Mosrite solid body timeline

[VincentW]

Hi again from Europe!

I introduced myself a few days ago here. As I posted before, the first Mosrite I acquired was a prototype Gospel from 1990. Soon after a M88 followed coming from a UK auction. Then some time later I was very lucky to come across a 1976 Brass Rail on Ebay UK and a 1966 mark II on Ebay Germany.

At that moment I decided it would be nice to create some kind of Mosrite timeline consisting of different solid body models, starting with a Ventures mark I and ending with the 1990 Gospel. After quite some years of collecting this is the final result:



1965 Ventures mk I in sparkle red
1966 Ventures mk II (non slab)
1967 Mel-o-Bar (sn 003)
1968 non-Ventures mk XII
Early 70s 350 mono (humbuckers)
1976 Brass Rail
1977/1978 SM-model
Early 1980s 3 pickup prototype Double Axe from Semie Moseleys personal collection
1984 V-III model with after fire serial number signed and dated by Semie Moseley
1988 M-88 signed and dated by Semie Moseley
1990 3 pickup gospel prototype signed and dated by Semie Moseley and from his personal collection

I wanted this timeline of solid body (single neck) Mosrites to reflect the great history of the Mosrite company. Mosrite forever!

[t-bone]

man. those are hot, Vincent. I am unable to pick out a favorite because they are all so gorgeous. thanks for sharing!

[panther]

They are all gorgeous.
However In my opinion that picture exemplifies why Mosrite ultimately failed. Back in that time frame Gibson, and Fender both had a lineup you could basically count on one hand.
Also T-Bones response is in part why. TOO MANY CHOICES. Can you imagine the resources Semi put into R & D for all of the models in His lineup. That is just the solid bodies, doesn't include acoustic, Double necks, Semi Hollow body, Amps, Cases Straps, ETC. The man was a guitar genius, but a businessman, not so much.

Dan

[t-bone]

I can respect that observation, for sure, Panther.
If there was a Combo in that photo then I would have had a favorite! It is a real eye-opener that someone with Mr. Mosley’s skills and talent can hit on hard times, like everybody else. If he was a better buisness person his guitars probably would not have been as awesome. (trying to not mention names of some of his contemporaries)

[VincentW]

Thank you Dan and T-bone for your observations.

My idea was to create a collection of Mosrites to reflect the history of the Mosrite company (and mr. Semie Moseley's life). Therefore I concentrated on one type of guitars (solid body single neck guitars).

I agree with T-bone very much that Semie Moseley hit on hard times often. One could say that he had more than his fair share of bad luck considering what he went through. Going out of business, illness, a devastating fire that destroyed the guitar factory, a severe car accident, etc. However, against all odds, he never gave up and always seemed to see new opportunities. I think that is a part of the reason why I like Mosrite guitars so much. Maybe his faith played a role in this, maybe it was his personality.



For instance, after the factory building burnt down, Semie Moseley started over again, to come up with a new triple pickup model with new controls (the V-III model, which I personally think is one of his most beautiful creations). Always the innovator, he just came up with a new model and gave it an After Fire serial number.

I remember I once read an interview in which Semie said he could have (financially) made it, had he stuck with the Ventures model. So he knew all this innovation maybe was not the best thing to do business-wise. That leads to the question why Semie did what he did? I'm not a psychologist, I have given this some thought however. I think Semie Moseley's desire to be innovative may have something to do with the fact that he learned his craft at Rickenbacker, literally from the people that were some of the founding fathers of the electric guitar (mr. Paul Barth, etc). It also may have something to do with the fact that his early successes came with building very innovative guitars (like the triple neck) for famous players.

So, the desire to innovate stayed untill the end of his life. I think this can be best illustrated by the newest Mosrite in my collection, the 1990 Gospel. The Gospel prototype had new features like push-pull knobs, a double (raised) pickguard and a (be it slightly) scalloped fretboard.



So, to conclude, for me, the timeline represents a combination of the desire to innovate and the willpower of someone who never gave up. I think that, in the end, for me is the real beauty of the collection.

[Sarah93003]

Great collection Vincent and a great homage to Mosrite and Semie's genius. In my humble opinion the number of models didn't contribute to lack of success. His career spanned over 30 years and when you spread out the number of models in a timeline, it's not crazy. For example, Harley Davidson has had hundreds of models during their timeline. They currently have 32 models in their lineup. I think I read they will introduce ten new models per year for the next ten years.

I think sometimes Semie gets a bad rap concerning his business prowess. He was most certainly an innovator and artist when it came to designing and building guitars. Many experts cite the failed Award amp line as the financial torpedo that killed Mosrite. That is understandable. I've owned two businesses in my career and have worked many years in manufacturing. Margins are slim. I'm guessing the warranty costs outpaced his profits. Soon you're robbing Peter to pay Paul, hence, his need to pay employees in guitars and parts in lieu of a paycheck. Distribution is a #1 priority in getting product to the customer. Losing that ability I think is why Mosrite never bounced back. Gretsch guitars would not be here today if it weren't for the arrangement they have with Fender as well as Brian Setzer. I know Fred Gretsch personally and he'll tell you these two things saved the company. I think the third thing was Fred Gretsch making those two decisions and making them happen.

[panther]

Sarah, Semie didn't have the infrastructure Davidson did, and if you recall, HD went bankrupt. AMF bailed them out. Unfortunately Mosrite didn't have the back up to sustain them. JMHO.

Dan