Mosrite: Американские гитары с историей

American guitar manufacturing company

Mosrite was an American guitar manufacturing company, based in Bakersfield, California, from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Founded by Semie Moseley, Mosrite guitars were played by many rock and roll and country artists. Mosrite guitars were known for innovative design, high quality engineering, very thin, low fretted and narrow necks (though Mosrite used taller frets and wider necks after the 1960s,) and extremely hot (high output) pickups. Moseley's design for The Ventures, known as "the Ventures model" (later known as the "Mark I") was generally considered to be the flagship of the line. Mosrite also made a small number of acoustic guitars; The Serenade model, and four Balladere models, including one 12 string.

Semie Moseley started playing guitar in an evangelical group in Bakersfield, California, at age 13. He and his brother Andy experimented with guitars from their teen age years, refinishing instruments and building new necks. Semie began building guitars in the Los Angeles area around 1952 or 1953, apprenticing at the Rickenbacker factory. There he learned much of his guitar making skills from Roger Rossmeisl, a German immigrant who brought old world luthier techniques into the modern electric guitar manufacturing process. One of the most recognizable features on most Mosrite guitars is the "German Carve" on the top that Moseley learned from Rossmeisl. During the same time, Moseley apprenticed with Paul Bigsby in Downey, California, the man who made the first modern solid body guitar for Merle Travis in 1948, and who invented the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, which is still used today.

In 1954, Semie built a triple neck guitar in his garage (the longest neck was a standard guitar, the second longest neck an octave higher, the shortest was an eight string mandolin.) He presented a double neck to Joe Maphis, a Los Angeles area TV performer of country music. He also made several similar twin neck guitars (with the performer's name inlaid into the neck) for Maphis' protegé, the child prodigy guitarist Larry Collins, who still owns his three Mosrite twin necks. By 1956, with an investment from Ray Boatright, a local Los Angeles Foursquare Gospel minister, Semie and Andy started their company, Mosrite of California. In gratitude to Reverend Boatright, Moseley named the company by combining his and Boatright's last names; the name is properly pronounced MOZE rite, based on the pronunciation Semie Moseley used for his own name. Semie, who built guitars for the L. A. based Rickenbacker company, told his co workers that he was making his own product and was fired by Rickenbacker. She also helps kick off the monthly "Mosrite Jam" in Bakersfield.

Note that there are exceptions to this list of models where perhaps a 1960s model has white paint for the headstock logos or a 1970s 350 model has a basswood body and maple neck instead of a mahogany body and mahogany neck. Mosrite is a company where outliers aren't unheard of. Mosrite also used other names occasionally; "Gospel" was often a name associated with guitars given away to churches although it was also used during Mosrite's bankruptcy period when they didn't have their Mosrite name (1969–1970,) Semie also used his last name "Moseley" for guitars built during the same period.

The Nokie Model — Nokie Edwards Model; Similar to the Ventures model and with smooth pickup covers. The Ramones Model — Ramones Model; Similar to the 1960s Ventures model. Seen in the Ramones' "I Don't Want To Grow Up" Music Video. Has a "Sharkfin" Pickguard, stop tailpiece and one bridge pickup. Few of these were built.