epoxy you get less of that but still need plenty of cure time. Hope I never have to remove one. In the bible on guitarmaking by Bob Benedeto he uses Tite Bond. Who can argue with that?

I'm sure I went on far to long

Terry

[oipunkguy]

Oh no Terry, I love listening to this kind of stuff. I work on instruments myself, and so I'm always edger to listen to a teacher. Thank you so much.