'66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Eduardo Aguilu

'66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Postby Eduardo Aguilu » Sat Nov 17, 2018 4:56 pm

I am astonished by this beautiful instrument! 1 of a kind for $8,000! I'd love to have it just to appreciate it, as I would a priceless work of art. I wonder how it would sound played by Bob Bogle, a guitarist, especially since it has a tremolo bar. Have any of you ever hear of this "prototype"? How about offering your views after you check out the ebay listing? I'd love to read your comments.
https://tinyurl.com/ybcoae8c

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nikgrayson
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Re: '66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Postby nikgrayson » Mon Nov 19, 2018 9:10 am

i have stared at and dreamed of those for years. so cool. bass vi's are one of my favourite instruments. i have a fender and a couple danelectro vi's but would switch over to a mosrite without hesitation.
maybe that is one of a kind because of its finish colour but it is not the only one made.
there was a super cool pink one on display at namm in 2012 that i would give a foot for. haha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtcyVD-HMw

Eduardo Aguilu

Re: '66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Postby Eduardo Aguilu » Mon Nov 19, 2018 11:17 pm

Unread postby nikgrayson » Mon Nov 19, 2018 11:10 am

i have stared at and dreamed of those for years. so cool. bass vi's are one of my favourite instruments. i have a fender and a couple danelectro vi's but would switch over to a mosrite without hesitation.
maybe that is one of a kind because of its finish colour but it is not the only one made.
there was a super cool pink one on display at namm in 2012 that i would give a foot for. haha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtcyVD-HMw


It looks like you and I are the only members left! I viewed the video with the pink "Baritone" guitar and it doesn't have the visual quality of the prototype on ebay. The pink one is Dana Moseley's product and there are some visible differences. First, the bass on ebay is not a The Ventures model and the seller is kind of quirky. When I looked at his listing, the item description did not mention the bass. Instead, he bitched about Fender's Precision and his dissatisfaction with Fender. I wrote to him, pointed out his error and suggested he revise his listing. He did but he expresses himself with weird language. After viewing the 2012 NAMM video I searched Google Images for Mosrite prototypes and found the one on ebay but at https://www.guitarbroker.com/product/19 ... prototype/ Included are 18 photos and the headstock does not include The Ventures model logo so the ebay seller is pulling a fast one. Dana's pink bass, excuse me: "Baritone Guitar", doesn't have or show a metal nut. The bridge is not identical.

The ebay seller calls the tuners "insane duck foot tuners” when they are really a reproduction of the headstock. One thing that caught my eye is the pickguard point right above the screw above the pickup. When I was comparing my 1990 Japanese KuroKumo Mosrite The Ventures model with original Mosrites made by Semie, that point did not end between frets but lined up with the 3rd fret. Dana's bass lines up with the 3rd fret. And the M mosrite of California logo bothers me. California goes downhill. Semie was too much of a class act to let that go, especially on a 1-of-a-kind prototype. So, while it is a beautiful instrument, I have a suspicion that it could probably be an extreme high quality Japanese instrument.

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nikgrayson
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Re: '66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Postby nikgrayson » Tue Nov 20, 2018 12:29 pm

Eduardo Aguilu wrote:It looks like you and I are the only members left! I viewed the video with the pink "Baritone" guitar and it doesn't have the visual quality of the prototype on ebay. The pink one is Dana Moseley's product and there are some visible differences. First, the bass on ebay is not a The Ventures model and the seller is kind of quirky. When I looked at his listing, the item description did not mention the bass. Instead, he bitched about Fender's Precision and his dissatisfaction with Fender. I wrote to him, pointed out his error and suggested he revise his listing. He did but he expresses himself with weird language. After viewing the 2012 NAMM video I searched Google Images for Mosrite prototypes and found the one on ebay but at https://www.guitarbroker.com/product/19 ... prototype/ Included are 18 photos and the headstock does not include The Ventures model logo so the ebay seller is pulling a fast one. Dana's pink bass, excuse me: "Baritone Guitar", doesn't have or show a metal nut. The bridge is not identical.

