Semie and the tripleneck guitar

[Deke Dickerson]

Photo of the tripleneck guitar, circa the early 70's. Appears to be the original tripleneck body with new necks and hardware. This guitar was supposedly stolen while Semie was in New Mexico, so keep an eye out for it at your local antique mall!

Ed Elliot, if you're reading this, I was always confused by the Shafter address on this. Do you know when Semie lived there?

Deke

[EFElliott]

Hey Deke,

I've offen wondered that too, I don't really know, Shafter is juat a hop-skip-and-a-Jump
from Bakersfield, he may of just had a P.O. Box out there. I have one of Semie's Gospel
Albums " I'm Standing Taller" from that time, Probally late 1969 on the back it says
Re-Order from Moseley Records P.O. Box 655, Shafter, California 93263, if Semie was there
it wasn't long.
In one of my very early post I mention that I was born and raised just around the corner
and a mile or two down the road from the Panama lane shop, but I was born in December
1957, so when Semie was in the Panama Lane shop I was 3 or 4 Years old, I remember
passing by there with my Dad, and him pointing the place out, I was 7 or 8 years old
and Dad saying that's where that Moseley feller built those real good looking guitars.
My Dad Loved Guitars too.
When I really got aquinted with Semie was in 1970, I was 12, I was already buying, repairing
and re-selling guitars at the Bakersfield Swap-O-Rama and very interested in building,
Semie was in a little town just outside Bakersfield, Pumkin Center, California. It was a pretty big brick building with 3 large store fronts, one had Center Varity Store, the US Post Office
and Semie's shop in the corner store front, I think he was staying in the living Quarters
upstairs, He had racks of finished bodies and necks and quite a few tools, He was putting togeither Guitars under the Gospel and Moseley Brands, This is where Semie built the 2 Flat Tops for Buck Owens new TV Show Hee-Haw, He had some sort of business deal with Buck but it fell a part. from Pumkin Center back to "P" Street and a Deal with Kustom Electronics. Every few weeks I was down at Semie's "P" Street shop buying parts and materails and showing off my latest guitar and bugging him untill he hired me in 1977.
As for as Semie's tripple Neck Guitar, is there any photos that show the complete guitar? I've always wondered what the control plate looks like.
Ed Elliott

[Deke Dickerson]

Hey Ed--I didn't realize you were that young when you started working with Semie! I thought Terry was young when he did work with Semie and he was 17!

I also did not know Semie was in Punkin Center for a while, but that doesn't surprise me, seems like he would start making guitars wherever he could pitch a tent.

I can't find it but there was a VIntage Guitar magazine article that I wrote on multi-neck guitars a couple years back, and they used a picture of Semie playing the triple-neck that I can't remember where they got it from--Bill Gruggett or Bob Shade probably. But it's the only good full on frontal shot I've seen of the thing.

Anybody have that issue of VG handy? For the life of me I can't find it.

Deke

[KRamone27]

Photo of the tripleneck guitar, circa the early 70's. Appears to be the original tripleneck body with new necks and hardware. This guitar was supposedly stolen while Semie was in New Mexico, so keep an eye out for it at your local antique mall!

Ed Elliot, if you're reading this, I was always confused by the Shafter address on this. Do you know when Semie lived there?

Deke

what's the deal with the frets being so close together?

[GattonFan]

Those appear to be fret markers, instead of the dot inlays.