Help valuing this Mark I

[Shizenda]

Hi folks, I would greatly appreciate your assistance in valuing this Mark I. I have been in contact with this guy for about a fortnight, and he is selling his grandfather's Mark I. If all goes well there should be photos with this, but I will fill in a couple of details. The serial number is 4781, the tailpiece says Mosrite of California and Moseley on it, which I think makes it a '66. As you can see it has a fair bit of wear and tear all over the guitar and has what appears to be some kind of damage to the fretboard (cracked? snapped?) I'm not necessarily looking for a mint condition guitar, so the general wear and tear doesn't bother me too much, but I guess what I would like to ascertain from you guys is how much I should pay for a guitar in this condition?
Your help and expertise greatly appreciated!
Scott

17 by Kombinibento, on Flickr

10 by Kombinibento, on Flickr

2 by Kombinibento, on Flickr

9 by Kombinibento, on Flickr

6 by Kombinibento, on Flickr

3 by Kombinibento, on Flickr

13 by Kombinibento, on Flickr

[oipunkguy]

In my opinion biggest difference from 65 to 66 was the change in the truss rod adjustment from the bottom of the neck to the top of the headstock. I believe that 66 was also the year were the mosrite control knobs were made taller. So if I had to make a guess I would say this is a 65 model. it certainly can be a 66, but would have to be an early year production.
a 65 ventures one is good condition is about as good as it gets. please let us know how the tranaction turns out.

[Shizenda]

Thanks Aaron, appreciate the comment.
A 65 hey? From what I can see these knobs are small and do not have 'V' and 'T' on them, but I have mailed the owner to find out for sure.
What I really want to know is....what should I pay for this guitar in this condition?
The guy who owns it, who has been very nice so far, is currently asking $2400. He initially asked quite a lot more based on what he had seen on ebay.
Scott

[LoveyX]

Scott,

That's probably a pretty good deal, some people have been asking a lot more for non-Ventures Mark I's on pay bay but you might ask for a side view of the neck to try and ascertain what that is on the fretboard, to get an idea if it affects playability.

Looks nice, hope it works out for you!

[olrocknroller]

That gash on the neck almost looks like somebody tried to reset a fret with a hammer, the fret jumped out of the slot and .

[Shizenda]

Thanks guys.
Yes, the gouge in the fretboard is unusual, for sure. My problem is that I live in Australia, so obviously there is no way I can actually see the guitar first hand. Also, Mosrites are as rare as hen's teeth where I live (never actually seen one here), so as much as I like these guitars, my first hand experience is limited to what I saw and played whilst living in Japan, which is why I'm really asking for your help with this one.
By the way, the tuners are Kluson Deluxe and the pickups have Mosrite of California on them. The scratch plate has 8 screws and the guitar has it's original case, albeit a bit faded.
Scott

[Bigwave]

Its not a 1965 model. Its a 1966 model, just like you thought. Check out the Mosrite timeline on this forum

http://www.mosriteforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2781

[Shizenda]

Thanks Bigwave. That Mosrite timeline thread is something I have been looking at closely to try to accurately date it - it's a great resource and has taught me a lot about the guitars already.
Given the condition of this guitar, I'm reluctant to pay any more than $2000 for it, which I have told the guy. I also have to have it shipped to Australia, which will be another $150.
Is $2000 too much?
Scott

[dubtrub]

$2000 is a good price with the original case. You won't find one any cheaper.

[lynaron]

It cost me $120 to have my 66 (serial number 4875) shipped from the US to Germany (and worth every penny, I must say) through the APO system. $150 real mail doesn't seem all that unreasonable, if packed right.