Don Rich's 1961-1962 era Mosrite "Buckaroo" guitar!!
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 9:09 pm
Here's a photo of a real mystery guitar. This guitar lives at the Country Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville and it is purported to be Don Rich's Mosrite. The only photo I've found of it (reproduced here) is from a very rare book of John Peden photographs published in Japan back in the 80's called "Rare Guitar Museum." These are Peden's photographs from the old Guitar World centerfolds, but the Mosrite/Buckaroo appears to be an unused outtake photo that was never published anywhere but this obscure Japanese book.
At any rate....this is an odd duck. The headstock says "Buckaroo by Moseley," but I believe that it was redone at some point to change the headstock profile and the brand. Everything else about this guitar says that it's a 1961-1962 era Mosrite with some special features. I'm guessing that the revamp may have been in the early 70's, aren't these the kind of cheaper tuners that Semie used on some of the 70's models? Don Rich died in 1974 so it would have to predate that.
The guitar looks like Semie was really trying to get Don Rich to switch from a Telecaster. There are some really unusual features for a Mosrite, including the maple fretboard, stop tailpiece that's very much like a Tele tailpiece, and the volume/tone knob configuration which also appears to be swiped straight from the Tele design.
Other than that, it looks like a 1961-1962 era "Joe Maphis" model Mosrite, and I bet that's what it started out life as.
Sorry the end of the image is a little blurred, but I had to scan this from a book and couldn't get it flat on the scanner. image copyright John Peden.
Keep scrolling down after this pic for another oddity.
Deke
Now...about that "Buckaroo" brand...I doubt that it had any relation, but this guitar washed ashore a few years ago on ebay. it's a real oddity, a "Parts-Rite" for sure with parts from every Bakersfield brand on it! It's got a Mosrite stop tailpiece on the upper neck, a Gruggett Stradette body, Hallmark pickups, Standel vibrato, and the icing on the cake, Epcor necks (note that the "M" is actually a sideways "E" on these Mosrite-style necks, that identify them as Epcor). Talk about an oddity! Note also that the top neck is actually a 14-string guitar.
But I don't think the "Buck-O-Roo" brand is the same as the "Buckaroo by Moseley" on the Don Rich guitar. For one thing, they're spelled differently, the logos are totally different, and the doubleneck is so crude I don't believe it was made by Semie or any other Mosrite employee. Bill Gruggett says he doesn't recognize this instrument. A real mystery but I thought I would throw it in here because of the "Buckaroo" connection. (Obviously, if you're from Russia, you might not know this but Buck Owens band was called the Buckaroos, so there lies the connection)
Deke
At any rate....this is an odd duck. The headstock says "Buckaroo by Moseley," but I believe that it was redone at some point to change the headstock profile and the brand. Everything else about this guitar says that it's a 1961-1962 era Mosrite with some special features. I'm guessing that the revamp may have been in the early 70's, aren't these the kind of cheaper tuners that Semie used on some of the 70's models? Don Rich died in 1974 so it would have to predate that.
The guitar looks like Semie was really trying to get Don Rich to switch from a Telecaster. There are some really unusual features for a Mosrite, including the maple fretboard, stop tailpiece that's very much like a Tele tailpiece, and the volume/tone knob configuration which also appears to be swiped straight from the Tele design.
Other than that, it looks like a 1961-1962 era "Joe Maphis" model Mosrite, and I bet that's what it started out life as.
Sorry the end of the image is a little blurred, but I had to scan this from a book and couldn't get it flat on the scanner. image copyright John Peden.
Keep scrolling down after this pic for another oddity.
Deke
Now...about that "Buckaroo" brand...I doubt that it had any relation, but this guitar washed ashore a few years ago on ebay. it's a real oddity, a "Parts-Rite" for sure with parts from every Bakersfield brand on it! It's got a Mosrite stop tailpiece on the upper neck, a Gruggett Stradette body, Hallmark pickups, Standel vibrato, and the icing on the cake, Epcor necks (note that the "M" is actually a sideways "E" on these Mosrite-style necks, that identify them as Epcor). Talk about an oddity! Note also that the top neck is actually a 14-string guitar.
But I don't think the "Buck-O-Roo" brand is the same as the "Buckaroo by Moseley" on the Don Rich guitar. For one thing, they're spelled differently, the logos are totally different, and the doubleneck is so crude I don't believe it was made by Semie or any other Mosrite employee. Bill Gruggett says he doesn't recognize this instrument. A real mystery but I thought I would throw it in here because of the "Buckaroo" connection. (Obviously, if you're from Russia, you might not know this but Buck Owens band was called the Buckaroos, so there lies the connection)
Deke
