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MOSRITE 500 BLUESBENDER “ANOTHER HIPPY GUITAR” 1972. Extremely Rare. Black.
Estimated price for orientation: 2 595 $
Category: Electric Guitars
Class:
Description Brand: Mosrite Body Color: Black
MOSRITE 500 BLUESBENDER“ANOTHER HIPPY GUITAR”1972SN: N00177EXTREMELY RARE. FEW BUILT.A MUST HAVE GUITAR FOR A MOSRITE COLLECTOR. Semie Moseley is my GUITAR HERO. He was creative, innovative, and independent. But most of all, He Never Backed Down. Here is a quick outline of the Entrepreneurial History of Semie Moseley, an American Guitar Icon. This is a great example of his ability to adapt to a changing market especially during a time when cultural changes happened almost daily and were reflected in the music being played. It is important to think of Semie as a guitar promoter as much as a guitar builder. In the heady early days of Mosrite Guitar, Semie was surrounded by some of the best guitar builders to be found anywhere in the world: Bill Gruggett, Andy Moseley, T. C. Elliott, Paul Bigsby, and many more, each of whom went on to have independent success in the guitar world after leaving Semie (except for Andy who stood by his brother for all the years a Mosrite guitar was built).It is fair to say that the early success of Semie’s iconic guitar, THE VENTURES, had a lot to do with good timing, good luck, and coincidence (all adding up to a high probability of success), i.e., the incidental turning over of a Fender Strat that resulted in the reverse design of the Ventures guitar, the quick endorsement of the Mosrite Ventures guitar by THE VENTURES et al.A Timeline.In 1967, the Ventures endorsement agreement with Mosrite ended abruptly and acrimoniously – and Semite’s trials began. Semie was a guitar promoter and a salesman more than a businessman. That was not unusual at that time nor is it untrue today. Creativity and business acumen many times find themselves clashing for an innovator like Semie and usually creativity triumphs over reality. Semie kept hustling but without the Ventures endorsement, things just start slowly sliding downward for Semie and his company. In this situation, not only did the Ventures drop their endorsement of Mosrite, they stopped playing their guitars. Given the high profile of the group, this is more like a condemnation of the Mosrite brand than a simply uncoupling. Mosrite filed for bankruptcy, for the first time, in 1969. Astutely, Sears and Roebuck bought the brand name MOSRITE but never used it and allowed Semie to “buy it back” the next year (1970).This was a pivotal point in the history and legacy of Semie Moseley and the MOSRITE brand. Semie looked at the marketplace of 1970 and did not see surf boards, woodies, and beach music (the same as he made the shift from C&W and Gospel to Surf Pop Music). A “cultural awakening” was beginning in California. Long hair replace crew cuts. Beards appeared on men’s faces. Ladies wore hats and flowers in their hair. And the music became more complicated and more instrumental. Rather than being chord based rhythm backtracks to sung harmony, songs began with a distinctive guitar riff that pushed you through the song (“Sunshine of Your Love” etc.).Semie heard that seismic shift in guitar music and took it on straight ahead. As recorded music went from mono to stereo in the studio and on the records, the desire, and need for guitars with more features appeared. To make more music, you needed more guitar. And to have more guitar, you had to have more buttons and more electronics. Semie’s “hippy” guitars were designed by Semie to give the rock guitar player what he needed so in late 1970 or early ’71, he returned to making guitars on a limited basis, designing new models like the “500 Bluesbender” and “Stereo 350”.Look at the ad attached to this listing. Suddenly the beach boy has long hair, beard, and is wearing a black turtle neck and he is standing on a California hillside. The change has come.ABOUT THE MOSRITE 500 BLUESBENDER GUITAR: 1. The body is solid Mahogany2. The finish looks black but is listed in the Mosrite guitar as being “dark Burgundy”. 3. The neck is bolt-on Maple.4. Fretboard is Brazilian Rosewood.5. Tuners are high quality original Grovers.6. Has a “phase” switch to reverse pickup polarity to give guitar lots of different tonal capabilities.7. Two Mosrite Hum-bucking pickups.8. 3 position pickup selector switch.9. 