The neck size of Mosrite guitars

[JimPage]

Hey, Haole Jim--

I read a few books a few years ago on Stradivari instruments, and I thought-- but may be mis-remembering-- that the change was to modify the scale length and neck angles of the original instruments to fit modern music and how it is played. Evidently, there are only a few un-modified Strad violins out there, including, of course, The Messiah Stadivarius, which has never been played and is in a British museum.

Interesting concept about changing the necks on Mosrites. I wonder if that might happen?

A very enjoyable read was Tony Faber's "Stradivarius: Five Violins, One Cello and a Genius." It follows six instruments from creation to today.

--Jim

[LOSTVENTURE]

You have to admit (think back 40 years guys) that the small neck, low frets and low action were not the only reason that we played (or just craved) those early Mosrites. The entire guitar was unique in a world of unique guitars. The shape, the never ending curves, the instant visual impact all played just as great a part of the draw for me. I had only been plating seriously for a year or so when I sat down with the first Mosrite that I ever played. My thinking was that this thing is way to advanced for my simple style of playing. The action was way to close for me, and the neck seemed to go clear into the next room. At the time I was playing a $40 Kent electric with 1/4" action at the fifth fret and doing just fine. I was still in high school and my $16 a week income from a paper route was being saved for a Mustang (the guitar, not the car).
Back to the subject. I was more attracted to the "look" of the guitar than the feel. I have played several over the years and I think I could get used to that action if I could practice on it.
Oh, I also own one of the early Peavy T-60s and the neck on mine is smaller, both width at the nut and depth, than any Mosrite that I have ever played. That thing is really uncomfortable. I bought it because of the tone circuitry and then put it in the closet.
Sorry for the ramble.
Don

[JimPage]

Hey, Don--

Very interesting post!!!

I remember those Kent guitars very well. I had a Silvertone made by Teisco, and between that 1/4" action you mentioned, and the Black Diamond strings that could saw through a pine tree, it was not an instrument that allowed much sophistication. I was so green that I didn't know a guitar's action could be adjusted or that better strings existed than what I bought at the Rexall.

I was reminded today of the first Mosrites that I ever saw. This was about 1967 in Naples, Florida. Know that in South Florida, at that time, Gibson archtops were the high-end guitar and Fenders were not all that common for some reason. There was only one decent music store in Naples and Ft. Myers had a couple.

If you wanted a real selection, and knew enough to know that there was such a thing, you had to go to Miami or Tampa.

Anyway, there was a local band called the The Banana Factory, composed of four boys and a great-looking blonde girl, all high-school kids.

The lead guitarist played a Mosrite Mark 1 and the girl played a single-pickup bass, both sunbursts. That is the bass in my avatar pic. I snagged it when she quit playing. Within a week of getting the bass, the band I was in blew up and I was so upset that I sold the bass and a lot of other gear, including one of those purple Ampeg basses with the cutout F-holes.

Anyway, those Mosrites looked like the future. Funny thing is that, to me, they still do.

--Jim

[jfine]

This is a cool thread! Lots of thought-provoking stuff here. It looks like a lot of us (of a certain age) have had similar experiences regarding Mosrites. Like most, I first discovered Mosrite via the Ventures. The look was what hooked me first, but I figured they had to be the best because the Ventures used 'em! This would have been mid-'64, and I was 13, about to turn 14, and I got my first electric for my 14th birthday after playing acoustic for the previous two years. That first electric was a St. George made by Kawai or Teisco, played like a tank but I was sure glad to have it! Some time in late-'64 or early-'65, I had a chance to play a Fender, a blackguard Esquire, and it was amazing--so much better than my St. George that it was almost not the same instrument. $75 used back then (!) and my dad wouldn't let me trade in the St. George! Mosrites didn't start showing up in stores in San Francisco until around '66, and the first one I played was the best-playing guitar I'd tried up to that point. My hands weren't quite full-grown then, and I hadn't figured out how to bend strings yet, so the small neck and frets weren't an issue. By late '67, I'd developed better technique and started gravitating toward Gibsons, which seemed to fit my developing blues style better. These days, I can't play a vintage Mosrite neck, but I've tried some of the modern reproductions (Fillmore) with somewhat bigger (not a lot bigger!) necks, and they're just fine--but I still remember how incredible that skinny Mosrite neck felt to my 15-year-old hand in '66! According to Robert Dalley's book, "Surfing Guitars", Jerry Swallow, who started playing professionally aroud age 13, used a Mosrite because it fit his small hands. I've seen a clip of Semie's playing on this website, (good player!), and it looks like he had fairly large hands--I always figured he had to have had smaller ones!