General Consensus RE: Clones

[J i m m y]

Who has experience with Mosrite clones? Are there any knockoffs that rival the real thing? Which ones should a buyer steer clear of?

I've heard that Eastwood's offerings are decent and a local guy swears by his Dillion. I don't really have any experience with clones with the exception of a Fullerton MoVibe. That was a nice budget guitar and the pickups were alright but the neck pocket was wonky, causing the little "e" string to be perilously close to the edge of the fretboard. (Apparently quite common with the Fullertons.)

-J i m m y-



Note: I did utilize the search function but didn't really find what I was looking for. If this sort of thread is in existence, I kindly ask that a moderator/administrator delete/most/merge it.

[jtr654]

The only thing close to the real thing is Hallmark Custom 60. The neck is slightly bigger and so are the fretts but they have the sound and the looks and a great Trem.

[dubtrub]

The only thing close to the real thing is Hallmark Custom 60. The neck is slightly bigger and so are the fretts but they have the sound and the looks and a great Trem.

Although Hallmarks are nice the current Mosrite guitars (not really a knock off) being produced by Fillmore of Japan and sold by Artie at Front Porch Music are virtually identical in every respect to the original Mosrites of the 1960's.

[Elliot Easton]

The only thing close to the real thing is Hallmark Custom 60. The neck is slightly bigger and so are the fretts but they have the sound and the looks and a great Trem.

Although Hallmarks are nice the current Mosrite guitars (not really a knock off) being produced by Fillmore of Japan and sold by Artie at Front Porch Music are virtually identical in every respect to the original Mosrites of the 1960's.

+1

[J i m m y]

The Hallmarks are gorgeous. If I were in the market for such a guitar, I'd probably opt for a Custom 60.

[101Volts]

Two years ago I played an Eastwood Hi Flyer. I didn't like it, The neck was generic and fat and the pickups didn't sound anything like Mo pups. The body was comfortable though, If one wants a cheap Mo copy as a beater and doesn't want an accurate neck its good but otherwise its not a decent copy.

Austin

[J i m m y]

How was the construction quality? I've heard that Eastwood has come a long way in that area.

[J i m m y]

Howsabout the Wilson Bros. model?

I know that the Aria Ventures models have been discussed but has anyone ever played one?

[101Volts]

The Eastwood seemed solid enough at the time but I wasn't looking for defects... There were no loose parts or things that a casual player might find shoddy maybe with the exception of the Jaguar style trem. The strings easily went out of tune when I used it but it probably wasn't set up very well and I doubt the strings were tinned. I think it had a plastic nut, I can't recall the quality of the tuners although they had kind of ugly green knobs on them.

Now that you mention Wilson Brothers, I haven't played one of those but I did play an Aria Diamond Mosrite Style Bass. I forgot about it since I wasn't looking for a Mosrite copy that day. It was OK, I think it was a bit heavy and the upper frets were out of reach. I probably wouldn't buy one because the cutaway isn't deep enough for me.

Austin

[ZacJM]

Which ones should a buyer steer clear of?

Howsabout the Wilson Bros. model?

I know that the Aria Ventures models have been discussed but has anyone ever played one?

I don't own a Mosrite copy Wilson Bros. but I do own one of their guitars and I really like it. I don't have any experience with a Mosrite so I have nothing to compare them(Wilson Bros.) to. When I bought mine though, the guy said their high end model (The VM 110) with the jazzmaster trem is the closest thing they have to a Mosrite, I think mainly due to the zero fret on it. Sound wise, I've always liked how mine sounds and plays and I've gotten compliments from a wide range of players who have tried mine out. It sounds like their trying to get a similar sound to a Mosrite on their high end model
Heres some guys playing the 110:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-RsHQk0eTc

Heres the Ventures doing the same song on Mosrites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNXloVepsTs

Price wise, they seem to be around $1000 tops, or at least where I bought mine. Maybe you buy direct from the guys at Wilson Bros. it'd be more, maybe not. I think if your gonna consider a copy vs. the real thing, when your already dealing with a $1000 or so, might as well save up some more and get the real thing. I think I probably would have had I not been so anxious to finally get an electric guitar when I bought mine