Mosrite Semie Moseley Model Handpainted by Wayne Jarrett Solid Body Electric Guitar (1992), ser. #SM004, original brown alligator hard shell case.

Mosrite Semie Moseley Model Handpainted by Wayne Jarrett Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1992), made in Jonas Ridge, NC, serial # SM004, Blue with sparkles, Moon, Stars and Flames finish, basswood body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown alligator hard shell case.

Mosrite founder Semie Moseley was in and out of the guitar business from the 1950s until his death in 1992; over the decades he went from southern California to Oklahoma to the mid-south, founding and losing multiple workshops and factories and overcoming more than a lifetime's share of heartaches and setbacks. He continued to build guitars whenever he was able, with variations on the classic 1960s Ventures Model remaining his bread and butter offering from 1963 up until the end. Most of this later production was destined for the Japanese market, so are fairly rare in the US.

This "non-logo" Ventures-style model is a very late example, although sources disagree on the exact dates and sequences of the products of the final years of Semie's operations, which moved from North Carolina to two different locations in Arkansas and briefly back again. It carries a spectacular custom blue sparkle finish by airbrush artist Wayne Jarrett with celestial bodies floating in the "sky" on the lower bass bout and pickguard. Jarret is well known as an artist who (of course) also worked on motorcycles, cars and other objects. He did a number of custom guitar finishes for Jeff Cook of the band Alabama; a Mosrite Gospel Model custom painted by him can be seen in the November 2018 issue of VINTAGE GUITAR magazine and in Willie Moseley's book BAKERSFIELD GUITARS, alongside a celestial blue guitar custom made for Mick Mars of Motley Crue.

This rare Airbrushed model has a natural finished neck with the plain "Mosrite" logo on the headstock without any Ventures markings. The body is the late "Nokie" variant of the Mosrite standard, specially designed for Nokie Edwards with a "sidejack" output and the German curve around the edge giving way to a Fender like dress-away on the lower bass bout, with the back edge carved in relief as well. The finish is celestial blue with subtle sparkles and planetary accents. The pickup covers and rings were also sprayed as part of this paint job, while the pickguard carries a darker "outer space' motif. The serial number stamped in the fingerboard is SM004; the non-official but encyclopedic listing of Mosrite serial numbers at posits this as a 1992 model.

The original Mosrite Ventures model of 1963-4 was the epitome of "1960s California Cool" at home on the Sunset Strip or any garage in America in that just pre-heavy era. The Mosrite neck is traditionally very slim and fast, this one is just a bit chunkier, with wider binding an larger frets than the 1960s models. The truss rod adjusts at the body end, a revived older feature at the time. Recreated Ventures-era appointments include Mosrite logo pickups and knobs, elaborate adjustable roller bridge, a proprietary metal switch tip and reissue metal-button "Safe-Ti-Slot" Kluson Deluxe tuners. The "Vibramute" vibrato is a very crude-looking sandcasting with "Semie Moseley" and the "M" cast into the center specific to this period.

The single coil Mosrite-logo pickups are hot and snarly; while typecast as "surf" instruments Mosrites were also used effectively for heavier sounds by bands including Iron Butterfly and the MC5. The wiring is the classic 3-way switch and master tone/volume rig common to all Mosrites. Ventures models and their offshoots are by far the most collectible Mosrite production instruments due to a long fascination with them overseas, especially in Japan. This late Ventures-style model is a pretty unique guitar, one small piece of Semie Moseley's long and convoluted story. If perhaps not to everyone's taste it is certainly an attention-getter visually in any context and a fine playing guitar to boot.

Overall length is 38 in. (96.5 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.).

This unique last-call Mosrite remains all original as built 30+ years ago showing only light handling wear; there are a few small dinks and scuffs but really the guitar appears hardly played. It resides in the original brown alligator re-issue Mosrite case, ready to surf the celestial skyways. Excellent + Condition.