Wilson Brothers' Ventures

[CookieMan]

Looking around online and trying to wrap my head around the Wilson Bros. Ventures guitars. Yes, they have a lot of Mosrite-ish elements - finishes, German carve, pups, etc. But if you're already doing something (I would use the word 'emulating' rather than 'imitating'), why not go all the way? The body shape and the trem bridge are too a-la-Stratocaster for these axes to fit neatly into the category of 'clones'. Any thoughts on why they went that route?

[rog43win]

I remember when the Wilson Brothers guitar first came out and how excited I was to hear that the Ventures designed their own guitar. Supposedly, they took all the features they liked the best on the guitars they had ever used. The tremelo is like the Jazzmaster/Jaguar....the shape like the Mosrite.....etc.......I was actually inquiring about these guitars for a while, but no one seemd to know much about them (guitar stores)....this was back a few years ago when they first came out.
But when I read the Ventures book, Don Wilson said that the guitar was his brother's enterprise, and he played it to support his brother's work...
When I see the Ventures playing them in some clips, I am disappointed.....they just don't match up at all to the look and sound of the Mosrite........looks sort of "Mickey Mouse", if you know what I mean....
I still like the Mosrite era the most for the Ventures, and the Fender era which started them off in the first place...
I think Nokie's "Hitchhiker" guitar is the real deal, as far as quality and looks goes...Nokie had it made for him, so it shows what you can produce when those guitarists put themselves into the design firsthand.......(would like to see a tremelo bar on that one, though.... )

[Veenture]

I agree with the above posts. I too at one stage in my desperate search for "a Ventures Model", considered buying a Wilson Bros. guitar but the shape never convinced me, even though I'm such a die-hard Ventures fan. I love both Fender and Mosrite but I like to see a Fender stay a Fender and a Mosrite a Mosrite

I'm sure the WB guitar is probably a great buy for your money...but it has it's issues too like the strings popping off the (Jazzmaster type) bridge for instance. Don Wilson remedied this issue on the WB he is endorsing...go figure.

And the HitchHiker...sorry to have to say it has never struck a magical chord with me, however grand it may be. The diamond shape metal pick guard (to me!) is a real missmatch. But if Nokie offered me his, I would take it

[Desert Surfer]

To me, the most collectible Wilson Brother's Ventures guitar is The 40th Anniversary Ventures model (The first edition before Don Wilson changed the bridge and tremolo. Made by Aria. Still available in Japan but very expensive)



As for HitchHiker Guitar, you have to love Nokie so much to pay that kind of price. (But only if you can find one, not too many were made)

[MWaldorf]

I agree with DesertSurfer - the original Arias look the best with the more Mosrite-y bridge. Personally I think the body shape is cool enough, but the headstock is lost on me.

[EFElliott]

To me, the most collectible Wilson Brother's Ventures guitar is The 40th Anniversary Ventures model (The first edition before Don Wilson changed the bridge and tremolo. Made by Aria. Still available in Japan but very expensive)

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc44 ... G_8267.jpg

As for HitchHiker Guitar, you have to love Nokie so much to pay that kind of price. (But only if you can find one, not too many were made)

Hey Desert Surfer,
Do you know how many HitchHicker Guitars Nokie had built??
I was thinking a luthier in Oregon built a batch and Jackson/Charvel did some before Fender bought them out.
Ed Elliott

[Desert Surfer]

Hey Desert Surfer,
Do you know how many HitchHicker Guitars Nokie had built??
I was thinking a luthier in Oregon built a batch and Jackson/Charvel did some before Fender bought them out.
Ed Elliott

I don't know the exact number, I don't think even Nokie himself knows. My guess would be under 100 (pure guess) sold to the US with all three generations. (Jackson Custom Shop / Rock Creek / Aria) Most US buyers waited 2-5 years to get theirs. I don't know how many were sold to or in Japan.

There are some good historic and background information about HitchHiker guitars in Del H's Ventures book ("Walk Don't Run") which you may find interesting.

As far as I know, there are 3 generations of HitchHikers guitars. Nokie might have worked with other people for prototypes, but I have not seen actual finished guitars in the market other than the following three:

1) Jackson Custom Shop: Don't know how many were made. My guess is around 50 (pure guess)

2) Rock Creek Guitar: After Fender bought Jackson / Charvel, Fender stopped HitchHiker's production. Nokie moved the production to a small factory in Oregon called Rock Creek Guitar.

The major changes of the 2nd general were: U neck to V neck, and the modified bridge (I heard the high E string of some of the 1st generation guitars would slide off the neck, might be isolated cases, mine is fine) The production with this Oregon factory did not last too long.

Don't know how many were made. My guess would be less than Jackson Custom Shop. Nokie stopped the production when he had some quality issues with the factory. But I talked to an owner of 1st run Rock Creek HitchHiker who seemed to be happy with the quality. I had no problem with my Rock Creek prototype either. The problems might have occurred later on.

3) Aria Japan: Nokie moved the production to Japan. After quite long time (a few years!), HitchHiker guitars were finally available again last year. The neck stays in V shape but a Whammy bar version was added. The back of guitar body has a new contour shape for ergonomics consideration. I tried this guitar once and felt that the workmanship to be excellent. The sound quality is about the same if not identical.

Nokie was actively promoting his Aria HitchHiker guitars during CAAS 2009 Show. But strangely, Nokie took the HitchHiker guitar page off his website a few months ago. Don't know why? But I think Aria or some retailers in Japan are still selling Aria HitchHikers there at very high price.

Hope this help.

[rog43win]

I agree with all the above too.....I wasn't really pushing the Hitchhiker, only making the point that a great guitarist like Nokie had some input in that guitar....and it's too bad that the Ventures couldn't have come up with a more quality guitar than the wilson brothers model....after all the years of them playing under all kinds of conditions, it seems they would have built the most supreme model rock guitar ever......but I imagine that they were busy recording and touring, and not really into the luthier process as a business.....
Yeah, I'm not crazy about the diamond shape deal on the Hitchhiker either...but Nokie seems to love it.........I'm still putting Mosrite at the top ....

[dubtrub]

It is my understanding that the Wilson Bros. guitar is the sole venture of Don Wilson's son, and the Ventures have nothing to do with it other than helping to promote the guitars for Don's son. He probably went with the best price he could get on finding an manufacturer. The Ventures just aren't a big selling item like they were when the played Mosrites in the 60s.

[LOSTVENTURE]

Call it fate if you will, but I could not find any in stock anyplace when I first started looking for a "Mosrite". It was during that time, while reading reviews of the Wilson Brothers guitars (at Harmony Central, I think) that someone mentioned Hallmark. Another problem that I was having was finding a hardshell case that would fit the guitar. Even the guys at Musician's Friend were not sure which case it needed. When I called Mr. Shade about the availability of a sunburst and he told me that the alligator case was included, the deal was sealed.
Don