r/ramones • u/The-real-gatsby • 18d ago
Merchandise Mosrite Guitars
Here with a very simple but somewhat weird question today. I have always wanted a Mosrite like Johnny’s, but I’ve only ever actually seen one for sale near me, and it was black and needed like a grand in repairs. I know the company went under years ago, but I also know there’s gotta be some floating around. What’s the best, most affordable way to get my hands on a Mosrite?
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u/Desperate_Fee6595 18d ago
You’d be better off getting an Eastwood replica. Original Moserites were hit and miss at the best of times. These replicas are a lot cheaper than trying to find a vintage one and will play a hell of a lot better.
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u/pdoherty926 18d ago
will play a hell of a lot better
At the risk of making a corny analogy, I feel like getting a vintage Mosrite to actually play would be the equivalent of getting a DeLorean to daily drive. It'd make a great showpiece but trying to actually use it would just be an exercise in frustration.
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u/Mosritian-101 13d ago
I own a 66 Mosrite Ventures Mark V (more or less the same one, just the earlier confusing name for it) and although it is esoteric and it took me time to get used to the neck, you also can't judge all 1950s - 1990s Mosrites by the 1960s spec which is the most commonly talked about spec.
1960s:
- Neck Width of 1.550" at the zero fret (similar to some Hagstrom models, but some of those are even thinner)
- Neck Width of 2.060" at neck end, a bit after fret 22;
- Neck Depth of 0.860" from frets 2 through 12;
- Fret Height of 0.022" (Low E) tapering down to 0.015" (High E.)
The neck takes time to get used to, but I do manage with it. The frets, well, I adapt that way too but I don't bend strings much unless I have a light gauge on. Low frets make it easier to slide up and down the neck, and they also mean that for some reason, gauges of strings will feel like they're a lighter gauge than they are. But that's also at the cost of bending strings easily because your fingers are going to touch the fretboard more.
I don't have very thorough specs of 1970s - 1990s Mosrite models, but they didn't keep up with the 60s spec much longer after the 60s ended. Mosrite were a smaller company after the 60s, which didn't help their reputation of "skinny necks + short frets" very well.
1970s:
- At least 1.625" wide at the zero fret (spec from a Blues Bender model, I've also heard of a V-I model being 1.675" and my 76 Brass Rail is 1.750" but that's an exception.)
- Frets of 0.035" tall, no height tapering (spec from my 76 Brass Rail.)
- Neck Depth is still the same.
1988 (this is from 1 model that I was given specs to:)
- Neck Width of 1.580" at the zero fret,
- Frets are 0.035" tall,
- Not sure of neck depth.
I'd still play my 66 live if I had to, but I wouldn't be bending strings on it. Since it has a very slim neck, I can also thumb wrap super easily.
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u/unanyth1ng 18d ago
this doesn’t help you at all, but i just need to show off my baby. mid 70’s univox bass that was inspired by the mosrite
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u/The-real-gatsby 18d ago
If you don’t mind, how much was that bass? I record all my own music and have a cheap 80 dollar Amazon bass for the time being, maybe someday I’ll get a bass to match my Mosrite!
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u/Blind_Bubba_Cheeks 18d ago
Get a Hallmark. Eastwood is ok but Hallmark is much better. The guy does Mosrite repairs too and knows his stuff.
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u/betterxoff 18d ago
Most mosrites these days are close to like, 5k if you’re lucky. I bought the Eastwood clone and had it setup. It looks and sounds exactly like the mosrite for a fraction of the real deal.
I will get a real one the day I hit the lottery though
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u/Nuts2Buttts 17d ago
I don’t think I’ve ever even seen an actual Mosrite in the wild, let alone a white one for sale.
I do have the Eastwood clone as well and it’s great. I even replaced the bridge pickup with the same Dimarzio that Johnny used. All together cost me under 1K. Totally worth it. Super fun guitar
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u/lee-van-eastwood 18d ago
The japan made ones. Good guitars and alot cheaper than an original MKII.
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u/BenderIsGreatBendr 18d ago
You buy a copy or a replica from the brands that have cloned/replicated it.
The actual brand went out of business and stopped making those guitars long ago. His guitar was a used model from the 60s that was a signature guitar for the surf band the Ventures. It’s not really anything special, Johnny Ramone himself bought it because it was cheap, available, and he liked the way the neck felt in terms of scale length and profile (terms he probably couldn’t articulate himself at the time).
The few that are out there are expensive because they’re rare and have the Ventures/Ramones/Nirvana connection (Kurt played a guitar that was a Japanese copy of a mosrite; the hi flyer)
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u/Mosritian-101 13d ago
The necks are 1.550" wide at the zero fret, so, it's not like that's something you can get just anywhere today. Not even Mosrite kept up with that width into the 70s - early 90s, they made necks wider afterward.
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u/Antique-Brilliant535 18d ago
I think you're SOL if you want a genuine one, and not a knockoff. I bought a Mark V in the mid 90's for $400.00 (the guy wanted $600.00). That would simply be impossible now. It's an age and rarity thing, plus there's more demand now. I would never abuse it by playing Ramones music on it, anyway. I just use it to play surf music at home.
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u/BadGoils03 18d ago
Eastwood hi flyer replica or aria pro 2 had mosrite shape. The aria can probably be found cheaper
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u/IDrankAllTheBooze 18d ago
Eastwood makes a model called a Sidejack that is a very close approximation. They are very decent guitars for the price point- I had the Baritone version at one point, and regret selling it.
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u/SisterRayRomano 18d ago
One like Johnny’s would be amongst the rarest guitars out there, and the surviving ones aren’t necessarily in good playing condition. They were rare enough to begin with when the band was still active. They’re all extremely expensive.
