...didn't i tell you about my Mosrite Ventures II find?!

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 4:29 pm

...at first i thought it might be a scam cuz it was too cheap!

i paid about as much as a new coro/starcaster.
weird thing is, the guy who sold it to me KNOWS what it is, but still sold it to me at that price - he REALLY needed some $.
he showed me pics of a mid-60s Gibson ES-335 he also has, and might sell. i told him to let me know first!

he's in his early 40s and urgently needs money. showed up with his wife, and i was still nervous carrying that $ on me in a mexico city subway station. they lead me outside to a side street (i was praying to not being kidnapped or so...) and in the back seat of their car -all visible to every bypasser- was the (non-original) hardcase.
i almost shit myself when he opened it. there, in the middle of the street, amongst taco stands and pirate CD vendors. a (i think 1966) Mosrite Ventures Model II.

we chit-chatted for quite a while. long story short, his dad was someone "quite big" in mexican music biz back then. he wouldn't tell me who (dunno why), but he must've a quite impressive and tasty guitar collection. 3 sons, each one of them was taught an instrument; the seller's the drummer - he does not actually play guitar!
he mentioned that his father got a nasty cancer and they had to sell many of his finest guitars (he mentioned a 50s statocaster and 50s LP goldtop, amongst others) for the treatment, but he eventually died.

it was VERY hard for him to sell this guitar (they had it hanging in the living room since forever), but he REALLY needed the money. he was actually really close to actually crying whilst letting it go, but he said "you look like a good kid who will give it good use - i don't even know how to play it...".

he had previously tried to sell it for around 3K, and then 2K, with no takers -well it's mexico. so he was glad he would at least get what i gave him.

geez these deals do rarely happen in these weird times, nowadays.

but hey, here's teh pronz!

i LOVE all the details and logos and stuff!

these are quite thin, kinda like an SG, in case you didn't know!

Pat.

Remulak · Post by **Remulak** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 4:39 pm

Holy shit! Great find, the wife part makes the story more credible.

speedfish · Post by **speedfish** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 4:54 pm

Holy shit!

Your story makes me feel glad and saddened at the same time. Congrats!

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 6:05 pm

Oh man, lucky guy! This one looks like it may have been refretted at some point---IIRC all 60s and 70s Mosrites were known for "speed frets" which were smaller than anything you can buy today. The frets on this look quite a bit taller and possibly wider. You ought to post this on the Mosrite forums and see if they can give you any more info. I'm sure it doesn't detract from the value anyway. Congrats!

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 6:23 pm

will do, thanks!

but i could almost guarantee that the frets are original and quite small...

wadeaminute · Post by **wadeaminute** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 6:25 pm

I thought that the Ventures II didn't have the German carve? So there were two versions of the II?
Congrats - that's rad.

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 6:48 pm

yeah, there's SO much fuss about the no-carve (ramones) model II that these seem to disappear.
sent my request to the mosrite forum, and looking thru it there is HARDLY any info on these.

i'll post pics (once i'm allowed in) and wait for more info.

thnx,

Pat.

iCEByTes · Post by **iCEByTes** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 7:32 pm

this is so sexy

grats

dont forget do a besame mucho a la ventures when you get

[youtube][/youtube]

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 8:22 pm

so i finally took it apart today (pics coming up).

weird. it has NO serial number, but the neck is stamped 0001 (DEC 20 1965) and the body 0006 (DEC 9 1965).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!
(double full rainbow, anyone?)

dub · Post by **dub** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:25 pm

Those pinprick sized inlays are freaking me out.

Beautiful guitar.

luciguci · Post by **luciguci** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:45 pm

holy shit, i didn't even notice the fret markers until you mentioned them.

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 1:13 am

so today i finally opened her up.

pots are both dated 33rd week of 1965, and they have been sanded (?) on the back.

body date 9 DEC 1965 ... and the number 0006

neck date 20 DEC 1965 ... and the number 0001 ?

i also find it strange that the neck has been painted? is that normal?

the guitar has no serial number on the last fret or anywhere else.

ps: i've posted this over at the mosrite forum now, see what new info they can give me...

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:35 am

That is killer. The guts look just like my 65 Celebrity. I thought the back of the headstock looked painted or something. I would doubt that they did that at the factory, but those were weird times and who knows? None of the big brands had great consistency back then, so a small operation like Mosrite (who kept going out of business) would be less consistent. Otherwise it all looks pretty normal. I have seen blue metallic, but I thought it was darker. It may look very different atop a Mexican roof. The frets do look a bit thick. Mosrite frets aren't just low, they are also skinny, like the dots.

Many of the Mosrites of that period had serial numbers stamped into the Rosewood at the first full fret over the slant heel. But I wouldn't worry too much having seen the hardware. If you had to, you could sell the neck alone for what you probably paid.

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:59 am

thanks!

the blue is not metallic. it is a weird kinda blue, but it looks original.

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:07 pm

Seems to be a fairly standard color (i.e. not a refin).

http://www.mainstreetvintageco.com/cata ... 990995.htm

http://www.sheltonsguitars.com/2008/8-3 ... 31-08.html

I wondered about the neck finish, too. The sanded pots, IIRC, is something that's found on a lot of Mosrites. It helps solder stick to the pots.

Given how low the numbers on the neck and body are, and the lack of a serial number stamped on the fingerboard, the obvious implication is that this is a very early model, possibly even a prototype. The guys on the Mosrite forums ought to know for sure. Looking forward to seeing what they say!

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:32 pm

Dillon wrote:
Given how low the numbers on the neck and body are, and the lack of a serial number stamped on the fingerboard, the obvious implication is that this is a very early model, possibly even a prototype. The guys on the Mosrite forums ought to know for sure. Looking forward to seeing what they say!

still no info from those guys. but that's what i think/suspect, too.
we'll see...

StevePirates · Post by **StevePirates** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:42 pm

Whether it's the first neck, and sixth body, or not: That's an awesome guitar.

Din of Win · Post by **Din of Win** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:32 pm

Woah!!!

This is one of the coolest/saddest/amazingest guitar finds i've ever read about!

Congratulations on the acquisition!

tenderstems · Post by **tenderstems** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:38 pm

Nice close up at the 2:50 mark

[youtube][/youtube]

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:50 pm

sad story, with a great finish, for you at least, and hopefully dude & wife can get by alright.
that said, v. lovely guitar pat, and a hell of a find.

looks OG to me, but my knowledge of these guitars is limited at best.