Hello from Long Island, NY

[Joe Flip]

Hello and nice to be aboard! My name is joe and i'm from Long Island. I'll start with a bit of background. I found this forum a while ago as i was doing research on Mosrite guitars. I am a lifelong drummer (50+ years) that grew up listening to The Ventures in the '60's. Mel Taylor was my hero and "The Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely Bull" was my first album. I remember my parents hearing me play along to that album on a wire framed bathroom stool and hearing my dad say, "hey the kid is pretty good, maybe we should buy him a set of drums". This after denying me a guitar, my fisrt love, because it was too expensive. Oh well, I was better suited to the drums anyhow.

Fast forward several decades and I am now retired and have the time to devote to learning the guitar as I always wanted. Over the years my various band mates showed my some chords and i always fiddled around a bit but now i'm more serious about learning. I have always admired and desired the Mosrite guitar. It was the coolest guitar I ever heard or saw. I've done a lot of research on the internet, watched many videos on you-tube and got all the history of Semi Mosely and the compnay he founded. I've even seen the video with his daughter, Dana. Quite a legacy! But, the price is more than i can justify for a novice as myself.

Then i saw this video on you-tube by a guy, left -handed great guitar player, who did a comparison of the Mosrite with a Japanese clone and a Hallmark guitar. He played Surf Rider (Spudnik) and they both sounded almost as good as compared to the Mosrite, to my limited ear. So i did some research on the Hallmark and went ahead with the purchase of a 60's custom, sunburst. I just got it the other day and it is a wow! It is beautifully made, looks just like the Mosrite and sounds great coming through my Vox AC-10. It also came with a really nice alligator case with a red velvet interior.

So now i'm trying my best to fudge my way through playing Spudnik, Lonely Girl and Changing Tides, three of my all time favotite Ventures tunes. I thought i'd share this with this forum , not to take anything away from the Mosrite, which is THE standard! But in case anyone wants a resonable alternative, the Hallmark is quite an impessive instrument. And no, i am not Bob Shade's brother-in-law or any relation other than a satisfied customer that thought other Mostite fans would like to know.

Best,
joe

[dubtrub]

Great introduction Joe! Lot's of helpful videos on YouTube to help you progress with that guitar. I've been playing since I was 9 years old and I still learn new licks from YouTube.

[Bob Shade]

Hi Joe!

Nice to see you posting on the Mosrite forum and welcome. There are alot of great enthusiasts here, I think you will get into some great conversations and helpful tips.

Thank you for your purchase of the 60C 3TSB!! I am very happy you like the guitar.

Keep playing those Ventures tunes!!

Best reverbs, Bob Shade

[BRRanger]

Hey Joe,
Welcome! You are not alone in singing the praises of the Hallmark line-up. There are a bunch of us that will testify...I have several of Bob's Hallmark guitars, high quality, great price, and as I've said a hundred times before, Bob is a great guy to work with and a true Mosrite enthusiast.
Scott

[Sarah93003]

Welcome!

[FrankJames]

Welcome to the forum, Joe !!

[stl80]

Welcome.
Jim