2 Tone and 2 Volume knobs.10.Side mounted input jack (has been replaced).11.Mosrite “M” knobs.12.Mosrite compensated bridge with individual adjustable pole saddles with Rosewood and aluminum stop tailpiece.13.Medium frets.14.23 frets plus zero fret. CONDITION.AN HONEST RELIC GUITAR.No faking on this one. Why buy a “new” guitar “faked” to be old when you can buy an honest and truly well played iconic vintage guitar that has significant historical credibility that will only increase in value?Making a new guitar look old-on purpose-just seems so odd to me. If you want an old guitar-buy an original old guitar. Anything else is a fake.But this guitar is not worn out, it is worn in. It seems to be one of those “real player” guitars that is “just right”. It fits your hands as soon as you pick it up and then it starts almost playing itself. It fits the cliché of being “naturally fitted” to the player.If you are looking for a pristine Mosrite, this is not it. This one has finish cracks, dings, dents, scrapes, and everything else including a repair to the output jack (look at photos) but it is in excellent structural condition. If you are looking for Mosrite with Mojo, this is it.The electronics and hardware on this guitar work great. Its cosmetic condition is “ultra relic cool”. I am a big fan of all original “worn” guitars of the 1950’s/60’s because they are honest guitars. They look worn because they have been played a lot. It does not include the OHSC but will be shipped in a case.For buyers outside the continental USA, please ask for shipping quote before buying this item. Thank you.Please remember to read our policies and procedures listed below.The guarantee.1. The guitar is in FAIR RELIC cosmetic condition and is as described in this ad. 2. The guitar is in fully operational condition.3. Buyer has 48 hrs. to inspect the guitar or have it inspected. Any defects, damage, misrepresentations or other problems must be reported within that time period in writing to the Seller.4. In the case of damage during shipment, Buyer shall immediately inform seller of such damage and will maintain all original packing materials and box for inspection by the transportation company. 5. If other problems are discovered, Seller will either arrange for repair etc. at a location near the Buyer or request that the Buyer return the guitar to the Seller (Seller will reimburse Buyer for cost of shipment of guitar back to Seller).6. Seller will correct indicated problems and ship the guitar back to the Buyer within 7 days of receiving it. 7. In the event that the guitar cannot be repaired or replaced with a similar item from Seller’s inventory, the Seller will give the Buyer Credit toward current or future purchases from inventory of Seller.8. No refunds or returns for Buyer Remorse or Buyer Mind Changing. 9. If there are any undisclosed physical attributes of this guitar that will prevent buyer from playing it successfully, e.g., neck to wide to be played with arthritic hands, guitar too heavy to be played due to back, shoulder, etc. problems, then we will, upon return of the guitar, issue a Credit Memo to Buyer in the amount paid for the guitar plus the cost of shipment paid by the Buyer against the future purchase of a guitar from us.
Description
| Brand: | Mosrite | Body Color: | Black |
MOSRITE 500 BLUESBENDER“ANOTHER HIPPY GUITAR”1972SN: N00177EXTREMELY RARE. FEW BUILT.A MUST HAVE GUITAR FOR A MOSRITE COLLECTOR. Semie Moseley is my GUITAR HERO. He was creative, innovative, and independent. But most of all, He Never Backed Down. Here is a quick outline of the Entrepreneurial History of Semie Moseley, an American Guitar Icon. This is a great example of his ability to adapt to a changing market especially during a time when cultural changes happened almost daily and were reflected in the music being played. It is important to think of Semie as a guitar promoter as much as a guitar builder. In the heady early days of Mosrite Guitar, Semie was surrounded by some of the best guitar builders to be found anywhere in the world: Bill Gruggett, Andy Moseley, T. C. Elliott, Paul Bigsby, and many more, each of whom went on to have independent success in the guitar world after leaving Semie (except for Andy who stood by his brother for all the years a Mosrite guitar was built).It is fair to say that the early success of Semie’s iconic guitar, THE VENTURES, had a lot to do with good timing, good luck, and coincidence (all adding up to a high probability of success), i.e., the incidental turning over of a Fender Strat that resulted in the reverse design of the Ventures guitar, the quick endorsement of the Mosrite Ventures guitar by THE VENTURES et al.A Timeline.In 1967, the Ventures endorsement agreement with Mosrite ended abruptly and acrimoniously – and Semite’s trials began. Semie was a guitar promoter and a salesman more than a businessman. That was not unusual at that time nor is it untrue today. Creativity and business acumen many times find themselves clashing for an innovator like Semie and usually creativity triumphs over reality. Semie kept hustling but without the Ventures endorsement, things just start slowly sliding downward for Semie and his company. In this situation, not only did the Ventures drop their endorsement of Mosrite, they stopped playing their guitars. Given the high profile of the group, this is more like a condemnation of the Mosrite brand than a simply uncoupling. Mosrite filed for bankruptcy, for the first time, in 1969. Astutely, Sears and Roebuck bought the brand name MOSRITE but never used it and allowed Semie to “buy it back” the next year (1970).This was a pivotal point in the history and legacy of