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Location: Jet City | Sorry for the caps folks, but this has been a quarter of a century wait. It's finally on it's way.
Not Ovation, but I thought I'd share with my OFC buddies.
We'll do a special photo session later once it arrives (FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!)
1963 Joe Maphis Doubleneck Mosrite in blue sparkle (OK, it's faded to green now)
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Veeeerrrrry NICE!
That topic deserves all CAPS! |
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Location: South of most, North of few | WOW. Looks like it's from outer space! Bobby, eh? |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Who's Bobby? |
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Location: Jet City | Well it was a custom job for someone named Bobby. No serial, but we've all come to the conclusion that it's probably one of the first 10 made.
Deke Dickerson was at Hallmark yesterday and played it. He said it was better than the '63 (Serial 002) he used to own. BTW, #002 is for sale at Jay Rosen guitars.
I'm pretty worked up about this. I've had it in pieces for a loooooooooooong time. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Bobby Joe Maphis :rolleyes: |
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Location: Jet City | Oh, the guitar's name is officially Bobby now. It's the original pickguard, so it stays. It's actually engraved and painted from the back side |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Great historic instrument from an era where function prevailed over form on custom guitars. Isn't the color particularly unique? |
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Location: NJ | aren't you glad you agreed to trade it to me?
oh wait I talked you out of that.......
enjoy!!!!!!!! |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | More details please ...
What's the scale length?
What are the switches for, what combos do you get?
What about that whammy bar? |
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Location: Jet City | Ha! yeah Al! I intend to keep it around a while. It may go some day, but after having it for so long in pieces, I had to have some closure first. I plan on having a special insurance rider for this one. The value is probably around... oh... how do you put a price on something like this? but I would guess about $10k
Brad, it is indeed a unique color. Semie didn't really start doing sparkles until a few years later with the Ventures models. It's probably one of the first. There's only one I've seen that looks similar, but it was built nearly 15 years later, custom for Barbara Mandrell. Same color though.
There are several things that make this one unique...
1. Pickup cases are mahogany, never seen before on a mosrite (but totally original)
2. No serial number anywhere. It was a total custom job for someone very special (or had loads of cash)
3. Binding around the top. Discontinued after '63
4. No metal guides at the nut. The stock itself was grooved beyond the zero fret to keep the strings in place.
5. Set necks. The later production models were bolt on like the Ventures model
6. Side jack instead of it being on top
7. German carve on the top, again not done on production models
THere are other little details as well, but those are the main ones. The finish and the pickups are the most unique. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | scale lengths? |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | You may have told this story before, but how did you come to own it? and why was it in pieces for so long? |
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Location: Jet City | Not sure on scale length for either neck. I'll measure once it arrives.
The functions are pretty straight forward. The knobs are volume and tone (both necks), the toggle next to it is the selector for bridge and neck.
The switch between the 2 necks turns the top neck on and off.
That's a Mosrite Vibramute trem. They work great! The bridge was put back to original by Bob Shade from Hallmark Guitars. He actually carved the bridge by hand. The one I had on it before is a Mosrite roller bridge that was added a couple years later. I'll probably trade them out as the roller performs better, but it's nice having the period correct bridge. THere's a mute that Bob made too, again to be period correct. KInd of like the old Magnum basses.
It's all original except for the pickup up top which was again carved by hand by Bob, and built with antique and correct magnets (Carvin). Aslo the bridge as mentioned above, and the backplate, or what Semie used to call "The mistake plate" at the back of the tailpiece.
Also the guts of the jack had to be replaced. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a period correct replacement for that. There weren't many side jack Mosrites made. |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | WOW! I've never seen one like that...
Congrats! I know you when through Hades to get it done the way you wanted. |
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Location: Jet City | Originally posted by stephent28:
You may have told this story before, but how did you come to own it? and why was it in pieces for so long? Back in 1982 I bought my first guitar, a Preacher that I traded up to a UKII a couple of months later, then a few months later came my second, a Gibson Flying V, then a few months after that, a Gibson Explorer Custom Shop. I had the Explorer on loan to some friends, the Lopez brothers. One of them had played with me in a few different bands.
The Lopez's had this guitar for a few years and had won it on a $20 poker bet. It was in pieces, but it looked cool, and even though the electronics were not in it, we had it strung up so it could be played. I fell in love with the thing. Action like you wouldn't believe with that zero fret, and the fastest neck I'd ever played (very thin, don't know the radius of the board though).
Anyway, the brothers one night got into a heated argument over a game of Risk, and my Explorer ended up being used as a weapon. The neck snapped off. I was pretty upset to say the least, and back in those days none of us really had the kind of $ available to replace it.
Relations strained between the brothers and I. Now another member of our previous band (Mike DeMartin) had loaned Mark Lopez some $ and Mark gave the Mosrite as collateral. Please note, none of us knew the value or potential value of this guitar back then. I believe the loan was less than $50.
Then something terrible happened. That money was probably spent on the drugs that killed Mark.
Mike didn't want the guitar. He knew I loved it, and he felt if anyone should have it, especially after the Explorer incident, it should be me.
