A Sterling Guitar - Pre Date of the Joe Maphis/Venture's?

[Veenture]

Yes, and actually the only other Sterling guitar I know about is one that looks EXACTLY like the Joe Maphis & Rose Lee guitars pictured above, except with the "Sterling" stamped into the pickguard. So--Semie and Joe Hall were obviously working on these things around the same time.

Deke

I agree with this Sterling guitar bearing a close resemblance to Semie's "Joe Maphis/The Ventures" model but notice that Joe Hall has chosen to 'unflip' the Mosrite's body-shape design, now making the Sterling look more like the combined shapes of the Jazzmaster and Strat again

[Bob Shade]

Hey Guy's!

Yes this was a guitar that Joe Hall created while working at Mosrite. However it was not made at Mosrite. Joe started his own comany on the side called "Sterling" (pre-Hallmark) and was building these in his garage on weekends and evenings.

You can see the later Ventures model influence from this guitar. If you flip this Sterling upside down, it looks very much like the guitar that he and Semie came up with for the JM and Ventures model but with much earlier features. I have played both this Sterling and Arties JM single style too, and these are extremely high quality, unlike some of the early cruder Mosrites I have played and heard. I have played some very nice early Mosrite's too but the consistancy in quality of the Mosrites seemed hot and cold. If you have played enough early 60's models you would know what I mean. I am sure Deke knows what I mean. (chime in Deke!)

There is a mandolin that Joe Hall built that matches this guitar and was owned by the same guitarist in Bakersfield. Nice set of girls!

Bob Shade

[Veenture]

...You can see the later Ventures model influence from this guitar. If you flip this Sterling upside down, it looks very much like the guitar that he and Semie came up with for the JM and Ventures model but with much earlier features.

I find this very interesting but also rather significant too; my use of the word "unflip" then really does not apply!

At this point in time during the development of the shape that would eventually lead to what we refer to as the "Ventures" model, it was yet to be flipped over! hence, one might say the pre-mirror shape or "Sterling Shape" to give it a name