Mosrite Factory 88 + Semie Live footage

[Dennisthe Menace]

Well, Austin, you just slammed one over the far fence on THAT post!!!

Absolutely astonishing. Any other similar videos are a must!

I'll be referring back to that again and again. I like that song at the end, too.

BOY HOWDY!

--Jim

DITTO on what JimPage said!!

Austin......HOMERUN BABY!!!

Why?? Because Uncle Semie and Loretta came down to Miami (when my Wife and I were still in Miami) and they personally delivered my 'Special Ordered'/or 'Custom Ordered' 1988 to my Wife and myself either 1 day before or 1 day after Thanksgiving Day. We had to meet Semie and Loretta down in South Miami (some Latin Friends hosted a Thanksgiving stay for Semie and Loretta) and I am sorry to say I don't recall their names . After checking with a couple of close friends down here, We did not have any luck either.....So, to see this posted as a November 1988 Video just blew us away, and it must of been taped anywhere between the 1st thru the 3rd week of November. .....
But again Austin, I salute you my Dear Sir with this find...and WE Thank You !!!

[mosman]

Even before I saw this clip I always had the impression Semie was a warm, friendly guy and now I'm even more certain of it. When he passed away it must have been so painful for those who knew him.

[GattonFan]

Wonderful find - great to see a "slice of life" from Semie Moseley. As I watched, couldn't help but wonder if he were still with us, how much his guitars would command in today's market? Any guesstimates??

Dennis

[JimPage]

Dennis asked, about Semie Moseley:
>>if he were still with us, how much his guitars would command in today's market?

I was wondering exactly the same thing. I guess it would depend upon whether he was going to stay the lone-wolf luthier or try again to form a larger corporate entity with full production and a wider product line.

My take on the Semie Moseley story is that a good guitar builder isn't necessarily a good business person, and some people have a knack for either making bad business decisions or for making good decisions far too late to matter. There is a timing element to business just like there is to playing music, and some folks have far too wide a decision-making loop to make it in the business world.

If Semie had gotten a trustworthy partner and left the business decisions to him, and gotten the breaks, he could easily be where Paul Reed Smith or Bob Taylor are now. I think he would have continued to innovate and could have been steered in a profitable channel in that regard. Just like a doctor's office requires a practice admin person to make it go.

I also wonder why Semie died at such a young age (57), which is exactly my age now. Gives me the creeps.

Just my two cents.

--Jim

[mosman]

I read that 3 part interview in VG magazine and it seemed like the bloke couldn't take a trick no matter what he did. Bad luck hit him in almost every decision he made, but through it all he still made those great guitars.
That's something to admire.

[thunderhead]

Awesome footage. Shows just how much hands on work Semie put into those Guitars from that time. I have one made in that small shop, '63 RI set-neck, side-jack, sunburst and it is an awesome handmade Guitar. Seeing and hearing him play also gives some insight into his Guitar design, a lot of really makes sense from that perspective. Great find, thanks so much for posting !!!!

[Mr. Bill]

Yes, thanks for posting the link.

It is a great insight into the factory at the time and the personality of Semie as well.

[LoveyX]

Austin,
Great post, I couldn't believe it the first time through, had to watch it again. I've always wanted to see the inside of a guitar factory, but never imagined I could see a tour of Semie's shop with him as the tour guide.
Love the song at the end too, I like Gospel music all the time and to see & hear Semie & Nokie jamming is like the cats meow.
Thanks again

[t.bags]

WOW!!! how cool is this footage!!! I hope Semie knows how much his guitars still mean to us. the most beautiful, underrated guitars ever built!!{just my opinion} Mosrite Forever!!!

[Deke Dickerson]

What everybody else said....wow! I never expected to see that pop up on youtube.

This video is such a revelation in many ways. First of all, yes, it is truly amazing to see beautiful guitars like these come out of such a humble shop.

By watching this video, you also get a sense of his personality--great charm and televangelist magnetism--but I would say not a businessman, either. I understood more about Semie watching this short video than anything I'd ever read about his personal life.

The concert footage is mindblowing, watching all those Japanese musicians (and the three Japanese girls with gloves on!?) singing and playing American Southern Gospel music. That, in a nutshell, is what Semie and Mosrite guitar were all about--a really glorious messy mixture of cultures and styles.

Regarding Semie dying at the age of 57....correct me if I'm wrong but I read a quote from Andy Moseley somewhere about how they survived on only bologna and milk for the first few years in Bakersfield. Add that kind of a diet to the fact that Semie survived car crashes, huge business failures, a fire and it's actually sort of amazing that he lived to be 57...

Also, for those who didn't know Semie was such a good player, go back and find my thread from last year about the Reverend Buford Dowell 45 record I found...it's from the 50's and Semie is just tearing it up on the guitar on this record.

Deke