Can Anyone Tell Me What Model Mosrite THIS Is?

[trusswow]

I bought it about 20 years ago from a traveling preacher in Oklahoma. Can't seem to get it identified. I don't know if it's a proto-type or something that Semie made for someone. The headstock is one I've never seen before..
Thanks for any help you can give..

TR

[Veenture]

WOW!!! ...this one is fantastic; most interesting features!

Like it was suggested before, Semie made many one-off's and custom builds, so surprises will keep on popping up from time to time with Mosrites...and now this one.
The body shape probably could date it to the mid to late sixties (?)
Great pictures btw, it looks like Semie dug deep into his bottom drawer for parts that he had to use for this one... ...and I'm sure that I've seen that headstock shape before on the Forum somewhere. Start digging everyone...

TR, ...probably like yourself, I too can't wait to hear opinions, thoughts and insights from our true knowledgeable members here when they start chiming in. You seem to have something very special in your possession and the way you became to be the new owner is special too Congratulations, hope you get it fully restored and working again.

Paul

[connie_mack]

wow, that looks very unique.

[dubtrub]

This topic may help. It seems Ed Elliott made up some Celebrities with this neck. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1174

Hey Artie,

You know where the first time I saw one of those,
Right down the street from you in 1968-69 at
Harland House of Music, you were probally there.
I ended up with some of those necks, I put 2 or 3
Celebrity III's to gether with them. Eddy

[Sarah93003]

Well this is certainly an insteresting piece on many counts. I've never seen the logo without the rest of the words. What kind of pickups are these? Does this guitar have a serial number on the fretboard or on a label inside the F hole? How does it sound?

[trusswow]

There is no serial number or label or writing anywhere on the guitar. I don't know what kind of pickups they are. Some sort of single coil pickup inside a chrome Caddy bumper of a housing.
The tone is very "earthy".. not a lot of sustain.. maybe more like "chunky" with dipped out midrange and some high end thrown in for flavor.
It has been quite a conversation piece for the 20 years I've owned it. No one can come up with a model or when it might have been built. It does have the "Mosrite of California" logo.. so I'm assuming that's where it was built.
Hoping some one has some info for me... I wonder what it might be worth?

[TimR]

What are the chances of those pickups being non-original? The pick guard at the neck pickup looks like it was notched out for a normal Mosrite pickup. These look sort of like something off of a Teisco....

[dubtrub]

Again, I'd bet the answer lies with Ed Elliott. As I quoted him above, he stated he put together several Celebrities using these necks. Hopefully when Ed get's back on line he can answer the question wheter or not this is one of those he assembled way back when.

[trusswow]

That's possible. I took the pickups off and the paint is faded in a pattern consistent with these pickups.. If they were replaced they were replaced YEARS ago.. and who ever did it went to a LOT of trouble routing out the front position so the front pickup would fit.
This is the way I bought it and it hasn't been out of the case except to show it around in about 22 years.
BUT if I bought it in '88 and it was made around '68 that still gives it 20 years before I got it. I can't imagine why someone would go to that trouble.. but hey... crazier things have happened..

[dubtrub]

First one must understand the Mosrite history of how Semie went from wealth to bankrupt in the mid 60's and what happened to left over factory stock. Ed Elliott was one along with others including Gene Moles that acquired left over unfinished parts. They went on to finish the parts into completed guitars. There's a small window when Semie would have had a hand in it's actual construction and a bigger window where someone else may have completed the building process after the Bakersfield Mosrite factory went defunct. Since the pickups are not Mosrite pup's it's very likely something that Ed or Gene assembled using other brand pup's of what was available at the time.