Mosrite Joe Maphis

1967 Joe Maphis Semi-hollow body (no f-holes)
-Has a very 60s American blonde wood finish which is nicely checking and pitting evenly-
-Spruce top, Walnut back, laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and tiny (read again... tiny...) marker dots- very thin and very fast neck-
-Has 23 frets including a zero fret, or 22 frets compared to a "regular" guitar.
Has two very hot Moserite single coil pickups
Kluson delux tuners- aged
9 only because of tight knob- otherwise a 10

There are two knobs, chrome and nicely detailed, that affect the volume and the tone. The volume knob on this guitar is very tight and almost hard to turn. The tone knob, though smooth, doesn't seem to be any different in affect than any other tone knob on any other guitar. I rarely use this feature ever, so it doesn't really matter to me
The tremelo and bridge connection/ esemble is spectacular to look at, functional, and even includes ball bearings. Semie Mosely was definitely working some magic when he invented this combo. I needed a new spring, this seems to have resolved my intonation after using the vibrato.

There is no other pickup that sounds like these- they are so hot it is insane. They aren't perfectly matched, but they are close and both so hot- this is the best sounding guitar in my collection, especially the neck pickup- I am comparing this to a 1968 stratocaster, a 1972 Telecaster, a 1967 Rickenbacker 450, and a Gibson ES 175D. This guitar is the most underated thing out there

The action is insanely low- I neede to adjust the neck because some dumabss took off the truss bar nut and left the guitar tuned with tension in a case for several years. fortunately it has straightened out and now is playable all the way up the neck. The frets are tiny
Finish is beautiful blonde and aged very nicely- The neck and the body are both bound with a cream colored binding

I have only had this a couple of months, but this thing is great- I am converting to Mosley-ism

N/A The man and the company are both dead. The guy I bought it from was helpful though

You will weep when you realize you could have been playing a Mosrite- If you have at all thought about getting this guitar and you have found one for sale and you don't want it you'd better email me and tell me where it is- I want to pass one of these down to each one of my grandchildren

Features:9

This is a 1966 Joe Maphis model Mosrite. It is a semi hollowbody with a spruce top and walnut back. It doesn't have "F" holes. It has 22 frets on it's maple neck with bound rosewood and typical of all Mosrites the frets are what many people call "speed frets," due to their small size. The neck is VERY fast and small and the strings are very close to the neck all the way up and down the neck.

This was the top of the line Mosrite and in it's two neck style was the very first Mosrite to gain fame as it was played by the "King of the Strings," Joe Maphis. Most people don't know who he was since he played in the late forties thru the early sixties. Everyone has heard his playing if they have watched "Ponderosa" on tv since he played the title song. He was also Rick Nelson's guitar player before James Burton. (What a duo to have as your guitar players.:)

This model has the now familar two P-90 type single coil pickups, mine measure out at 11K and 13K respectively, very hot, and they are what gives Mosrite it's famous sound. Kluson Deluxe tuners, three to a side, and the greatest bridge ever made, in my opinion. The roller bearing bridge is one of the easiest to use and set up on any guitar. The tremolo is in a class by it's self, with little pressure required to raise or lower a note. It has a three position switch to pick which pickup you wish to use and a volume and tone control.

This guitar is my favorite guitar out of the five I own. Admitting I am a Mosrite lover and own three does make me a little prejudiced.

Most people consider this to be a "surf" sounding guitar because the Ventures played them, but actually the Ventures weren't "surf" players. They played any and all songs and their Mosrites made all of them sound great. After playing together for forty years and still going strong, I can't think of a better instrumental band.

This is the reason I bought my first Mosrite, that famous "hot" sound. Anyone familiar with guitars can tell a Mosrite sounds different than about any other guitar ever made. Even though they are single coil pickups, they don't sound like a Fender or any other guitar. They have their very own unique sound. As far as I'm concerned, it will play about any style of music, depending on what amp you use with it. I play everything from "Ventures" music to Country, RB, and a little blues and it sounds great as long as I set up my amp properly. Tube amps bring out the best sound with Mosrites as they do with any guitar. The only thing you must be careful about is getting near your amp because these pickups will make it yelp. Actually if you practice you can use the feed back in your playing, (especially if you play hard rock.) This guitar sounds fantastic with pedals, especially the old FUZZ type. If hard rock is your thing, you must check out a Mosrite with a good distortion and fuzz pedal together. I use Ibanez and you haven't lived until you hear a tube screamer with a Mosrite.

As you can tell, I love the sound from a hot Mosrite pickup!

Considering this is a 35 year old guitar and wasn't taken care of all that well, it's in great shape. The wood still shines in most places with no orange peel, even though Mosrites had very thick paint or in my case, natural coatings. My guitar was dropped a long time ago by a previous owner and the repair, while steady isn't the best looking job, but the guitar is stucturally very sound.

The action, is typical Mosrite, very low, very fast. All Mosrite necks are small and with the speed frets are very fast. I have always enjoyed the small necks on them and prefer them, some people may not enjoy such a small neck or the speed frets, but they are what many people like about Mosrite.

Because Mosrites were always more or less a handmade, custom guitar the fit and finish was always good, although if you looked at various Mosrites, it is easy to see they weren't made on an assembly line. They were almost completely hand made and fitted. That is why they still play and feel so good over 30 years later. Even though this guitar wasn't in pristine condition, I've cleaned and adjusted everything and it probably plays as good or possibly better than when it was new. They were made to last.

Considering this guitar is 35 years old and still in great condition, it will likely outlive me. Other than where it's been dinged or dented, the finish is absolutely great. Still shines like new. Very thick finish on most Mosrites, as that was one of Semie's strong points.

I believe Semie was a true guitar genius and because he took such pride in his work, he designed and built a guitar for the ages. Even such small details as having the strap buttons and selector switch match and using only Switchcraft switiches, (which are still being made today,) show how much he cared.

I believe in always using a backup at a gig, but I wouldn't hesitate to use this guitar without a backup.

Considering Mosrite has been out of business for years and Semie has passed on, obviously there is no factory support, but as easy as these guitars are to work on, repairs are only difficult if you need certain parts, as Mosrites have become collectors items and even the parts have become expensive. Usually these guitars don't break down if treated half way decent. They are built like tanks.

I've been playing guitar since the mid 50's and after using many great guitars and owning many, many guitars, (some which I would like to have back,) I must admit, I prefer Mosrites to any other guitar. Even though I currently own five guitars, I usually have a Mosrite in my hands if I'm playing. I have an American Fender Strat made in '89 and even though I really like it, as I do most Fenders, they are different guitars.

If this guitar were stolen, I would be heart broken, and would replace it immediately. It's a little larger than most Mosrites, especially the "Venture's Models" but I use this guitar mainly playing at home and use my Venture's Models or Fender for gigs.

Anyone that uses a Mosrite will standout due to the unusual looks and that great sound, so I must say I recommend a Mosrite to anyone that wants a very versatile, easy to play guitar. Sadly they have become collectors and in my opinion, they were made to be played, not collected. Mosrites have reached "cult" status in Japan as well, (shows they have great taste,) and they are willing to pay many times more than we do in this country, so many of the better grade Mosrites have ended up there. So I suggest anyone wanting a Mosrite, buy one if you can find one. You'll never regret it.