The Chicago Store in Tucson..."The Mosrite Burial Ground"

[goldentrem]

I visited that store in december 1984 while on a trip to the USA to buy records.
Got talking to one of the guys working there who said he used to be The Beach Boys guitar roadie, he took me upstairs to show me their "old stuff".
I can remember seeing lots of Mosrites and even more Vox guitars, none were for sale, just as well i was on a strict budget restricted to buying mid 60s garage 45s.

[brutus]

Hey that photo of the "graveyard" remined me of this Ventures
album. Is it me or do all the celebs have a slightly different pickguard? Plus i found this Billy Strange album while i was looking in the collection Ventures
with the famous clear/tan logo. Deke's story reminds me of this Olds F-85 I wanted to buy back in 84, the guy said no, he was going to restore it, but if I wanted it it would cost 2 times what it was worth.....well 25 years later it is still sitting in his back yard rusting away

[Deke Dickerson]

That one Celebrity with the natural headstock is different, it doesn't have the pickup selector switch on the lower cutaway.

I love those Billy Strange albums. I mean, if you're in a mexican border town, you definitely need a sarape, a cigar, and a Mosrite....ha!

One other memory I had from the first time I went to the Chicago store in the early 1990's--one room had fairly neat stacks of guitar cases in them. I went to one stack, opened a case, there was something like 30 or 40 new old stock unsold Vox basses. Then the next stack, I opened the case, it was a stack of 30 or 40 Mosrite 12-string Ventures models. All new unsold from the 60's. It just went on and on. Those were gone the next time I went there though.....crazy memory.

Deke

[MilkManX]

I know that place well.

ITs pretty cleaned out now though. Nothing really great in there.

Back in 95-96 there was a vintage white Fender Jazzmaster marked at 1400. It needed alot of work. I couldnt get Old Man Joe to go down on that one. He kept trying to sell me some new strat for what I offered($1000).

I gave up on that and went to Rainbow Guitars(my usual) that day and it just so happened they got the MIJ Jazzmasters in stock for $900. So guess what I bought!

I never found a Mosrite in Tucson. Every shop I went too laughed at me. Especially when I asked for a MK II.

[Dennisthe Menace]

Deke had posted:

That one Celebrity with the natural headstock is different, it doesn't have the pickup selector switch on the lower cutaway.

OK, that is the ONLY Celebrity that is a later Model, which is the MARK I CE-II .

[MWaldorf]

Deke had posted:

That one Celebrity with the natural headstock is different, it doesn't have the pickup selector switch on the lower cutaway.

OK, that is the ONLY Celebrity that is a later Model, which is the MARK I CE-II .

Ah, I thought that one looked different.

Also, is it just me, or do the Combo guitar and bass have the pickups in the same location? It looks like the pickup placement and pickguard are the same on both instruments and only the bridge placement differs. Must have made them more economical to construct, but I wonder how much it effects the tone of the bridge pickup on the bass?

[Dennisthe Menace]

Mel had posted:

Also, is it just me, or do the Combo guitar and bass have the pickups in the same location? It looks like the pickup placement and pickguard are the same on both instruments and only the bridge placement differs.

Woe ! Mel, I never noticed that before, but I think you are correct,not to mention using the same
body as well. It looks as though the ONLY difference would be the placement of the Neck, Bridge and the
Stop Tailpiece on the Bass, and the Bridge and Neck on the guitar. BTW, THESE particular Combos
seem to be VERY early 66s, judging by the Duckfeet Tuners on the Bass, BUT also note the F-Holes which do
not have the binding on either instrument. Around FEB-MARCH of '66, these instruments became available
with the binding ......

[brutus]

I thought the new members would enjoy this great thread.

[saf]

what a story!

If you have more pics. With or without mosrite I would love to see them.

[hackworth1]

Is that Campesino wearing a left-handed Mosrite Ventures Model or is the photo backwards?