Semie Moseley and the MOSRITE brand. Semie looked at the marketplace of 1970 and did not see surf boards, woodies, and beach music (the same as he made the shift from C&W and Gospel to Surf Pop Music). A “cultural awakening” was beginning in California. Long hair replace crew cuts. Beards appeared on men’s faces. Ladies wore hats and flowers in their hair. And the music became more complicated and more instrumental. Rather than being chord based rhythm backtracks to sung harmony, songs began with a distinctive guitar riff that pushed you through the song (“Sunshine of Your Love” etc.).Semie heard that seismic shift in guitar music and took it on straight ahead. As recorded music went from mono to stereo in the studio and on the records, the desire, and need for guitars with more features appeared. To make more music, you needed more guitar. And to have more guitar, you had to have more buttons and more electronics. Semie’s “hippy” guitars were designed by Semie to give the rock guitar player what he needed so in late 1970 or early ’71, he returned to making guitars on a limited basis, designing new models like the “500 Bluesbender” and “Stereo 350”.Look at the ad attached to this listing. Suddenly the beach boy has long hair, beard, and is wearing a black turtle neck and he is standing on a California hillside. The change has come.ABOUT THE MOSRITE 500 BLUESBENDER GUITAR: 1. The body is solid Mahogany2. The finish looks black but is listed in the Mosrite guitar as being “dark Burgundy”. 3. The neck is bolt-on Maple.4. Fretboard is Brazilian Rosewood.5. Tuners are high quality original Grovers.6. Has a “phase” switch to reverse pickup polarity to give guitar lots of different tonal capabilities.7. Two Mosrite Hum-bucking pickups.8. 3 position pickup selector switch.9. 2 Tone and 2 Volume knobs.10.Side mounted input jack (has been replaced).11.Mosrite “M” knobs.12.Mosrite compensated bridge with individual adjustable pole saddles with Rosewood and aluminum stop tailpiece.13.Medium frets.14.23 frets plus zero fret. CONDITION.AN HONEST RELIC GUITAR.No faking on this one. Why buy a “new” guitar “faked” to be old when you can buy an honest and truly well played iconic vintage guitar that has significant historical credibility that will only increase in value?Making a new guitar look old-on purpose-just seems so odd to me. If you want an old guitar-buy an original old guitar. Anything else is a fake.But this guitar is not worn out, it is worn in. It seems to be one of those “real player” guitars that is “just right”. It fits your hands as soon as you pick it up and then it starts almost playing itself. It fits the cliché of being “naturally fitted” to the player.If you are looking for a pristine Mosrite, this is not it. This one has finish cracks, dings, dents, scrapes, and everything else including a repair to the output jack (look at photos) but it is in excellent structural condition. If you are looking for Mosrite with Mojo, this is it.The electronics and hardware on this guitar work great. Its cosmetic condition is “ultra relic cool”. I am a big fan of all original “worn” guitars of the 1950’s/60’s because they are honest guitars. They look worn because they have been played a lot. It does not include the OHSC but will be shipped in a case.For buyers outside the continental USA, please ask for shipping quote before buying this item. Thank you.Please remember to read our policies and procedures listed below.The guarantee.1. The guitar is in FAIR RELIC cosmetic condition and is as described in this ad. 2. The guitar is in fully operational condition.3. Buyer has 48 hrs. to inspect the guitar or have it inspected. Any defects, damage, misrepresentations or other problems must be reported within that time period in writing to the Seller.4. In the case of damage during shipment, Buyer shall immediately inform seller of such damage and will maintain all original packing materials and box for inspection by the transportation company. 5. If other problems are discovered, Seller will either arrange for repair etc. at a location near the Buyer or request that the Buyer return the guitar to the Seller (Seller will reimburse Buyer for cost of shipment of guitar back to Seller).6. Seller will correct indicated problems and ship the guitar back to the Buyer within 7 days of receiving it. 7. In the event that the guitar cannot be repaired or replaced with a similar item from Seller’s inventory, the Seller will give the Buyer Credit toward current or future purchases from inventory of Seller.8. No refunds or returns for Buyer Remorse or Buyer Mind Changing. 9. If there are any undisclosed physical attributes of this guitar that will prevent buyer from playing it successfully, e.g., neck to wide to be played with arthritic hands, guitar too heavy to be played due to back, shoulder, etc. problems, then we will, upon return of the guitar, issue a Credit Memo to Buyer in the amount paid for the guitar plus the cost of shipment paid by the Buyer against the future purchase of a guitar from us.