One-of-a-kind Mossman Guitar - 1980 Sunburst Great Plains Custom Built

Gorgeous 1980 Mossman Great Plains guitar in super rare custom ordered sunburst finish.  The guitar is constructed of beautifully figured solid East Indian rosewood sides and three-piece back.  Top is solid spruce with herringbone trim.  The fretboard is dark ebony. Neck profile is a very comfortable medium soft "V". These guitars were all handbuilt in Winfield, Kansas, USA. 

Has original ebony/pearl bridge pins and end pin, original bone nut and saddle. No pickups or electronics have ever been installed. Frets are in excellent condition, action is low and fast (3/32" low E string at the 12th fret) with room to lower the saddle.  

Of course, this is a 44 year old guitar that was played, so it does have signs of wear.  Various bumps and dings, some light finish checking typical of Mossmans but only visible in certain light and angles.  The most significant cosmetic issue was repaired long before I received the guitar, and is stable and fairly unnoticeable from a small distance.  My luthier calls this a "two-foot" repair, in that you can't see it from two feet away...  He also pointed out a finish retouch near the top's lower bass bout edge.  I have taken closeup photos of both of these areas.  

Guitar comes with it's original hardshell case.

Besides being beautiful and a great sounding and playing guitar, this instrument is also extremely unique because:

* Sunburst finish - Mossman made very, very few sunburst finish guitars, and then only on custom orders.  I have only seen one other, in an online photo of printed literature - and it may well be this one.

* 1980 serial # - Most of the Mossmans you find for sale are from the mid-to-late 1970's.  By 1980, most of the factory employees had been laid off, leaving only Stuart Mossman and a handful of craftsmen building guitars. Consequently, very few guitars were built during this time.

* Label signature - A unique hallmark of each Mossman guitar is the paper label bearing the initials of every craftsman who worked on it.  This guitar has exactly one signature: that of S.L. Mossman.  And not just his usual "SLM" initials, but his name spelled out, in his own hand.  This would indicate that he built this guitar completely by himself.  Never seen another with only Mossman's name on the label.

* Neck profile - Most Mossmans had slim C shaped necks, although they varied somewhat due to being hand shaped.  This soft "V" profile would have been a custom order.

This is a special guitar for all the right reasons - its look, its sound, its historical significance - and deserves to be played, seen and heard more that I can do it justice.

Shipping is free in the CONUS, international buyers please contact me for shipping options.

I have this guitar listed for sale locally as well, and reserve the right to sell it privately and end this listing at any time without prior notice.