Question about Loretta's lawsuit

[rog43win]

Strat-O-Rama and Jtr654 ........thanks so much for your imput.........
The "Dana" Fillmores is an option I really hadn't considered, especially if the price range is more like the Hallmarks........
I've heard nothing but good about the Hallmarks....so I was heading in that direction...
Thanks again for your comments ......

Roger

[CookieMan]

Incidentally, how much do the "Dana" Fillmores go for? I haven't been able to find a price list anywhere.

Also, has anyone played one of these and a Hallmark 60C? I'd love to hear a comparison, not just of price, but of feel, tone, finish, the whole shebang!

[Strat-o-rama]

Cookie,
The Fillmores feel and sound exactly like a new Mosrite, if you go by the word of Forum members who have played them (I trust these folks implicitly ). The Hallmark 60 C is not intended to be an exact copy of a Mosrite, but to put you somewhere between a Fender and a Mosrite in feel. Some people have issues with the narrow, thin necks of Mosrites, so the Hallmark puts you more into a traditional style neck, with a fast action, wider fretboard and higher frets, with Mosrite style pickups for the tone.
If you want prices on a "Dana Mo", call Artie at Front Porch Music.

As for Loretta's Mosrite: like Mel stated, they are being made in Japan and not the USA(Adam posted this before), but that has nothin' to do with quality. They look (and looks can be deceiving) very much like what would have come out of the Arkansas factory before Semie passed, which would be very high quality and authentic. But man! The prices! Whew!
Where it comes to the lawsuit, and filing to stop the competition from Fillmore, I don't see how Fillmore is competition for her hand crafted, high end Semi Moseley Signature model.

[rog43win]

Strat-0-Rama.........thanks for that explanation...the difference between the Hallmarks and Fillmores.......it helps alot.......

Roger

[Veenture]

Thanks for clearing a little more up. This is the first I've heard of the signature line. Any idea how one would even get their hands on one?

http://www.mosrite.us/en/index.html

[dubtrub]

If you go to the website and click on the photo album, you will see that these guitars are made by hand tools one piece at a time. Fillmore's are made on CNC machinery and mass produced. It's no wonder the prices are high. Probably the reason they have an American luthier set up building them in Japan is that's where the higher paying market is. To get the price for a hand made quality guitar, one has to seek sales outside the US. That's the main reason I don't don't build to sell. I could only get pennies on the dollar for my skills and labor. Even Ed Elliott is sending his stuff to Japan to be sold. Who's going to pay over $5000 for a hand built Mosrite when you can get a Hallmark, regardless of where it is made, for under a grand?

[Chemo]

Who's going to pay over $5000 for a hand built Mosrite when you can get a Hallmark, regardless of where it is made, for under a grand?

I think that the competition with those customers really comes from the vintage market, not Hallmarks....

[MWaldorf]

Who's going to pay over $5000 for a hand built Mosrite when you can get a Hallmark, regardless of where it is made, for under a grand?

I think that the competition with those customers really comes from the vintage market, not Hallmarks....

The handbuilt models are an equivalent to the Fender custom shop masterbuilds. I think there's more to the equation then pure utility at that point.

[MOSDAN]

Just an interesting note here. I see reference to Loretta Moseley's website and it should be noted that her guitars are Japanese made and are sold at only one guitar store in the world. The shop is called Basswood 65 and is located in Japan. The Fillmore Company is also based in Japan but is sold in the United States and many shops in Japan. Most people consider Fillmore as the owner of the Mosrite trademark. As far as quality and differences. Both the Hallmark and Dana Moseley guitars are very high quality and easy to play. I recently acquired a Surf Pearl Hallmark Custom 60 so I have another addition to my stable of Mosrites. The big difference I have noticed is my Hallmark stays in tune if I use the vibrato. Both of my Dana Moseley Mosrite Originals(I have 2) go out of tune if I use the vibrato. I have addressed this issue with Dana and there has been no working resolution so far. Robbie Allen of the Outer Edge has posted a You Tube video concerning this issue. The neck profiles and frets are different between the two makes as noted elsewhere in the threads. Both have hot pick ups and capture the Moserite sound. If you are looking at the closest in design to the original Semie Moseley guitars then the Fillmore-Dana Moseley is the guitar as it is a twin by design. I figure just sloppy machining tolerances is causing the tuning problems. Dana has advised me she has to ream out the bridge pin holes on all the bridges from Japan to make the bridge fit the bridge posts. This is not a huge deal but she should not have to do this in the modern day of CNC manufacturing technologies. Owning both, I like them both, but I have to watch the tuning on the Fillmore guitars if I play a gig with either of the Fillmore guitars. As far as the better value I would say the Hallmark is a far better value. The Hallmark is 1/3 the price of the Dana Moseley Original and it stays in tune, plays great and is outstanding in appearance.

[bakeoboy]

The quality on the Fillmore Mosrite is as good as possible. the difference in the cost comes from the fact that the hallmarks are made in Korea and all of the woodwork and finishing on the Fillmore models is done in a better factory in Japan.