Wow. Just wow.
The Instrument arrived just after 6 PM PST; it's almost 9 PM here in SoCal; so that MAY give a clue as to the quality time I spent with the Bass...
Where to start?
It is Model Mark I Ranger Bass- S/N RGB 003. That's 00
3, as in; well
Number 3. Which leads me to believe I have an instrument that there may not be a whole lot of around... Cool. Glad I got it, even if I paid through the proverbial nose!
I have to approach my description in the sense that I can't compare it to a "Mosrite" Bass, because I've never played one before- And I'm also aware that I'm in a Forum of VERY dedicated, knowledgeable and serious Mosrite instrument fans who have forgot more than I will probably ever know!
Be that as it may- I am an experienced bassist and I absolutely know quality instruments.
This is one- big time.
So- I can't say how it stacks up to a vintage Mosrite; but my understanding is that the Fillmore at least according to Ed Roman as well as the other info I've picked up on, the Fillmore IS in some ways today's Mosrite. That's a whole other area.
THIS bass is superb- The fit and finish is amazing, the cool factor is off the hook. No sense going on about how awesome Mosrite is in terms of look, feel, and design, that's just preaching to the choir, but at least allow me to comment as a "newbie"-
The German Curve is so nice- subtle yet essential to the design, absolutely great classic design, should be in a Museum, maybe it is!
The neck- makes my Ric 4003 neck feel slow and thick by comparison.
The Pick-Up is extremely high-gain; it got my reference rig to clip at 12 O'Clock Gain, and that is cool!
The bridge is machined superbly, tailpiece awesome, it has Gotoh Kluson-style tuners, the fretwork is immaculate, the rosewood board feels great. The SB finish is smooth and flawless; I recall a post wherein someone felt it lacked showing grain- True, but I understand its basswood, not known or used for grain so much as for tone and weight- Nonetheless- the whole aesthetic is beautiful.
This bass had a NAMM tag wired on, it was there (so was I BTW), and it came in a balck gigbag with plush red interior and enough pockets to make it seem like a Swiss Army knife-The gigbag has a silver "Mosrite of California" Badge in it...
The sound and tone, and I'm gonna connect dots as soon as I can- This design is so amazingly to the point- Volume/Tone, I pup. Roll off treble and you start descending into deep, dark, phat round bass, move it up and you get bell-like clarity, all the tonal spectrum nicely voiced mid-range. The nut/zero fret combination gets that piano-like ring going as well.
If I have an "issue"- its only that the bass is TOO easy for me to play- For Now,that is. Any new instrument requires the player getting familiar with it- laying into it, getting the eq nailed, and finding the "sweet spots" as far as positioning and attack. I think this is particularly true on Bass Guitar; it can require a very physical approach to playing.
I haven't dialed the Mosrite Ranger in yet, but I will, and I had a few moments where it all came together tone wise and the bass was a GIANT- Really strong growl; really rich presence, superb tone- a GREAT Instrument! I can testify to that!
So here's the thing-
On it's own, Fillmore has done a superb job of building a bass guitar- It's construction and hardware and electronics and sound are awesome-
BUT- IF what they did was a great job of recreating what Mr. Mosely designed and intended, and I think that's the concept-
Then HE was a MASTER!
I guess that would pretty much cover it. That design, in it's simplicity is on par with Leo Fender I think. He really designed and built one helluva bass guitar
And if the pickup and electronics in the Fillmore Mosrite are spec'd to original Mosrite specs, then Mr. Mosely was WAY ahead of his time.
The Mark I Ranger is a classic- It's a timeless bass, like a P-Bass or J-Bass, but with it's own unique character- And build-wise and tone-wise it can hang with the most modern up-to-date designs in bass guitars, and probably gives a good number of them a beat-down! This includes a lot of powerful active-electronic equipped models too.
NO WONDER there is a Forum like this, and small wonder these instruments can command so much respect.
So I'm not sure whether I'm reviewing/gushing over a Mosrite or a Fillmore- I THINK it's today's Mosrite built by Fillmore of Japan, spec'd to Semie Mosely's design for a bass guitar.
If that's the case, then he did a superb job of designing and building great instruments, and Fillmore does his instruments justice.
This is one helluva bass guitar.
The end!
!
