*Price update: Admittedly, the original price was too high. Not that this unique guitar isn't worth it! And yes, my first listing, sorry I have no feedback yet. Again, message me with any questions!!!
This 1993 Metallic Blue Ventures Model '65 (#V93062) is the last of the storied line of Mosrite guitars produced in the USA. From Bakersfield to Booneville, Semie Moseley remained true to making great guitars through the ups and downs of Mosrite. #V93062 has a charming story and connection to Semie & Loretta Moseley. It has been in an upstairs closet in Park Ridge, Illinois for the past 29 years with all of its documentation--until now. Telling the story of V93062 begins with another Mosrite, however. So sit back, relax, grab a coffee, and let's go back to the early 1990s...
How it all began:
My brother Tom went to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL in the early 1990s. Though a hopeless gearhead into old cars and bikes, his tastes for all things cool & vintage were diverse. One day he walked into Golden Frets Guitar Shop on "the strip". With limited cash, he though he might find something cool so he could take up playing the guitar. Way in the back was a box with a beat up 1965 Mosrite Ventures Model-serial #3674-all in pieces. Thinking it was cool, weird, unique, and best of all cheap, he inquired. Either Terry Muller or Bill Carter at the shop made this low-dollar deal. Now, what to do with this thing? It had Mosrite pickups, a Vibramute tailpiece, and some other bits. To get it working, he would need more parts. In these pre-internet days, he took to word of mouth and calling random guitar shops trying to track down Mosrite. Long story short, he eventually got a phone number for Mosrite in Booneville, Arkansas and gave them a call. At the end of the spring semester in May of 1992, Tom and his old high school friend Dave had set up a road trip to Arkansas to see Mosrite and bring #3674 along.
The Mosrite factory visit on May 18, 1992:
Tom and Dave arrived at Mosrite on May 18, 1992. Somewhat taken aback, this did not look like a gleaming guitar factory humming with activity...more like an old grocery store turned guitar factory with a few employees working here and there. With #3674 in tow, they entered and spoke with the front office, or the old checkout area that notably contained a few postcards from the Ramones stuck to the wall. The receptionist said, "you must be the boys with that old guitar". She made a phone call saying just that, "those boys are here with the old guitar, do you want to come over?" She was talking to Semie, the man himself. Semie came over to the factory about 30 minutes later. Upon his entrance, employees were excited and greeting him like he had been absent for some time. Tom heard Semie say he got out of bed for this. After the meet and greet with Semie, Tom presented the old #3674. There was a smile on his face and a general glow in his eyes. He loved it--like seeing an old friend. Semie really lit up when he examined the pick-ups. He was super-focused on them, and said that with the amber colored resin on the back, these were some of his early pick-ups, hand-wound by him. So in love with the guitar, Semie recommended he oversee its full restoration. Tom and Dave then took a short tour of the factory, took some pictures with Semie (notably in the spray both-a converted industrial freezer), and did some paperwork for the restoration. Little did anyone know that Semie would pass away a mere two months after Tom's visit on August 7, 1992. The pictures of Semie could be some of the last, and are a wonderful homage to a great and humble man willing to meet with some college kids about an old guitar bearing his name.
Ventures Model #3674 Epilogue, Loretta Moseley, and the box from Booneville (Mosrite #V93062)
Mosrite Forever, Semie Moseley Forever. His wife Loretta very kindly followed up on pending orders and unfinished projects by the spring of 1993. Old #3674 and its glorious pickups were likely lost, taken by an employee, or given away as Mosrite wound down. No one knows. Loretta expressed her sincere sadness that she could not locate Tom's guitar and its parts that Semie loved so much. She offered Tom a "trade" if you will. She hoped a new '65 Ventures Model shipped to Tom at our parent's house in Illinois would settle things. It did. In late May, Mosrite Ventures Model '65 #V93062 arrived in a box from Booneville. It is Metallic Blue with the sandcast Vibramute tailpiece (cast from the original mold Semie showed Tom-one of the few things that survived the Jonas Ridge fire), roller bridge, bolt-on neck, and that awesome branding on the headstock.
#V93062 Ownership under Tom:
Friends would marvel at it, pick it up, and strum it a little. That's about it. It always lived in his closet of his old room. It was largely left alone as both of us moved out-of-state. Oh, and one more thing, Tom is LEFT handed! He could never play this guitar even if he wanted to. And, not surprisingly, Mosrite was fresh out of lefty guitars in 1993.
The Guitar Now:
V93062 is as close to "mint" as you could likely get for a 29 year old instrument. It is "used", but barely. It retains its original strings (all except the high E, the string was saved in a bag) put on at the factory, all of its original parts, no modifications, no work ever performed on it. Check out that sandcast Vibramute. The white pick guard has mellowed very nicely. The blue metallic paint has mellowed as well. No fret wear, no buckle rash, no abuse, no gigs, never left the house, non pet house, non smoker.
Full Documentation:
A one-owner guitar with FULL documentation. V93062 comes with: The Mosrite branded shipping box with the model, color, and serial number written on it. The signed quality check hang tag noting the finish, hardware, set up, test, and approved by sections marked by Larry White. An original photograph of the guitar in the factory prior to shipping. High quality copies of Tom's pictures with Semie and #3674. The original paperwork signed by Semie detailing the restoration of #3674. The original paperwork detailing the "trade-in" of #3674 for #V93062. A Mosrite envelope with a personal note to Tom written on it from employee Jerry Standulge. A 2 x 3 Mosrite poster signed by Loretta saying "Semie Moseley Forever". And finally, the original notarized (State of Arkansas, Logan County) "Mosrite USA Certificate of Authenticty" signed by Loretta B. Moseley on May 25, 1993.
Shipping and Returns:
Please ask all and any questions. I'm NOT accepting returns. Guitar is 100% authentic. Happy to show it to you or your agent if you are in the Chicagoland area.