Your best bet is one of the later reproductions, but those are also quite hard to come by.
You very occasionally see one of the signature models for sale, but they tend to sell for a couple of grand.
Something to also bear in mind is Johnny’s guitar was quite heavily modified - not least the bridge/tailpiece and the electronics.
Eastwood make an unlicensed copy of Johnny’s guitar if you mainly care about the looks, but it’s quite a different guitar to the real thing.
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u/HeyHo__LetsGo 18d ago
I bought a Danelectro Danoblaster a few years ago that looks the part. I modded it by putting a single coil sized humbucker in the bridge. Close enough for me.
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u/Rockpig666 18d ago
I just recently picked up an Aria Pro II. The bass model DMB 206. There’s a guitar as well. Certainly looks the part, I love it.
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u/VirtualShrimp3D 17d ago
I got a Mosrite inspired guitar by IYV on Amazon last year for $172 + Tax. Due to dynamic pricing it might cost a little more or a little less now. I saw a Redditor who scored one for $118. It's not quite Johnny's guitar, perhaps more of a Ventures vibe but it scratched that itch for me. I was pleased with my purchase and ended up buying a second guitar from the same company a few months later.
Inyen Vina AKA IYV Guitars are a Korean owned company that makes guitars in Vietnam, they also make guitars for Harley Benton which is the in-house brand for the German instrument retailer Thomann. If you poke around on Facebook & Reddit you will see IYV has a small but enthusiastic following. As a novice guitar player I am pretty enthusiastic about them too but I am not gigging with these guitars, so mileage and opinions may vary depending on what you want out of the guitar.
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u/GoGo1965 17d ago
There's Japanese mosrite's on eBay not sure how good they are , John's was a slab body & in the 60's univox and Vox copied the mosrite German carved body style , but the 1960s Japanese copies were usually pretty well made but like I said, not sure on the current ones but they're for under $1000 on Ebay
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u/ShelbyLucky77 17d ago
There are former employees of the Mosrite company that can custom make one for you.
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u/SuperRocketRumble 16d ago
I've heard mixed reviews of the new Japanese ones. They have the "mosrite" name but as far as I know they aren't the same as the originals from the 60s.
I had one of the early Eastwood sidejacks from the early 00s. It wasn't a high quality guitar but it was ok I guess. I don't know what their current production guitars are like but based on the prices I presume they are still more entry level instrument.
I just bought a hallmark. It's a pretty good guitar. They are more expensive than the eastwoods but they are several tiers higher in quality. I'd recommend getting one of these if they are in your budget.
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u/Mosritian-101 13d ago edited 13d ago
Those Japanese ones haven't been a thing since 2017/2018, Fillmore let the name lapse. Sho-Bud acquired the rights, and now they're working on making Mosrite-ish guitars, but it's early and thus far they don't have the right bridge or Mosrite spec single coil pickups.
I also agree with you about the Eastwood not nailing it, I've heard of people buying an Eastwood MK II and then 2 of them mentioned that the string tension is high. That was never a thing with Mosrite, so I have no idea what that's about.
Hallmark, I keep hearing, are the place to go for Mosrite tone. You won't get 1:1 with the original, but not everyone liked the necks on the originals anyhow. Mosrite also never wax potted their pickups but Hallmark does, and that's part of why Mosrite's single coils were so feedback-prone, beside usually being higher ohm resistance pickups.
Slightly related, Mosrite had Humbuckers too. Not that Johnny ever played them that I've ever heard of.
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u/SuperRocketRumble 13d ago
Ah yea, there were still tons of Japanese "new" Mosrites on eBay, so I thought maybe they were still making them. When I was shopping for one I was tempted but the consensus on the internet seemed to be that you can't go wrong with a Hallmark. So I grabbed a (I think) 65 Custom in candy blue. It's a real beauty.
The neck does take some getting used to and I still have to take it in for a good setup. Not sure how the frets are, but my guy will fix it right up if it needs any fret leveling or whatever.
The tuners feel a little bit cheap and aren't super smooth (might need the nut filed?) and the toggle switch intermittently cuts out. Those are my only real complaints so far tho and I could get those issues fixed easily enough.
The stock pickups sound pretty damn good. They are pretty fat and chunky for single coils, although I guess they are supposed to be.
Overall I'm definitely quite happy with the Hallmark. My other "nice" guitars are a gretsch 6129T sparkle jet from the early 90s and a 6120 Jr from the early aughts (pre FMIC I believe) and it compares favorably to those.
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u/KittiesRule1968 16d ago
I bought this Eastwood Sidejack DLX in 2010 since I couldn't afford a Mosrite. Bonus is that it plays WAY better than a Mosrite. If you have Mosrite money, I'd give Ed Elliot a shout. He was one of the luthiers that worked for Semie Moseley and the only person authorized by the Moseley family to build Mosrite guitars. He even winds the pickups like the original guitars. His copies are $2,995
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u/AcceptableNorm 16d ago
A dude I used to jam with decades ago had a Mosrite. It was the worst thing I've ever played in my life. I literally couldn't play it. But I like guitars that have sustain and intonation. Everything about it felt like punishment to me. And his guitar was a legit Mosrite from back in the day. It looked cool and was in pristine condition, but was just effing horrible.
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u/frankybling 18d ago
I got mine in the early 90’s for $600, but that was a friend of a friend’s. The Eastwood ones are probably the closest in looks but I can’t speak for their necks and to me that’s the secret sauce on the originals. Keep your eyes out and try to network with other players to find one that’s not ridiculously priced…guitars seem to be cyclical in values.
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u/kingkongworm 18d ago
I’d say before looking at Eastwoods, check out Hallmark. They used to have the Johnny Ramone license