Mosrite Factory Tour (PICS)

[GretschGuy]

 

 

 

[placeboemotion]

There you go ... another thing learned. I did not have Mosrite on my radar and thought there was only a Japan factory - like Gretsch or something. What is the connection of this Mosrite to Mosrite of old?

[GretschGuy]

Mosrite USA are hand built here but only 5% of the stock is sold in the USA. 80% goes to Japan. Of the remaining 15% most go to Germany.

 

They are introducing a new line that will be Korean made (in the same factory that is making the new MIK Baker models).

[Wyatt]

 

There you go ... another thing learned. I did not have Mosrite on my radar and thought there was only a Japan factory - like Gretsch or something. What is the connection of this Mosrite to Mosrite of old?

 

 

It's an Ed Roman company (just like Baker), he bought the Mosrite trademark a couple of years ago. I believe they start at $3K. For that price, I can easily afford vintage, which would hold it's value better.

[GAS Man]

It's an Ed Roman company (just like Baker), he bought the Mosrite trademark a couple of years ago. I believe they start at $3K. For that price, I can easily afford vintage, which would hold it's value better.

 

Yeah, for that price, don't sign me up.

 

I'll have to make do with my Wilson Bros VM-75

 

 

$299 on a blow-out from M123, and only half bad.

[fuzztone]

 

It's an Ed Roman company (just like Baker), he bought the Mosrite trademark a couple of years ago. I believe they start at $3K. For that price, I can easily afford vintage, which would hold it's value better.

 

 

Actually,I think Kazy Firstman owns the Mosrite trademark and he sold Ed Roman North American marketing and distribution rights.The Firstman Mosrite are nice guitars and Kazy made the 1st quality Mosrite copies in Japan but they are just copies as Kazy never had any relation with with Semie his wife or heirs and he never had access to any of the original Mosrite plans tooling etc so it is not like Gretsch or Fenders made in Japan.

[GretschGuy]

I was unaware Gretsch Japan had any of the tooling of the American company (and always assumed that's why the new ones were better!)

[Wyatt]

 

Actually,I think Kazy Firstman owns the Mosrite trademark and he sold Ed Roman North American marketing and distribution rights.The Firstman Mosrite are nice guitars and Kazy made the 1st quality Mosrite copies in Japan but they are just copies as Kazy never had any relation with with Semie his wife or heirs and he never had access to any of the original Mosrite plans tooling etc so it is not like Gretsch or Fenders made in Japan.

 

 

The new Mosrite USA guitars are made in Vegas, where Ed Roman Guitars is centered. Last I read, when Ed was still handling everything, was something about him buying out the defunct Japanese company and any leftover NOS. But, honestly, I haven't researched this; Ed wasn't someone I would have bought anything off of.

[GretschGuy]

Ed's new store opens the 17th of September BTW

[Wyatt]

 

I was unaware Gretsch Japan had any of the tooling of the American company (and always assumed that's why the new ones were better!)

 

 

I dunno. They might have.

 

Gretsch's Japanese manufacturer isn't an outsourced supplier, but a semi-silent partner. They actually put the cash up for the Gretsch family to buy the company. The manufacturer knew they could build a top-tier instrument and cut the deal with Fred Gretsch for the chance. It has paid off big time for both. If there was any tooling left (I doubt it), it may have be shipped over.

[GretschGuy]

I doubt they would have wanted it! Plus, the new Gretsch doesn't really make a lot of Baldwin type stuff so I have to wonder what tooling was left and who would have owned it for all that time.

[jdjonsson]

Just buy an Eastwood Sidejack, and make sure you're not buying anything remotely connected to Ed Roman.

[fuzztone]

Sorry,I did not mean to imply that Gretsch's made in Japan used the the orignial tooling,just that there is a real link between the original Gretsch company and Gretsch Japan.No such link exists with Mosrite and for this reason Japanese Mosrite collectors find these "copies" contemptable.

[GretschGuy]

 

Sorry,I did not mean to imply that Gretsch's made in Japan used the the orignial tooling,just that there is a real link between the original Gretsch company and Gretsch Japan.No such link exists with Mosrite and for this reason Japanese Mosrite collectors find these "copies" contemptable.

