Custom/Modified Mark V?

[Veenture]

Good clue Mel, lifting the pick guard too could perhaps reveal the same thing, backing up your observation... but we'll never know (from the pic)...

[Kip]

I think it started out normal and was chopped away for those high frets. I think that Semie was into the guitars looking cool and slick. This looks neither cool nor slick. It's a hack job, I'm just sayin'. Not a Mosrite design. Pickguard too close to the curve as well.


Kip

[Kippington]

Looks like all the associated photos are gone, no? My previous user name "Kip" no longer works. So I am posting this note so I don't get deleted for not posting.

[MWaldorf]

Kip,

First off, thanks for re-registering. Second, Photobucket has really messed up forums with their new policy of blocking photos posted on third party sites. However, you can still see the images if you right click on the broken image and select the option to open the image in a new tab or window.

[101Volts]

Hey Adam interesting photo,
Well first of all, it's not one of mine, Not that I have'nt put together some real Frankenstien
creations back in the day.
Second, you got to forget about that customized cut-a-way, some one did that later on in this guitars life, they must have wanted to solo in "A" real bad.
This guitar could have very well been put to geither at the factory, don't see any serial numbers.
Semie himself or Gene Moles could have put this guitar togeither after the factory closed.
This guitar has all the right parts (except the tuners witch should be the Japanese diamond shaped ones) to be a late 1968, first 6 weeks 1969 Mark V.
You say, Eddy, Whats the deal with binding on the neck?? and what about the tuners ?? the're
straight across for each other, not slanted like other MarkVs
Well there at the end Mosrite still had some orders but not any capital work with. Thay had on hand a big over run of D-100 Dobro necks, the D-100 is pretty much a Celebrity II with a Resonater, They took these D-100 necks shaved the heels and cut a "M" in the top, the tuners are straight across and the head is a bit stubbie, but what the heck, they really were very good necks.
These necks were used on some of the last Mark Vs and the Celebrity III guitars and basses.

Eddy

Thanks for filling in the details, Eddy. The serial number on the above guitar is B1687. I've seen an awful lot of horrible mods in my time and remember that ReRanch guitar pre-restoration, but it seems odd that someone doing an amateur hackjob on a Mosrite would take the time to German carve the treble horn and overspray the burst. Whether you agree with it or not, makes me think someone knew what he was doing.

Long time old topic bump but I'm going to add a small bit about this.

B1687 is an extremely high serial number if not the highest for a Non-Gospel Mark V; The lowest known serial number for a Gospel MK V is B1689 and the highest is B1700. B1688 isn't listed. Mark V serial numbers seem mostly chronological in the time line from 1966 - 1969 (excluding a few outliers.) B1687 might be the very last Mark V made without the Gospel logo but without knowing what B1688 is, I have no clue.

My source of numbers is Maxkat's list:

https://hang10.de/lists/mosrite-venture ... l-numbers/

- Austin