Y2K /2000 Japanese Mosrites

[Vance Directive]

Can anyone offer an assessment of Japanese-made Mosrites from around the turn of the millennium? How do they compare with a 1972 V1 or what have you? What's a fair price for a clean one?
I hear varying opinions, some saying they are close to spot-on clones and others saying they lack quality.

[FritzCat]

I bought Mel's old Excellent that he mentioned. Other than the frets (and the "Excellent" on the tailpiece) I couldn't really tell any difference, to me they felt the same and sounded the same. I've seen these guitars on ebay the past few years from $900-1500, depending on condition and seller's grasp of reality. If you get one you won't likely be disappointed.

[Vance Directive]

Most Excellent! Hai! Domo arigato! Will keep eyes peeled for same.

[Vance Directive]

My Mosrite of California, with "Excellent" cast into the tailpiece came today by UPS! It's gorgeous and sounds fantastic. The strings it came with were dead so I went to GC and bought 10-46 roundwound GR nickel "Pure Blues". I notice that that vibrato arm is low and the spring doesn't return to pitch (same with old strings) . Should I put 9s on it rather than 10s? I can't remember if I ever has a guitar strung that lightly. But if the tension is supposed to be that low, and the guitar is 'strained' with 10s, I'll gladly throw another $7 at my $1500 pristine pearl white beauty.

[Vance Directive]

I read some threads about problems with Japanese vibrato tailpieces, how they don't return to original position, which is the case here. Also, the handle rests too low so I am thinking it's the spring? Should I get a stouter one? Funny how the cheap Chinese knockoff I installed on a Teisco build works perfectly, even though I can see the bearings at the pivot ends aren't even centered. This Japanese one looks like it has 'German' bearings, but I can't say for sure.

[dubtrub]

Contact Bob Shade here on the forum, he should be able to help you obtain the correct spring for the gauge strings you are using. They are very spring to string sensitive.

[Bob Shade]

Thanks Danny!

Vance, if you can take a picture of the bearings, I will let you know why it will not stay in tune. I have had to fix a bunch of these Japanese tailpieces. They cheaped out on the bearings as they are not even real bearings, just sleeves which is unbelievable to me. These Japanese Mosrite's will never stay in tune because of this, and all need to be fixed. I am not surprised the cheap Chinese tailpiece does stay in tune better than the expensive Japanese Mosrite vibratos. This is what happens when people who do not really build guitars are in the drivers seat like the guys at Filmore. Mistakes in design get made that they cannot figure out how to correct.

I am going to be out of the country for a week but I will check the image when I return and let you know what I think will correct your situation.

Yes, I have all sorts of springs for different tension too.

Best reverbs, and all the best,

Bob Shade/ Hallmark Guitars

[vibramutant1965]

sooooo true...........

[Nokie]

I read some threads about problems with Japanese vibrato tailpieces, how they don't return to original position, which is the case here. Also, the handle rests too low so I am thinking it's the spring? Should I get a stouter one? Funny how the cheap Chinese knockoff I installed on a Teisco build works perfectly, even though I can see the bearings at the pivot ends aren't even centered. This Japanese one looks like it has 'German' bearings, but I can't say for sure.

The first line of defense is to put on those 9's. Yes, heavier strings put more stress on the whammy bar bringing it down. You can buy a stiffer spring but I think it is more appropriate for 11's. I have had several of the Japanese Mosrites, including an excellent, and they are fantastic. They compare favorably to my original Mosrites. I keep 9's on all of them and have no problem with the whammy and tuning issues.
-Marty

[Bob Shade]

You should not need to use 9's or use a certain spring tension to keep the guitar in tune. You should be able to use whatever string guage you wish, and spring tension you like as well. It may be only the Fillmore models that do not have the proper bearings. Those are the only ones I have fixed in the past. So if it is another brand, I would need to see it, that is why I asked for a photo. On the Fillmore guitars, they simply used a cheap metal sleeve (no bearing), with the metal pin rubbing on the metal sleeve itself. There is no way that will be able to consistently return to pitch. So if you are having tuning issues on a Fillmore guitar the spring tension or string guage is not the problem.

Hope this helps, Bob