 

 

The link is not important to me. The quality of the product is.

 

For example, the Fender of today has little in common with the Fender of the 1960's doesn't matter. Same with Gretsch, Gibson, etc....

[cephus]

Yeah, for that price, don't sign me up. I'll have to make do with my Wilson Bros VM-75 $299 on a blow-out from M123, and only half bad.

 

 

With all due respect, that looks about like a strat copy with P90s and a weird headstock. One of the things that makes the Mosrites is the trem, I think. A bigsby or a fender trem just isn't a substitute. They are pretty weird. Maybe not $3000 worth to me, but I can see why some people would pay that if they're getting the real deal.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremolo_arm

The Mosrite Vibrato Semie Moseley developed the vibrato unit used on his Mosrite guitars from the basic concept of the Bigsby vibrato, but with many engineering improvements. The entire vibrato unit is top mounted. The strings feed through six holes in the upright plate at the rear of the unit (somewhat similar to the Fender "Floating Trem") and the bridge is also rigidly mounted. But the string saddles are vertically mounted grooved "wheels" that roll with the string during vibrato usage, and also make palm muting very easy to achieve. Moseley advertised the unit as the "feather touch" vibrato, and the touch is exceptionally light with all but heavy gauge strings. Pitch stability is excellent. Moseley made two designs of the unit, the first being sand cast, with an attached string mute beneath the bridge (much like the Fender Jaguar) and a rather short handle. This he called the "Vibramute". Two year later, he slightly simplified the design, going to a die cast design, eliminating the mute (which more players complained about than favored) and lengthening the vibrato arm slightly. This incarnation, called the "Moseley", was used on all Mosrite guitars from that point on. The actual feel and response of the two different models is virtually identical, however. Moseley also designed a companion 12-string vibrato for the 12-string version of the instrument, and this may have been one of the only - if not the only - vibratos designed for use on a 12-string guitar.

[fuzztone]

You have to be careful buying used japanese Mosrites on ebay.Some of the "Japanese" Firstman Mosrites were actually made in China.Ed Roman used to sell these for $499 but people have resold them for more money.Those models look the same as the $2000 models but have poorly designed hardware like bridges that will not intonate.

[GretschGuy]

There have been fake Mosrites around for years.

 

I remember seeing exact copies in Japan that said Mosrite but didn't say 'of California' on them.

 

I would wager that up until the 80's there were probably as many Mosrite copies in Asia as there were Fender and Gibson copies. I think Ventures records sell as well as Beatle records over there.

[lndianScout]

couple shots of my uncle a life long friend of Semie..

 

 

playing with Barbara Mandrell

 

 

 

 

with Semie

 

 

more pics here

 

http://www.bobsyouruncle.net/TNM_Guitars/tnmpagePhotoGallery.htm

 

a bit of his playing

 

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=210170064

[cephus]

Indian Scout,

 

THAT is cool.

 

Did he play with her for much of her career? I saw color photo of a double neck mosrite that was blue with barb playing with some dude in concert a while back> I bet that was him.

 

Google is a wonderful thing. Here it is:

 

http://www.usd.edu/smm/PluckedStrings/Guitars/Mosrite/6191DoubleNeck/MosriteGuitar6191.html

[lndianScout]

Semie custom made 2 for him, both were stolen years ago..

[Doctor Morbius]

...and make sure you're not buying anything remotely connected to Ed Roman.

+ 1 MEEEEEEEELION!!

[Mr_GoodBomb]

My god. I need six.

[Mel Cooley]

couple shots of my uncle a life long friend of Semie.. playing with Barbara Mandrell with Semie more pics here http://www.bobsyouruncle.net/TNM_Guitars/tnmpagePhotoGallery.htm a bit of his playing http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=210170064

 

WOW! I'm a huge fan of that whole Joe Maphis thing. I've been a fan of your uncle for a while!

[Roy Brooks]

I have a Mosrite Joe Maphis from around 1965.

[Tatanka]

The factory should have a Johnny Ramone poster somewhere. IMO, nobody rocked more than him with a Mosrite.