The Ventures' Mosrites

[Bob Shade]

The Ventures paid Mosrite, not the reverse. Mosrite manufactured the guitars. The Ventures in turn purchased the guitars from Mosrite and distributed them. The Ventures were the sole distributor, that was the deal.

What made the deal bad for both parties was, The Ventures and Mosrite were bound by contract that stated, as time went by, the Ventures would have to purchase more and more quantity of product, as both parties felt after time went on the demand would be higher, so Mosrite would have to produce more and sell more to Ventures distributing. However once the popularity of both the Ventures and solid body guitars was on the down swing, Mosrite would not re-negotiate the contract. This stuck the Ventures with huge deliveries of guitars the Ventures were forced to to warehouse with little sales in sight.

This did not sit well with the Ventures having lifted Mosrite from a tin shed on Panama lane with a $70,000 advance to move to a large warehouse and purchase expensive equipment and hire employee's, and the reputation of the hit band The Ventures themselves helping Mosrite become one of the largest guitar sales companies to exist by 1965.

No agreement was negotiated and Ventures distributing and Mosrite parted ways leaving the Ventures with hundreds of guitars they had purchased, and paying for warehouse space forced them to liquidate them for pennies on the dollar.

Mosrite believed they could make it without the Ventures, but their new concentration on amplifiers and hollowbodies was the downfall, and ultimately the bank shut the doors to the Mosrite factory, and a public auction of all assets of the Mosrite factory was held shortly thereafter.

Semie Moseley later admitted, if he had just stuck to making the Ventures model, he would have stayed in business. He tried to resurrect the relationship again in the 80's to no avail. The Ventures were having none of it. The Ventures later found out, Semie used the Ventures logo anyway.

After all this time of being a fan of Mosrite and the Ventures Model, it is hard to believe Mosrite only produced it for 4 years before calling it quits. Isn't it? And we have enjoyed them for a lifetime!

I must admit, I always kind of enjoyed having Mosrite's and guitarists coming up and staring at it with a weird look on their face. Then later coming up and saying "what the heck guitar is that?" One guy asked if it was a Montgomery Ward guitar. Ha! Not quite.

Bob

[Veenture]

That's an intruiging take on a sensitive part of Mosrite history...can't get enough of it!
Now we just need to discover that forgotten warehouse, stacked chock-full-o- 60's Mosrites!
Meantime, it's good to know Hallmark is keeping many a Mo' fan happy!
Keep making those wonderful models Bob, thank you for sharing.
-Paul

[Bob Shade]

Thank you Paul! I am doing my best.

Yea, is there a Mosrite GPS out there anywhere? Maybe it would be easier to ask Don Wilson where it is. So here goes. Hey Don, where is the storage facility for the time capsule Ventures models located?

There, that should do it.

Bob

[balt11tab]

Bob- Fan Fest Host Tom Baltaeff here. I'll try to follow up as well on this when I catch
the group for four days (2/29-3/4) down at BUSCH GARDENS in Tampa. You do know-
I'm sure they're at THE BIRCHMERE in Alexandria, Va. Thursday April 5th, followed by
THE MUSICFEST CAFE in Bethlehem, Pa. April 6th & get this- the VIVA LAS VEGAS car
show w/ Duane Eddy April 7th.