Up for sale, a 1964 Mosrite Ventures Model in excellent condition and in perfect working order. A particularly early example, this Mosrite boasts all the hallmarks of the 1964 model year including smooth chrome knobs, a mint green pickguard, and of course the famous sandcast "Vibramute" tailpiece.
The most popular and enduring instrument produced by the Bakersfield, CA based Mosrite company, the Ventures model was a joint venture between Mosrite founder Semie Moseley and the band The Ventures. While there have been a fair share of reissues and copies over the decades, nothing compares to the elegance and dynamic responsiveness of the original Mosrite Ventures Model. The pickups are particularly hot and detailed, with top end that is present, round, and clear without being brittle, and plenty of midrange warmth and punch to cut through any mix. The low end blooms and growls while retaining focus, and when in the middle position on the three-way pickup selector toggle, both pickups are wired in series for a very powerful tone. The guitar weighs 8lbs 1oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with fresh 10-46 strings, low action, and spot-on intonation.
The maple neck has a round C-shaped profile carve with full shoulders and just enough substance while still feeling fast and effortless, measuring .865” deep just beyond the volute, and .855 at the 12th. The bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard is a particularly dark and tight-grained cut of this particular tonewood, and the original slender “fretless wonder” frets have flat crowns and show just a hint of wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-6 . The frets play cleanly in all registers with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The nut measures 1 1/2" in width, and on the headstock, the original Mosrite and Ventures logos are present. The tuners are a set of Grover Deluxe Kluson-style gears that match the footprint of the original gears with improved performance (USA Mosrites in the '80s used the same gears). The serial number is embossed on the last fret, the truss rod access is at the neck heel, and the bolts for the neck are located beneath the kidney-shaped chrome plate, all features consistent with early Ventures Model specs.
The wiring harness retains the original Switchcraft switch with milled aluminum tip as well as the original Tone pot paired with a modern Volume pot and premium tone cap. The pickups are a pair of Fillmore era Mosrite coils with smooth covers, epoxied baseplates, and thin aluminum strips connecting the height adjustment screws. The pickups meter at a robust 13.4k ohms each. The pickup cavities and the area beneath the pots shows aftermarket routing to deepen (but not widen) these areas.
The stock mint green pickguard has some slight buckling between the mounting screws, and original hardware includes the pair of smooth knobs and the sandcast Vibramute tailpiece complete with roller bridge and notably curved arm. The vibrato actuates with a light touch, retaining the original spring for quick surfy warbles and broader gestures.
The instrument was refinished in gloss Black long ago, perfectly retaining the German Carve on the body edges, yet the original nitro lacquer on the headstock face is original, with some vertical lacquer checking. There is a singular repaired split on the bass side of the neck pocket on the back running parallel with the neck plate, and there is some targeted finish touchup in this area. Cosmetic wear includes various small dings, mostly on the back and body perimeter, some light scuffing on the back lower bout body edge, and faint finish scratches on the body as a whole.
A black tolex vintage Mosrite hardshell case is included.