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The Joe Maphis/Ventures Models Semie had been working with Bob Crooks of the Standel guitar company
who wanted Semie to design him a guitar "like a Fender".
Legend has it that Semie flipped a Strat over and traced around
it, however the Joe Maphis model that the Ventures shape was later
based on is a lot more elaborate and pleasing than an upside down
Strat. In fact Semie's eye for design would prove itself again and
again over the years. Early examples of these guitars have the Joe
Maphis model on the headstock as Semie had made a deal with Joe
to make single and double neck Maphis models but when the Ventures
stepped in, this model was designated to them instead. After working on a prototype with Bill Gruggett, the first "official Ventures" guitar was available in very late 1963. The first model was a set neck, celluloid bound body with a large "The Ventures" logo on the headstock. They were available in red or sunburst only. The jack was on the side of the guitar and these are referred to as side jack models. The necks were very thin and had extremely low frets known at Mosrite as speed frets. They had a zero fret and semi circular type metal string guide (nut). The vibrato unit on these early models was called a Vibramute and had a special muting mechanism near the bridge. All Mosrite numbers are sketchy but is believed approximately 200 of these guitars were built. The Ventures used this model on their January 1965 tour. In mid 1964 the jack was moved on to the scratch plate and the body binding was dropped. The neck joint was changed to the bolt on type but the screw heads were covered by a metal plate and then eventually went to a standard type bolt on neck through the plate. All of these changes suggest economy in manufacturing as the "original" design would have been very expensive to manufacture. The Ventures logo became smaller in mid '64 and the pick ups changed to show the Mosrite of California logo embossed on them, but with no R for registered trade mark. During this period in the early to mid '60's Mosrite began to do extremely well and started experimenting with different types of guitars, effects pedals and amps. Some of these experiments included such things as reintroducing twin neck guitars known as the Joe Maphis twin neck model, although this differed considerably from the original 50's Joe Maphis double neck. Through the 60's Mosrite were building Ventures models guitars and basses, semi acoustic Celebrity models in three different versions and bass, a "fake" semi solid known as a combo (the body was made from solid wood and had the front hollowed out and another piece of wood glued on, like a Ric). These were released later as a Joe Maphis model as well which was the same body without an F hole. Also made during this time was the Fuzzrite effects pedal and solid state amplifiers. Jimi Hendrix owned and used a Fuzzrite pedal extensively.
Sometime in mid '65 the vibrato unit is changed to a Moseley type, which is essentially the same unit but now being die cast and with Moseley embossed into it. The mute mechanism had long since disappeared. Volume and tone knobs are changed to a "hat type" with an "M" stamped on top and are numbered from 1 to 5 with V and T. In '66 the knobs are changed again to something very similar but taller and without the V and T embossed in them. Also around this time the string guide is changed to a 1/4 round unit. Necks are made from two or three pieces of rock maple but are still very thin with extremely small and low frets installed. Most Mosrites have had truss rod adjustment at the headstock end since early to mid 65 but in mid to late '66 the truss rod adjustment is moved to the headstock end of all models inc the Ventures model and a plastic rod cover installed.
The Ventures models now had three different models. The original and most collectable Ventures model, the Ventures model II (like Johnny Ramone played ) which is a slab body with no German carve and the Mark V. The slab body Mk II was a very short lived model with only approx. 140 - 180 being made in mid 65. These had two distinct pieces of hardware only seen on that particular model (and a couple of crossover German carve guitars) One was the trem unit of folded chrome steel with the arm coming out between the D and G strings and thinner pick ups with no pole pieces. After the slab body Mk II was dropped (apparently Semie thought it looked too cheap) the Mark V with the German carve was also offered as a Mark II with the later headstock decal applied. The German carve Mk II and Mk V are identical guitars with different headstock logos and ran concurrently although serial numbers up to around B700 seem to be Mk II's and after 700 Mk V's. These guitars had cheaper appointments although most of the hardware was the same as the ventures model. The pick ups were cheaper to manufacture without pole pieces and the necks had no binding. In 1967 the Ventures distribution deal finished and the logo disappeared off all headstocks. This end in contract was the first nail in the Mosrite coffin. Although their guitars were selling well in both America and Japan, things started to go wrong and within two years Mosrite would be shut down for the first of many times. Everything fell apart in 1968 when Mosrite signed a deal with the Thomas Organ Company, who distributed Vox guitars after turning down an offer from Sears and Roebuck Co. Mosrite filled for bankruptcy on Valentines day 1969, and things were never the same again. page 1 - page 2 - page 3 - page 4 - page 5 - page 6 - page 7 |