That was about 1990.
The guitar was missing one of it's 3 pickups.That was the main holdup. I had no idea the value, but I didn't want to put any old pickup in, it would have ruined the look. Eventually, I went to a local music store that specialized in vintage guitars and was given the name of the foremost Mosrite collector in the US, Bob Kothenbeutel. Bob just happened to live in the next town over.
Bob dated it, and pointed out some of the unique features, and then steamrolled me over with what he thought the value to be.
So it's been years of research (also enter the internet which helped out tremendously!) trying to find parts and or someone who I felt was qualified to do the work. I found Bob mid last year, and finally shipped it out to him back in January. Deke Dickerson actually turned me on to Bob. If you all haven't heard or seen Deke play, he's great. An old sould for sure doing all the old surf/country/rockabilly stuff, and one of the foremost experts on doublenecks (has written articles for Vintage Guitar Mag) Mosrites especially, and Standel amps.
Anyway, Deke visited Bob yesterday and gave rave reviews on it.
I JUST GOT THE TRACKING INFO! |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Congratulations.
I remember how it is to find something like that. When I was into Travis Beans finding one of the two double necks, and then s/n 10 (all production started at 10 so this was the first) Then I found the real #1. Yeah I know the feeling.
Enjoy it!! |
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Location: Cincinnati | Congrats, Damon. Let us know how it feels to finally hold and play it. |
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Location: Tennessee | HEY!!! That one has my name all over it! :) . Carmelo!! |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Day'um Damon!
Looks like something Elvis left behind at the World's Fair!
My guess id 25 3/4" and an "A" scale neck. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | I suggest further investigation under
Bob Bogle
and
Ventures Biography of Bob
Good chance he's still local and accessable. |
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Location: Jet City | I think I remember 24.5, but I'll measure to be sure |
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Location: Jet City | FYI this is Barbara's. I think it's in a museum somewhere now.
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Location: Jet City | After her car wreck where she almost died, Semie made this for her too. If y'all didn't know, he was the one who discovered her. Her first recordings were on the short-lived Mosrite Record label.
Brian Lonbeck was her main guitar player through her career. He's had several of these doublenecks, and still tours with them.
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Location: Jet City | Mike, this one was made before the Ventures venture, ahem, 'scuse the pun.
I actually met Nokie Edwards through a friend (James Thomas, RIP) about a month after I got the guitar in my possession (1990?). He didn't know much about them though. |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | Very Cool Damon!!
Enjoy
AJ |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Damon, you have quite a collection now! This one is something special! |
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| Nice. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Next time we get together, please don't let me load or unload this one from your Chevy. I wouldn't want to be responsible for damaging a priceless work of art. |
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Location: Jet City | I'll be out of pocket for a while.
THis just showed up. A day early. I'm taking the rest of the day off from work.
(I'm using . for punctuation here when I really want to use!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
See you all later |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Try having three Daughters!
Life is full of .'s, !'s and ?'s...
Enjoy |
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Location: Jet City | SO......
It showed up yesterday. So sorry for not updating, but it was a very special day. Whe I heard it had arrived, I took the rest of the day off work (it was only 10am!). I didn't say why, cuz nobody would have understood. After playing this guitar for 25 years without electronics in it, well, I think I'll remember 9/11 for 2 reasons now, a bittersweet day.
THe first thing I did was plugged it into the '65 Standel. It was fanastic and sounded like NO OTHER guitar I've ever played. I really liked the tones from those vintage pickups. THen I plugged into my Carvin X100B's clean channel. WOW! Though I like the whole vintage combo with the Standel, the tubes really brought forth some warmth and presence that the Standel's SS construction just couldn't match. I think I'll eventually have to get an old Standel tube (after robbing a bank or refinancing the house). Really though, the clean channel and reverb on the Carvin did quite well.
Then I turned the overdrive up a bit. Great growling tones coming from them thar pups. I can't believe how hot these pickups are.
Can't wait for the day to end so I can get back home to my baby.
Deke Dickerson, king of the doubleneckers and keeper of the flame that keeps the old rockabilly/surf/country pickin alive and well got to get his hands on it the day before it shipped. He just sent a note...
Damon--
That guitar turned out GREAT! It's one of the ones that really looks
primitive in so many ways, but then just plays itself. I seriously couldn't
stop playing on it! I think you'll be really happy with it. Bob did a
great job on it, I really couldn't tell the difference between the old
pickup covers and the one he made. A super cool example of one of the
earliest production model doublenecks...I think it's a winner.
I had a '63 that was basically the same guitar, but slightly later
pickups/vibramute etc. and that one played like crap...so I sold it. But
yours is magic.
Deke |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Way to go, Damon. Maybe you'll have to bring it along next year to the PNW OFC gathering. I'd love to see it in person. Hearing it hooked up to some of Miles' vintage equipment would be icing on the cake. Aren't you glad you held onto it? |
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Location: Nashville TN. | Sweet stunner congrats |
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Location: Jet City | Aren't you glad you held onto it? [/QB] Yes, very much so. |
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IT'S ON IT'S WAY!!!!!!!! (preview) - OT