serial numbers

[maxkat]

Hi Sarah,
my P0055 12-string Celebrity has the same "V" engraved. May it be that "V" means the neck was originally built for a Ventures model? It seems it can only be found on 12-strings...
Cheers, Max

[Sarah93003]

Hmm, it would be interesting to know if anyone has a Ventures 12 string that has the same "V". My thought on that would that on a Ventures model the "V" would be before the numbers and on the same fret. I find it very curious that this "V" appears on the fret under the serial number and that the serial number already contains it's letter designation. I will search through my list of Celebrities, but I can tell you that W0089 has the same "V" in the next fret down. It is a Celebrity-III, whereas yours is a Celebrity-II and the one of eBay is a Combo. That is three very distinct models with this "V".

Would you mind emailing me a photo? PM has been sent.

[maxkat]

Hi Sarah,
my idea was that Mosrite may have used Ventures necks for my Celebrity and the Combo and engraved the "V" to sign those necks as Ventures necks – but if you know a Celebrity III with an engraved "V" my theory is worthless, because you can't use a Ventures neck on a Celebrity III as the heel is completely different. So the only similarity seems to be they are 12-string guitars...
You can find P0055 in this threat: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3520
If you need more pix I'll send you some more.
Regards, Max

[Sarah93003]

Hi Max, I would love additional photos of the CE-II 12 string as you don't see them very often and I don't have a lot of photos of them. My email address is in the PM I sent to you. Thanks!

[Veenture]

In my research of Celebrities I've come across a guitar or two that also had the letter "V" stamped under the serial number.

Does anyone know the purpose of this, or have a theory?

Wouldn't it be super cool if they were -at one time or another- genuinely 'Ventures owned' instruments?!

[maxkat]

Hi Sarah,
I'll send you a download-link for some pictures I made today... You will see there's not only that "V" engraved on the end of the fretboard but also another number, see the photo here:

Cheers, Max

[Sarah93003]

Yours is very interesting indeed and you may be right about it's origin. When you look at the end of the neck it has obviously been modified to work with the Celebrity body and is definitely not the normal Celebrity neck end.

[maxkat]

Hi Sarah,
yes, I know, it looks likes a slanted fretboard end was sawed off – I've never seen the neck heel of another Celebrity II, so I thought that was quite normal (I'm not really into the Clebreties).
The scale is not exactly the same as on my other four mosrite necks (two '65 Ventures IIs, two Celebrity IIIs): The four have 313mm from fret 0 to fret 12 (450mm from 0 to 22), the Celebrity II has 312mm (447mm) – maybe that's because the Celebrity II's has been made after Mosrite has bought the Standel fret saw machine (in 1967?) that had a slightly shorter scale as you can read inEd Elliott's post in this threat:
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=778
Does someone know what's the scale length of the 80's and 90's Mosrites?
Regards, Max

[Sarah93003]

Hi Max,

the scale length of a Celebrity is 24.5 inches, or 622.3 mm; to be measured from the zero fret to the center of the bridge. This would include a measurement of approximately 311.2 mm from the zero fret to the 12th fret.

As for the shape of the neck end, early Celebrities had mortise and tenon joints. By 1966 Mosrite had gone to the squared off end (more like my Fender Strat neck end). As far as I know the vast majority of Celebrities would have that style. It is apparent to me that your Celebrity-II does not have the standard Celebrity neck. Very interesting!

[Black Headstock]