I have been playing a $35 acoustic the past half year and am finally in the market for an electric and I have stumbled upon this listing on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=250194477903&Category=2384&_trksid=p3907.m29
The only model Mosrite I would buy is the mark V, because in my 2-3 years of off and on playing I have determined that I do not like neck binding. That said, I have only seen 2-3 of these pop up on Ebay/Craigslist the last 4 months or so and every single one has had wear issues on the frets and neck. I was hoping some of the more experienced posters here could help me out with determing what is bad wear, what is normal/playable etc. I am not interested in any reissue of the Mark V. I want the real deal 1960s version. I have been hoping for some immaculate unused one to come up that I could get for around $2,000-$2,500 since these are the "cheaper" student model Mosrites, but no dice :(. Note that this guitar will be played/the main axe as some of you say (home use and jam with friends...no gigs for me)
I asked him to send me additional photos of the areas where wear is present and they are linked below.
I don't really care about the aesthetic wear, but the fret wear and back of the neck wear worry me a bit. All the others I have seen online for sale have had this type of wear and have actually looked worse. Will this affect how smooth the guitar plays on the lower frets when I'm playing open chords and will I feel it? General insight like this is all I'm looking for.
Of course, I have no idea how this guitar plays so that is a complete roll of the dice as well since I haven't found anyone in Texas that has something like this for me to try out.
Disclaimer: I am not good at guitar, but have always said if I had the money I would try and get one of these. I owned one electric for about a year before I sold it for 100 bucks because I wanted money to take a girl out...DUMB
Thanks for any and all insight.
plz im a noob
that guitar has been played very little by the looks. frets can be replaced without devaluing the guitar.
here is my take:
if the price is in line with what you want to spend;
if that is the guitar you want;
if minor things like finish, fret, and neck, wear do not bother you;
and after further investigation (reading and seeing other Moserites on line (Elderly or Gruhn) and
you understand what you are buying...
then by all means go for it.
that guitar looks to be in great condition.
I enjoy vintage gear. the vibe and mojo form a past era and all the wear issues attract me.
some times I need to replace a pickup but the results always ,always please me.
there has been a series of great articles about Moserite in this year's Vintage Guitar magazine. I bet you could go on line and find them.
now, if you ant to buy a vintage instrument in pristine condition then all the above issues matter a lot more because of the investment factor.
I do not buy vintage because of investment.
Hi :D
Well, I have had some limited experience with vintage guitars.
I had a 60's Gibson SG, and own a 71 Strat.
While, I'll admit, know little to nothing specifically about Mosrite guitars, I can give you my general
opinion on this.
To me, it looks like a fantastic guitar.
In those days, guitars were finished with a very thin Nitro Lacquer.
This guitar obviously has the original finish on both the body and neck - A huge plus.
Looking at the case (this can tell you a lot about where the guitar has been... Sort of like looking at a persons shoes lol),
The case on the outside looks real good.
Although only the edges can be seen, that's usually where the wear happens.
Looking at the inside of the case - the felt is in great shape (original case as well - another huge plus)
The wear on the neck finish up by the nut at first looked to be from playing lots of open chords...
Though the fretboard wasn't matching in wear in the open pos. to make that connection.
Seeing the additional pictures, there is similar wear on the bottom of the neck in the open pos. as well....
Leading me to look at the guitar in repose (in the case) - There was the answer!
The wear on the neck is not from being played a lot - it's from being in the case... Note where the neck rest is...?
This would indicate that the guitar has been in the case more than it's been played, and judging by the condition of the case, was kept in a safe place (say if it was humid, the edges of the felt would be pulling away, or if it was in a flood, there would be water marks, or in a damp/dark place there would be mould).
The finish on the chrome looks nice, as mentioned - doesn't appear to have pitting.
The plastic looks real nice, and beautifully yellowed - another plus.
The finish on the body is slightly crazed (cracked or checked).
This is also a desireable thing.
One.. it says that it has the original lacquer on it.
Two... that actually makes it more valuable - believe it or not.
Three.... some lovers of lacquer finishes believe that the crazing of the body finish makes it sound even better.
The guitar is CLEAN overall, which is a sign of a well taken care of instrument.
The nut looks good (not much wear - from just the pic)
All in all, I say this is a great find of a nice vintage guitar in VERY GOOD shape.
I bought my SG - man, that thing looked like it was in a swamp for the last 10 years.
I took it home, took it apart, cleaned it up.
Had to adjust the neck - NEVER saw a neck that outta warp, it was actually counter bowed!
I was thinking that I was gunna break the neck, I had to turn the truss rod SO much!
The original nut was gone - replaced by a nut blank that the guy used a razor to make little slashes in.
Couldn't even be played in the open pos.
I had to fashion a new nut for it.
The paint was original - WAY CRAZED!
The finish on the neck was wore off in places from being played.
The back of the neck had so many dings in it - you always felt them when you played.
The body had a chunk missing from where it had been dropped.
And the original tuners were gone as well.
The guy said that they turned to dust one day!
Speaking of which - they were similar to the ones on this Mosrite.
And these also look to be in fantastic condition.
They are rather cheap tuners, and it's hard to find old guitars with the originals still on.
So, another indicator of a good/not too used instument.
Anyway - so many thing wrong with the SG - I got it goin' and it became a very coveted guitar in my circle.
Bought it for $200.00 - sold it for a Grand (Like you - to help pay for my honeymoon lol)
It's probably worth close to 3 grand now!
It's still in the same shape as it was when I sold it - and it's still being played (and LOVED).
I only wish you could play this before buying it.
Though - I gave you the description of my old SG to say... Things can be fixed.
And this one looks to be WAY better than my SG was.
Anyway,
Good luck.
Hope it all works out for you.
Ken
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
good job, CitiZenNoir. I agree with your review.
thanks citizen and dogbite.
Your input is much appreciated!
plz im a noob
$1,900 was not enough :cry:
plz im a noob
