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I still consider myself new to Mosrites so bare with me. I've got two Excellent '65s now and aside from a Rickenbacker 330 and a Les Paul that were my decesseased father's instruments they are really all I play now. So maybe my opinions that are being formed are rather biased because I have nothing else to compare these guitars to. I did own probably close to a dozen different vintage reissue Fenders when my surf band and country band were active in the mid 2000s so I can remember what those felt like. I stayed away from Mosrite's mostly from word of mouth and what I read online about the necks being so skinny at the profile and nut width. I had a bandmate who had a poorly setup Excellent '65 so I never really got to spend time with one set up properly. That is until now and I don't get the major gripe with these guitars. When I measure the zero fret width it's almost as wide as a 1 5/8ths vintage Fender nut. So I'm not seeing the tight string spacing issues. As a surf guitarist I do a lot of single note stuff. I've never been a SRV bender, but I really do a lot of James Burton/Nokie Edwards bending and on the Excellent '65 there really is no difficulty in doing those types of bends.

I realize the Excellent '65 has slightly larger frets than the original speed frets, but I've got the action laughably low on these two guitars just a hair over 1/32nd of an inch at the 12th fret. No buzzing and unbelievably easy to play.
I've got a natural light touch. I used to have my tech set up my Tele's until all the strings would buzz with a normal players strum at the first fret. The loud pickups on the Mosrite are a PERFECT match for the low action/light touch.
Maybe I'm just overly satisfied with these guitars, but basically every gripe I've read about them has turned into a huge +

Is this the well kept secret? That keeps everyone from buying up Mosrites?

Leonardblush asked:

Is this the well kept secret? That keeps everyone from buying up Mosrites?

......werd.....yup......

I have played a couple vintage Mosrites with the speed frets/thin neck and IMHO if that is the only guitar you are using in a set then it should not be a problem because it is just a matter of adjustment and being familiar with the guitar. For me it wouldn't be worth it to own a vintage Mosrite because I usually carry two guitars to a gig and I prefer to have the same size neck on both guitars. Switching from my Hallmark 60's Custom to my 52 Tele RI or Gretsch 6120/59 is not that much of a jolt. Going from a Tele to a vintage Mosrite would be more like getting a wedgie.

If you like the Mosrite necks then more power to you.

vjf1968 wrote:I have played a couple vintage Mosrites with the speed frets/thin neck and IMHO if that is the only guitar you are using in a set then it should not be a problem because it is just a matter of adjustment and being familiar with the guitar. For me it wouldn't be worth it to own a vintage Mosrite because I usually carry two guitars to a gig and I prefer to have the same size neck on both guitars. Switching from my Hallmark 60's Custom to my 52 Tele RI or Gretsch 6120/59 is not that much of a jolt. Going from a Tele to a vintage Mosrite would be more like getting a wedgie.

If you like the Mosrite necks then more power to you.

What's a wedgie, where do you get them, and are they ever on sale?

It reminds me of the time I was playing a ' 71 Mosrite in a shop one day and marvelling at the wonderful feel of it's nice slim neck when a guy who'd never seen one before came in and asked me a bunch of questions about it so I offered it to him so he could have his first Mosrite playing experience. He took by the neck and without playing a single note handed it straight back to me with the comment " Nup. Don't like the neck." I was dumbfounded: he was repulsed by the very thing I was attracted to.
I guess we Mosrite enthusiasts are a very unique breed.
Thank goodness.

Yes we are!

Sarah93003 wrote:

vjf1968 wrote:I have played a couple vintage Mosrites with the speed frets/thin neck and IMHO if that is the only guitar you are using in a set then it should not be a problem because it is just a matter of adjustment and being familiar with the guitar. For me it wouldn't be worth it to own a vintage Mosrite because I usually carry two guitars to a gig and I prefer to have the same size neck on both guitars. Switching from my Hallmark 60's Custom to my 52 Tele RI or Gretsch 6120/59 is not that much of a jolt. Going from a Tele to a vintage Mosrite would be more like getting a wedgie.

If you like the Mosrite necks then more power to you.

What's a wedgie, where do you get them, and are they ever on sale?

Hmmm. I guess the better analogy would be like going from boxers to briefs but instead of changing underwear a large man in a denim vest just pulls the elastic of the waistband of your boxers and with a tremendous pull those boxers are turned into briefs, or a thong!

vjf1968 wrote:

Sarah93003 wrote:

vjf1968 wrote:I have played a couple vintage Mosrites with the speed frets/thin neck and IMHO if that is the only guitar you are using in a set then it should not be a problem because it is just a matter of adjustment and being familiar with the guitar. For me it wouldn't be worth it to own a vintage Mosrite because I usually carry two guitars to a gig and I prefer to have the same size neck on both guitars. Switching from my Hallmark 60's Custom to my 52 Tele RI or Gretsch 6120/59 is not that much of a jolt. Going from a Tele to a vintage Mosrite would be more like getting a wedgie.

If you like the Mosrite necks then more power to you.

What's a wedgie, where do you get them, and are they ever on sale?

Hmmm. I guess the better analogy would be like going from boxers to briefs but instead of changing underwear a large man in a denim vest just pulls the elastic of the waistband of your boxers and with a tremendous pull those boxers are turned into briefs, or a thong!

Oh, okay. Nothing wrong with thongs!

A picture is worth a thousand words.

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