OffsetGuitars.com

MatthewK wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 6:28 pm

Amazing that they doubled down on such precisely similar models, perhaps even shared templates!

Oh, for sure, I think it was a bit of a free-for-all in the 60s/70s with all the 'lawsuit' stuff

The only thing that's remotely of bad quality on this thing is the tuners are a little shitty. The bridge pickup is pretty microphonic too - but that's often true after this amount of time in major guitar manufacturers so no real biggie.

oh and I wasn't thinking about "skinny" meaning the nut, but yeah this would be the equivalent of a Fender A width

MatthewK wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 6:42 pm

oh and I wasn't thinking about "skinny" meaning the nut, but yeah this would be the equivalent of a Fender A width

Looking across yours and mine, there's only a few differences really. Pickguards screws (8 Vs 9), headstock shape, slight difference to the cutouts, pickup poles (large head Vs small).

Mine appears to be either solid mahogany or maple bodied too...it weighs an absolute fuck-ton I'll try and get it on the scales later to see for sure but it's easily 9.5lbs, maybe more

Gorgeous. Regret selling my Mosrite Ventures model, though in all honesty I just found my Jags and JMs to be more practical! But as soon as budget allows I'll try and snap another up for sure!

Ooh I used to have a guitar like MatthewK, I loved it, but back then there was no money and I had to sell it. I still miss it.

Ha you've already listed this.

I'd snap it up had I not just got that Ric!

JamesSGBrown wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 08, 2021 1:17 pm

Ha you've already listed this.

I'd snap it up had I not just got that Ric!

Yeah I want to love it but, alas, sometimes you know when something isn't sitting right with yourself. Oh well

johnnysomersett wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 08, 2021 1:19 pm

JamesSGBrown wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 08, 2021 1:17 pm

Ha you've already listed this.

I'd snap it up had I not just got that Ric!

Yeah I want to love it but, alas, sometimes you know when something isn't sitting right with yourself. Oh well

Of course, I sold a Mosrite myself! Definitely something I'd have if I could afford to have a £1k guitar sitting them for the occasional part, but alas we're not all that financially sound!

johnnysomersett wrote: ↑

Mon May 31, 2021 10:09 pm

Yeah, the proper Mosrites were. This is one made in the late-60s/early-70s by the Firstman Japanese guitar company who partnered up with the original Mosrite Of California after making illegal copies for a while.

Going to be a dork here and say there was never any official partnership between Mosrite and overseas makers - they just realised Semie couldn't sue so went ahead and did it. You hear some talk that Semie gave his verbal agreement and that might be the case but they literally bought an American Mosrite and copied it, starting with the Morales (from Zen On as the first accurate-ish copy) and then eventually they just switched and put the real headstock and name on them from more than one manufacturer. Later on after Semie died the Japanese version of Mosrite started saying they were the official version now but it's sketchy as f*ck. Ed Roman says he has US Mosrites built new but they're from Japan as well.
Great guitars though - but they're not Mosrites (technically anyway).

sumlin wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 09, 2021 4:14 am

johnnysomersett wrote: ↑

Mon May 31, 2021 10:09 pm

Yeah, the proper Mosrites were. This is one made in the late-60s/early-70s by the Firstman Japanese guitar company who partnered up with the original Mosrite Of California after making illegal copies for a while.

Going to be a dork here and say there was never any official partnership between Mosrite and overseas makers - they just realised Semie couldn't sue so went ahead and did it. You hear some talk that Semie gave his verbal agreement and that might be the case but they literally bought an American Mosrite and copied it, starting with the Morales (from Zen On as the first accurate-ish copy) and then eventually they just switched and put the real headstock and name on them from more than one manufacturer. Later on after Semie died the Japanese version of Mosrite started saying they were the official version now but it's sketchy as f*ck. Ed Roman says he has US Mosrites built new but they're from Japan as well.
Great guitars though - but they're not Mosrites (technically anyway).

Nothing wrong with being a dork, most of us here are crazy about details like this so you're among fellow pedants.

I've also read that version of events, along with about a dozen other intertwined explanations, all over the interwebz and the exact truths might well never be known. At this point the term 'Mosrite' is almost as meaningless as 'strat'...so ubiquitous and overused in its own little niché that you need to prefix/postfix the word with something extra to narrow down it's heritage.

johnnysomersett wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 09, 2021 4:25 am

Nothing wrong with being a dork, most of us here are crazy about details like this so you're among fellow pedants.

I've also read that version of events, along with about a dozen other intertwined explanations, all over the interwebz and the exact truths might well never be known. At this point the term 'Mosrite' is almost as meaningless as 'strat'...so ubiquitous and overused in its own little niché that you need to prefix/postfix the word with something extra to narrow down it's heritage.

Totally that. Plus all the various copies/variations have their own charms and quirks too. And a lot of the original US Mosrites are very *very* "Friday afternoon" built as well. I'm a Mosrite geek and I love the sheer randomness of it all. You think you understand something and then something pops up that you can't believe - i.e. a one-off Brass Rail bass a couple of years ago. Or a MkV with a factory headstock that is 6-a-side with a pointy top. Love it all!
I currently have a 76 Brass Rail, a Mosrite version of the Acoustic Black Widow and a 66 MkV as well as a few copies and oddities. All different, all bonkers.

Congrats Johnny on your Mosrite Avenger. I had one I bought about 4 years ago but sold it. No, not because I didn't like it but it needed some work and didn't feel like getting it done so sold it. I have to tell you I loved the tone and feel of it. Doesn't seem that the neck was as thin as a vintage USA Mosrite. Mine was Sunburst. Probably 1969 or 1970. Before that I had a Morales which was nice but didn't really sound like a real Mosrite and it was Mahogany wood so it was as heavy as a Les Paul so I sold it. I also since the Avenger bought a 1966 Mosrite Mark V USA, 2008 Mosrite Japan by Filmore, and a 1971 Mosrite Mark I USA. I have all those still. I can tell you the Avenger holds it's own against the USA 1971 Mark I.

I believe Morales were by Zen-On and were around a couple years, maybe 1968/69. I believe Avenger was made right after Morales but not sure how many years. Avenger was by Firstman, so I suppose Zen-On became Firstman. By the way the body on Avengers look slightly different than USA models and later Japanese Mosrites by Filmore and Excellent.

EDIT - Johnny Wrote -

"Not quite. Morales came out of the Zen-on factory (along with Beltone). These Firstman ones were built in the FugiGen Gakki factory (Greco, Ibanez, etc).".

I was wrong on my thought Morales by Zen-On and Firstman were from the same factory and company just with a name change.