The ebay seller calls the tuners "insane duck foot tuners” when they are really a reproduction of the headstock. One thing that caught my eye is the pickguard point right above the screw above the pickup. When I was comparing my 1990 Japanese KuroKumo Mosrite The Ventures model with original Mosrites made by Semie, that point did not end between frets but lined up with the 3rd fret. Dana's bass lines up with the 3rd fret. And the M mosrite of California logo bothers me. California goes downhill. Semie was too much of a class act to let that go, especially on a 1-of-a-kind prototype. So, while it is a beautiful instrument, I have a suspicion that it could probably be an extreme high quality Japanese instrument.


yeah, its weird more people arent posting.
there are for sure differences and i wouldnt be surprised if the pink bass was built in japan or at ed roman in las vegas. i was more just pointing out that there are (were?) other mosrite bass VI's. the string guide on the pink one is painted pink but the size and shape leads me to believe its a standard metal guide (but painted). oh well. these things are just way too cool. too bad there arent more floating around. i have a univox hi flyer bass that i painted pink and took the bridge pickup out to emulate that one from 2012. aesthetically probably my favourite thing ever.

Eduardo Aguilu

Re: '66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Postby Eduardo Aguilu » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:13 pm

yeah, its weird more people arent posting.
there are for sure differences and i wouldnt be surprised if the pink bass was built in japan or at ed roman in las vegas. i was more just pointing out that there are (were?) other mosrite bass VI's. the string guide on the pink one is painted pink but the size and shape leads me to believe its a standard metal guide (but painted). oh well. these things are just way too cool. too bad there arent more floating around. i have a univox hi flyer bass that i painted pink and took the bridge pickup out to emulate that one from 2012. aesthetically probably my favourite thing ever.


Just a few years ago all sections of this forum were active. I don't know why the members have stayed away in droves. My first Mosrite '60s THE VENTURES model single p/u bass had been painted hot pink and I stripped it and repainted it red. Through the years I've owned several Univoxes and I went only so far as applying decals. But I learned my lesson and only an original Mosrite could satisfy me. But their prices started to escalate and since I forgot how to play but my hunger to own another Mosrite led me to weaken and I bought a beautiful Mosrite made while KuroKumo still had the rights to make them so my KuroKumo Mosrite is a nice copy. Take a look at it on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/323548753173?s ... 1555.l2648

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nikgrayson
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Re: '66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Postby nikgrayson » Mon Nov 26, 2018 1:59 pm

that is beautiful!

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Re: '66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Postby LoveyX » Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:48 am

I knew I had seen this one before and had to do some searching to find these earlier posts...interesting and unusual to say the least!
Here's an earlier post with the same guitar,
http://mosriteforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2878
which also appears here,
http://www.vintageguitarz.com/2013/09/1966-mosrite-baritone-prototype.html
Looks like it would be fun to play... I have no part in the sale of the instrument, just sharing a couple earlier posts :D

Eduardo Aguilu

Re: '66 Mosrite Ventures 6-String "Prototype" Bass

Postby Eduardo Aguilu » Sat Dec 01, 2018 5:21 pm

LoveyX wrote:I knew I had seen this one before and had to do some searching to find these earlier posts...interesting and unusual to say the least!
Here's an earlier post with the same guitar,
http://mosriteforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2878
which also appears here,
http://www.vintageguitarz.com/2013/09/1966-mosrite-baritone-prototype.html
Looks like it would be fun to play... I have no part in the sale of the instrument, just sharing a couple earlier posts :D


Good finds, LoveyX, thanks. I didn't think of researching past posts especially that far back. I don't know if the asking price keeps anyone away as whoever buys it, if it ever sells, must be a special person or a well-to-do collector. I wonder why it slipped under the radar of public notice.


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